My New Offset Designs: Artemis & Apollo - Builds Coming

Talk about modding or building your own guitar from scratch.
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ThePearDream
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Re: My New Offset Designs: Artemis & Apollo - Builds Coming

Post by ThePearDream » Sat Jan 21, 2023 11:34 am

I was planning on keeping this to myself for a while, but I can't not share it. The pickguard for Artemis #3 is here.

I had screwed up a couple of neck blanks this morning while working in my shop, so I decided to stop before I messed anything else up. I was feeling pretty down on myself until I noticed a package from Ponoko was waiting for me outside.

It's been laser cut from purple swirl acrylic. It'll just need to have the edges beveled and it will be ready. Again, the body will be metallic purple. I'll send it to the master of purple, copaceticcustoms, along with the acrylic scrap, and let him have license to pick a purple that will look good with the guard.

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And some more stuff:

I'm going to try and fit in a proto Orion body build. I've had a Basswood blank sitting around for a long time and I don't really want to pack it up when I move. I already
have another Squier neck ready to go. Thought I'd make an offset, 2 pickup Strat with a 4-way lever switch. Up top is a phase switch and a rhythm tone switch. I'm contemplating selling my two Strats and replacing them with one of these and a high quality Strat build that I'll assemble from other builders' parts sometime down the road.
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My plan to do a Goldtop P90 Apollo for #4 will wait for now. I'll need more space and a proper workbench to do that one. The new plan involves this pair of slipmatched ash pieces:

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If they were a regular sized ash blank, it would be a pretty decent weight already, but I'm going to be chambering it, which will make for a nice, light body. Then I'll do full bevels and a natural finish to show off the grain. It will also get a previously unseen "large" Apollo pickguard in black.
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Speaking of ash, when I decided to do an ash body for Artemis #4, I was also changing the plan for the color of that one. Now it's going to be bright yellow over open ash grain. My only yellow guitar is a $100 Epiphone LP Special that I don't care about. I'll replace that and my CV tele with this one. Neck is Pau Ferro on maple. Should look something like this:

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I was also planning an Orion-T and a Lefty Artemis-T (one orange and one blue), but those were the necks I messed up this morning. I might still do those, but I would get paddle head necks from a US supplier. I'm not trying to spend my time making Fender spec necks anyway. I learned to make necks so I could do oddball stuff like the baritone for Artemis #3.
Last edited by ThePearDream on Sat Jan 21, 2023 11:50 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: My New Offset Designs: Artemis & Apollo - Builds Coming

Post by tequila_in_teacups » Sat Jan 21, 2023 11:44 am

That swirly acrylic is fantastic!

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Re: My New Offset Designs: Artemis & Apollo - Builds Coming

Post by sal paradise » Sat Jan 21, 2023 11:47 am

Oh man. Lefty Orion T body… and I could just buy a neck for it…?
I have nothing to offer anybody, except my own confusion?

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Re: My New Offset Designs: Artemis & Apollo - Builds Coming

Post by ThePearDream » Sat Jan 21, 2023 11:48 am

sal paradise wrote:
Sat Jan 21, 2023 11:47 am
Oh man. Lefty Orion T body… and I could just buy a neck for it…?
The Orion would be a Righty (and probably for a co-worker).
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Re: My New Offset Designs: Artemis & Apollo - Builds Coming

Post by sal paradise » Sat Jan 21, 2023 11:49 am

ThePearDream wrote:
Sat Jan 21, 2023 11:48 am
sal paradise wrote:
Sat Jan 21, 2023 11:47 am
Oh man. Lefty Orion T body… and I could just buy a neck for it…?
The Orion would be a Righty (and probably for a co-worker).
Ah misread that!
I have nothing to offer anybody, except my own confusion?

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Re: My New Offset Designs: Artemis & Apollo - Builds Coming

Post by ThePearDream » Sat Jan 21, 2023 11:51 am

sal paradise wrote:
Sat Jan 21, 2023 11:49 am
ThePearDream wrote:
Sat Jan 21, 2023 11:48 am
sal paradise wrote:
Sat Jan 21, 2023 11:47 am
Oh man. Lefty Orion T body… and I could just buy a neck for it…?
The Orion would be a Righty (and probably for a co-worker).
Ah misread that!
No, it didn't write it clearly. I edited it now to be more clear. Sorry for the confusion!
Doug
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Re: My New Offset Designs: Artemis & Apollo - Builds Coming

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Sat Jan 21, 2023 11:56 am

It's been a while since I've gone all the way through this thread, and my cursory look didn't find it. What's the Orion, compared to the Apollo and Artemis?
Pickup Switching Mad Scientist
http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=104282&p=1438384#p1438384

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Re: My New Offset Designs: Artemis & Apollo - Builds Coming

Post by ThePearDream » Sat Jan 21, 2023 12:18 pm

Shadoweclipse13 wrote:
Sat Jan 21, 2023 11:56 am
It's been a while since I've gone all the way through this thread, and my cursory look didn't find it. What's the Orion, compared to the Apollo and Artemis?
This post has the answer.
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Re: My New Offset Designs: Artemis & Apollo - Builds Coming

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Sat Jan 21, 2023 12:47 pm

ThePearDream wrote:
Sat Jan 21, 2023 12:18 pm
Shadoweclipse13 wrote:
Sat Jan 21, 2023 11:56 am
It's been a while since I've gone all the way through this thread, and my cursory look didn't find it. What's the Orion, compared to the Apollo and Artemis?
This post has the answer.
Oh yeah! Thanks for the link!
Pickup Switching Mad Scientist
http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=104282&p=1438384#p1438384

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Re: My New Offset Designs: Artemis & Apollo - Builds Coming

Post by ThePearDream » Sun Jan 22, 2023 1:26 pm

Wiring in the boost circuit. I used some hot glue to goop the back of the board, so it wouldn't contact the shielding and to
keep it secured in the cavity.
Image

I made an aluminum top plate to help shield the circuit. Then I used more aluminum tape to seal the edges.
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Jag+ wiring for the 68? Univox pickups in their new 3D printed covers, with new leads and separate grounds for the copper base plates. Strangle caps are 0.003uf and 0.002uf
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Wiring up the stainless steel control plate. I used 1M Bourns, but wired in a typical V & T way (i. e. not like a Jag or JM) and a 0.033uf cap.
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Then I got everything screwed down.
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It seems I forgot to order the tuners, so strings will have to wait. I need to add the strap buttons and rough in a nut too. It's getting close though. The vibrato is an AVRI with a Faction top plate and a Staytrem collet.
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Re: My New Offset Designs: Artemis & Apollo - Builds Coming

Post by BoringPostcards » Sun Jan 22, 2023 2:43 pm

I really love that purple swirl acrylic. That is going to be a sweet guitar, once it’s completed.
All such great work.
Det er mig der holder traeerne sammen.

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Re: My New Offset Designs: Artemis & Apollo - Builds Coming

Post by ThePearDream » Sun Jan 29, 2023 1:34 pm

Can't find the neck screws now :D. Ready to go otherwise.
Image

Still trying to get the neck finishes done for the others, whenever it warms up enough. The body for Apollo #1 has cured for a few months now though. So it is ready to start working on again. I had done 3 or 4 thin coats of satin nitro over the grain fill. After curing, I rubbed the whole thing down with synthetic steel wool to an even luster.
Image

And a look at the control cavity shielding. Heavy aluminum tape for the sides, and 1mm aluminum plates for the bottom and top.
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Re: My New Offset Designs: Artemis & Apollo - Builds Coming

Post by ThePearDream » Sat Feb 04, 2023 1:27 pm

Orion prototype body:
Image
Image

The Basswood body is pretty light at 3#4, but pretty soft too. I might spray a few coats of some paint directly on the wood to give it a little protection. I need to see if I have a pair of non-staggered Strat pickups to throw in here.
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Re: My New Offset Designs: Artemis & Apollo - Builds Coming

Post by ThePearDream » Sun Feb 05, 2023 5:26 pm

Well, I managed to scrounge up everything I needed to get this one together. I ended up brushing on two coats of water based poly, then rubbed it all down when a green 3M pad. Needs a setup still, but I'm excited to try it out once that's done. Will this be all the Strat I need?
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Re: My New Offset Designs: Artemis & Apollo - Builds Coming

Post by ThePearDream » Sun Feb 12, 2023 8:34 am

So, yeah. This configuration absolutely gives me all the Strat that I need.

As a result of the ultra light Basswood, this one is a bit of a neck diver. Now I know how light I can go with the body though. So it's been a valuable exercise.

The first iteration of the rhythm switch used the same 47k resistor I use for a JM, but it hardly changed anything. I switched it for a 22k yesterday, which is still a bit subtle. Pinpointing the right value will take some trial and error. I'm trying to get the sound of the tone control around 3-4.

The out of phase neck in combination with the bridge is firmly in Mustang territory, which can be a cool option to have. Out of curiosity though, I changed the switch to be half-out-of-phase. As expected, the half-out-of-phase effect is far more subtle and closer to the notch positions on a Strat. In subsequent builds, I may just incorporate this option in a Bill Lawrence 5-way Tele style switch scheme. Or maybe a super switch to also add series?

I'm now planning to squeeze in a proper build of this using an Alder blank I already have and a paddle neck and some better pickups. I'm also now planning to sell both of my Strats, which are my only real Fenders, as well as two guitars with Warmoth JM bodies and Strat vibratos. I'm confident they can all be replaced with one Orion-S.

Image

Image
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