RS Kit Review.....

[JumpMarine]

Re: RS Kit Review.....

DUDE!!!!!! What happened to your R7?:yell:

Life happened......needed the funds more than the guitar. Sold it back to LeeM.. It went straight to RS for relicing..........

 

[Colma]

Re: RS Kit Review.....

relic ?
looks like it fell down a pinetree

 

[doveman]

Re: RS Kit Review.....

Man ... that is a real shame. I would not have been pleased if that was mine.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: RS Kit Review.....

I had similar results putting the RS kit in my 355 -- well, mixed results really. I got some darker pickups (a Jon Moore and a C3) and the combination is actually pretty good.

But I intend to wind a custom set for this guitar to really take advantage of its natural bite and resonance.

 

[Johnny Q]

Re: RS Kit Review.....

I had similar results putting the RS kit in my 355 -- well, mixed results really. I got some darker pickups (a Jon Moore and a C3) and the combination is actually pretty good.

But I intend to wind a custom set for this guitar to really take advantage of its natural bite and resonance.

Its funny, but if you go over to the LP Forum, you will find literally 1000's of positive posts regarding the RS kits. But its reports like what the original poster stated that makes me hesitant to try it. I have had one since 2002 and its yet to be installed, mainly due to the few folks that say it made thier guitar overly bright, one guy said it made his LP sound like a Tele. I dunno...........

JQ

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: RS Kit Review.....

The thing is, I think the RS kit was designed primarily for Les Paul into Marshall type players -- the kind who often clip the caps off their tone pots -- who are always fighting for every ounce of extra treble they can get out of their Marshalls, and there are obviously tons of them over at the LPF.

If you're a guy like me who plays through Fenders or similar amps that have plenty of treble to spare, the RS kit isn't for you, unless you go with their new 280k Superpot, which I may do as soon as I work up the courage to go into my 355 again (YIKES! - My kingdom for a control cavity cover on the back!)

 

[JumpMarine]

Re: RS Kit Review.....

Man ... that is a real shame. I would not have been pleased if that was mine.

I'll have to keep my comments to myself since it isn't my guitar anymore and Lee's a friend......but I wouldn't have done that to as beautiful of guitar as it was.

 

[doveman]

Re: RS Kit Review.....

I don't understand the view that they can know what caps you need. I think you have to experiment with them. I use a .015uf on a neck pickup that I have ... but it could have easily been a .022uf. The guitars are different ... the pickups are different ... the amps are different ... even the ears ... the sound you are looking for even. I'm still a believer in buying good quality orange drops (a selection of various values) and hooking them up with alligator clips and wires until you find what you want.

Yeah ... the pickups and pots are guesses ... hope your close and in the neighborhood. But the caps are so cheap and accessible ... that's where you need to experiment.

 

[doveman]

Re: RS Kit Review.....

I'll have to keep my comments to myself since it isn't my guitar anymore and Lee's a friend......but I wouldn't have done that to as beautiful of guitar as it was.

Understand ... everyone's looking for something different. That just would not have been for me.

 

[MartinSixStringCustoms]

Re: RS Kit Review.....

The RS Kits are nice stuff in my opinion, but they are pricey, especially if you upgrade to the Superpots. This is one reason why I put the kits together that I have in my webstore (see link below). I use CTS pots that have a tolerance of +- 10% but I've been able to price the kits competitively.

 

[Johnny Q]

Re: RS Kit Review.....

I would still like to know why this kit makes some guitars brighter/too bright. I could see if someone previously had 300K pots and upgraded to 500k's, but shouldnt a swap for better tolerance 500k's and higher quality tone caps yield the same result as before when all the volume/tone controls are on "10??" It would seem to me in that situation the only thing that would differ would be the "taper" and "Roll off" characteristics.

Just curious.

JQ

 

[dtbman]

Re: RS Kit Review.....

Yeah, I'm not bashing the RS kit. It just wasn't for me. As stated earlier it was probably designed for Les Paul players into dark sounding amps. I have a bright Super reverb and they did not go well together. The 335 also had 250k pots...so the 500ks were way too much. It sounded thin and snappy. I just regutted the 335, took all the RS kit out and put everything else back in.....even the stock ceramic capacitors. The Hovlands were supposed round off the tone and I didn't really want that. I also found a post somewhere over on harmony central about the stock gibson caps to have a gritty bite to them.....a bluesy hawk. That was what I was sorta lookin' for and already had to begin with and was really happy with......still am. Just thought I might get something more. Guess thats what experimenting is all about. I found my tone though and ain't gonna tamper with anything ever again.:nervous:

Oh, can you guys check out my site......www.myspace.com/rockeyemusic.
My favorite is Chameleon.....it was fun playing. Those clips are from a side project. I was told it was gonna be a jazz fusion group but then they forgot to tell me about the rapper. They were recorded with the 335 w/ 57 classics. I used money from selling demos to by the Antiquity Neck. Now it's freakin' money. I'll be posting clips with that soon.

 

[papersoul]

Re: RS Kit Review.....

Diggin up this one.

Did you ever get it fixed? I tried the RS but thought it was too bright overall, even on ten! I also thought I lost punch and thickness.

I think either stock wiring is fine or 50s because 50s will not make it bright, just retain treble as you roll off. However, a good pickups may not need the 50s wiring. I am using a Motor City pickup in my one LP and it does not get too dark or muddy when rolling off the volume, even with the stock wiring. 50s may not be necessary.

Could be the 500k Super pots if they were over 500k by a lot. The Hovland Caps can also be very clear and bright. I don;t think the 50's wiring is the problem. The original 300k pots will darken/thicken it up a bit. Some experts actually recommend 300k tone pots for an even sweep.

 

[Pete Galati]

Re: RS Kit Review.....

I can't read all the way through this old thread right now, but a lot of Gibsons came with 300K pots. It would probably be a good idea to check what your guitar has before ordering from RS, because I emailed them a couple years ago, and they did have 300K pots.

And that '50s style tone control isn't always the best. As I recall, I switched the tone control on my '82 Les Paul's bridge PU (that'd have a maple neck fwiw) back to modern style, and kept the neck tone control '50s style.

If your guitar lost it's balls after installing RS, try rewiring the tone controls modern style. Hook the tone controls back up to the center terminal of the volume pots. Don't just assume that '50s style wiring is best for you.

Don't worry about their caps. How you connect your tone controls will have a larger impact on your sound than what caps you're using.

(IMO)