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crafty

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Everything posted by crafty

  1. crafty
    Which $5,000 guitar did your friend purchase, and how much did he actually pay for it? If you actually test-drive and purchase a poorly setup guitar, quite frankly that's your own fault! And as for an "early" Les Paul, how early are you talking about? You do realize that the first Les Pauls that came out were of very poor quality? Tell you what, go take a tour of the Nashville and Memphis factories and tell me those people don't care about quality after you see the pile of 99% finished guitars that were rejected because of a flaw in the finish or a nick in the fretboard. The system itself doesn't add much to the price of the LP Standard, especially compared to how much it'd cost if you bought the unit direct from Tronical.
  2. crafty
    +1 That's the nice thing about jumbo frets--you can recrown them for years. Unlike the tard bucket "vintage" wire that Fender put on my MIM Strat back in '95!
  3. crafty
    Word...I replaced the cheap stock plastic switch in my Strat with an upgraded switch when I installed my EMGs years ago and the difference is real. The cheap stock pots could be fried, too.
  4. crafty
    I'd say go over all of your wiring again, check for bad solder joints, and do continuity checks with the switch positions to make sure you've got the right wires soldered to the right lugs. Another thing to think about is pickup height. Evo's use mammoth ceramic magnets that'll pull like hell on those strings and can greatly affect sustain if you're not using the right equipment. Evo's also tend to sound very bright in the neck, too. If everything's soldered up correctly, you've lowered the pickups, and it still sounds bad, use DiMarzio's 30-day exchange program and trade 'em for some Breeds or PAF Pros. Or just unload the Evo's and go back to the old INFs if that's what he likes better.
  5. crafty
    Is it doing that in all switch positions?
  6. crafty
    There's no comparison between the Burstbucker Pro and anything you'll find from GFS. The Gibson BBs are arguably the best production PAF clones out there right now. I'd just put the pickup in the middle position flipped over with the screw coil facing the bridge. It'll give you a more middy-sound and it should retain some good attack there.
  7. crafty
    Plus push the button in the center of the knob, too...
  8. crafty
    The JB and Dual Sound don't really have the feel of a hot rodded PAF like the Custom does. They're better suited for straight up power and cut in the mix.
  9. crafty
    Fender claims that Mayer had actually bought an SRV Strat to use as his main electric axe and found that the pickups were actually mis-wound, thus creating the subtle mid-scoop. Honestly, with all the processing and such that goes on with his rig, I doubt you'd notice much of a difference between the regular Texas Specials and the Big Dippers, or that you couldn't emulate with the right effects combo. Heavily scooped pickups just don't sound right for the blues, IMHO. The Strat can barely cut it as trebly as it is, but you take away what little mids the guitar gives you and it starts sounding more Genesis and less Robert Cray.
  10. crafty
    Duncan Custom would be a good choice.
  11. crafty
    Well, it really isn't that big of a deal. Patch the hole and move on. Just plan a little better next time.
  12. crafty
    Hang on a sec, try checking the piezo bridge for output before you replace the preamp. You can find the output wires from the bridge and hook them directly to an output jack. The volume will probably be very low going directly through an amp, but it'll be there if the bridge is good. If the bridge is good, pick up a new Fishman Powerchip. Should get you back on the road.
  13. crafty
    You're okay. Just use the cap that came with the pickups. Caps are all shapes and sizes. As long as it's the right value, which '104' is coded for .1 microfarads, then you should be just fine. BTW, the little cap in the diagram does say .1 on it.
  14. crafty
    What happens in blend mode? Do the magnetic pickups still come through? If so, the problem is between the bridge itself and the preamp.
  15. crafty
    ESPERANZA all the way this month!! Are you kidding me? How can you NOT vote for that guitar?! The guy carved it out of one piece of wood in his apartment in Greece with a hammer and a chisel!! That's like freakin' Michaelangelo stuff right there! Don't get me wrong, I like the other entries, but compared with that level of patience and desire, you gotta give it to this guy.
  16. crafty
    ??? You must have one of the older-than-dirt SA's, because all the new ones made in the last few years have quick-disconnects just like the humbuckers.
  17. crafty
    From one of the sites listed on DiMarzio's website: http://www.letusa.es/buscador.php?searchStr=evolution
  18. crafty
    "It's the mills that kill, the volts that jolt" That was the old saying at vo-tech. A capacitor will do nothing except maybe reduce some noise, only a fast-blowing fuse will protect you from the current. 100 mA will stop your heart, a 5 mA fuse like Taylor is using is good enough if it blows in time. Best practice is to carry an outlet tester with you to ensure that the house wiring is good.
  19. crafty
    The things you really gotta watch out for on those cheap guitars are the plywood bodies, bad truss rods, cheap bridges, and poor fretwork. Go slide your fingers down the side of the neck and see how many small cuts you wind up with. Pickups are cheap ceramic and steel affairs with little attention to tone. Tuners are usually cheap pot metal units that will bind or loosen over time. The big reason why Fender and Gibson are using the different names for the big-box guitars are so they don't devalue the brands sold through regular music stores. The Affinity brand is probably no better, but if you get it through a real music store you'll at least have some kind of support system if it's set up poorly or the neck goes wonky on you.
  20. crafty
    You can still get a new set of pink PAF Pros from DiMarzio for about $75 per pickup. Just go through your local dealer or even most of the online ones.
  21. crafty
    That's the current standard production neck pocket rout for US and MIM models. +1 They use the same body rout for Strats and Teles, but the necks themselves are still different. That body is definitely a MIM Fat Strat body, most likely pre-2000.
  22. crafty
    Those are pretty pricey amps compared to the Marshall MGs. Heartbreakers are even more expensive now that they're out of production, too. They're all great amps, but if you're on an MG budget, take a look at some of Carvin's or Peavey's offerings.
  23. crafty
    All Mexican and American strats use the overhang neck. You should be just fine using the Warmoth neck.
  24. crafty
    It's an Epiphone. Nothing's going to happen if you just leave it alone. Besides, real scratches and chips give the guitar character!
  25. crafty
    That is, without a doubt, a stunningly beautiful guitar. My question is, why? It seems to be a contradiction of all the vitriolic BS he's been spewing on his website for years. It's a guitar that has no tool marks, no glue lines, and doesn't have that rough, "hand-made" look at all. It is probably worth every bit of $2700 if the attention to detail is as accurate as those pictures describe.
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