Improving on a design and sharing the results with our users is always at the top of our list at Livid. The Block controller has been a great success and we have just made some minor design changes to make it even better. Originally milled from a solid block of wood, the square body with thin bottom has had its challenges, mostly warping and cupping. We have experienced a bit higher reject rate for bodies at the shop before they were built then we would like. Thus, the up and coming stash of rejected bodies in the Livid Graveyard that were never meant to be!

The other issue is that we have always wanted to eliminate most if not all of the screw heads showing from the top. The all milled body just is not stable and consistent enough to do that. We are very excited to show off our new body construction that addresses both issues and more. We now use a 4 piece side wall design with separate faceplate and bottom plate. The body side walls feature an interlocking joint for both strength and squareness. The beauty in the 4 piece framed construction is that there is almost no end grain showing, so the finish and grain are more consistent. Having 4 independent pieces interlocked makes for a great deal more stability against warping and cracking an us having to scrap bodies coming off the assembly line.

We are now also using a translucent frosted acrylic bottom plate. The acrylic also makes for a much more rigid platform to build off of and really helps to keep the Block square and flat even in adverse humidity. It also gives you a look into the insides of the controller.

Lastly, we have not inset the faceplate and it only uses 4 countersunk screws making for a much cleaner look. These changes not only make for a better built controller but make it more compact then ever.

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news by Travis