N(ly)MGD!

I missed this thread yesterday, but glad I saw it today. Damn fine job there Mr Smitty, great idea using the blade switch for coil taps too. This really has me wondering why Jackson don't offer guitars with something like this control system format, I'm sure many would prefer it. Well done Smitty, looks great. Cheers
 
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I missed this thread yesterday, but glad I saw it today. Damn fine job there Mr Smitty, great idea using the blade switch for coil taps too. This really has me wondering why Jackson don't offer guitars with something like this control system format, I'm sure many would prefer it. Well done Smitty, looks great. Cheers

If this guitar did not have a translucent finish on a quilted maple veneer, I probably would have done what you're considering with your Jackson. That is, to plug and drill new holes, followed by refinishing the guitar. I would have preferred to use push/pull pots vs. repurposing the blade switch, but I didn't want the look of an empty slot or just a cover plate. I also didn't want to have just a dummy switch just sitting there. Making the switch functional seemed a good approach and I'm glad I did it.

For me, I really like the finish on this guitar and wanted to preserve it as much as possible. So, that sort of meant I had to work with the controls I currently had, and just extrapolate off that layout.

As to your point about Jackson offering this...yeah...I would like to see that, as well.
 
So, I’ve played this guitar live for a set since making all these mods.

All I can say is, I am SOOOO glad I did all this!

It was worth the time, expense, and effort.

I was a little concerned about where I had to place the new, additional volume knob. But, it turns out to be in a pretty good location. Both volume knobs are in immediate reach of my pinky, for accessible control.

This is probably the most useful mod I’ve done to a guitar. Other mods I’ve done have improved the sound, which is important, to be sure. But, this one fundamentally improved how I use the guitar.
 
Right on Witty Smitty! That's great that you are very satisfied with your guitar and what you did to it. You can take great pride in the guitar and it will also give more confidence when playing because you know you set it up right and not some kid at a music store who's a high-school drop-out. May your Jackson give you many years of pleasure and it sure looks like a keeper. Keep rockin' in the free world.:dood:


;>)/
 
Hey everybody!

How's it going?

Ya'll are never gonna guess what I did.

On second thought, by now you probably know me well enough to have a strong suspicion...

So, I'll get right to it...

Because I am obsessively compulsive, unable to leave well-enough alone, and believe anything worth doing is worth over-doing...

I made some more mods to the Jackson!

Yay!!!

These aren't as drastic as the "Les Paul-ization," however.

For starters, I replaced both pickups.

I now have a Seymour Duncan TB-5 Trembucker in the bridge, and a Seymour Duncan SH-1B '59 Bridge pickup in the neck position.

You read that right. I put a "bridge" pickup in the neck.

(I'm outta control...off the hook, I tell ya!)

Also, to work better with these pickups, I replaced both volumes with 500K Ohm Bourns pots.

What's more, I replaced the neck tone control with a push-pull pot so I can put the neck pickup out of phase with the bridge. You should be happy now, @Robert Herndon . I now have a guitar with out-of-phase capability!

Finally, I rewired for "modern" wiring, vs. "50's" wiring. I like it better in this guitar.

Right now, I pretty nearly have "All the Tonez!"

With the controls I now have on this guitar, here are the possible combinations:


Bridge pickup selected:

1. Full humbucker.
2. Single coil.


Neck pickup selected:

3. Full humbucker.
4. Single coil.


Both Pickups Selected.

5. Bridge and Neck as full humbuckers - In phase.
6. Bridge and Neck as full humbuckers - Out of phase.
7. Bridge as full humbucker; Neck as single coil - In phase.
8. Bridge as full humbucker; Neck as single coil - Out of phase.
9. Bridge and Neck as single coils - In phase.
10. Bridge and Neck as single coils - Out of phase.

So...there ya have it and there ya are!

At this point, I suppose some pics are in order.

Here's the cavity. It's hard to tell everything I've done, but you can see the push-pull pot.

JacksonControlCavity_011919.jpg

Here's the Dungeon Beast, keeping an eye on me...

CatInJacksonCase.jpg
 
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Hey everybody!

How's it going?

Ya'll are never gonna guess what I did.

On second thought, by now you probably know me well enough to have a strong suspicion...

So, I'll get right to it...

Because I am obsessively compulsive, unable to leave well-enough alone, and believe anything worth doing is worth over-doing...

I made some more mods to the Jackson!

Yay!!!

These aren't as drastic as the "Les Paul-ization," however.

For starters, I replaced both pickups.

I now have a Seymour Duncan TB-5 Trembucker in the bridge, and a Seymour Duncan SH-1B '59 Bridge pickup in the neck position.

You read that right. I put a "bridge" pickup in the neck.

(I'm outta control...off the hook, I tell ya!)

Also, to work better with these pickups, I replaced both volumes with 500K Ohm Bourns pots.

What's more, I replaced the neck tone control with a push-pull pot so I can put the neck pickup out of phase with the bridge. You should be happy now, @Robert Herndon . I now have a guitar with out-of-phase capability!

Finally, I rewired for "modern" wiring, vs. "50's" wiring. I like it better in this guitar.

Right now, I pretty nearly have "All the Tonez!"

With the controls I now have on this guitar, here are the possible combinations:


Bridge pickup selected:

1. Full humbucker.
2. Single coil.


Neck pickup selected:

3. Full humbucker.
4. Single coil.


Both Pickups Selected.

5. Bridge and Neck as full humbuckers - In phase.
6. Bridge and Neck as full humbuckers - Out of phase.
7. Bridge as full humbucker; Neck as single coil - In phase.
8. Bridge as full humbucker; Neck as single coil - Out of phase.
9. Bridge and Neck as single coils - In phase.
10. Bridge and Neck as single coils - Out of phase.

So...there ya have it and there ya are!

At this point, I suppose some pics are in order.

Here's the cavity. It's hard to tell everything I've done, but you can see the push-pull pot.

View attachment 21334

Here's the Dungeon Beast, keeping an eye on me...

View attachment 21335
Thinking of placing this guitar back in this case? Think again mister.....:mad:
 
Hey everybody!

How's it going?

Ya'll are never gonna guess what I did.

On second thought, by now you probably know me well enough to have a strong suspicion...

So, I'll get right to it...

Because I am obsessively compulsive, unable to leave well-enough alone, and believe anything worth doing is worth over-doing...

I made some more mods to the Jackson!

Yay!!!

These aren't as drastic as the "Les Paul-ization," however.

For starters, I replaced both pickups.

I now have a Seymour Duncan TB-5 Trembucker in the bridge, and a Seymour Duncan SH-1B '59 Bridge pickup in the neck position.

You read that right. I put a "bridge" pickup in the neck.

(I'm outta control...off the hook, I tell ya!)

Also, to work better with these pickups, I replaced both volumes with 500K Ohm Bourns pots.

What's more, I replaced the neck tone control with a push-pull pot so I can put the neck pickup out of phase with the bridge. You should be happy now, @Robert Herndon . I now have a guitar with out-of-phase capability!

Finally, I rewired for "modern" wiring, vs. "50's" wiring. I like it better in this guitar.

Right now, I pretty nearly have "All the Tonez!"

With the controls I now have on this guitar, here are the possible combinations:


Bridge pickup selected:

1. Full humbucker.
2. Single coil.


Neck pickup selected:

3. Full humbucker.
4. Single coil.


Both Pickups Selected.

5. Bridge and Neck as full humbuckers - In phase.
6. Bridge and Neck as full humbuckers - Out of phase.
7. Bridge as full humbucker; Neck as single coil - In phase.
8. Bridge as full humbucker; Neck as single coil - Out of phase.
9. Bridge and Neck as single coils - In phase.
10. Bridge and Neck as single coils - Out of phase.

So...there ya have it and there ya are!

At this point, I suppose some pics are in order.

Here's the cavity. It's hard to tell everything I've done, but you can see the push-pull pot.

View attachment 21334

Here's the Dungeon Beast, keeping an eye on me...

View attachment 21335
On option's 8 & 10: How do you like those tones? Does the volume drop drastically?
 
On option's 8 & 10: How do you like those tones? Does the volume drop drastically?

Yes. The volume does drop and it gets twangy. Option 10 is really twangy and bright. I don’t know if I’ll use those combos much, but if I ever need to jump from a country vibe to a heavy metal vibe and don’t have time to switch guitars, I’m good!
 
What"s the name of your sweet looking putty tat lying in your guitar case?


;>)/

The cat was a Christmas present from my mother to my daughter. The cat was just old enough to be fixed and was a “rescue cat.”

The cat is a female and her name is “Iris.”

Iris is actually a really nice cat and she’s in her senior years. She’s about 14 years old. But, we’ve kept her in very good health, so she could live for several more years. She’s actually gotten more affectionate as she’s aged.

She’s always had a “thing” for my guitar cases.

Thanks for asking, Black.
 
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Not sure how I missed the original thread, but dang nice mod there Smitty. And then a rev A mod, nice work !
 
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