A Gibson for some Heavy Metal...

HAL · « **Reply #20 on:** 16 Feb 2012, 04:27 pm »

Had a cherry PRS Soapbar for awhile. It was a nice guitar, but it is still easier to play the SG for me.

gitarretyp · « **Reply #21 on:** 16 Feb 2012, 07:27 pm »

It's the opposite for me: I find the 25/25.5" scale of PRSs and Strats more comfortable.

Vulcan00 · « **Reply #22 on:** 16 Feb 2012, 08:10 pm »

I play a deluxe american strat HHS.

I,m looking for a les Paul custom.

HAL · « **Reply #23 on:** 16 Feb 2012, 08:59 pm »

How about an Epiphone Les Paul SG Custom like the white one in this picture:

eclein · « **Reply #24 on:** 16 Feb 2012, 09:16 pm »

I actually knew what PRS is..Paul Reed Smith, and if I played I would be nuts on his stuff, the look, the look, the look...I have no idea if they sound good, are built well, I just know I'd have a bunch.......I almost bought one 3 years ago just to be able to look at it up close....LOLL

HAL · « **Reply #25 on:** 28 Feb 2012, 04:33 pm »

To get closer to the tonal quality I hear in the original recordings I found a Goodmans 12P-G driver for sale. It is being shipped and should be here in a week or so. They stopped making these drivers decades ago, so I hope the shipper treats it carefully and no

This will replace my Celestion Greenback driver in one DIY sealed speaker box to see how it works.

The DIY Rangemaster is moded and sounds very good. Even the DIY Parapedal wah sounds correct!

Now on to the DIY amp. No need for a Laney Supergroup MKI with 100watts of output! It would be cool, but way to big to use for home fun!

I am thinking a single 12AX7A used as a push-pull amp with output transformer running of 12VDC. Use 6VDC on the filaments. That should get the output stage cooking!

steve2701 · « **Reply #26 on:** 28 Feb 2012, 05:20 pm »

This poor guy keeps getting his guitars stolen :-

So has to make do with a Fernandes instead.
He can make it sing though.

There was a stunning red one on stage as well, but oddly, very few took much notice of it..

jackman · « **Reply #27 on:** 28 Feb 2012, 05:33 pm »

Fernandes Gold-top LP style guitar = Cool.

Whammy-bar on LP guitar...not for me.

HAL · « **Reply #28 on:** 28 Feb 2012, 06:00 pm »

The new Alex Lifeson Axcess guitar is a moded Les Paul with Floyd Rose style whammy with a thinner body. It is a great royal crimson red color.

Marbles · « **Reply #29 on:** 28 Feb 2012, 07:35 pm »

Awesome guitar HAL, congrats!

I rather like this PRS

HAL · « **Reply #30 on:** 28 Feb 2012, 07:49 pm »

What guitar

eclein · « **Reply #31 on:** 29 Feb 2012, 10:31 am »

My oh my.....now that is a seriously smoking hot PRS and the Guitar is nice also!!!!

HAL · « **Reply #32 on:** 9 Mar 2012, 01:21 am »

Ok, the Goodmans driver arrived and have a nice 1x12 cabinet on order. This one has to be mounted on a flat front not slanted talking to the person that worked with the driver.

Just using it as an open back driver it really sounds very close to what I hear on the earliest recordings.

Will post some pics when the speaker setup is completed.

HAL · « **Reply #33 on:** 18 Mar 2012, 02:04 am »

Still waiting on the 1x12 cabinet to arrive.

Going to give the new VHT Special 6 Ultra head a try with the Goodmans speaker. This one has power scaling and the capability for different output tubes. Will handle 6V6, 6L6 and EL34 output tubes.

Found a few used Amperex EL34's made in GB that a friend gave me awhile back. Most likely Mullard EL34's. Will give that a try along with a NOS Mullard 12AX7 that was in the same bag!

werd · « **Reply #34 on:** 18 Mar 2012, 02:44 am »

My old high school jamming buddy used to play that guitar. His was the les Paul proto SG. Could have been a 61 but maybe a 59. Looked exactly like Hal's but with a stock whammy bar. Its has a great tone but couldn't stay in tune at all.

Beautiful though.

HAL · « **Reply #35 on:** 18 Mar 2012, 02:58 am »

Werd,
The Les Paul/SG first came out in 1961 from Gibson. Looks like the three pickup Epiphone Custom I have, but with a Vibrola tremelo setup with side actuating bar. The Maestro style whammy on the Epi works well and stays in tune.

If your friend still has the Les Paul/SG, he can use it as part of his retirement plan!

HAL · « **Reply #36 on:** 23 Mar 2012, 02:24 am »

Here are the rest of the pieces to go with the SG Special. Hopefully the 1x12 speaker cabinet will arrive Monday to finish the setup:

HAL · « **Reply #37 on:** 12 Apr 2012, 02:07 am »

Well if you really want the new Tony Iommi sound here it the new amp stack Laney designed for him.

HAL · « **Reply #38 on:** 21 Apr 2012, 02:39 am »

The 1x12 cabinet arrived for the Goodmans driver. Only problem is the driver cut out that is for a Celestion 12" driver is to small in diameter for the Goodmans 12" driver. Will have to get out the jig saw to widen the cutout to get this front mounted in the sealed cabinet. If the weather holds up tomorrow, will give it a try.

The VHT Special 6 Ultra amp all tube head with it's tone control capabilities sounds really good with the Celestion G12 Vintage 30 driver. This amp has a lot of variable tonal capabilities that makes it flexible. Great for a home amp with the power scaling feature and will get very loud if needed.

Latest project is working with a pickup builder to try and recreate the John Birch 9 pole Simplux single coil neck pickup. Have a custom shop researching it now, as the originals are very rare and JB Guitars does not build them anymore. The research has been fun!

The P-90 bridge pickup was also modified by JB.

If anyone has any leads, I would love to know!

dBe · « **Reply #39 on:** 11 May 2012, 01:29 am »

Quote from: HAL on 28 Feb 2012, 04:33 pm

To get closer to the tonal quality I hear in the original recordings I found a Goodmans 12P-G driver for sale. It is being shipped and should be here in a week or so. They stopped making these drivers decades ago, so I hope the shipper treats it carefully and no

This will replace my Celestion Greenback driver in one DIY sealed speaker box to see how it works.

The DIY Rangemaster is moded and sounds very good. Even the DIY Parapedal wah sounds correct!

Now on to the DIY amp. No need for a Laney Supergroup MKI with 100watts of output! It would be cool, but way to big to use for home fun!

I am thinking a single 12AX7A used as a push-pull amp with output transformer running of 12VDC. Use 6VDC on the filaments. That should get the output stage cooking!

Rich, if you want to do the Marshall stack thing at conversational volumes build a Firefly http://www.ax84.com/index.php/oldprojects.html?project_id=firefly with a TMB tonestack and use a JJ ECC99 (or better yet, a 6H30 - different pinout) tube in the output. I have a schematic for the Firefly with cathode bypass on the second stage of the preamp tube for a bit more gain to compensate for the tonestack loss. IT also has a mod for the 6H30 included.

Through my 2x10 cab (Eminence Red Coat Ramrods) it sounds absolutely monstrous with my Les Paul. The Firefly sounds a lot like an 18W, but at sane volumes - I live with a grandmother for cryin' out loud! There is no way I fire up the REAL amps unless she is doing a "girls night out" thing.

I love your project, BTW. Did SDCS come up with a price for the pickups? Lemmee know when you want to cryo those parts and pieces.

I'll be assembling the new Tele over the weekend. I couldn't stand it and decided to add a mini-humbucker to the Esquire that I am building. I'll do an Esquire next. I finished assembling a shunt capacitance 12 position tone swith using a Grayhill switch this afternoon. Goes from 100pf to .022ufd in pretty even steps and cost a LOT less than a ToneShaper : $25.00-ish.

Rock on, you old geezer!!!

Dave