Upgrading a BC Gunslinger retro

F

Firepro4life

New member
Ok, i'm a total newbie, so bear with me.

I am looking to get back into playing music after about 15 years (played bass in high school) and decided to pick up guitar. I got a BC Rich Gunslinger retro really cheap off ebay and figured while I am getting it set up by a local shop, I would have the stock pickups changed out for something better. I've been doing some research on the web and here on the forums, but am still overwhelmed by the options. Using the Dimarzio pickup finder, it recommends the D Activator or the Evolution, but the super distortion also seems widely recommended. The guitar is a single bridge humbucker only, single volume control, floyd rose special tremolo, maple neck and made of basswood. I also have seen that doing a coil tap might be a good idea for a little more versatility. I am open to using any brand pickup and plan to play mostly 80's metal/hard rock. Basically I want to get this guitar sounding as good as possible, not muddy or with too much crunch crunch. Based on all this, anyone have any recommendations?
 
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Re: Upgrading a BC Gunslinger retro

When I think of 80's, super strat, and Super Distortion, I think Iron Maiden. The Super Distortion will be a good pickup, and if you split it, you can get a good clean sound too.
 
Re: Upgrading a BC Gunslinger retro

I have 1 of the older alder bodied BC Rich Gunslinger Retros that came stock with the Dimarzio Super Distortion and I'm just not a fan of it in that style of guitar, I put the Super D in my Firebird and it's a much better fit imo.

I put a BKP Miracle Man in my Gunslinger and couldn't be happier with it for that 80s Rock and Metal sound it's ideal. How it'd fair in Basswood though I'm not so sure.
 
Re: Upgrading a BC Gunslinger retro

I also have an older, alder body Gunslinger, in mine I'm running a Dean Time Capsule for now, which is a Super Distortion inspired pickup. I love it, but I'm hoping to get a Duncan RTM, SuperV, or an EVH Frankenstein to try in it soon. For '80s I think of JB and Custom or Custom Custom. In the basswood however, I usually tend to veer to Dimarzios, as many of those pickups were designed for basswood guitars, Evo, Fred/MoJo, Breed, etc. I've never tried a Super Distortion in basswood though...
 
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Re: Upgrading a BC Gunslinger retro

Thanks for the replies. I was thinking about the JB too, but the bare knuckle pickups also look tempting, especially the Rebel Yell and VHII, at least based on the sound clips one their website. Are these worth the premium price over the JB?
 
Re: Upgrading a BC Gunslinger retro

I tried a JB in the same basswood git two times (the dirt pedal was different in each instance) and I found it too grainy - some kind of annoying mids or highs focus that dominated the overall sound
 
Re: Upgrading a BC Gunslinger retro

The rebel yell is awesome. Definitely my fave BKP so far. I have a VHII in a basswood body and I'd still go with the RY. Of course, I like the JB and think the RY is very close to the JB. Some say the Holy Diver is closer to the JB, but my ears are hearing something else. The HD will have softer or more rounded highs, where the VHII and the RY will have more cut.

The VHII is a pretty versatile pickup, more so than to be confused as a one-trick pony. You'd be hard pressed to go wrong either way. Maybe go to their site and contact them with what you have and what you're wanting to get.

Considering its a hardwound pickup and the materials used and the tone they deliver, I think they are worth it. You can buy a new one direct for pretty much the same as a new custom shop pickup.




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Re: Upgrading a BC Gunslinger retro

I have an old original Gunslinger from the mid-80s, and it never sounded as good as when I had a Duncan Distortion in there. I think my only real pickup regret in life was taking the DD out of that guitar. Twas magic.
 
Re: Upgrading a BC Gunslinger retro

ex-250 said:
I have an old original Gunslinger from the mid-80s
Click to expand...

...which is not quite the same thing. Still, the DD could work in the Retro. The Full Shred might be another good candidate especially if precision over aggression is your thing.
 
Re: Upgrading a BC Gunslinger retro

Alright did some more research and talked to one of the guys at the company. They recommended the holy diver first, or even the rebel yell. Based on the samples I've heard and what you guys have told me, I think the rebel yell is what I am going to go with. I was going to pick up a push-pull pot while I am at it...I'm guessing i'd want to go for 500k, right? Also, anyone know if this guitar uses bolts or screws to the secure the pickup? The place I plan to order from wants me to specify.
 
Re: Upgrading a BC Gunslinger retro

I have a Bill-n-Becky L500XL in my Yellow Gunslinger Retro, and I have it tuned down to C#.
It's ok for the time being because I had a pile of Lawrence's, and to also coincide with my laziness I threw that in as opposed to gutting the electronics entirely in favor of an '81/18v.

The FullShred is a pup that had crossed my mind, and if I had one, I would have most likely put that in it instead of the L500XL. Not knocking the L500, its just that I have a few guitars equipped as such, so it's like a been there/done that type of thing.
I'm really diggin on the DiMarzio Breed with the Alnico8 or 9 magnet, after checkin out that guys thread with all those sound clips in.
The DiMarzio Super D might be a good choice as well though....
I generally use DiMarzio in my BC Rich's just to kinda keep it within the realm of what it may have come with factory...

I was just playing my Gunslinger about 15mins ago, and that L500XL is very bright and cuts through really well tuned down to C#, so I may just leave it be until the next string change atleast.

My Solar Yellow 87 USA Warlock is 100% original and it is set up in Eb with DiMarzio Super Distortion in the bridge and a DiMarzio PAF Pro in the neck, and Im not a big fan of those really, so Im seriously debating on whether or not I want to modify this guitar or not... This Warlock has an Ibanez Edge from factory and its more or less a time capsule in many ways, so I'm really struggling with myself as to whether or not I am going to mod this. I really hate to do it, but Id really like to play this more and have it sound good, or better I should say.

For the record, I really dislike Yellow, and it's so ironic that I havent had a Bc Rich in like 7 years, and then I get two of them in a 6month period and they're both f'n Yellow! Guess thats my luck....hahahaha
I feel like a CC Deville loverboy everytime I pick them up. The C# doesnt make my Gunslinger any more evil, even though I was trying....And a Yellow Warlock is just something thats unnatural in its own self....Hahaha
 
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Re: Upgrading a BC Gunslinger retro

Duncan Distortion? It's what I would do if i were to buy that same guitar...
 
Re: Upgrading a BC Gunslinger retro

Hi all. I'm new to this forum but I think I can help out with this topic. I bought a BC Rich retro gunslinger quite some time ago. Straight out of the box was a big disappointment. It was poorly setup and the finish on the body was a letdown. That aside, it looks awesome. The guitar came with a Duncan Designed pickup and a very crappy volume pot. The tone was awful to say the least. I shoved a TB-6 distortion in it with a massive letdown again ( not the pickups fault, just wrong for this guitar). The tone was too raspy and very trebly and just a wall of nasty sound. I pulled the TB-6 and swapped the ceramic magnet for an Alnico 5. I swapped the stock 500k volume for a 250k linear push/pull and coil tapped the pickup. Now I like what I hear. The pickup is now essential a JB and the 250k pot tamed the highs a bit more giving me a tone I can live with. My experience with this guitar would lead me to push people away from fitting a distortion pickup but go for something a little tamer that can give you a bit more balance. Remember this guitar is Basswood with a maple neck and fingerboard, it's going to be shrill.
 
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