Lowe Shop Notes

BTL · January 08, 2022, 09:59:56 AM

Another Summer NAMM 2019 build that has never formally been offered up for sale. Chromasonic IV in Satin Ocean Turquoise Metallic. This has had more nibbles without selling than any other build, so I expect it will find a new home soon enough.

BTL · January 08, 2022, 12:21:55 PM

Cutting and gluing together the Fralin bobbins was a bust. They were too bumpy to use, so I was back at square one. My good buddy Dan worked up a 3D CAD file and I went looking for vendors that can 3D print the bobbins instead.

I got quotes from xometry.com and hubs.com to have 60 of the the Fralin Big Single bobbin for 5-string produced. Xometry was ~$175 and Hubs was $90.60 ($1.51 each). Both use HP MJF Nylon 12 (black), so Hubs will be getting the work. This is exciting!

morrow · January 08, 2022, 01:11:02 PM

Unique ! It has that 50's futurism (that I love) happening .

BTL · January 08, 2022, 02:18:09 PM

Quote from: morrow on January 08, 2022, 01:11:02 PMUnique ! It has that 50's futurism (that I love) happening .

Thanks! That's definitely the vibe I'm going for across the board, so I'm glad it rings true...

BTL · January 09, 2022, 08:47:15 PM

Some unexpected events, but all in all a productive weekend. All's well that ends well.

BTL · January 10, 2022, 02:53:31 PM

Another Summer NAMM 2019 build that has never formally been offered up for sale. Fireluxe NR VI in Satin Transparent Orange. I'm discontinuing the Fireluxe NR and Thunderluxe NR shapes, so this will be the last chance to own a Fireluxe NR VI.

godofthunder · January 12, 2022, 05:47:26 AM

That blue bass is a stunning study in simplicity!

BTL · January 12, 2022, 12:09:05 PM

Quote from: godofthunder on January 12, 2022, 05:47:26 AM
That blue bass is a stunning study in simplicity!

Thanks! Everything you need, nothing you don't.

BTL · January 12, 2022, 06:57:47 PM

Baseplates and bobbins and blades, oh my! After a couple of false-starts and lots of collaboration with and support from my buddies Dan and Lindy, it looks like the Fralin Big Single for 5-string bass is moving forward. This will be one of three 5-string pickups I use in my builds.

The others are the Fralin Split J5 under a P90 cover with no holes and the Lollar Thunderbird 5. All are off-menu options that I had some influence in bringing to the market. I'm very fortunate to have such amazingly talented collaborators.

BTL · January 14, 2022, 08:20:34 PM

It's been a minute.

BTL · January 15, 2022, 09:28:30 PM

Plug-and-play VVT bass harnesses laid out and finished. I may be a little OCD.

Dave W · January 16, 2022, 12:53:54 AM

If the wires were all perfectly aligned, you'd be OCD. You have more work to do.

Rob · January 16, 2022, 11:03:33 AM

Quote from: Dave W on January 16, 2022, 12:53:54 AM
If the wires were all perfectly aligned, you'd be OCD. You have more work to do.

BTL · January 16, 2022, 01:03:31 PM

Honestly, I thought about that after I posted the photo.

I don't know that I've ever detailed how my quick connects are built. I use TE Connectivity gold-plated aircraft-grade connectors (204351-1 and 204370-2) crimped in place and color-coded with shrink-wrap. The resulting connector is nearly as slender as the wires alone and can be fished through typical pickup wire channels with no issues. Combined with my universal pickup rout and rings, I'm able to easily swap out a wide variety of pickup options and shapes.

BTL · January 16, 2022, 05:27:49 PM

Another little detail...I love Hipshot Ultralites and I love shiny chrome more than shiny nickel. Because a 100% shiny chrome Ultralite (both key and casing) is only available in the import version, they are what I use most often these days. That said, the shaft on the import version is just a little bit slimmer than the US model. I've found that a #7 O-ring centers the backplate in a US-spec machine hole rather nicely.