what about vertical tuning pegs?

[Georg]

Richard,
yes I know the Alumitone. Have one back in Norway.
I'd prefer to use a step-up "pre-pre-amp" instead of a trafo - such amps are more linear, but otherwise a construction along those lines is a valid choice.

I will only have about 10 millimeter space between strings and neck - to reduce neck-bending tendencies, so 5/16" is too high. Since I will have to cut into the neck anyway, I may as well make space in it for regular PSG PUs and shape and tune the floating neck with that in mind.

Yes, it is a cantilevering neck, consisting basically of a "T" profile with a thick, flat aluminum piece glued on top. The vertical stem of the "T" goes down into the frame without touching anything, and the neck gets attached to the frame for and aft of the keyhead and nowhere else.

The entire keyhead changer will in effect be a part of the neck, so the neck can be stringed, tested and tuned outside the body-frame. This makes it so much easier to get all the inherent sonic and mechanical characteristics right before attaching it and rodding it up.
Also, if the frame twists or bends for whatever reason, the shape of the neck and the string tension aren't affected. Thus, any detuning that may occur is confined to the neck itself.

[richard37066]

Georg -

I won't belabor this beyond this post. Trust me.

I did some cheapy numbers. 10ga wire is shown to be .14127" in diameter. A thin shell - on top, at least - can be made as thin as one or two mm. Adding the two yields a total thickness of 0.1806" or approximately 4.6mm. That leaves about 5.4mm to play with.

Can't fit that between the fretboard and the strings?

Richard

[Georg]

Sure Richard, no problem with the coils/shield. What about magnets that size?

BTW: using a metal shield as coil(s) as in the Alumitone isn't difficult either - it's an old idea, which will make that part even thinner. Same magnet-size question.

[richard37066]

I've found Neodymium magnets 1/8" and thinner by 1/2" wide and poled across the faces.

[Georg]

Thanks Richard, that should allow me to make 4 millimeter thick PUs.