dreamryche

From the linked article:

"Flaming" is an ancient technique using a candle flame, waving it under, and depositing soot on woodwork to imitate the natural figure that occurs in maple. In musical instruments the technique is used only for the VERY cheapest ones, and these days is most likely done by silk-screen printing or with an airbrush. Maple treated in this way can look very much like the real thing from over 10 feet away, but lacks the iridescent sheen of real wavy grain, and usually looks pretty bad up close.

When a guitar is described as having a "flamed" or "quilted" maple top, those adjectives are referring to the natural figure of wavy grain that occurs in wood.

If you're still interested in learning the technique, you might go to the library and research the topic of "trompe l'oi" painting, or faux wood grain painting.

Real figuring is created by deformed growth of the wood which results in curved grain instead of normal straight grain.

If you want to see the difference, go to your local Guitar Center (or whichever), look at a PRS or something with a nice figured top and then compare it to something like a 'quilt-top' OLP. There's no comparison.

Not simply any type of single pup would work, I guess.......

Some have this bulky thing on the side of it...

others don't

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If you look at your second photo, you can see the baseplate start to angle on the opposite side and if you look at the single-coil from the triple-coil, you'll see that it's mounted on a metal baseplate with tabs like a humbucker. This is also how the Blaze single coil is mounted.

Man, that's crazy. Looks awesome as always!

Looking for a RG550 for a project...only 'musts' are AANJ, maple fingerboard, good condition neck. Make me an offer... satchtallica@yahoo.com