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You know this project is crazy right? Bravo sir!!

 

Cheers Jaicen, I try not to do things by halves.

And thanks a heap for your help with the sustainer. That makes perfect sense but am i right in thinking that if exactly half your scale length is your 12th fret then your sustainer driver just has to get as close to that as possible? eg neck position and as close to the neck as possible. This is probably one of those times where I've opened my mouth before doing my homework.

 

 

I have the 101 kit with the humbucker so am looking for anybody who is keen to swap/sell a single coil sized driver.

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Cheers Jaicen, I try not to do things by halves.

And thanks a heap for your help with the sustainer. That makes perfect sense but am i right in thinking that if exactly half your scale length is your 12th fret then your sustainer driver just has to get as close to that as possible? eg neck position and as close to the neck as possible. This is probably one of those times where I've opened my mouth before doing my homework.

 

 

I have the 101 kit with the humbucker so am looking for anybody who is keen to swap/sell a single coil sized driver.

 

Yes, as close to 1/2 scale length as possible. I should have said earlier, I think the Strat neck pickup is at 1/4 scale length,so that too would be a good position for a sustainer pickup.

 

You know, the 101 kit has a single coil sustainer inside the humbucker case?

It's not the same as the 401 single, which I think is more complex , but you could look at extracting and mounting that?

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You know, the 101 kit has a single coil sustainer inside the humbucker case?

It's not the same as the 401 single, which I think is more complex , but you could look at extracting and mounting that?

 

Yeah I've been told this before and read around the net! I've even sent an email to Fernandes tech to confirm but haven't heard back (don't expect to).

Is "extract" a fancy word for chisel, or hacksaw? Ever seen or heard of anybody pulling that off successfully?

 

My mate who does the wiring calls me "Paul the ruiner"

I'd never live that down if I routered through a Fernandes Sustainer driver..

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IMG_0745.thumb.jpg.7a3ec9920545dde9d7a55a0acf020abc.jpg

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Yeah I've been told this before and read around the net! I've even sent an email to Fernandes tech to confirm but haven't heard back (don't expect to).

Is "extract" a fancy word for chisel, or hacksaw? Ever seen or heard of anybody pulling that off successfully?

 

My mate who does the wiring calls me "Paul the ruiner"

I'd never live that down if I routered through a Fernandes Sustainer driver..

 

What happened there?

 

And nothing so crude, you can open it up using a dremel around the bottom edge of the case. I'm not sure I'd go at it with a chisel!

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That's just me being rough making a template for routing the back.

I'd blame it on weak splintery wood but nah.. Just bit rough. My mate borrowed my jigsaw and I got impatient and crude with the drill. And chisel.. And hammer... And ruined it.

 

Have you performed the operation on the 101 humbucker? Any pics?

You are spot on the money too. I actually heard back from Fernades today.

 

"Hello Paul,

The rumor is true, the Sustainer pickup is a single coil inside a humbucker casing.

The single and humbucker drivers are indeed interchangeable.

We can offer a single coil driver for $99."

 

Fun facts for you guys.

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Magnificent work. I'm amazed that they claim the single coils are interchangeable, as I'm sure they have previously said the 401 is some sort of axial magnetic flux design or something??

 

If you open it up, I would love to see pictures.

 

Edit: So why is the 401 so expensive??

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Ah good.. I'm the guinea pig for Sustainer surgery.

 

Witz, I think the key to my email was asking them for a price of a single coil driver so they may get a sale out of it for the reply (see how surgery goes) I have heard the single coil pickup is better, I recently read something about axial magnetic flux design features.

 

So If I ruin the humbucker I'll get in a fancy new single coil.

 

Any body had a chance to capo their guitar at the 12 fret and see how the sustainer actually performs on a stupidly short scale?

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IMG_0747.thumb.jpg.8a97d8c7244340b11fb42ba49ef7fc6a.jpg

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Magnificent work. I'm amazed that they claim the single coils are interchangeable, as I'm sure they have previously said the 401 is some sort of axial magnetic flux design or something??

 

If you open it up, I would love to see pictures.

 

Edit: So why is the 401 so expensive??

 

They are. I just had an MA-2 wired up with the 401 single coil driver (for looks) but kept the 101 board it had before (there was a reason, but I forgot... also, it was cheaper to do that)

 

And I imagine because of the blend feature (which no one really uses anyway). Not sure otherwise.

 

Ah good.. I'm the guinea pig for Sustainer surgery.

 

Witz, I think the key to my email was asking them for a price of a single coil driver so they may get a sale out of it for the reply (see how surgery goes) I have heard the single coil pickup is better, I recently read something about axial magnetic flux design features.

 

So If I ruin the humbucker I'll get in a fancy new single coil.

 

Any body had a chance to capo their guitar at the 12 fret and see how the sustainer actually performs on a stupidly short scale?

 

Haven't picked up a guitar all week... not good. I'll try to get around to it tomorrow. Remind me, does your project have the 101 or 401? Just wondering which one to try as I have guitars with both.

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I've seen some of your toys James. It's nothing short of impressive.

I have got the 101 kit. May order a 401 single coil driver in though if I can't bear the thought of hacking up the humbucker driver

 

:eyebrows:

 

I'll give both a try - if there's a difference I'll let you know that as well. ALSO... I swear that the 101 sustainer kit I bought years back (had to have been 2007 or so) was literally a single coil sustainer stuffed inside a plastic humbucker sized casing. There wasn't any hacking up to do - you could literally just take it right out.

 

I don't know if they are still like that though.

 

in other news, I should be finishing up the ex-Homme guitar tomorrow (provided that the parts arrive on time). I just need to pop the covers on the pickups, install them, and get the truss rod and back covers (these will arrive a bit later, but at least I will be able to play it)

 

What could go wrong?

 

I might put 12's on this one instead of 13's as I'm not sure how the neck will react, but it appears that most people use 12's for C standard anyway.

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The pickups didn't actually have those lovely covers when I got them. They're made by schaller (like some of the other parts on the guitar) which is why I had to order them from thomann in germany.

 

Also, luckily I ordered a set of dimarzios for both bridge and neck, because it turns out that the bridge pickup is DEFINITELY not original to this guitar.... why? it doesn't fit. The legs are those weird ones from the 80's with three mounting holes, and the guitar isn't routed for that.

 

While the neck pickup might be original, it's dead... so the guitar will be getting two new pickups.

 

Oh, and I found this interesting...

 

http://www.seymourduncan.com/artists/our_artists/92

 

It says epiphone hollow body, but one of the pickups this guitar had before I got it was the SH-1.

 

What would you say is the best way to install the covers? I was just going to glue them on :facepalm: They are plastic, so I can't solder them on.

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fair enough. The question is how to keep it from making a mess... I was just going to put some super glue on the top of the bobbins and stick it on. Since super glue is so thin and I'd only need a small amount, it wouldn't really cause a problem. Not sure about epoxy etc

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fair enough. The question is how to keep it from making a mess... I was just going to put some super glue on the top of the bobbins and stick it on. Since super glue is so thin and I'd only need a small amount, it wouldn't really cause a problem. Not sure about epoxy etc

 

Might as well give it a go with super glue, if it happens to fall off you can just try with a two part epoxy such as Araldite. Nothing to lose really :)

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