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Custom Wood Endcaps?


XorAxAx

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just buy a small table saw used.

 

go buy some nice lumber with the quality and grain you desire.

 

take off old end caps.

 

measure carefully and re-check.

 

use to mark off for new wood replacements.

 

re-measure to be extra careful.

 

cut.

 

buy some nice finish/stain/urathane coating whatever floats your boat.

 

move on to next synth/part/item you want to do.

 

when all done sell table saw for what you paid.

 

total cost = only lumber and stain + time

 

 

doing some wood cutting is simple and anyone can do it with the right amount of forethought and correct measuring.

 

also i assume you at least have a drill and a few wood bits laying around to drill screw holes and a lrger diameter drill bit to make a counter sunk hole area.

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Every carpenter or joiner should be able to help you professional.

Just give them the plastic endcaps and maybe tell them some details about the mounting if you don't like to show them your synth.

I (master carpenter) did wooden endchecks for my Oberheim Matrix 6 many years ago:

http://till-kopper.de/matrix6.jpg

 

And doing a full new housing for my Minimoog was the biggest wood job for synths I did:

http://www.till-kopper.de/mmls.jpg

 

And all you need is some DIY skills and the right tools.

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Originally posted by grumphh

Why would anyone want wood on something as synthetic as a synthesizer???
:confused:

 

maybe it's more durable and have you ever tried replacing your encaps by ordering one from the manufacturer especially if you live in another country. Both endcaps on my motifes6 are damaged. One is completely seperated from the keyboard and I went to a local Yamaha dealer who admitted is was a pain to get replacement parts from Yamaha.

 

As a result I too have considered the possibility of getting some wooden endcaps to replace the very flimsy ones on the motif which I hate

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Originally posted by grumphh

Why would anyone want wood on something as synthetic as a synthesizer???
:confused:

A hardware synthesizer is just as synthetic as a guitar or a flute.

 

I don't know of any trees that grow decent contrabass clarinets, either. ;)

 

Mainly, you want a wood endcap because wood is easy to acquire, easy to work with, more durable than plastic, and pretty durn snazzy-lookin'.

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Originally posted by XorAxAx

A hardware synthesizer is just as synthetic as a guitar or a flute.

Actually this statement is quite dumb :D

 

There is a reason the instruments we discuss on this board are called synthesizers...

Boy, that process by which these machines generate sound ain't natural :D

 

And well, snazzy looking?

I guess if you like seventies style, with brown wallpapers and orange sofas... :freak:

 

Skyyder - i can see the need arising when the original gives in, and i understand that wood is easier to work with but i'd still get someone to make me a metal end cap, e.g like the Jupiter 6+8 had

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Oooh! My favorite discussion! You know, the one where the people who like plastic/metal synths blast the people who like the wooden synths and vice versa! Haven't seen this one before.

 

The question was asking where to get wood for a synth. If you don't like wood on a synth, why did you open the thread? If you're not going to add info that relates to the subject (which is actually possible without even taking a side!), just shut the hell up and move on. Arguing personal taste on styling is even less productive than the discussions on personal taste in sound. Christ.

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For some cabinetry work, it may be possible for the average person to do a good job with minimal tools. The Pro One is a perfect example. Relatively simple cuts, a couple of holes, and no joinery. Other work is not for the faint of heart. Minimoog cabinets require complex joinery, expensive tools, and some pretty comprehensive woodworking skills to get a professional result.

 

The Motif ES series present some structural issues as far as wooden endbells go. Because of the way the instrument is structurally assembled, wood endbells are not really feasible. I, too, have an ES7 with a broken endbell. To create an endbell to fit would require some very thin wood areas. This would be bad enough in the long grain areas, but when faced with end grain (the end of a board) being very thin (1/4 inch or less), you have a recipe for breakage. The best candidates for custom woodworking are full cabinets (Minimoog, PS3100, P5, etc...), strictly flat endbells (Pro One, Matrix 12, Xpander, etc...), or partial cabinets (Mono/Poly, Poly 6, VP330, etc...). That being said, truly custom cabinetry is always possible, provided you have the financial wherewithal to fund such projects. ;-)

 

Wes Taggart

Analogics

http://www.analogics.org/

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I made these for my AX-80. They are far from perfect, but they turned out pretty good. I just used some 2x4s from home depot and it actually worked out how I planned as far as woodgrain and texture. I used an ebony stain to try and get them black, but it wasn't taking to the wood very well so I eventually just spray painted them semigloss black. The woodgrain still shows through. I may redo these sometime. Any better ideas how to accomplish a black 'stained' look?

 

DSCF0066.jpg

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Originally posted by Nightsynth

I made these for my AX-80. They are far from perfect, but they turned out pretty good. I just used some 2x4s from home depot and it actually worked out how I planned as far as woodgrain and texture. I used an ebony stain to try and get them black, but it wasn't taking to the wood very well so I eventually just spray painted them semigloss black. The woodgrain still shows through. I may redo these sometime. Any better ideas how to accomplish a black 'stained' look?

 

Probably by using a better kind of wood. Maybe maple or similar.

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For colors, I suggest aniline dye. Try http://woodworker.com/cgi-bin/SEARCH.exe?CTLFIND=090.003 for starters. You can find just about any color under the sun. They can be mixed also.

 

I do not use an colorants on my cabinets unless specifically requested by a customer. I like my hardwood to speak its own story without embellishment. That said, I never, ever use stain. Stain and dye are two separate things. Stain blocks light through particles. It, for the most part, sits on top of the wood. If you look really close, you will see little particles. I prefer not to have anything blocking the beauty of the wood. Dye, on the other hand, is absorbed into the wood. It colors the fibers vs. sitting on top of them. This does have a drawback. Once the dye goes on, you are pretty much married to it. On some softer woods, the dye may find its way 1/4 inch into the wood. Forget about sanding it out. Your only option is to go darker or to bleach the wood. The latter, I do not recommend.

 

As far as Mono/Poly's go, the sides, front, and the bottom pretty much need to work as a team. So to replace the sides means you'll be replacing the bottom and front rail. It is all driven by the way the instrument is assembled together. If I remember right, the top panel swivels on two pivot pins that are driven into the ends of the sides. Also, the front rail under the front of the keyboard is part of the structure, providing support for the sides. Unfortunately, it is not as simple as knocking out a couple of Pro One sides. All of this must be considered when manufacturing a cabinet as strength is as important as beauty.

 

I imagine I will go into the manufacture of MonoPoly cabinets. Just waiting for a suitable vict..... I mean candidate. ;-)

 

 

Wes Taggart

Analogics

http://www.analogics.org/

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Try the color on a scrap piece of the same hardwood prior to committing to dying the endbells. You can adjust color tone and density.

 

Finishing is an artform. I progressively sand up through 320 grit. This takes a considerable amount of time but the results are worth it. When I do use a dye, I use a water base. Your colorant and final finish should not use the same solvent. If they do, the final finish will pull up the colorant because it will disolve the binder of the colorant, especially if you choose to use a stain. One caveat with using a water based dye - I would suggest after final sanding to wipe down the areas where you expect to dye with water. This will raise the grain and necessitate a light sanding with 400-600 grit. By doing this, you will minimize how much grain will raise when you apply your water based dye. This is tricky business also, so you may want to practice first on scrap.

 

Wes Taggart

Analogics

http://www.analogics.org/

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yeh after looking at the service manual structural diagrams i realized what you mean by "partial cabinet"... and depending on how the various components are mounted - its something i may try to do at some point

 

making a new all wood cabinet is no problem, but i am worried about moving around all the electronics too much

 

having someone else do this job would most likely entail a few hundred dollars at least (from shipping, etc.) and thats not something im prepared to spend on this kind of project

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