Natman
New member
Hey all, I wanted to show off my project (again). I've had it for a few years but here's the whole story:
The voodoo series was pretty polarizing; people mostly hated them but a few loved them. I thought the look was interesting and I'm a big fan of swamp ash and ebony so I got one off ebay for a decent price. I noticed very quickly that they skimped on a few details that normally come on Les Pauls (maybe all studio models are like that?). I kept wondering what it would be like if it was treated like a serious instrument, so this was a prime candidate for mods. The whole voodoo/juju idea screams blues to me, but they marketed it as more of a heavy guitar. Search me... the marketing department was on a tear back in the early 2000's with horrible models.
I hated the sound of the pickups, they had to go but the black & red bobbins actually contribute to the look. When ever I tried different pickups they were all black and didn't look right. When I popped the El Diablos in, they were the obvious winners. Having alnico right under the strings make it respond much like a single coil with juicy "organic" cleans. They're wound very hot, so they crunch like nobody's business. This is what Gibson should have had in mind if they weren't so busy cutting corners! I added Triple Shot rings for more options and 500k pots. The problem was that there was a lack of red, so I decided to try painting the magnets with translucent enamel. I did the Bigsby logo as well and I find it all matches better with the knobs (good luck finding replacements for those!!).
The headstock came with nothing but Gibson logo and plain black truss rod. I thought it looked bland so I found a signature decal and engraved truss rod. I added the Bigsby with roller bridge and locking Grovers early on and was happy to hear no tone loss (especially bass in the low strings). The case came with no "shroud" like every Les Paul I have ever seen. Fortunately people sell them on ebay so I sewed one in.
The voodoo series was pretty polarizing; people mostly hated them but a few loved them. I thought the look was interesting and I'm a big fan of swamp ash and ebony so I got one off ebay for a decent price. I noticed very quickly that they skimped on a few details that normally come on Les Pauls (maybe all studio models are like that?). I kept wondering what it would be like if it was treated like a serious instrument, so this was a prime candidate for mods. The whole voodoo/juju idea screams blues to me, but they marketed it as more of a heavy guitar. Search me... the marketing department was on a tear back in the early 2000's with horrible models.
I hated the sound of the pickups, they had to go but the black & red bobbins actually contribute to the look. When ever I tried different pickups they were all black and didn't look right. When I popped the El Diablos in, they were the obvious winners. Having alnico right under the strings make it respond much like a single coil with juicy "organic" cleans. They're wound very hot, so they crunch like nobody's business. This is what Gibson should have had in mind if they weren't so busy cutting corners! I added Triple Shot rings for more options and 500k pots. The problem was that there was a lack of red, so I decided to try painting the magnets with translucent enamel. I did the Bigsby logo as well and I find it all matches better with the knobs (good luck finding replacements for those!!).
The headstock came with nothing but Gibson logo and plain black truss rod. I thought it looked bland so I found a signature decal and engraved truss rod. I added the Bigsby with roller bridge and locking Grovers early on and was happy to hear no tone loss (especially bass in the low strings). The case came with no "shroud" like every Les Paul I have ever seen. Fortunately people sell them on ebay so I sewed one in.
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