ThePearDream's Project Thread

[ThePearDream]

I'm definitely not doing any switching in this one. I want to maintain the spirit of the Swinger with the one pickup. The main option I'm considering is a Brandonwound Ttop or similar nasty 70s humbuckers. There is also a used DiMarzio Super 2 on my Reverb watchlist that might work.

[ThePearDream]

I got my recently acquired Yamaha G50-112II setup as my pedal amp and rearranged my pedalboard to use only my self-built effects. The only bits I didn't make are the tuner at the start and amp reverb switch at the end. I even made the actual pedal board.

[Shadoweclipse13]

That's amazing!

[ThePearDream]

Okay, this is my last pedal for a bit, a DOD Overdrive Preamp 250 Reissue. I'll inventory all of my components, then pack them away until I have a dedicated pedal building space in my next home.



I do still have five It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia themed Fuzz Faces on my workbench as well, but those are all assembled and waiting to meet the right transistors.

[ThePearDream]

...
Then for the small tube amp, I picked up a VHT Special 6 combo. With the hand wired eyelet board, it seems like a really good, affordable option for learning how to do amp mods. I'm plannning to get a mod kit to turn it into a 5F2A Princeton. The amp plus a mod kit is way cheaper than buying even a small amp kit.
...

All finished up modding this VHT. While I had the chassis out, I decided to overhaul the outside. I stripped off the black Tolex and recovered it in a remnant of some nice commercial upholstery fabric from HBF. I recovered the baffle in a coordinating gray grill cloth and made a custom badge from a scrap of acrylic and some cheap car letters.

Then for the inside, I did the 50s Tweed Princeton mods, installing new volume and tone controls, making numerous changes to the components on the eyelet board, and installing a negative feedback loop. I put in a Warehouse speakers Veteran 10", a new JJ power tube and a NOS preamp tube.

I couldn't be happier with how it turned out! It sounds awesome and it looks so much cooler too. I wanted this to be a small living room amp and I think it'll be great for that.

[shoegaze_head]

The VHT looks awesome, the upholstery definitely gives it a more unique look. Also digging the green hornet sticker. A buddy who worked at a dispensary gave me a beanie from that brand, wore it all through high school and never got in trouble for it. I did however get stopped by the dean for wearing a t shirt with little palm trees on it once which he thought was weed.

[ThePearDream]

The VHT looks awesome, the upholstery definitely gives it a more unique look. Also digging the green hornet sticker. A buddy who worked at a dispensary gave me a beanie from that brand, wore it all through high school and never got in trouble for it. I did however get stopped by the dean for wearing a t shirt with little palm trees on it once which he thought was weed.

Hey thanks! I've never actually had any green hornet products. That was a free sticker I got with an online purchase of some glassware . It looked pretty cool, so I stuck it on the spot I stick random stickers - the cover of the board I made for doing jigsaw puzzles.

[Fiddy]

Cool retolexing job.

Is that a Guns R' Noses sticker?

[ThePearDream]

Okay, here's the pickup for the Swinger. A vintage, late 70s Dimarzio K-10. Made in the US for import Hondo guitars, it's a non-adjustable pole version of the Super 2 pickup, The Super 2 is a Super Distortion, optimized for the neck position. 8.38K from the listing. Should work great for this one. I think I'll use the original pickup ring from the old Hondo, for more pawn shop vibes.

[efiug]

hell yeah I love the vibes

[ThePearDream]

Finally able to get some clear on this body today.

[ragamuffin]

Finally able to get some clear on this body today.

Great color!

[MayTheFuzzBeWithYou]

Couldn‘t sleep yesterday after the transition from couch to bed for quite some time and re-read this thread!
That‘s some high quality stuff here!

What are the pickups in this model?

Also thanks for the heads up on the 24“ XII. I might end up ordering one for a Jag. Their prices seem very reasonable. I just need to find a solution for the Bridge and String anchors - it might not be doable with the Trem still working…or would it?

But a 24“ Baritone Conversion might be another great idea!

[ThePearDream]

What are the pickups in this model?

I wrote a little about these in another thread, so I'll just quote myself.

I'll just take this moment to say the pickups in Artemis P2 are really pretty cool, especially for how cheap they are. It's a firebird sized pickup, with a p90 type of wind. So it's like a small P90, with a lot of extra metal shielding affecting the magnetic fields and resonant peaks and other science-y stuff. Neck:6.8K, Bridge:7.5K. The tops appear to be a black acrylic, which matches the pickguard perfectly. The series and phase switches up top, yield some cool sounds as well.

Anyway, they sound pretty good to me. $46 for a pair seemed worth a try to me and I wasn't disappointed.

And here's a more expensive boutique version, their spiel about the sound is pretty accurate to these cheaper ones too.

[ThePearDream]

Finally able to get some clear on this body today.

Great color!

Thanks! It's Duplicolor "Deep Jewel Green Metallic".

Here it is this morning after four coats yesterday, with the pickguard/pickup ring in position:


Bonus: my 2-1/2 y. o. Beagle, Sherman.