Heavy mods

Spent some time with these two this morning. These are currently my Ibanez RGs that underwent severe makeovers & turned out likeable:

GRGR010

• Re-finished body, colour taken from a car paint catalog - copper + removed pickguard
• Replacement pickup - Seymour Duncan Custom Custom (SH-11) with plastic cover
• Low-friction volume knob
• Grpahtech String-Saver saddles (black)

RG550 Genesis

• After-market pickguard - single humbucker / volume knob only
• Replacement pickup - DiMArzio D'Activator X

The GRGR was bought for its single humbucker feature. I was still hesitant to own a single pickup guitar at that point in time so when this affordable Gio model was available at Swee Lee, it was a done deal. The intention was to make it a reference guitar for pickup testing since it's a single humbucking model. However, I chanced upon a Seymour Duncan Custom Custom & decided to try it in this guitar & it stayed put ever since. Simple reason - it's a deserving pickup in this guitar. The body was re-painted at a car workshop hence the 'car-coloured' finish you see there. The default string saddles were corroded / oxidized & the Graph Tech are simply wonderful replacements here. 

The RG550 Genesis started out as someone else's mod project. It was acquired by the former owner with a horrible body routing to accommodate a kill switch. I undertook the make-over on the owner's behalf who became uninterested in owning the guitar citing the dual action Edge bridge not being his cup of tea. Guitar was sold for cheap to me. I really like its simple looks & the D'Activator X there sounds awesome in this one. 

These are examples of second rated guitars, in my personal assessments of course, turning out to be unexpected gems. I think for those of us who have been playing for a while, there is this subliminal calling for us to simply acquire a budget guitar & mod the heck out of it to see if some things work for us. It need not turn out well, more importantly, the learning process would have taught us something when it comes to gear perception & appreciation.

Wishing you a good midweek (whats left of it). 😎

Duncan talk: Custom Custom SH-11

Since I own/ have tried/ heard in action, majority of the Seymour Duncan humbuckers, it's only apt to document my experiences; I also find sharing to be therapeutic. Hopefully, after reading the notes here, it'd give you a better picture of the pickup performance & addresses your expectations.

First up would be the Custom Custom (SH-11) humbucker. This is a rather estranged model by the manufacturer as the CC proves to be a high output pickup featuring a polite magnet type- Alnico II. The pickup also sports a reduced bass range so there's lots of clarity on board, best used in the bridge position. The CC works well with high distortion settings & interacts with the amplifier's EQ controls rather impressively, especially for us dweebs who keep pumping up the bass. Do not expect to hear a boomy output when you do this, what you'd hear is the presence of the upper frequencies despite having the lower end enhanced. The CC specialty is its great voicing range when the player manipulates the guitar's volume pot. The more experienced player would tell you only vintage-type humbuckers would give good interaction when volume play is in application but let's not forget, the CC features a component used in those pickups- the sweet Alnico II magnet. Maybe this is the reason it works.

Manufacturer's notes:

• Pickup's default EQ setting: Bass-3/ Midrange-7/ Treble 7
• Magnet type: Alnico 2
• Output: High

My experiences with this pickup:

Current resident guitar:

• Ibanez: GRGR010

It used to be in the following guitar(s):

• Ibanez: GAX70
• Ibanez: SZ320
• Gibson: Les Paul BFG

PS: The performance appraisal here was based on a guitar-amplifier set up, no effect units were in use.