Von Herndon Custom Gibson Scale Stratocasters:

The production specs on "Number One's" neck is:

(12" radius) Width at nut: 1.678" Width at 12th: 2.055"

Neck thickness:

1st fret, .821"
7th fret, .891"
12th fret, .953"
 
Couldn't sleep...arm spasms keeping me awake again...anyways....good news!!! Tomorrow I will be dropping off a recently completed custom build for a local musician in Baldwin Park..and I will be bringing my Von Herndon "Number One" (literally my first build - serial number 0001) back home for good!!!

It's been out on loan for several months and I'm excited to get it back. I've already got some mod's planned for it...nothing major, but some nice little details.

I built it without a string retainer bar - I just couldn't drill into the beautiful black finish that B. Hefner put on that headstock - and now I'm thinking maybe I should add one...??? Or maybe roller trees to improve string path through the locking nut???

Still undecided on this...

I also decided to use a new wire harness (since building "Number One" months ago) that uses two tone capacitors and assigns one tone pot to each pickup, with the conventional "Stratocaster" master volume. The twin humbuckers are wired like a Les Paul with a 3 way switch.

Gary Standefer (Tone Man) is building the custom harness, which will replace the cheap harness I used in the guitar originally.

The diagram below was drawn for triple humbuckers and will be modded for twin humbucker pickups:

Tone Split Studiocaster.JPG

Specs call for Bourne 500k pots, cloth wire, Switchcraft jack and 3 way switch, a .033uf bridge K40Y tone capacitor with a .015uf neck K40Y tone capacitor.

My new super hot custom pickups have recently arrived, so "Number One" will receive a pair of "Supre-Sonics" - a 16k Alinco V in the bridge (52mm spacing) and a 15k in the neck with 50mm spacing.

IMG_20170605_45137.jpg

These pickups are patterned after the Ibanez V2 and the DiMarzio Super Distortions and feature 12 adjustable allen pole pieces, just like the Ibanez V2's. Fully wax potted of course!!! Why re-invent the wheel???

Hope you guys are doing well.... :)
 
eSGEe said:
I had a Dimarzzio Super D --- man that thing SCREAMED
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Dude!!! Yes!!! They Did Indeed!!!

get this..I was messing with "Number One" last night - feather lite - 100% mahogany - one piece body...when I touch the neck, the movment of my hand, along the back of the neck, is transmitted by the pickups and it is the only one of all my guitars that does this - and it's not static, it's like the neck itself is acting like a pickup. When I strum a string, the guitar feels alive. NONE of my other guitars behave this way...i LOVE mahogany!!!!
 
Robert Herndon said:
Dude!!! Yes!!! They Did Indeed!!!

get this..I was messing with "Number One" last night - feather lite - 100% mahogany - one piece body...when I touch the neck, the movment of my hand, along the back of the neck, is transmitted by the pickups and it is the only one of all my guitars that does this - and it's not static, it's like the neck itself is acting like a pickup. When I strum a string, the guitar feels alive. NONE of my other guitars behave this way...i LOVE mahogany!!!!
Click to expand...

Okay, techie-hat: on

This is where I have to come at this the reverse of the point I was making in my Tone Wood and Magnetism thread.

Here is where I think it does make sense to say that the wood, being non-magnetic, cannot have a direct influence on the pickups' output, either in amplitude or tone. The pickups cannot sense the wood.

What is more likely happening is that you are inducing vibrations into the neck as you pass your hand along it and those vibrations are being passed to the strings. It doesn't really take a huge amount of vibration from the strings to develop an output from the pickups.
 
smitty_p said:
Okay, techie-hat: on

This is where I have to come at this the reverse of the point I was making in my Tone Wood and Magnetism thread.

Here is where I think it does make sense to say that the wood, being non-magnetic, cannot have a direct influence on the pickups' output, either in amplitude or tone. The pickups cannot sense the wood.

What is more likely happening is that you are inducing vibrations into the neck as you pass your hand along it and those vibrations are being passed to the strings. It doesn't really take a huge amount of vibration from the strings to develop an output from the pickups.
Click to expand...

You could be right...but this is really strange too. None of my other guitars exhibit this tendency. Not even my neck through Schechter acts this way, and this is a just a bolt on neck guitar. Whatever it is, I really like the effect, but it seems to be something not easily replicated or even identified...
 
Modification time... gold plated brass (extra thin) trim rings, new cloth wire harness (2 tone each with its own capacitor and single master volume) roller string trees for a vintage vibe...

IMG_20170803_59409.jpg

I was a little bummed out it came back from being out on loan with some scratches and dings...

IMG_20170803_7855.jpg
 
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So, this morning, I noticed my desire to have trim rings and a "bell" shaped volume knob (stock Stratocaster style and placement) is problematic. In order to use both, I need to machine a groove in the mounting ring...not easy with gold plated brass.

So, I'm looking at brass knob options that will not require machining...
 
Finally got the specs on the custom wire harness all worked out. I can't say enough good about this guy's attention to detail:

3 -500K Bourns audio taper pots ( 2 tone and 1 volume)
1- .033uf K40Y-9 PIO cap bridge tone
1 - .015uf K40Y-9 PIO cap neck tone
1- 3 way fender style switch (tip not included)
1 - All push back vintage Gavitt wire thru out
1 - 1/4 jack (Gold)
1 - Strat template wired - stock placement
1 - 2 Humbucker 3 way switch split with 2 tone caps wired in accordance with Von Herndon wiring diagram

$80.00 including USA shipping.

Cheers,
Gary Standerfer
Tone Man Guitar
 
Ok, the skirt on the stock Fender knobs are 1.0" in diameter. These gold plated brass knobs are 11/16" in diameter....that may be enough...

Dome_Knob.jpg
 
This where the purple appealed to my mind's eye:

whiteclaw.8112007_std.jpg

Note how the gold trim rings and screws/knobs go with the purple????
 
I'm glad I ditched the string retainer bar. This, I believe, is a better solution, and from a structural standpoint, you are not drilling two holes, in the same plane, in the neck's highly stressed radius....

I ordered gold, of course!!!

IMG_20170803_7855.jpg

2017-08-01-01-47-37--70516610.jpeg
 
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