How can I tweak a Duncan Distortion to be tighter?

[Karmadog777]

Re: How can I tweak a Duncan Distortion to be tighter?

hmm, yep that would do,,,I want to double check the screw length of the full shred though, Im going from memory here. its either 1/2" or 5/8" I know the regular slotted fillisters are 3/4"

 

[Karmadog777]

Re: How can I tweak a Duncan Distortion to be tighter?

YEP they are indeed 1/2" ... I really think you can find these at Ace Hardware or somewhere similar , that way you dont have to buy 100

 

[DracoAran]

Re: How can I tweak a Duncan Distortion to be tighter?

$5.25 seems pretty reasonable, saves me gas money, and I can always hook up the forum bros with the left over screws.

 

[donahue]

Re: How can I tweak a Duncan Distortion to be tighter?

Hex head screws!

This tightened up my custom custom tremendously! Specificly the low end,

+1 My DD will never leave that guitar.

 

[donahue]

Re: How can I tweak a Duncan Distortion to be tighter?

The closest store is a Home Depot. Beyond that, it's gas money and time wasted. $5.25 seems pretty reasonable, and I can always hook up the forum bros with the left over screws.

I got mine at Ace. Something like .25 cents each. The button head is smaller than that Invader's, but those can't be had anywhere, but SD. I might have goofed on the thread size, cause they went in kinda tight. It was a close fit, but it doesn't matter, cause they're gonna stay in there!

 

[suislidE03]

Re: How can I tweak a Duncan Distortion to be tighter?

This sounds like a great idea.. may look into it!

 

[DracoAran]

Re: How can I tweak a Duncan Distortion to be tighter?

Cool, I ordered the screws.

Artie, Radio Shack only had 470K resistors. Close enough?

 

[Artie]

Re: How can I tweak a Duncan Distortion to be tighter?

Artie, Radio Shack only had 470K resistors. Close enough?

Your resonant peak will be shifted by 87.364 hz. Should be ok.







. . . . :beerchug:

 

[Rydock]

Re: How can I tweak a Duncan Distortion to be tighter?

I want to try to tighten up my JB so I wanna try some easy mods before I swap out. I got an old crap ibanez pickup and removed some of the pole pieces. It has two kinds on each coil: one was a set screw with allen socket but no head; and the other was the thinner screw that had the head with allen socket. The head screw was a bit longer than the set screw, but short nonetheless. Are these screws good to use in my duncan? The head's diameter seemed to be the same as the flat heads on the JB.

And which ones would I use, the longer headed screws or the thicker set screws? The longer screws pertruded about a millimeter at the backplate when they were screwed in flush with the top.

The shorter one looked like...

And the longer ones...

They both have the same head diameter btw.

 

[cthroatgtr]

Re: How can I tweak a Duncan Distortion to be tighter?

This mod sounds very interesting to me as well. I need to ask a very stupid question. Is there anything special to removing the screw? I mean can you just unscrew it without removing the pickup?

Is there a specific thread size as well? I don't have a full shred lying around though I have a couple of dimarzio pickups, including a PAF pro and a Al Dimeola pickup. Do dimarizio screws have the same threading?

 

[DracoAran]

Re: How can I tweak a Duncan Distortion to be tighter?

I believe you can't use Dimarzio hex screws in place of Duncan flat head screws.

Rydock, you definitely don't want to use the thicker ones. If you are lucky, the thinner one with a hex head might fit.

The thread size for Duncan screws is 5/20.

 

[donahue]

Re: How can I tweak a Duncan Distortion to be tighter?

I want to try to tighten up my JB so I wanna try some easy mods before I swap out. I got an old crap ibanez pickup and removed some of the pole pieces. It has two kinds on each coil: one was a set screw with allen socket but no head; and the other was the thinner screw that had the head with allen socket. The head screw was a bit longer than the set screw, but short nonetheless. Are these screws good to use in my duncan? The head's diameter seemed to be the same as the flat heads on the JB.

And which ones would I use, the longer headed screws or the thicker set screws? The longer screws pertruded about a millimeter at the backplate when they were screwed in flush with the top.

The shorter one looked like...

And the longer ones...

They both have the same head diameter btw.

I think the ibanez ones will be metric in size, as opposed to the SD's being american thread. I'm pretty sure.

 

[cthroatgtr]

Re: How can I tweak a Duncan Distortion to be tighter?

Dimarzio hex screws actually fit. At least the ones I pulled out of an old Al Dimeola dimarzio. Only downside was that those are gold. It did change the sound a bit. Subtle but it does seem to tighten up a bit.

 

[Rydock]

Re: How can I tweak a Duncan Distortion to be tighter?

I think the ibanez ones will be metric in size, as opposed to the SD's being american thread. I'm pretty sure.

I don't mean to sound ignorant about the imperial system (I am from Canada so we use only metric), but will the measurements be that way off because it's metric? Can you tell me how I can measure the screws? When measuring length, it's it from the top of the screw head to the bottom, or the bottom of the screw head where the threads start.

 

[DracoAran]

Re: How can I tweak a Duncan Distortion to be tighter?

Your resonant peak will be shifted by 87.364 hz. Should be ok.

. . . . :beerchug:

Ok, I wired the de-mud circuit last night. The change is definitely there, but not as drastic as I thought it would be. I am gonna leave it there, and wait for the hex screws to get here.

I also have a .001 cap across the volume pot, and if anything, that one seems to be doing more to tame the bass, but things get thin when I want to clean up the tone with the volume rolled back. I'll try the Duncan treble bleed circuit with a .002 and a resistor.

 

[Fusion1]

Re: How can I tweak a Duncan Distortion to be tighter?

I want to try to tighten up my JB so I wanna try some easy mods before I swap out. I got an old crap ibanez pickup and removed some of the pole pieces. It has two kinds on each coil: one was a set screw with allen socket but no head; and the other was the thinner screw that had the head with allen socket. The head screw was a bit longer than the set screw, but short nonetheless. Are these screws good to use in my duncan? The head's diameter seemed to be the same as the flat heads on the JB.

And which ones would I use, the longer headed screws or the thicker set screws? The longer screws pertruded about a millimeter at the backplate when they were screwed in flush with the top.

The shorter one looked like...

And the longer ones...

They both have the same head diameter btw.

Rydock those pole pieces may or may not work as it was stated they are probably metric. That said if you find a set like those in normal imperial sizes 5-40 and 1/2" length for the socket screws in place of the slotted Duncan poles and 10-32 and 1/2" length for the set screws in place of the Duncan slug poles you're golden. I've done this on a Custom Custom and it works well. Also did it on the neck version of the Alnico Pro II.

 

[Fusion1]

Re: How can I tweak a Duncan Distortion to be tighter?

I believe you can't use Dimarzio hex screws in place of Duncan flat head screws.

Rydock, you definitely don't want to use the thicker ones. If you are lucky, the thinner one with a hex head might fit.

The thread size for Duncan screws is 5/20.

Sure you can. That's usually what I recommend people to do if they can't find a hardware store to buy individual pole pieces. The slotted poles can use hex poles from a Dimarzio Al DImeola (gold only), Humbucker From Hell (chrome color only), Paf Pro (black only), one half of the Mega Drive (black only), one half of a Drop Sonic (chrome only, but strangely I have seen them in black also so not sure which is standard now), Fred (chrome only), and I think the Steve's Special is that type too and not the set screw variety(black or chrom I forget), Paf Joe? or is it the Mojo?.

The set screw type is easier to find in the Super Distortion (chrome only), Super II (chrome), Super III (black only), Evolution and Evo2(black only), SDS-1 single coil (chrome only), P-90 Super Distortion(chrome), Dual Sound (chrome)


There are more but this is off the top of my head before I had my first cup of coffee.

 

[alex1fly]

Re: How can I tweak a Duncan Distortion to be tighter?

Wow. This thread has tons of info that I'm sure will help lots of folks in the future.

 

[Fusion1]

Re: How can I tweak a Duncan Distortion to be tighter?

Just a heads up, this works also on the LIL/JR series of strat humbuckers as follows.

Hard to tell in the picture, but both coils have hex poles on the bass side and regular slotted poles for the treble side. Well balanced and this is on a LIL 59.

 

[DracoAran]

Re: How can I tweak a Duncan Distortion to be tighter?

Sweet