Zimbloth's 8-String Ibanez 'Custom' Adventure (EMG to BKP Conversion!)

[zimbloth]

No the EMG's are wider.

Right.

 

[kmanick]

Very cool Nick!
I didn't realize you still had this guitar. for some reason
I thought you had moved it a while back.
I've got to hear a coldsweat bridge pickup.
If it's anywhere near as good as the neck version it must smoke

 

[zimbloth]

Very cool Nick!
I didn't realize you still had this guitar. for some reason
I thought you had moved it a while back.
I've got to hear a coldsweat bridge pickup.
If it's anywhere near as good as the neck version it must smoke

You're welcome to check it out whenever Nick. The CS bridge is different than the neck (for one its ceramic), but it's pretty sweet in its own right

 

[wannabguitarist]

The guard looks great with the Galaxy Black (right?) paint

 

[cyril v]

feel like making some simple demo sound clips!??

 

[OzoneJunkie]

No the EMG's are wider.

Wow. I'm an idiot. Should have said that the EMGs are bigger.

crack is bad, mmkay

 

[Daemoniac]

That... looks... epic...

And not "The Chronicles of Narnia; im really a childrens book but lets put some massive battle scenes" epic, im talking "My name is Peter Jackson and i will bludgeon you to death with trilogies of 3-hour long epic tales and battles" epic...

 

[CrushingAnvil]

woah that looks great man - If I were modifying an RG2228 I would have administered the Universe 8 string look

 

[zimbloth]

feel like making some simple demo sound clips!??

Sure, sometime soon my recording gear isn't here atm.

The guard looks great with the Galaxy Black (right?) paint

That... looks... epic...

And not "The Chronicles of Narnia; im really a childrens book but lets put some massive battle scenes" epic, im talking "My name is Peter Jackson and i will bludgeon you to death with trilogies of 3-hour long epic tales and battles" epic...

Haha thanks

 

[Scali]

Is there a reason why you still kept the pickup direct-mounted to the body, rather than having it suspended from the pickguard?
I would think it's easier to adjust when it's suspended from the pickguard, and it might look even cleaner, because you can't see the 'ears' of the pickup.

 

[Apophis]

great mod, to be hones I like it now more than in original

 

[Stengah_2012]

great mod, to be hones I like it now more than in original

That thing is awesome Zimbloth, great job/idea. We need sound clips!!

 

[nikt]

damn cool

clean work as well.

 

[MF_Kitten]

it looks 10 times more awesome now, man!

sell the 808s on ebay, and tadaah, you might even have a little profit from the operation!

now, tell me about the cold sweats... i have a basswood 7 string with a 28.6" scale coming up, and i have plans to change the Evo 7 out with a BKP... i think bulb´s sounds were awesomeness incarnate, i love meshuggah´s sound, and i generally prefer a high mid focus rather than a low mid focus. i plan on tuning to f# and drop E, and need tons of clarity and tightness and all that jazz, and i really wanna hear the timbre of the string, ya know?

i had my mind set on the painkiller, based on the descriptions people gave about it, but now that you´re going on about cold sweat+basswood=win, would you say it´s right for my taste too?

people said i shouldn´t get the evo 7 for a basswood guitar, because of the high mid bump the combo would produce, but i always loved it to death... i generally boost the high mids and treble anyways, so having some of it already in the guitar would allow me to boost things a little less

also, if i want the same general results from my alder-body baritone, would painkiller be okay with that? (in alder, i mean?)

 

[Decipher]

Wow that looks really good Nick! I would love to hear how it sounds.

And on a side note, IMO this might be a cool addition to your store. Make a couple of pickguards to keep in stock and it could help people with their choices as far as pickup replacements or, the option that it can be done and post those pics on your website!

 

[phaeded0ut]

Wow that looks really good Nick! I would love to hear how it sounds.

And on a side note, IMO this might be a cool addition to your store. Make a couple of pickguards to keep in stock and it could help people with their choices as far as pickup replacements or, the option that it can be done and post those pics on your website!

Have to completely agree with Decipher on this one! The extra pickguards would probably be a big help to other folks on these forums and possibly others that would be able to use your site to purchase something to keep the leg-work down on their end of the spectrum.

Really think that the guitar looks much better now, than it did previously. Many thanks for the close-ups on the bridge system, too. Somewhat amazed that they went with a locking system at least on the bridge and didn't go for string-through instead...

 

[JakeRI]

looks good. as i was looking at the pictures i thought it was funny, i used to think the RG2888 necks were huge, but after having one for a while it looks no stranger then and RG 6 string

 

[zimbloth]

it looks 10 times more awesome now, man!

sell the 808s on ebay, and tadaah, you might even have a little profit from the operation!

Thanks dude. Yeah I could sell the EMG808s on eBay but honestly I think so little of them I'd feel bad. Who knows though, if someone wants them for a custom build and for think they sound good, I could part with them for cheap.

great mod, to be hones I like it now more than in original

Thanks man, me too

now, tell me about the cold sweats... i have a basswood 7 string with a 28.6" scale coming up, and i have plans to change the Evo 7 out with a BKP... i think bulb´s sounds were awesomeness incarnate, i love meshuggah´s sound, and i generally prefer a high mid focus rather than a low mid focus. i plan on tuning to f# and drop E, and need tons of clarity and tightness and all that jazz, and i really wanna hear the timbre of the string, ya know?

i had my mind set on the painkiller, based on the descriptions people gave about it, but now that you´re going on about cold sweat+basswood=win, would you say it´s right for my taste too?

people said i shouldn´t get the evo 7 for a basswood guitar, because of the high mid bump the combo would produce, but i always loved it to death... i generally boost the high mids and treble anyways, so having some of it already in the guitar would allow me to boost things a little less

also, if i want the same general results from my alder-body baritone, would painkiller be okay with that? (in alder, i mean?)

Well, the Cold Sweat and Miracle Man have been the models that in my experience installing pickups for customers/myself have produced the best results in basswood. The Painkiller, ceramic Nailbomb, and others can work well too... but for an 8-string I really think the CS is the way to go. The reason for this is the CS has such insane tightness and definition, and it while it is still high-output, it is lower output than all the other ceramic BKPs and this is a very good thing for the low B/F#.

Given what you're looking for, I'd say the CS would definitely be the way to go over the MM. The MM is mostly low-mids, the CS is more balanced with more high mids than lows. It has great pick attack and roar, super articulate. Again, the clarity with this pickup cannot be overstated. It's still pretty ballsy too.

Yes, the Painkiller is more along the lines of the Evolution and has that big-time high-midrange snarl. It can work, but I usually find that pickup sounds best in mahogany and to be honest, I haven't had great results w/ the PK with super thick gauges like what the F# requires. The Cold Sweat stays crisper and tighter. In fact, when discussing the 8-string w/ Tim originally he recommended the Black Dog model, which is a medium-output pickup with supreme note definition and growl.

I can get you any pickup you want, but I strongly recommend the Cold Sweat bridge for your 8-string build.

Regarding your alder guitar, I think the PK would be much too bright in that. For alder I highly recommend the Holydiver, Nailbomb, Warpig or Miracle Man.

Wow that looks really good Nick! I would love to hear how it sounds.

And on a side note, IMO this might be a cool addition to your store. Make a couple of pickguards to keep in stock and it could help people with their choices as far as pickup replacements or, the option that it can be done and post those pics on your website!

Have to completely agree with Decipher on this one! The extra pickguards would probably be a big help to other folks on these forums and possibly others that would be able to use your site to purchase something to keep the leg-work down on their end of the spectrum.

Really think that the guitar looks much better now, than it did previously. Many thanks for the close-ups on the bridge system, too. Somewhat amazed that they went with a locking system at least on the bridge and didn't go for string-through instead...

That's a good idea guys. I can certainly do similar mods for other guys and do the legwork for them. If anyone wants to do a similar thing to their guitar, feel free to get in touch and we can discuss it. Certainly the pickguard material I opted for is not the only option.

Is there a reason why you still kept the pickup direct-mounted to the body, rather than having it suspended from the pickguard?
I would think it's easier to adjust when it's suspended from the pickguard, and it might look even cleaner, because you can't see the 'ears' of the pickup.

Because I had installed the BKP long before the pickguard was ready and I didn't really care. I think it looks fine and it adjusts perfectly well.

 

[JoshuaLogan]

Cool idea but no neck pickup = instant fail

 

[Rick]

That looks fucking killer, Nick.