Edwards Kiko L. guitar needs help.......

[Monsta-Tone]

I found an almost new Edwards/ESP Kiko L. signature series guitar here on Maui.
It has a maple neck through, mahogany body sides with maple top.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/EXCEPTIONAL...=&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
I didn't pay $1,200 for it!

The fretboard is 27 frets long. Not sure I know what to do with 22 frets, but this looks really cool!

So, here is my problem/question/issue.......
The neck pickup is almost where the middle pickup would be on a Strat.
The stock pickup is a Hot Rails, and is angled.

When using the neck pickup, the high E string is a little bit weaker sounding than the rest of the strings.
The high E string sounds fine with the bridge pickup (Custom 5), so it's not the guitar.

The tone of the neck pickup (and bridge for that matter) is pretty bright. I would like to darken up the tone a little bit, and have better high E response from my neck pickup.

I have an alnico 8 magnet that I will probably try in the Custom 5, but I'm not sure what to do about the Hot Rails. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Evan Skopp]

Re: Edwards Kiko L. guitar needs help.......

Have you tried adjusting the height of the pickup so the treble side is closer to the strings?

 

[arcanesanctum]

Re: Edwards Kiko L. guitar needs help.......

I never really liked the pup configuration for this guitar, the Custom 5 sounds much too icepicky compared to what Kiko's tone usually sounds like. Compared to his Tagima, the ESP always sounds like crap (actually, any of his guitars that have regular PAF style bobbins sound quite inferior). Does anybody know which PATB model his main Tagima guitar has? Seeing how his tone changes so drastically between the PATB equipped Tagima and his other guitars, that PATB must be an essential ingredient to his tone.

 

[Monsta-Tone]

Re: Edwards Kiko L. guitar needs help.......

Does the Tagima guitar have a scalloped neck?

 

[IsakaJr]

Re: Edwards Kiko L. guitar needs help.......

His main Tagima has a PATB-1 and a Hot Rails. He`s been using this combination forever since this same guitar, that is now black was Pink!
Last time I spoke to him in a Workshop session he was experimenting the PATB-2. The original also does not have a scaloped neck, but I did get to play that guitar and the action is super-low!

 

[Monsta-Tone]

Re: Edwards Kiko L. guitar needs help.......

Thanks!