Falbo 9 string build

[frank falbo]

Fret2D doesn’t really help with something like this. After talking with Daniel, it turns out I had done many of the things the same way he did, and only a few things differently. If there’s anything that he might consider a trade secret associated with his e-scale, I don’t want to disclose it out of respect for him. But it’s essentially a manual operation, scaling each string individually and then there’s a right way to “connect the dots” and extend the trajectories, and translate that into fret slots, project them onto the arc of the fingerboard radius, etc.

It was really an engineering muscle builder.

 

[Lorcan Ward]

25.500
25.500
25.513
25.611
25.818
26.127
26.571

Being able to keep the first 7 strings at around a 1 inch fan of 25.5-26.5

27.178
28.000

And then increase 1.5 inches for the last 2 strings is remarkable.

And my wife thinks metal musicians are dumb. Where else are you going to find guys doing math problems just for fun?

Lorcan, how did you estimate those? Fret find 2D? Or is there an e scale calculator you guys (Frank included) use for this sort of thing?

I just did it by eye and then ran the maths over in my head a few times. I was thinking the 7th - 9th were more but increasing 1.5 inches in 2 strings is something I didn’t think possible.

 

[Winspear]

Wow, yeah, I knew it was good but I never quite realised how effective until now!

 

[Hollowway]

Some more in-progress shots of the finishing process. If the curved frets didn’t show off this thing’s beauty enough, that figuring in the walnut sure does!

 

[Ben Pinkus]

Yeah that walnut top is insane!

 

[77zark77]

what is not "curved" here ? looks sexy as hell !

 

[Hollowway]

Mas.... Hard to believe colors like this come from natural wood. But so cool that they do!

 

[Hollowway]

Almost there with the finish...

 

[Avedas]

Those are some big cover holes on the bass side. Curious how those pickups will turn out.

 

[Fred the Shred]

I played this design in 8-string format when Frank brought it out. It's just beautiful and makes me hate being broke. Thanks COVID!

 

[Zhysick]

Those are some big cover holes on the bass side. Curious how those pickups will turn out.

I think the bigger pole pieces are for the plain/thinnest strings...
But it will be nice to know because I would use bigger pole pieces to thicken up the plain strings but hey... It would be interesting to know the real intention behind the design.

 

[Hollowway]

I think the bigger pole pieces are for the plain/thinnest strings...
But it will be nice to know because I would use bigger pole pieces to thicken up the plain strings but hey... It would be interesting to know the real intention behind the design.

That’s exactly right. @frank falbo can explain it more, but the approach was to try to even out the tone for all 9 strings.

 

[Lorcan Ward]

The limba pole pieces will compliment the body and fretboard contrast well.

I’ve seen a few players experiment with different pole pieces but no big company has ever released a model that I know of.

 

[spudmunkey]

The limba pole pieces will compliment the body and fretboard contrast well.

I’ve seen a few players experiment with different pole pieces but no big company has ever released a model that I know of.

...how would wooden pole pieces work?

 

[frank falbo]

Right the larger poles are the plain treble strings, but what is harder to see is the middle 3 poles are also a little larger than the bottom 3.

I’ve made strat pickups this way and played around with varied aperture for quite awhile, since before Duncan actually.

Also since the bridge saddles are arched, and the pickup coils are straight, I am somewhat “bending” the magnetic field by manipulating pole height and whatnot.

 

[frank falbo]

...how would wooden pole pieces work?

Maybe he meant bobbin tops? The tops are made from figured Walnut, lighter in color than the body for some contrast. The poles are Alnico V. The Limba in that photo is just a stick to hold the pickups while painting the gloss poly protective coat.

 

[spudmunkey]

OK, cool...that's what i thought too, I just wanted to make sure i wasn't missing out on some amazing new breakthrough i've never heard of before: non-magnetic pole pieces.

 

[odibrom]

Right the larger poles are the plain treble strings, but what is harder to see is the middle 3 poles are also a little larger than the bottom 3.

I’ve made strat pickups this way and played around with varied aperture for quite awhile, since before Duncan actually.

Also since the bridge saddles are arched, and the pickup coils are straight, I am somewhat “bending” the magnetic field by manipulating pole height and whatnot.

So, you're using magnetic rods as pole pieces instead of screws/bolts, hence the needed compensation...? But one can change the pole-to-string distance, won't that even the tone as well...?

I know that different pole-pieces material will deliver different results in a pickup response, but will enlarging those rods deliver that much of a difference that a pole piece adjustment (in the tradicional way) couldn't solve?

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for these tweaks and what not, I'm just trying to dig deeper into this stuff...

 

[frank falbo]

Each thing is its own variable. A larger diameter pole piece is producing a wider field and therefore listening to a longer length of the string. That's a harmonic content issue. (Thicker tone from treble strings, crisper tone from bass strings)

Proximity to the string is a different thing, and is more related to amplitude. And the distance from the bridge is determining whether the pole will favor the neck-side coil or the bridge-side coil.

The length of the pole piece, as in how much longer the pole is sticking out the bottom of the coil, also changes the shape of the field.

So generally speaking, one thing doesn't really solve other things. And in my line of work I've had the luxury of seeing exactly what all these variables do.

 

[Lorcan Ward]

...how would wooden pole pieces work?

Whoops! Meant to say wooden bobbins.

The tops are made from figured Walnut, lighter in color than the body for some contrast. The poles are Alnico V. The Limba in that photo is just a stick to hold the pickups while painting the gloss poly protective coat.

Ah I was wondering where you got such nice limba. Walnut is a great wood for building since it can vary so much, looking like high grade koa, figured mahogany or even limba in this case.