Duncan Designed black rails wearing off? Normal?

[beaubrummels]

I barely got an hour or two of play time on my new Jackson SL3 with Duncan Designed Hot Rails, and I noticed the black on the rails had already started wearing off from the pick and showing bare metal underneath. Is this a known/expected thing? Or a unique defect in mine? Repairable somehow? (e.g. a coat of acrylic paint or sliding a new rail in the slot? Thanks.

 

[AlexR]

Well, nothing is ever impervious to wear.
So by that token you should always expect that if you're scraping something that you have to expect it to show signs of that.

The only decision you have to make is whether you want to hide the wear, show it, or readjust either your playing or the pickup to avoid such happenings in the future.

 

[Demanic]

Why is the string rubbing the rail? Does it buzz when you are playing?
Black Sharpie would probably touch it up, but if the strings are hitting it, I would expect that it would happen again.

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[beaubrummels]

Why is the string rubbing the rail? Does it buzz when you are playing?
Black Sharpie would probably touch it up, but if the strings are hitting it, I would expect that it would happen again.

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It's not from the strings. It's from the pick in between the strings. If you notice, it's between the lower wound strings - from strumming. The reason it seemed wrong is that it happened after just a couple hours of playing.

 

[beaubrummels]

Well, nothing is ever impervious to wear.
So by that token you should always expect that if you're scraping something that you have to expect it to show signs of that.

The only decision you have to make is whether you want to hide the wear, show it, or readjust either your playing or the pickup to avoid such happenings in the future.

I just didn't expect a plastic pick to do that after only 1-2 hours of play time.

 

[Demanic]

Wow, you really must dig in.

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[idsnowdog]

Maybe these will work?

https://www.hobbylobby.com/Beads-Je...MIvZLBuuK17QIVQ77ACh3RhQ1NEAQYFyABEgK1LPD_BwE

https://www.etsy.com/listing/107419...la=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc& utm_campaign=shopping_us_low-low_b-craft_supplies_and_tools-tools_and_equipment-tools-other&utm_custom1=_k_EAIaIQobChMIt6Pj-uC17QIVT1XVCh0v7QCsEAQYBiABEgIbGPD_BwE_k_&utm_cont ent=go_6721326405_86204108344_388283341165_pla-295604191622_c__107419295_105028941&utm_custom2=67 21326405&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIt6Pj-uC17QIVT1XVCh0v7QCsEAQYBiABEgIbGPD_BwE

 

[Adieu]

You can sharpie it, ignore it, or pick elsewhere

 

[Mincer]

Is this affecting the sound?
Don't try to rip the rail out. I'd just use a Sharpie, or some sort of acrylic paint. While they are designed by Duncan, they are still overseas-made, and don't have the quality of the USA ones.

 

[beaubrummels]

Wow, you really must dig in.

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I'm not used to middle pickups. And strat pickups have never done this. But I use thin picks and don't play that hard at all. That's why this seemed so wrong to me.

 

[beaubrummels]

Is this affecting the sound?
Don't try to rip the rail out. I'd just use a Sharpie, or some sort of acrylic paint. While they are designed by Duncan, they are still overseas-made, and don't have the quality of the USA ones.

Naw, nothing affecting sound at all. Purely cosmetic. It's just a brand new guitar, and it actually was the one used by the company for it's photos - I wanted to keep it nice.

 

[Artie]

So, how do like them? I've got a DD Hotrail set in a Strat. I love 'em. Got it from forum bro Rand-O.

 

[Mincer]

Naw, nothing affecting sound at all. Purely cosmetic. It's just a brand new guitar, and it actually was the one used by the company for it's photos - I wanted to keep it nice.

Send that picture to the company. They might send you a brand new pickup.

 

[Demanic]

I'm not used to middle pickups. And strat pickups have never done this. But I use thin picks and don't play that hard at all. That's why this seemed so wrong to me.

That's weird. I agree with Mincer.

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[Ace Flibble]

Just as a general heads-up, that pickup is far too close to the strings. Especially with powerful ceramic mag pickups like that, you need to back them down. A lot of 'modern' companies install pickups as close to the strings as physically possible because it gets you more output and a stronger fundamental tone, which is more impressive when you first strum a powerchord, but you lose harmonic content, dynamics and sustain. With some pickups it's even possible for the magnetic field to pull strings out of tune while you play, if they're too close.
As a general rule, if the pickup is high enough for your pick to hit it at all it's also too high to sound its best.

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Just use a Sharpie. I’m also surprised that’s not from the strings hitting the blade.


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[beaubrummels]

So, how do like them? I've got a DD Hotrail set in a Strat. I love 'em. Got it from forum bro Rand-O.

Jury is still out. They sound really good and strat-like, but dark like there's a blanket over them. Still trying to work out if that is the circuit, the body/neck, or the pickups themselves. The neck is impressively strat-like considering it's pushed back by the 24 frets.

 

[beaubrummels]

Just as a general heads-up, that pickup is far too close to the strings. Especially with powerful ceramic mag pickups like that, you need to back them down. A lot of 'modern' companies install pickups as close to the strings as physically possible because it gets you more output and a stronger fundamental tone, which is more impressive when you first strum a powerchord, but you lose harmonic content, dynamics and sustain. With some pickups it's even possible for the magnetic field to pull strings out of tune while you play, if they're too close.
As a general rule, if the pickup is high enough for your pick to hit it at all it's also too high to sound its best.

They are direct mounted. I'll have to see what control I have of the height. They are as they came from the factory right now.