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The latest Vixen (single cut lp style) from my shop
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Author:  peters instruments [ Tue Jul 26, 2011 5:15 pm ]
Post subject:  The latest Vixen (single cut lp style) from my shop
Some of you may have seen this guitar already on TGP, but I am really happy with the way that it turned out and I thought I would share it over here as well I hop you dont mind. In a lot of ways I made this guitar with worship leading in mind although the general premise and capabilities are useful in countless other areas. My goal was to make a dual output guitar, one for versatile magnetics, the other for a natural sounding piezo so that I could easily switch while playing at my church without changing guitars. The body style is my take on the single cut guitar (classic without just just ripping off a lespaul.. I hope). The top is made from old growth fir that was salvaged from an old hardware store that was being renovated. It was built in the 1890's, well over 110 years ago, and the wood was cut well before then. The neck is sugar maple and the body is eastern black walnut, both were locally grown, and salvaged from old barns over 100 years old. I wanted to try and give this guitar a more natural acoustic sound, so it is a full hollow body, with a carved top parallel braces, and the walnut back is milled out. The fretboard is rosewood with a 25" scale and pearl diamond inlays, and the whole guitar is bound in curly maple. I chose to go with a set of P-rail pups for the magnetics, and an lr baggs lb6 piezo in the bridge. I was hoping to get a less harsh sound from the lb6 than many of the piezo TOMs available.

Not sure what the tailpeice bridge and pickup rings are made from. I was hoping someone here might be able to give me some direction. Initially I thought it was Rosewood, it had the density and the smell and very dark color of rosewood... I thought. However when I started cutting into it it was almost white, and then within a couple of weeks it started oxidizing and turning to a deep red color. It's still not anywhere near as dark as it was initially. The other thing was the dust, It was far more toxic and irritating to the throat and sinus's than any EIR I have ever worked with. That lead me to believe maybe it was cocobolo (which I have never worked with) but that still doesn't explain the nearly white wood. I dont have a lot of experience with wide variety of exotics so I would apreciate any insite. Thanks!

Image
The vixen #3 by Peters Instruments, on Flickr

Image
The Vixen #3 by Peters Instruments, on Flickr

Image
The vixen # 3 by Peters Instruments, on Flickr
Author:  AlBDarned [ Tue Jul 26, 2011 7:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The latest Vixen (single cut lp style) from my shop
very nice - love the milled back & neck heel contour [:Y:]
Author:  alan stassforth [ Tue Jul 26, 2011 7:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The latest Vixen (single cut lp style) from my shop
Really nice , Peter.
The bridge probably is coco.
For me, the rosewoods, braz and indian,
are less annoying to my nose.
Also, how does the Baggs sound in that thing?
I've got one I want to use on a slab git,
with a wood bridge,
but nobody seems to know how it would sound in that application.
Beauty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Author:  peters instruments [ Tue Jul 26, 2011 7:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The latest Vixen (single cut lp style) from my shop
alan stassforth wrote:
Really nice , Peter.
The bridge probably is coco.
For me, the rosewoods, braz and indian,
are less annoying to my nose.
Also, how does the Baggs sound in that thing?
I've got one I want to use on a slab git,
with a wood bridge,
but nobody seems to know how it would sound in that application.
Beauty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


well I still dont have all the kinks worked out with the Lb6 just yet. I tried to go a passive route at first while still using a 250k pot. I was using a passive wiring plan from the fishman website, that required several capicitors and I couldnt get all the right values, it ended up being a big mess. Even when I ran the pickup straight to the output jack I wasnt getting a line level output that I could run into a P.A so I finally Broke down and ordered a preamp a couple days ago. Once I get it I'll hopefully have what I am looking for. I'll keep you posted.
Author:  Chris Pile [ Tue Jul 26, 2011 8:10 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The latest Vixen (single cut lp style) from my shop
I like it.
What pickups are you using for the electric sound?

Good call on the preamp. Never could get a piezo to sound right without one. They are awfully high impedance, and sound tinny to me in "straight" mode.
Author:  peters instruments [ Tue Jul 26, 2011 8:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The latest Vixen (single cut lp style) from my shop
Its got a set of seymour duncan p-rails in it and they are perfect for this aplication. This my first experience with them but they sound great. I really like them
Author:  alan stassforth [ Tue Jul 26, 2011 9:26 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The latest Vixen (single cut lp style) from my shop
Is that an on-board pre you are getting?
I use a Baggs DI box, and like it,
but even a Behringer pre would work.
Anything to boost the signal would work.
I think you need a stereo out for your set up..
Author:  Gabby Losch [ Wed Jul 27, 2011 11:03 am ]
Post subject:  Re: The latest Vixen (single cut lp style) from my shop
Wow! That's awesome, Shad! So this one is for yourself? Congrats, that looks like a lot of fun to play.

The tailpiece and pickup rings look like Cocobolo to me, too. A closer picture would help to confirm that. I don't know why it would look white when you cut into it, though. The Cocobolo I've worked with always makes orange dust...and slightly itchy skin.

What do you think of the P-Rails? Especially in the context of a semi-hollow? I picked up a pair last year in a trade for a guitar pedal and haven't had a chance to use them. I was thinking of putting them in a neck-through semi-hollow that I started a while ago (it's been a neck with no body for over a year). How do you have it wired up?
Author:  peters instruments [ Thu Jul 28, 2011 8:10 am ]
Post subject:  Re: The latest Vixen (single cut lp style) from my shop
alan stassforth wrote:
Is that an on-board pre you are getting?
I use a Baggs DI box, and like it,
but even a Behringer pre would work.
Anything to boost the signal would work.
I think you need a stereo out for your set up..


I looked at two different preamps that are made for piezo TOM's, L.R. Baggs had one, and so did Fishman. both were essentially made to replace a tone knob, so they fit a standard Pot hole. I wound up going with the the fishman. It was a little bit simpler. should be here anyday now.

Gabby Losch wrote:
Wow! That's awesome, Shad! So this one is for yourself? Congrats, that looks like a lot of fun to play.

The tailpiece and pickup rings look like Cocobolo to me, too. A closer picture would help to confirm that. I don't know why it would look white when you cut into it, though. The Cocobolo I've worked with always makes orange dust...and slightly itchy skin.

What do you think of the P-Rails? Especially in the context of a semi-hollow? I picked up a pair last year in a trade for a guitar pedal and haven't had a chance to use them. I was thinking of putting them in a neck-through semi-hollow that I started a while ago (it's been a neck with no body for over a year). How do you have it wired up?


I did read somewhere that the sapwood from cocobolo is white when you cut into it and will take on the red color as oxidizes. so perhaps this is a piece of the sapwood. the dust was definately orange.

I love the p-rails in this guitar, since this is the first time I have used them I don't really have anything to compare them too as far as what they might sound like in a solid body but I like them in this application. They are very bubbley and have a lot of punch to them. in my guitar they dont have a ton of low end, which I am ok with I like to have a guitar that is more in the mid-high range, and when these are in humbucking mode they have all the low end I want. I have it set up with 1 vol and 1 tone, and once I get the preamp there will be 1 piezo volume control to. there are two mini switches, one is for the coil tapping and i have set up so that it goes p-90, series, rail. the other mini switch is wired for piezo-both-magnetics.
Author:  Ian Cunningham [ Tue Aug 02, 2011 6:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The latest Vixen (single cut lp style) from my shop
That's exactly the kind of guitar I'd buy if I didn't buildum. I love the natural rustic look and I am a SUCKER for Cocobolo! It looks purple, white, yellow or whatever when freshly cut, and then oxidizes to the red color btw.
Author:  Chameleon [ Tue Aug 02, 2011 6:49 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The latest Vixen (single cut lp style) from my shop
The only thing I would improve is nothing. That looks great. Looks like something I would want to pick up and play... often.

A+!
Author:  peters instruments [ Sat Aug 06, 2011 2:43 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The latest Vixen (single cut lp style) from my shop
Thanks fellas! :D
Author:  WindyCityBluesBox [ Sun Aug 07, 2011 3:17 am ]
Post subject:  Re: The latest Vixen (single cut lp style) from my shop
Glad to hear you like the p-rails. I was a bit curious to how they would be. Yesterday I routed out my current build for a standard p-90 in the neck position (got my hands on a prs p90 :D ) and a p-rail humbucker (I bought the shpr-1 p-rail) in the bridge position. Cant wait to hear it first hand! what do you think of the standard single coil setting alone. I have heard that it might a bit lacking by itself. If I dont like it I will probably just rewind it rewind it with some 43 or 44 gauge winding wire so I can get some decent ohms on the coil given the size in order to get some punch out of it. But Im curious what you think! -Alex
Author:  VirgilGuitar [ Sun Aug 07, 2011 6:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The latest Vixen (single cut lp style) from my shop
The ONLY thing this guitar is lacking, is that it's NOT in my possession - stunning shaping, wood selection.... 3 thumbs up if I had an extra hand. [clap]
Author:  peters instruments [ Mon Aug 08, 2011 8:06 am ]
Post subject:  Re: The latest Vixen (single cut lp style) from my shop
Thanks Virgil, I was trying to go for something simple and elegant, I love high figured tops, but I think this old fir just oozes character that you don't get from a figured maple top. There is so much history behind it when you pick it up it just wants to tell you where its been. Nothing as crazy as your dueling dragons guitar, but I was going for something a little different. I had initially planned to leave it in an oil finish but I decided I didn't want to leave the top that exposed and unprotected so I sprayed the first coat of Nitro last Friday. I put up a couple photos of it after its all polished and put back together for good.
Author:  VirgilGuitar [ Mon Aug 08, 2011 10:40 am ]
Post subject:  Re: The latest Vixen (single cut lp style) from my shop
That wood does have a story for sure. Sometimes, the wood (Like this guitar) needs to make the statement - GREAT call on the Nitro - I would never put just oil on something like that - better to "seal" it so you can slow down the aging process. Not very often do I see guitars that just sceam "Play ME" as this one does - wish we were neighbors and I can come over and try it!
Author:  peters instruments [ Mon Aug 08, 2011 11:30 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The latest Vixen (single cut lp style) from my shop
Well we may not be neighbors, but if you ever find yourself in Indiana you are welcome to do some pickin & grinin.
Author:  VirgilGuitar [ Mon Aug 08, 2011 11:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The latest Vixen (single cut lp style) from my shop
peters instruments wrote:
Well we may not be neighbors, but if you ever find yourself in Indiana you are welcome to do some pickin & grinin.


Ha! Same to you if you are in Central Florida! Thanks!
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