Quantcast
Channel: Made in the UK Discussions on theFretBoard
Viewing all 871 articles
Browse latest View live
↧

Alegree - Impmann's crazy pickup ideas comes to life!

September 7, 2017, 4:42 pm
↧
Search

Feline Guitars in "not Les Paul shaped" guitar shock

September 8, 2017, 5:33 am
$
0
0
Tim asked me to make a slightly updated version of his favourite guitar : a 1959 Fender Strat.
We did our preferred three piece neck construction with quarter-sawn maple for a strong stiff and stable neck.
2 way truss rod with adjustment at the headstock end.
So he wanted a flatter 12" radius fingerboard with Dunlop 6000 gauge fretwork
Locking tuners, an Earvana nut, and an all access neck joint round out the updated part of the equation - the rest is left classic

The alder body , apart from it's all access neck pocket is unaltered from the classic form and features simply the best quality bits that we like to use . 
So some Bare Knuckle '59 slab board pickups with CTS pots and CRL switch with parchment plastics
We did screen the control cavities with Nickel screening compound.
We also used a custom made strat bridge made by an engineer friend here in the UK with a cold rolled steel sustain block

I do make bolt on neck guitars (other than Blackmachine B6s) although we seem to be better known for LP types

Anyway here are some pics




↧
↧

'Oily Towers' ... all the latest from Oil City Pickups

August 31, 2013, 11:33 am
$
0
0
image
For your delectation ... a Topless Angel!
yer actual basic Oil City HonkyTonk Angel alnico 3 Tele neck pickup ... with larger top flatwork, a classic string wrapping ... and its naughty, pert little pole pieces on display phworrrrrrrr ....
(I must remember to take my pills).
Sweet, clear and defined, with plenty of authority for clean work ... and quite surprising when when you add some dirt. For everyone who thinks Tele neck pickups are boring.

↧

Alegree - Introducing the Solar Flare humbucker, the first humbucker designed for HSS

September 16, 2017, 3:45 pm
$
0
0
Today marks the introduction of the brand new Solar Flare humbucker. 

A humbucker designed specifically for fat Strat HSS configuration. 

Read more here
↧

Gryphin Amps - Updates pictures etc

September 16, 2015, 1:01 pm
$
0
0
After supplying parts and kits to amp builders for the last 7 years with Modulus I have started to develop a range of hi-spec amps to offer to those who do not have the skillset to build there own.... i.e the majority of guitarists

Here is an 18watt head, simple controls and a delight to play, pretty well known what these amps can do tone wise, but I hope to have some videos recorded shortly.
I will be at the Leeds Guitar Show in October and the Guitar Show at New Bingley Hall in Feb next year if you want to check it out.

I will post here occasionally, but my Facebook page will have the most activity.
https://www.facebook.com/GryphinAmps?ref=hl

Let me know what you think, all feedback is good, both good and bad

Cheers

Michael

image
image
↧
↧

Fredric Effects boutique guitar pedals - news and updates

September 26, 2013, 6:27 am
$
0
0
This is the antidote to my spam/press release thread. For some reason I thought this was the same as the builders/manufacturers forum on TGP, obvs not. Anyway...

I usually build pedals in small batches, but I'm pretty busy over the next few days and I need to post a Grumbly Wolf today.

1) Go to the stock cupboard and grab an enclosure. These Hammond/Eddystone boxes can be bought in quantity from Rapid. Recently I've been buying them direct from the manufacturer, pre-drilled to my specs. Previously I'd been getting them drilled by a local company, until their regular guy left and quality control became an issue (I have similar stories for both powder coating and screen printing). After the boxes are drilled, I get them powder coated professionally. Powder coating places are everywhere, but they'll usually only entertain batches of 50 boxes minimum. Having designed the artwork at 600dpi actual size (so it's not blocky) I get the screen printing done by another company. Then I put the boxes in my stock cupboard.

image

2) Grumbly Wolf enclosure

image

3) Notice the masked area by the jack hole. That's to ground the enclosure.

image

4) Circuit boards are designed in Eagle and manufactured by Seeed Studio. Seeed are cool because the minimum order quantity is 10 boards, so they can be used for prototypes and testing. Turnaround is about a month for the boards, and they offer an assortment of colours.

image 

5) Populate that circuit board. I like to follow the order: resistors -> diodes -> capacitors -> transistors.

image

6) I like to mount the pots (Alpha PCB mount right-angled leg) and switch (generic DPDT) on the circuit board to cut build time and for neatness.

image

7) Enclosure with the footswitch, LED lens and DC jack fitted. These components are all from Rapid. Use of Millenium Bypass allows the use of the higher quality DPDT Alpha footswitch rather than the chunky blue 3PDT switches you often see. 

image

8) Here's my desk. The black hood thing is a solder fume extractor. I use lead-free solder, but the fumes can still give you a cough and dry the shit out of your eyes. 

image

9) Flying leads attached to the circuit board.

image

10) Wire the switch. Notice the IN / OUT / MIL (Millenium Bypass control) / G (Ground) pads are conveniently located so the wires don't need to cross over or go a wandering. Similarly the LED + and - are located directly behind the LED hole.

image

11) Tools req'd. Initially I went through loads of those cheap 30-40 watt Antek soldering irons, but really a decent soldering station with a temperature control is needed for any semi-serious amount of soldering. You run a much greater risk of burning out components with a cheap soldering iron that doesn't get hot enough for solder to flow easily. With this one you're in and out in a second. Mine is set to 450 degrees, because lead-free solder has a higher melting point. Some people hate it because of this, and the fact that it doesn't come out as shiny as lead solder.

These high quality Piergiacomi needle-nose pliers and wire cutters are really nice to use. It's worth investing in some decent tools.

image

12) Jacks wired. These enclosed jack sockets take up less space than the Neutrik 'open lugged' type I used to use. In my opinion they also have a more positive feel to them, as with the Neutriks you sometimes felt you were forcing the jack in. These are self-anchoring, which makes them easy to fit, and also grounds them to the enclosure wall.

image

13) Finished. The 9V DC socket is a switching type, so if a battery is installed it's only used if there's no jack in the socket. Similarly, the input jack socket is wired so power is only drawn if the there's a jack in the socket. This is industry standard stuff, although on some older pedals you might find the output is the one doing the switching. The cable tie is for strain relief on the battery snap. Some pedal builders fill their pedals with cable ties, but this pedal only needs one.

image

14) Grumbly like the wolf

image
↧

Double Decker Oak Guitar Rack by Stand-Made

June 23, 2016, 3:07 am
↧

The ultimate 1 x 12" cabinet??

September 22, 2017, 4:10 pm
$
0
0
A few months ago I recovered two CAA cube 1 x 12" cabs, I normally don't like small cabs as they tend to sound boxy or very one dimensional, but these didn't, in fact with the fitted V30's they sounded pretty flipping good. Long story short the cabs are priced silly over here and being a cab builder I decided to build a one for myself which then turned into 2... etc etc.

This is the first finished one that went out to its new owner today fitted with a Classic Lead 80 and it did not disappoint, still have to cover my cab, hopefully will get it done in the next few weeks.






↧
Search

Oil City P90 shims

May 22, 2017, 6:48 am
$
0
0

This is only a small accessory, but I've been annoyed with the lack of good Dog Ear P90 shims out there for some time. They are available from one UK retailer (who always seems to be out of stock) but the ones they sell have a huge footprint that comes way outside the cover, are made of cheap, rather inflexible plastic (no good for the curved tops of semi acoustics). Many folks make them from old mouse mats etc, but those are made from the sort of rubber that can interact badly with nitro finishes.

Many of you will know that the only way to adjust the pickup height with a Dog Ear is via a shim, or a combination of several, so this ought to be something thats easy to get hold of ... it wasn't  ... till now.  

Off I went into the Oily Towers workshop ... fired up the CAD program, then the Laser, and produced these ....  
Cut to close tolerances, they are just 1.5mm larger than the pickup base (to give it a stable footing), and are made of non reactive vulcanised paper fibre (just like pickup flatwork). They come in 2mm thickness, so a set of three will give you a 2/4 or 6mm lift (usually plenty of range unless your neck is wierdly set). They bend easily to accommodate curved semi acoustic tops, Yet are hard and durable. If you need thicker shims I can custom cut 3mm ones, but these bend to guitar tops less easily.

A set of two plastic ones from the UK retailer are £22.00 plus postage (ouch) 
A set of three of these are £16.00 plus postage ... 

Oh, and the fibre material can be glued together if required with ordinary wood glue once height has been determined ... will also take paint finishes like wood, so could be sprayed to match your guitar colour. 
   
↧
↧

Gordon Ross guitar. Help needed!!!!! Scottish Luthier/guitar builder......

September 27, 2017, 6:09 am
$
0
0
Hi, 

If anyone has any info on Gordon Ross (scottish luthier/guitar maker) please can you help me find more about this maker? I recently bought a very well made acoustic guitar by Gordon Ross. Any info greatly received. 
↧

RABEA MASSAAD, ARIEL POSEN AND PETE HONORÉ @ GUITAR BREAKS, UK - NOVEMBER 20-26

October 4, 2017, 5:10 am
$
0
0
Guitar Breaks has just announced the 'Autumn Getaway' guitar holiday adventure. You can spend a week in a 17th century manor house playing guitar and hanging with three of the best guitarists out there at the moment.
Located on the Isle of Wight between the 20th - 26th November 2017, the special guests are the awesome Rabea Massaad, Ariel Posen and Pete Honoré.

What can you expect at the Autumn Getaway? Well forget structured, classroom guitar lessons because this is emphatically not that! This is the chance to relax and fully immerse yourself in five days of discussion, experimentation, collaborative learning and discovery. We’ll play, we’ll jam, we’ll hang out. We’ll talk a lot about gear and tone while developing discussions around anything from classic chord progressions, licks and phrases, soloing, rhythm, harmony… and plenty more besides.

You’ll go home refreshed, inspired and brimming with new ideas and insight for the next level on your tonal and playing journey.
Visit Guitar Breaks online at http://www.guitar-breaks.com/about-guitar-breaks.html and on Facebook www.facebook.com/GuitarBreaks for more details.

GUITARS  -  AMPS  -  PEDALS  -  JAMMING  -  TALKING  -  RELAXING  -  EVERYTHING GUITAR!
↧

Flame Guitars @ The London International Guitar Show

October 5, 2017, 12:15 pm
$
0
0
The South of England Guitar Show has been rebranded as the London International Guitar Show and I am pleased to say that I will be exhibiting again at this show. It takes place at Kempton Park on the 29th October. I thought that last years show was a good one with loads of exhibitors and some live music. I'm sure this years show will be even better. So here are a couple of taster videos of some of the guitars that I will be exhibiting. If you do go, come and say hello at my stand and try out any of my guitars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuXN4gFtMXc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjCUL_cjOwY


↧

Feline Guitars 25th Anniversary ThorpyFX Peacekeeper Ltd Edition

October 12, 2017, 6:39 am
$
0
0
As many of you will know Feline are celebrating 25 years of the brand

As part of the celebrations we have teamed up with our friends at Thorpy FX to create a special edition of one of his fine pedals: We chose the Peacekeeper as it will fit in most players rigs no matter what style you are playing and will also stack well with other drive pedals too.

We originally wanted them as a companion pedal to go with the 25th Anniversary guitars , but realised that it might be nice to make some available to those who can't afford the Anniversary guitar package.
So we came up with a great screen printed livery for the pedal sides.




When ThorpyFX became distributor for the rather fab Barefoot Buttons we knew that a laser etched one would be the final touch for this great pedal



So this is a VERY limited Edition - limited to 25 pieces (12 of which are reserved to go with the guitars)
The pedals have a unique serial number sequence going up to 25

We will be selling these at a price of £225 including UK postage
PM me if you are interested....



↧
↧

New guitar slide invention

October 12, 2017, 3:11 am
$
0
0
Please check out my new invention.  It’s a slide that is capable of producing the sounds of an Indian Sitar as well as traditional slide tones.https://youtu.be/r7JQ-YM2J08
↧

New Fredric Effects T-shirts are in!

October 14, 2017, 11:59 am
↧
Search

NGAVD - Gryphin Blackbird with Steve Murphy

October 17, 2017, 4:00 am
$
0
0
New Guitar Amp Video Day! Got Steve to do a video for me in a trade for the 1 x 12" speaker cabinet you see in the video, he really loved the amp so I will be making one for him with some boost switching features added.

Playing a Reiver guitar in by @skelf in the main part of the guitar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfYeSTW61iQ
↧

Grainger Guitars - Cerberus V Finished Pictures

October 18, 2017, 3:46 am
$
0
0
Here's pictures of our take on the classic flying V, we've called it Cerberus, specs as follows ~

5 piece sapele & maple veneer body
Book matched flame maple cap front and rear - 8mm thick
Asian ebony one piece neck
ebony fret board
Flamed maple inlay in headstock
Flamed maple cererus Inlay at 12th fret with glow in the dark eyes
Glow in the dark side dots
Hipshot open gear tuners
Other other hardware is our own manufacture
Irongear Hammer Head pickups
CTS pots & switchcraft toggle

This one will be on display at the London International Guitar Show on the 29th of October at Kempton park



↧
↧

Custom Scratchplate for Fender Strat (Japanese)

October 17, 2017, 10:12 am
$
0
0
Hello everyone, I'm looking to have a custom scratchplate made for my fender strat, no stock ones will fit because of the unusual tremolo cutout, can anyone on here make or recommend someone who can make one from a template which I will provide, I have looked into Sims pickguards but they're about £50 which is a little more than I'd ideally like to pay it's very simple just a 3 ply white pearl HSS strat scratchplate with copper shielding only over the controls. any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated, cheers.

George.
↧

Grainger Guitars - Introduction

August 21, 2017, 8:01 am
$
0
0
Hi Guys

Just thought I'd do a quick intro post, Grainger Guitars consists of Myself (Darren) and my brother (Gavin).  We make guitars, Basses and hardware here in Rutland, UK.  We're engineers by trade so manufacturing things has been the day job for 20 years and about 3-4 years ago began putting the odd kit guitar and messing around modding our own guitars and some re-finishing, then approx 18 months ago we decided to have a go at making a full guitar..............turned out well and thing have gone from there.  We have a small range of four of our own guitar designs and one bass design and have made a handful of custom builds to customer requirements.  As engineers we have an extensive range of modern manufacturing gear at our disposal (as I own an engineering company) and started to make our own hardware 12 months ago which is available online (www.graingerguitarparts.com), we fit our own hardware to our builds with exception of the tuners as we haven't developed our own yet

I'll post some build pics when I figure out how to :-/

Cheers

Darren


↧

Grainger Guitars at the London international guitar show

October 24, 2017, 3:39 pm
$
0
0
we’re really looking forward to exhibiting at the London International Guitar Show at Kempton Park this Sunday (29th Oct).....it’s one not to be missed....why not stop by to say hi and have a play on some of our guitars...there will be eight on show along with the full range of guitar hardware we produce
↧
Viewing all 871 articles
Browse latest View live
Search