The Official April 2K18 SDUGF Modding Contest

[Aceman]

Re: The Official April 2K18 SDUGF Modding Contest

Last day for entry, me thinks....

[Gtrjunior]

The Official April 2K18 SDUGF Modding Contest

Instead of editing my post, I'll add to it. Here's the Coffin Lid, through my Picovalve with the closed back 1X12 cab, C-Rex Speaker. Keeley MT-2 for the distortion.

Dude, that picovalve sounds killer.

[KeeperOS]

Re: The Official April 2K18 SDUGF Modding Contest

Ok, what the heck, just for laughs I'm gonna post my NON-QUALIFYING would-be entry (failing rule no. 7 as all mods were performed by my tech).

My Swing EZ-10:
Originally saw this lowest-end model from a little-known Korean company named Swing, I just realized, 10 years ago to the day and fell in love with it. The hardware was crap, the electronics mega-crap and the plastic parts super flimsy. Yet, this axe spoke to me in a way no other had before, including ones that cost 6-7 times what she did (which was about 300 euro).

Finally went to buy her about a month later... only to find out she had been sold. Thankfully there was one last guitar in stock which ended up being even better than the one I had played so I snatched her right there and then.


From the very beginning I knew this would be an "Extreme Makeover" project guitar and I spent an inordinate amount of time researching these here forums and asking for whatever I couldn't readily find. Heck, I even ran a poll to help me decide on the hardware color!
Then, after close to a year later and 1000 euros more sank into her between two major modding sessions by my tech, I finally got her to look like this:



By this point, there was literally nothing stock left to her but the wood. New Sperzel locking tuners, a non-locking Ebanol nut, new pickups and all electronics, new chrome pickup rings, a Gotoh 1996 Floyd copy, complete with a new fat brass block and a Tremol-No to turn her into dive-only.

However, the finishing touch wouldn't come until 4 years later, when the forum decided on the, unfairly ill-fated, Fuglybuckers that, after a failed first attempt in my Parker single cut, I knew these pickups and my Izzy were a match made in guitar heaven:



Funnily, either pickup sets alone cost me what the original guitar cost, bringing the total to 1600 euro (although 1300€ is what I ended up sinking into her, seeing as the originally swapped pickups both found new homes later).

So there you have her, my Izzy, a true Cinderella story!

[BriGuy1968]

The Official April 2K18 SDUGF Modding Contest

As an add-on to my submission, I used “The Phoenix” for my submission to the solo contest going on right now. It’s a better sound sample and it’s alone.

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?327264-A-little-friendly-solo-contest&p=4209468&viewfull=1#post4209468

[Chistopher]

Re: The Official April 2K18 SDUGF Modding Contest

Whelp, the contest is closed now. Later on today I will start the poll thread. Commentary or edits on posts will still be allowed until that new thread is up.

Edit the contest has been extended to May 31.

[Silence Kid]

Re: The Official April 2K18 SDUGF Modding Contest

So I'm a bit late, but it occurs to me a lot of people on this forum have modded guitars they did not enter. I wonder if round two of this (if there is one) should allow people to nominate other users' guitars as entries.

[Chistopher]

Re: The Official April 2K18 SDUGF Modding Contest

So I'm a bit late, but it occurs to me a lot of people on this forum have modded guitars they did not enter. I wonder if round two of this (if there is one) should allow people to nominate other users' guitars as entries.

Good thinking. Maybe I'll do that for the partscasters round.

[Aceman]

Re: The Official April 2K18 SDUGF Modding Contest

Gonna post the poll? Sometime?

[Chistopher]

Re: The Official April 2K18 SDUGF Modding Contest

I did, but I accidentally put it in the Sound Room so I'm waiting for a mod to move it.

[Demanic]

Re: The Official April 2K18 SDUGF Modding Contest

Funny.
All of my video posts are just a black, non responsive, square.
Why?

[BriGuy1968]

Re: The Official April 2K18 SDUGF Modding Contest

Funny.
All of my video posts are just a black, non responsive, square.
Why?

I can see them.

[Demanic]

Re: The Official April 2K18 SDUGF Modding Contest

I can see them.

I just find it strange that I can't.
Dang Gremlins.

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

[BriGuy1968]

Re: The Official April 2K18 SDUGF Modding Contest

I should probably say, however, that I can’t really see much in the “dark“ one. But then too, you had the lights off… [emoji12]

[Demanic]

Re: The Official April 2K18 SDUGF Modding Contest

I should probably say, however, that I can’t really see much in the “dark“ one. But then too, you had the lights off… [emoji12]

No, that was intentional.

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

[Jacew]

Re: The Official April 2K18 SDUGF Modding Contest

Hello!

Finally got around to drop my entry. I've posted a lot about it, partially because I haven't got that many guitars, but also because it's the one I've been modding as long as I've played guitar. I got it fininshed about year ago, and I don't think I'm going to change it again. I think it's perfect instrument for me as it is now.

Started as squier CV 60's, bought it brand new in 2010. Only cost 400€ (480 USD) then, currently they're over 500€ I think...

I call it as "Ramcaster":



Body: Alder sunburst. (I got lucky with that: There's not a line visible under the see through part. Don't now about the black painted sides, but it's practically one-piece!)
Neck: Modern C, rosewood fingerboard.

That's the original parts (mostly).

Hardware:

Tuners: Wilkinson EZ-Lok, Kluson-type. Allowed me to throw out string trees.

Schaller strap-locks. Other minor tweaks include at least completely tape shielded cavity (on top of stock electric paint) and sanded back of the neck.

Bridge:
Bridge plate is stock piece from Peavey Raptor series I strat. It's thicker and heavier than usual, and also has interesting feature: The bevel to make it rock is longer than usual, (see what I did there ) so it always dips into floating position. Allowing floating setup with adjustable tension! (It's not possible to get it down-only though.)

Saddles are currently Peavey Raptors as well, that's only thing I've been considering yet to improve.

Trem block and arm are from American Deluxe strat. Springs are stock Squier ones, which I found to be just brilliant, being significatly stiffer than usually. I made a thread about them (and how they improve tone) last year

As you can see in picture, I also modified the jack plate to allow fitting of master volume there and glued bottle caps on knobs to make push-pulls easier to use. Also made rolling them much faster. And I like the look of them...

Pickups:
Neck: Van Zandt Blues rwrp
Middle: SSL-5 (custom)
Bridge: SSL-7 T (tappable staggered QP)

Wiring:

Pretty much entirely re-thought, so I begin by explaining the concept... First iteration was to allow all possible tonal combinations, and sculpt the overal tone as good as possible in the process. When I got it figured what worked best, I began to cut out all the excess, to make reaching the good ones as streamlined as possible, which resulted in a very convoluted, but simple and effective controls. Every tone is two moves away at most.

The positions of 4-way blade switch (much prefer this to 5-way switch for ease of use):

1 Neck/Bridge parallel (bridge tapped)
2 Neck/Bridge parallel
3 Middle/Bridge parallel (bridge tapped)
4 Middle/Bridge parallel

Then there's DPDT slider that switches bridge off from above setup for single pickup mode. That also switches between dark and bright tone circuits at the same time.

Neck/Middle share the upper volume control, so bridge only position is very easy and fast to dial in as well. Lower volume is for bridge. Volume pots are 500k and have resistor in parallel with in-out lugs to smooth taper (which otherwise gets wrecked by the "individual volumes" wiring).

Upper push-pull pot has series switch. Turning parallel positions above into series positions respectively. In series, the slider DPDT only changes the tone circuit. Another trick is that the upper volume control ground is lifted by series DPDT and connected to bridge hot after bridge volume, so both pickups can be dialled out in series mode for a dark, lower gain tonal palette. To be honest, it's not very useful, but bleed through the said pot gives slight extra edge for series mode, which is nice.

Second DPDT switches the phase of bridge.

Master volume is no-load at 10, made from dual gang pot.

EDIT: Removed the clips for remake, because of the excessive mids during recording... (New below)

EDIT: Added price.