Lowe Shop Notes

[Dave W]

Comeback from where? I didn't know there was such a thing before Lowe!

There have been a few. I recall that when Fender introduced the first Stu Hamm Urge in 32" scale, a Fender exec said he expected 32" scale to be the wave of the future.

[BTL]

Yes, 32" medium scale has had representation in most manufacturer's portfolios at some point. Kind of like lefty's, you have to do your homework to find them. However, I'm the only one (to date) who has ever offered CNC-milled 34" to 32" scale conversion neck for vintage-spec basses. It's a pretty fun little niche.

[BTL]

A clean, well-lighted place.

[godofthunder]

  My 76 Ibanez Destroyer is a 32" medium scale.

[BTL]

My 76 Ibanez Destroyer is a 32" medium scale.

Yup...a lot of the Fender Japan basses are 32" as well. Gibson has made some, Alembic has made quite a few, Reverend, Eastwood, etc...

[BTL]

I spent today setting up pickups with quick connects. Lots of stuff in the pipeline.

[Pilgrim]

My Gretsch 5123B hollowbody, 32"...

And Dean Cabbie (with Filtertrons), also 32"

And incidentally, for anyone else who sometimes struggles with getting photos downsized enough to post here, a very helpful website: https://imagecompressor.com/

[BTL]

Exactly, there's a bunch of 32's out there if you're inclined to look for them!

On the build front, I use EZ Lok 329-004 inserts to mount Thunderbird pickups. I drill and tap them like my neck inserts, I use a 4-40 screw and washer to set the depth into the body, and then I glue the washer in place. This ensures that all of the compression force from the surgical tubing is exerted on the insert and there is no force actively pushing the pickup out of the body. It's a bit fussy, but I think it's worth it, especially because my plug-and-play pickup system encourages pickup swapping.

[Rob]

Very clever!

[wellREDman]

what do you use for your quick connect connectors?

I've been using the hard drive  power connectors salvaged from old pcs but they're pretty bulky so i have to route out a little cavity to accommodate them under the pickup

I've thought about using minijack plugs and trailing sockets but what ill save in girth I'll lose in length

[BTL]

Very clever!

Thanks, Rob!

what do you use for your quick connect connectors?

I've been using the hard drive  power connectors salvaged from old pcs but they're pretty bulky so i have to route out a little cavity to accommodate them under the pickup

I've thought about using minijack plugs and trailing sockets but what ill save in girth I'll lose in length

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.

[wellREDman]

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.

Thank you

[BTL]

You're welcome!

Logo ideas...

[BTL]

Now that Lowe is legible, it doesn't need to be repeated.

[BTL]

Making ideas a reality with help from Merlin 5 CNC Products.