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Showing posts with label Strat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Strat. Show all posts
Cort S 2900 - Specifications Update
I did a post about this one a while ago (http://bartbowlesblog.blogspot.co.at/2010/03/one-word-great.html) knowing close to nothing about the model's name and its specifications.
Recently I stumbled upon some detailed information and I'm quite positive that the description fits my particular instrument.
Part of the Cort Sterling series, the S2900 was made in Korea from 1999 to 2000 as a variant of the Cort S2500 model, only difference being the quilted maple top on the arched alder body.
Mine's got a red sunburst finish.
Sperzel Trim-lok tuners and a Wilkinson VS50K Tremolo.
1 Volume and 1 tone control with a 5 - way selector switch.
It has a bolt - on maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard and the scale length is 25.5 inches.
It comes equipped with 2 Seymour Duncan SSL-1 pickups and 1 Seymour Duncan TB - 4 Jeff Beck Trembucker in the bridge position.
So finally I am able to put a name to one of my favourite instruments.
Scalloped Fretboard Stratocaster
A no name Strat - changed the scratch plate and the knobs and put a trio of EMG S3 pickups in.
It has a neck with a completely scalloped fretboard.
Jackson SLXT Soloist KAWA - Wasabi is the new green
Basswood body, neck - through construction with compund - radius rosewood fretboard.
It came with EMG HZ pickups but Jackson was kind enough to provide a huge control cavity, so I could easily fit in active pickups.
Now it's got the classic EMG 85 - 81 combination with master volume and tone and 3 - way switching.
The tasty paint job is called "Wasabi Green".
Epiphone S 800 : An Update
Power - strat by Epiphone, the headstock shape indicates 1986 or 1987 but there's no serial number to be found.
Alder body with maple neck and rosewood fingerboard.
Locking nut with epiphone tremolo, sadly I haven't got the original arm, so i fixed the bridge.
Three on / off switches for the pickups, one volume and one tone.
I installed three awsome Häussel pickups:
Tuning is a half step below standard, with D'Addario Super Light Plus strings.
Here's a pic from the original post:
Aria MAC- 30 Finally Done
I got this one back in 2006 or 2007 and I love the slim neck.
But the original tone was pretty much unusable for me - loved the feel of guitar, couldn't stand the sound of it.
I always wanted to redo the pickups and pots and see if I could get some improvement.
Now I finally finished this project and I'm very happy how it turned out.
Original specs:
Alder body
Maple neck with rosewood fretboard
(Awful) black no name pickups with mini switch to coil - split the humbucker
Standard five way switching
Master volume and master tone
Hardware in brushed aluminium with a well - working vibrato which I set up quite stiff no up- bending
Changes:
New wiring and pots
DiMarzio DP184 "The Chopper" Humbucker in neck position
DiMarzio ISCV2 "Evolution" Single Coil in middle position
DiMarzio DP207 "D Sonic" Humbucker in bridge position
Changed the switching too:
- Neck humbucker alone
- Neck humbucker automatically split (north coil active) to work in conjunction with middle single coil
- Middle single coil alone
- Middle single coil and bridge pickup together
- Bridge pickup alone
There is a DiMArzio EP1108 mini switch which that allows parallel / single coil / series switching on the bridge pickup.
So in the "in between position" the middle pickup can work with the bridge humbucker in all threee variants.
Eventually I got a very usable and versatile instrument after all these years!
Now, should you buy this guitar if you're looking for a new one?
I guess it depends what you are looking for.
It's a well built beginner's axe (at least my specific model was) easily up there with all the "cheaper" series of the big name manufacturers.
Best of all, it's very playable so you don't have to fight the guitar whilst just learning your way around the instrument.
But if you want good sound coming out of it, you WILL have to perform some modifications.
By the way - the "Aria" - logo doesn't mean it has anything in common with the "Aria Pro" instruments, at least as far as I know.
I love the Aria Pro instruments of old but i quite distrust this new Aria labelling.
D'Addario Super Light Gauge on this one, .042 to .009, bright, round wound.
D'Addario Super Light Gauge on this one, .042 to .009, bright, round wound.
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:
Cheri Strat - Mon Cheri Needs Some Work
"Cheri" Strat - copy, really well built instrument.
I'm about to change some stuff though.
Should provide a nice opportunity to do the old "before and after" thing.
Update: As promised - after building in a Steve Lukather set by EMG.
Update: As promised - after building in a Steve Lukather set by EMG.
Johnson Sugar Plum Fairy - Changing The Signature Of A Signature Guitar
Now, after quite some time I have work space and leisure mess with some guitars.
This one is my one and only signature guitar (so far...).
It's a Johnson model for the band "Sugar Plum Fairy" and I must confess I know nothing about them. Ferocious fans please, I'm utterly sorry.
But the guitar is fine, I always liked the trem system in particular, vintage style yet floating and solid - nice.
Since copyright is quite a serious thing I won't put pictures of the original on the blog but a quick search on the web might serve if you're interested in the original looks.
Mine now has two old DiMarzios at neck and middle position and a Fenix Humbugger (yeah!) at the bridge.
Due to soldering mishaps I have a phase cancelling situation when the bugger and the middle coil is selected - an issue of changing two wires - but I must say, I quite like the thin sound, so maybe I will keep it that way.
Ibanez Blazer - Blaze of Glory
Ibanez Blazer Custom, dated to early or mid 80's.
Stock - Humbuckers which sound great in "out of phase - middle position".
Used on "Dancing with Daniela" by Bart Bowles Band, so if you want to know how it sounds, just go and listen to the piece.
Cheri Powerstrat - Pure grace, effortless power
Cheri E- Series Stratocaster, about 15 years old.
Elegant, lightweight, silky smooth. A joy to play.
Stock pickups make it a very versatile instrument.
Wouldn't play some Blues on it though.
I like my Blues thick and hefty, this 90's streamlined Supermodel - body simply lacks substance.
Then again it rings like a bell and cuts like a knife.
This is my Linda Evangelista.
Crafter Cruiser - Disco Oddball
Highly customized Cruiser by Crafter, age unknown.
Another one in "Seafoam Green" and mirror pickguard and lo behold - silver disco racing stripes!
A real solid stratocaster - copy, everything works flawlessly.
What makes it stand out (besides the fact that "she's got the look") are three Rio Grande Halfbreed pickups.
Great tone, believe me.
If you don't, well, go and listen to "Walking Home To You" by Bart Bowles Band.
Didn't need no other guitar there.
Westone Spectrum - Not quite as innocent...
Westone Spectrum, around 15 years of age.
Fine Powerstrat, arctic white colour has gained a pretty vintage patina over the years.
The innocence is gone, I guess.
Special feature is the wiring. Each pickup is independently switched on and off by a toggle.
Any given combinations are possible.
This pale beauty was in really bad shape and needed a lot of attention.
Works like a charm now.
Epiphone Powerstrat - Lazarus...
Epiphone by Gibson. Built probably in the late 80's or 90's.
Received this one as a "gift".
The body was partly broken and covered with stickers.
Besides some loose cables everything was torn out of it.
Well, the bridge was fixed, electrics were fixed, wiring was fixed, body was fixed.
Some cheap rail pickups went in.
Switching is quite similar to the Westone Spectrum.
"And the dead will walk the earth..."
PS:
Thanks go out to RockerRichi.
Check out his band My Inner Wealth, if you find the time.
Fender Strat - Might be a little slow but my name ain't Slow Hand
Mexican Strat, still quite young for a Golden Girl.
Somebody tried to go all Clapton on this one.
"Noiseless" pickups were installed and it had the Fender Mid Boost preamp built in.
I kept the pickups and took out the preamp.
Wiring is a little unusual on this one:
- Neck : Tone 1
- Neck+Middle: Tone1 & Tone 2
- Middle: Tone 2
- Middle+Bridge: Tone 1 & Tone 2
- Bridge: Tone 2
Cassandra Elk Cister - Another Oddball
8-string instrument by a crazy guy called Cassandra Elk.
It´s a kind of Cister or Mandola if you want.
Got four octave - string pairs.
Tuning is DD, AA, dd, f#f# - at least in my case.
You might hear it in action soon...
Samick Strat - "What´s new, Pussycat"
Fine Powerstrat by Samick.
Not sure about the age of this predator but
I would guess round about 90´s.
Tremolo needed a bit of oil and work (as always with this things).
Sounds real good, bridge pickup is pure Heavy Metal.
It has got some kind of "power switch" that thickens the overall sound.
Built in solo mode, so to speak.
Ibanez RG 7321 - The extra string is not in VAIn
Nothing special here, just a solid seven - stringer.
Basswood body
5 - piece maple & walnut neck with rosewood fretboard (24 frets)
Fixed bridge
Ibanez Axis 7 pickups (AH1-7 and AH2-7)
Volume and tone control with 5 - way - switch
Got it for about 8 years now and I´m learning to cope with
the extra string quite well.
Tuning from low to high: AEADGBE.
Aria Pro II Strat - Hot as Lava
Aria Pro Powerstrat out of the 90´s I think.
Sounds good, classic Heavy Metal as one might expect.
Equipped with a Kahler Tremolo.
Humbucker can be splitted.
Of course, the absolutely burning hot crackle finish is a
nice bonus that comes with a solid instrument.
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