Aria Pro II MA-30: Something Has Changed

Besides some obvious cosmetic "improvements" (and no - I'm not colorblind...yet) I also put in two DiMarzio "Red Velvet" Single Coils and a DiMarzio "B2 Humbucker" (a kind of OEM pickup used in old Ibanez models I believe).


Quite standard 5 - way switching fram back to front:

• Humbucker alone (optional coil cut)
• Humbucker (optional coil cut) + Middle Pickup
• Middle Pickup alone
• Middle + Neck Pickup
• Neck Pickup alone

25.5 inch (648mm) scale length, standard tuning with D'Addario EXL120 strings.

As a reminder - an older pic taken before the changes:

Epiphone Baritone Iron Cross

Got this one a while ago but the original pickups didn't sound well in my ears.

Finally found the time to solder two EMG 85'es in there.

Master Volume only (second knob is a dummy) and regular toggle switch.
Scale length is 705 mm (27.75 inches).
Baritone tuning - B, E, A, D, Fis, B.

Not really an "Iron Cross" though - but that's the official name - one has to find a catchy name for advertisement I guess.

B. C. Rich Mockingbird - The Art Of Doomina In Spiro Lights

My second B.C. Rich - I'm sure you can guess my preferred design by this builder now.

Called "Spiro Light", out of the "Body Art Collection" - would love to have them all actually... ah well, sweet dreams.

The previous owner is a really nice fellow by the way and maybe some of you might even recognise this fine instrument of heavy psychedelia.

B. C. Rich Mockingbird Masterpiece

Finally found the time to grab the soldering iron - the wiring was shot on this one and the bridge pickup was dying too, so I replaced it with a brand new Epiphone SG pickup.

B.C. Rich Mockingbird in "Dragon Blood" (ha!).

Mahogany body with a quilted maple veneer - "only for the show" one might say.
Creme binding around the curved body.

Maple bolt-on neck with rosewood fretboard and nice cloud inlays.

Looks hot and best of all - sounds great too! Not quite a dragon's roar but appropriately heavy.

I altered the switching, B.C. Rich likes to do the controls in a rather unorthodox way and at least for me it's quite hard to remember in "the heat of a dragon battle".

Originally it goes like this: There's the volume for the bridge pickup up front, followed by the toggle switch, then the volume for the neck pup and the a master tone pot.

I changed it to a master volume for both pickups, then toggle, then tone controls for each pickup.
I like to use the middle position on the toggle switch and this configuration simply made more sense to me personally.

Tuning is Drop - D.

Dean Guitars MLXM SN - Crossing All Over

Metal - guitars should be black or have a bright, fancy colour, right?
And no blues player (with the exception of Poppa Chubby maybe) would show him or herself with a pointy axe like this.

I love the smooth "natural satin" finish on this one as much as Dimebag's very own screaming designs.
The shape has always been one of my favourites, excelled perhaps only by the Randy Rhoads - models.
This edgy one you can even play while sitting down and you can reach the highest frets with ease.

It's a Dean Guitars MLXM SN, Paulowina body, bolt - on maple neck with rosewood fretboard,
DMT designed humbuggers.

Not a high end guitar for sure... yet it actually sounds quite well with my setup.

Some might say it's a vulgar display of too many pikes and corners but I think it's high time to play some Hardcore Heavy Blues Metal Crossover.