Weirdest simple gear upgrades

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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Weirdest simple gear upgrades

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cambeezy Joined: Jun 26, 2007 Posts: 399 Cleveland, Ohio	Posted on Oct 10 2013 05:01 PM Yeah, like that, only mines better - it retracts LeeVanCleef wrote: cambeezy wrote: ~~© Homer J Simpson, 1998~~ © Thomas A Edison, 1882 Top
so1om Joined: May 10, 2012 Posts: 492	Posted on Oct 11 2013 09:35 PM Practice. Top
ludobag Joined: Jun 05, 2010 Posts: 620 at south of	Posted on Oct 12 2013 03:43 AM pur a 15 speaker to a champ 600 hudge sound of this little thing Top
Squid Joined: Aug 22, 2010 Posts: 1019 Portland, Oregon with Insanitizers	Posted on Oct 12 2013 04:23 PM Easy super fast no cost strat mod to get bridge & neck PU combination as on a guitar with just two pickups. It has other benefits too. Simply interchange connections from middle and bridge PUs to the pickup selector switch. That's it! The five settings of the PU selector switch are then: 1. (nearest neck): neck PU only 2. neck & bridge 3. bridge PU only 4. bridge & middle 5. middle PU only It is a little weird to select bridge PU only with the middle position. This has a huge bonus. The tone control that formerly worked only on the middle PU now works only on the bridge PU. This lets you dial in classic surf rhythm tones using the bridge PU, that you could not get before. Further, if your bridge PU is too bright for a lead you can adjust its tone. I use this frequently. — Insanitizers! http://www.insanitizers.com Top
Squid Joined: Aug 22, 2010 Posts: 1019 Portland, Oregon with Insanitizers	Posted on Oct 12 2013 04:27 PM Another simple adjustment that can have big benefits to surf tone: adjust pickup height. Sometimes setting neck PU flush with pickguard while setting bridge PU as high as possible without producing grinding noise works better for surf lead than bridge PU alone...but just sometimes. The rationale is that the lower PU height at the neck gives it a smaller influence on the overall tone than the bridge PU. — Insanitizers! http://www.insanitizers.com Last edited: Oct 12, 2013 16:30:35 Top
tubeswell Joined: Sep 24, 2011 Posts: 1424 Wellington, NZ	Posted on Oct 13 2013 05:38 PM RaistMagus wrote: 12AT7 instead of 12AX7 as a V1 or V2 in Super Reverb Now with the vol on 10 it's as if the knob was on 6 (I didn't use any higher settings anyway). I had the problem that around 3 on the dial, with the slightest turns of the knob came great volume changes. Now the volume knob is way more useable and precise in the areas I need it (2 to 6 on the dial with 12AX7). I guess this would also work in similar amps (twins are a good example). Tube swapping is great fun. If you like a 12AT7 in V1, you should try a 12AY7. It has an even lower gain abut really nice bandwidth. Another sub for 12AX7s in V1 to tame overly harsh and bright amps can be a 5751. 12AT7s make excellent phase-splitter tubes, especially in amps using a LTP inverter. (Fender used them in this position in most of the blackface and silverface amps where an LTP inverter was employed. Try one in one of your later tweeds or browns where a LTP is used) If you're feeling adventurous you can also try a 12AU7 in the (usual 12AT7) reverb driver slot in blackface and silverface amps, to tame down excessive clang. Of course there's the use of a 6K6 as a nicer driver tube in reissue reverb tanks. But you can also try a 12AY7 (in the usual 12AT7 slot) in your reverb tank to tame down the drive a bit (if you want to). — He who dies with the most tubes... wins Surf Daddies Last edited: Oct 13, 2013 17:39:54 Top
RaistMagus Joined: Mar 30, 2011 Posts: 388 Copenhagen	Posted on Oct 14 2013 04:02 AM psychonaut wrote: Changed the capacitor on my start to a old style paper and oil .1 microfarad cap, and it's made a noticeable difference for the better. I feel the sound is much more detailed, and it's tamed the obnoxious highs in the bridge pick-up, while clearing up the mids a bit. I ordered and installed this cap, I can't tell if there's any improvement or not. BJB wrote: I stopped dicking around with my guitars and amps and started practicing more. That made a lot more difference than all of the tweaking I had been doing. so1om wrote: Practice. So true... Squid wrote: Easy super fast no cost strat mod to get bridge & neck PU combination as on a guitar with just two pickups. It has other benefits too. Simply interchange connections from middle and bridge PUs to the pickup selector switch. That's it! The five settings of the PU selector switch are then: 1. (nearest neck): neck PU only 2. neck & bridge 3. bridge PU only 4. bridge & middle 5. middle PU only It is a little weird to select bridge PU only with the middle position. This has a huge bonus. The tone control that formerly worked only on the middle PU now works only on the bridge PU. This lets you dial in classic surf rhythm tones using the bridge PU, that you could not get before. Further, if your bridge PU is too bright for a lead you can adjust its tone. I use this frequently. My wiring of choice is master volume, master tone with no-load pot for tone cap bypass, and neck/bridge blender no-load pot. I didn't think it was that simple as to mention it in my first post. tubeswell wrote: Of course there's the use of a 6K6 as a nicer driver tube in reissue reverb tanks. But you can also try a 12AY7 (in the usual 12AT7 slot) in your reverb tank to tame down the drive a bit (if you want to). I may try this! — https://zakandthekrakens.bandcamp.com/ https://www.dirtyfuse.com Top
da-ron Joined: Jan 02, 2009 Posts: 1307 The original Plymouth, UK.	Posted on Oct 14 2013 07:52 AM This is my best simple gear upgrade - I've used it on all my guitars. The humble Grolsch Strap Lock. — http://thewaterboarders.bandcamp.com/ Top
SanchoPansen Joined: Jan 04, 2011 Posts: 1588 Berlin L-Berg	Posted on Oct 14 2013 08:03 AM A lot of german beer bottles come equipped with those rubber things. So yeah, I use them on all guitars. And I get 2 beers on top - WIN! Someone mentioned those sorbothane rubber feets earlier in a different posts. Great shock absorbers for every tank or amp. Bought a couple and wouldn't go out without 'em. — The Hicadoolas Top
RaistMagus Joined: Mar 30, 2011 Posts: 388 Copenhagen	Posted on Oct 14 2013 08:24 AM da-ron wrote: This is my best simple gear upgrade - I've used it on all my guitars. The humble Grolsch Strap Lock. Great advice, if only they were black... Fender sells something like that http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-set-fender-Strap-lock-Blocks-rubber-strap-locking-rings-red-or-black-brand-new-/111170432624?pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&var=410213397898&hash=item19e2462e70 — https://zakandthekrakens.bandcamp.com/ https://www.dirtyfuse.com Top
SanchoPansen Joined: Jan 04, 2011 Posts: 1588 Berlin L-Berg	Posted on Oct 14 2013 08:29 AM You get a couple of beer brands with black rubber thingys. Well, dark blue...too dark to tell a difference between black in the dark. Shop around. — The Hicadoolas Top
RaistMagus Joined: Mar 30, 2011 Posts: 388 Copenhagen	Posted on Oct 14 2013 08:31 AM Great, an other excuse for beer : ) — https://zakandthekrakens.bandcamp.com/ https://www.dirtyfuse.com Top
Squid Joined: Aug 22, 2010 Posts: 1019 Portland, Oregon with Insanitizers	Posted on Nov 16 2013 10:35 PM Fast easy fix: Turning a splittable bridge humbucker upside down when the single coil is too close to the bridge. I did this with a Carvin humbucker and with a Steinberger USA guitar that had an EMG 89 at the bridge. In both the coil that remained on with splitting was the one closer to the bridge, and the tone was too shrill. I could identify which coil was on by gently striking the pickup with a metal screwdriver while it connected to an amp, first as a humbucker and then as a split single coil. As a humbucker of course both pickup coils are on, but this is a reference for comparison. After removing the strings it took less than 2 minutes to unscrew the humbucker, turn it upside down, and screw it back in. The problem was solved, and the tone was surfy not shrill. — Insanitizers! http://www.insanitizers.com Last edited: Nov 16, 2013 22:41:05 Top
MPoppitt Joined: Apr 23, 2006 Posts: 133 Austin TEXAS!	Posted on Nov 17 2013 12:29 AM This is a good mod. With both in HB mode and the toogle in the middle, it is out of phase. — Top
D22 Joined: Apr 20, 2006 Posts: 2056	Posted on Nov 17 2013 01:56 PM Thought they may not be weird, this is the best combo for a full bodied sound out of my Jag- TUSQ barrel saddles and nut. — Last edited: Nov 17, 2013 14:00:33 Top
Squid Joined: Aug 22, 2010 Posts: 1019 Portland, Oregon with Insanitizers	Posted on Nov 28 2013 12:35 PM MPoppitt wrote: This is a good mod. With both in HB mode and the toogle in the middle, it is out of phase. In my experience (which I may have misinterpreted) to reverse the phase of a pickup you must interchange the electrical wires coming from the pickup between positive and ground. Just rotating the pickup 180 degrees in the plane of the guitar body does not seem to change the phase in my experience. — Insanitizers! http://www.insanitizers.com Top
da-ron Joined: Jan 02, 2009 Posts: 1307 The original Plymouth, UK.	Posted on Nov 29 2013 06:47 AM Reversing the phase of a pickup only has an effect if there are more than one pickup and they are of pretty much equal output. — http://thewaterboarders.bandcamp.com/ Top
crumble Joined: Sep 09, 2008 Posts: 3158 Guildford England	Posted on Nov 29 2013 08:28 AM Weirdest and most simple. That would be Polymorph It's a nylon type plastic that becomes pliable with heat. It's cheap and available in the UK and great for making guitar parts including nylon bushes for Jazzmaster/Jaguar tremolo arms, personalised tremolo handles, knobs etc. You even add coloured powder paint - you're only limited by your imagination. Sorry if what I've said is a bit spammy but it's important for us geetarists - Get hip to it! Top
caddady Joined: Feb 14, 2010 Posts: 802 N.E. Ohio	Posted on Jan 29 2014 03:07 PM On a guitar with old worn tuners, when tuning, first take the note flat and tune up to pitch. It tends to be easier to get the correct pitch and stay there. I was just looking at a bridge on one of those Squire VM Jag HH guitars (sort of a Dano clone with three screws mounting to the body)and wondering the easiest way to set the intonation on the bugger and remembered this trick. Start flat and move towards tune. — http://www.reverbnation.com/thegreasemonkeyz Top
ElBirkerio Joined: Dec 17, 2012 Posts: 519 Vienna	Posted on Jan 30 2014 02:58 AM hi! SanchoPansen wrote: A lot of german beer bottles come equipped with those rubber things. So yeah, I use them on all guitars. And I get 2 beers on top - WIN! DER BIERGUMMI - also very useful for keeping the volume pot on a Jag in the same setting when placed under the knob!!!! yours wolfi — http://www.surfgrammeln-san.org https://www.facebook.com/BaluUndSurfgrammeln http://greencookierecords.bandcamp.com/album/coming-out-soon-los-chicharrones-del-surf-10 Top

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