GS-1 Transformation

tanihhiavlt

My name is Frank and I am a compulsive fettler/modder

I have destroyed several very cheap guitars, spent lots of money assembling mediocre guitars (except the finishes by SRC Relics that are sublime) and reduced the value of several expensive guitars - I am unrepentant. I do this to distract from practising guitar - which I am trying to address. 

This is my GS-1 Singlecut - already Stuart Robson has done an excellent job of making it a double-cut... I simply lack the immense talent and care required to do such a good job (as the side jack shows - fitted to accommodate a varitone).



So I want a neck pickup, maybe a second set of volume and tone controls, I like some settings on the varitone but there isn't space for a toggle and a varitone...



I've decided the pickups are Zebra style, exactly which can be decided later... sithee Tesla Sharks



So originally I'd wanted to have the neck pickup the 19.6mm from the fretboard end seen on SGs but that would mean a new scratchplate and I'd quite like to be able to return it to a neck only pickup.

The big thing about this post (for me) is it's a social contract - this isn't going to get in the way of me practising! I'll be resetting the Stayfocusd app on Chrome to 9am so I can upload that days photos  

Which I usually do 8am - 8:30 prior to work - before I'm too knackered and braindead or the kids are in bed (excepting the eldest who's on U.S-time for gaming purposes)

In the next post I'll spell out my terrible plans for the guitar and also share the shots of Stuarts excellent work (admit it, if I hadn't told you it used to be a single cut, you'd never have known!)

WezV

that position for the pickup should be fine.  The join is different enough from an SG, it shouldn't weaken it too much


Loads of room for more controls, just increase the cavity whilst doing the other mods

tanihhiavlt

Cheers Wez, that's appreciated  

I'm thinking I'll look at dual concentric pots first - see if I actually need the the configurations - I think I've designed a 6-way setting to replace the varitone (I'll keep the BB King setting on push-pull), so I should get 

Neck Humbucker
Neck Single 
Neck Humbucker + Bridge Single
Both Humbuckers
Bridge Single
Bridge Humbucker

ICBM

My advice would be to forget the extra volume and tone controls - they’re really not useful, for me - and replace the neck humbucker/bridge single setting with both singles - mixing very different pickup outputs doesn’t really work well in my experience. (The *lower* output pickup dominates, surprisingly.)

abw1989

Great pick up choice by the way, I really like those Tesla Sharks, not just a Slash one trick pony set.

tanihhiavlt

Welp the Gordon Smith I just hoisted out of there is the size and weight of an output transformer!... I'll probably hook up the bridge pick-up in advance of the 6pdt rotary arriving, to see what it sounds like - some people swear by the Gordon Smith pickups - it's certainly a unique design

I am excited for the Tesla Sharks - cos I did like the clean tones I heard people get on them  

tanihhiavlt

The prequel: All Stuart Robson's fine work: 
    
I think you'd need balls of steel to do this work - and the finished woodwork is amazing - you'd never tell! 

As for the finish, Stuart advised getting it finished but I'm happy enough with his match job for now  

tanihhiavlt

The journey so far: 


I'm entertaining using a 3 toggle switch and maybe swearing off the push-pull all together (unheard of for me)

Lovely clean tones from the Tesla Sharks and from a Pignose too! 

tanihhiavlt

All that's left is the jack socket on the side after that