Lowe Shop Notes

[BTL]

Thank you so much!

You know what theory say? All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

It's time to stop and smell the Ixora.

[BTL]

I spent today fabricating baseplates for Fralin Big Singles in (up to) 5-string format. I'm proud of the fact that these exist because of my relationship with Lindy Fralin Pickups. I still have the first-ever Big Single.

[BTL]

Buttoning down a few details on the 8-string bass.

[BTL]

I have reached the point where I need to get some parts in hand. There are lots of projects in the pipeline.

[BTL]

So, here's one area that has been a bottleneck in my throughput. I really enjoy building my wiring harnesses, but I'm SLOW. Ian League of Guttermouth Electronics is an old friend, and he has stepped up and offered to help me build my fussy little harnesses with mil-spec quick-connects. I even have my own little spot on the corner of his bench. This collaboration makes me happy on a few different levels.

[BTL]

The first harnesses are ready to go.

[gearHed289]

Tidy!

[BTL]

He's about 80% more efficient, too.

[BTL]

It's time to manufacture some more pickup rings and control plates. Send Cut Send and Advanced Plating have enabled me to fabricate custom, chrome-plated hardware in relatively small batches. It's another little detail I'm super proud of.

[BTL]

Another little detail that I'm excited about...the Fralin Big Single for Lowe Custom Guitars now has its own custom winding fixture.

[Dave W]

What's the significance of this fixture? Is this a custom Big Single version for bass?

[BTL]

Dave,

Thanks for asking!

Yes, my custom bobbins, blades, and baseplates are shown in post #796.

Lindy Fralin prototyped the first Big Single for me as a bass guitar pickup under a P90 cover with no holes. He liked the design enough to manufacture bobbins and blades for his guitar-centric, humbucker-sized version as a standard offering. That pickup is fine for 4-string bass, but I prefer the look of the P90, and it has the potential to accommodate 5-string bass, so I committed to having the necessary parts fabricated. I use this version for guitar and (up to 5-string) bass.

On the fixture, Lindy was mentioning that the tech who built the last set of pickups I ordered had some issues with bobbin flex. After looking into it, he determined it was not a bobbin issue per se, but rather a winding fixture deficiency. So, he fabricated a custom fixture to hold my bobbins.

I think that's pretty cool, and I feel lucky to have Lindy's personal focus and attention.

[Dave W]

That's always a good thing to have. You might need other custom jobs in the future.

I did see post 796, just didn't put 2 and 2 together.

[BTL]

I'm always happy to tie the details together. It's been a fun ride!

[BTL]

Today is un-boxing day.