Reborn: Breathing new life into my oldest guitar

A while back, BCDon gave me his old EMGs out of his Zakk Wylde LP when he swapped them out for Duncan Blackouts. I had originally planned on throwing them in my Douglas WRL, but after spending months thinking about it and not doing it, I decided to put them in my oldest guitar, my Schecter Black Hawk. I had some GFS Power Rails in there, which were an improvement over stock, but I grew bored with them (big surprise, I know). I had a little time last night, so I finally got the EMGs in there. I really like these much better than the Power Rails. I should note that I threw a paper-in-oil .033 cap in there too, which probably has a factor in the tone. These sound great clean or overdriven. I think I'll be playing this one more often now, thanks to Don.

I know, pics or it didn't happen...

Before:


After:



It even looks better! By the way, the lighter color on the edge isn't binding, it's where the finish has worn off from playing. This is sort of a matte finish guitar, but it's become glossy in many parts just from use. Sort of a reverse relic.

Anyone want to buy some GFS Power Rails?

Nice match-up! They look like they belong or were born there.

ENJOY love the guitar rug....

Looks good, Sean. Now I need to replace the switch on my LP with the one you gave me and I'll be all set too.

Cool. How in the world do you decide which guitar to play now (a la progrmr)? You have so many good guitars -- I'd be lost in a sea of options.

Eric said:

Cool. How in the world do you decide which guitar to play now (a la progrmr)? You have so many good guitars -- I'd be lost in a sea of options.

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Yes, that's a good point, Eric. I was just thinking about that this morning. I now have five or six guitars that really are very nice (at least as far as I'm concerned), and I think I usually pick up whichever one I happen to be thinking about when I decide I want to play for a while. They're all unique individuals, with their own strengths and weaknesses. If my back is bothering me, for instance, I may pick up one of the non-LP guitars for the sake of weight relief. If I'm in an LP mood, which is often, I usually grab whichever one I feel like I need to pay attention to so that the others don't get jealous. I've actually been considering making a rotation chart.

I do feel like I now have more than I need. There's at least one, and probably more likely two, that I may offload. My Douglas hasn't been picked up for months, and I don't feel like I miss it. Then there's my SX Strat project that hasn't been finished, and just sits in the corner feeling neglected. I guess if I felt the need for a Strat, I'd finish it. If I got rid of those, and maybe one other one, I think I'd feel less like an over-consumer.

FrankenFretter said:

Yes, that's a good point, Eric. I was just thinking about that this morning. I now have five or six guitars that really are very nice (at least as far as I'm concerned), and I think I usually pick up whichever one I happen to be thinking about when I decide I want to play for a while. They're all unique individuals, with their own strengths and weaknesses. If my back is bothering me, for instance, I may pick up one of the non-LP guitars for the sake of weight relief. If I'm in an LP mood, which is often, I usually grab whichever one I feel like I need to pay attention to so that the others don't get jealous. I've actually been considering making a rotation chart.

I do feel like I now have more than I need. There's at least one, and probably more likely two, that I may offload. My Douglas hasn't been picked up for months, and I don't feel like I miss it. Then there's my SX Strat project that hasn't been finished, and just sits in the corner feeling neglected. I guess if I felt the need for a Strat, I'd finish it. If I got rid of those, and maybe one other one, I think I'd feel less like an over-consumer.

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I can understand that. I'm happy to just have two electrics now, even though I occasionally look to see what else is out there. Seems really dumb, but I guess I've half-accepted that this is what guitar life is like. I just need to make sure neither side of my personality (simplicity vs. gear hog) is winning the tug-of-war on a regular basis.

It's funny that you mention feeling like an over-consumer. Usually when I have lots of stuff, I feel more weighed down and crushed by the maintenance and inventorying of things, but I don't think that guilt about owning too much is usually too high up there. It's in there somewhere, but not the biggest thing for me. Curious.

I dig those Schecters...never owned one but I've played a few that I like for sure. How do those pickups sound in that guitar?

Eric said:

It's funny that you mention feeling like an over-consumer. Usually when I have lots of stuff, I feel more weighed down and crushed by the maintenance and inventorying of things, but I don't think that guilt about owning too much is usually too high up there. It's in there somewhere, but not the biggest thing for me. Curious.

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Yep, I pretty much don't worry about the maintenance and inventory aspect of it all. It's the burden of too much stuff that makes me feel bad. Sometimes I think about what I have compared to what I had six or seven years ago and it feels like as much of a curse as it is a blessing. I do have many of the things that I wanted in the past but couldn't afford, but now I feel the weight of that ownership like an albatross around my neck sometimes. I think part of my "collecting" may have to do with not having much in my past, but there has to be a point at which you take a look around and think about how much of a nest of insecurity compensation you've built up. Well, I do anyway. That's just me, I think. At least I recognize that part of me.

progrmr said:

I dig those Schecters...never owned one but I've played a few that I like for sure. How do those pickups sound in that guitar?

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They actually sound a lot like a hot PAF style humbucker in a Les Paul, but with a little less chunk to them. That may have to do with the body wood of the Schecter, though. I really like the way they sound in this guitar. Not nearly as over the top as I was expecting. Very manageable, and somewhat versatile. Good articulation, no feedback, and a good full range of tone.

FrankenFretter said:

They actually sound a lot like a hot PAF style humbucker in a Les Paul, but with a little less chunk to them. That may have to do with the body wood of the Schecter, though. I really like the way they sound in this guitar. Not nearly as over the top as I was expecting. Very manageable, and somewhat versatile. Good articulation, no feedback, and a good full range of tone.

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Love those Schecter guitars. When I was looking for a guitar a few years ago, the Schecter brand was the most consistent. Every new Fender or Gibson I looked at had little things wrong that would have bugged the crap out of me. They were also at least twice as much as the Schecters.

Great looking axe.

tunghaichuan said:

Love those Schecter guitars. When I was looking for a guitar a few years ago, the Schecter brand was the most consistent. Every new Fender or Gibson I looked at had little things wrong that would have bugged the crap out of me. They were also at least twice as much as the Schecters.

Great looking axe.

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Thanks! It's a real player, besides being pretty. Nice action, thin neck, good sustain...and I bought it from a friend for $100. I think that makes it a keeper for sure.

FrankenFretter said:

Thanks! It's a real player, besides being pretty. Nice action, thin neck, good sustain...and I bought it from a friend for $100. I think that makes it a keeper for sure.

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Dude, you stole that.:rockya :happy j/k

tunghaichuan said:

Dude, you stole that.:rockya :happy j/k

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It was a package deal: He had a Steinberger that I paid $300 for, and he threw in the Schecter for another $100. In retrospect, I probably paid too much for the Steinbrenner, but since I kept the Schecter I suppose I can live with that. It was one of those Spirit Steinbergers, not exactly the top of the line. It did sound really good, but I never bothered having it set up and the action was way too high on it. Plus it looked weird.