anyone bought a ri melody-maker to mod into a simple rock beast?

[The REAL Rocker]

Originally Posted by vanguard

you can get 'em for like $300 and they have the sustain and feel of a good LP jr. i'm considering getting one and then routing it for a Thorn staple-top P90 or the likes. you could just thrash it at gigs and make it a worry-free killer!

-------------Whether you like the tone after you do it is up to you, but If you think it's going to sound like a Vintage Les Paul Jr.,or even a newer reissue, is NOT going to happened. The body materials are different, the body is thinner and not as dense(affecting the tone), The headstock is smaller and THINNER as well(with more of a straighter string pull, which will affect the tone). The hardware is different, and the body will have to be routed as mentioned before(and killing your guitar's value If vintage). The neck sizes are different as well, and modern MM necks are usually skinner than Jrs(Vintage Jr. necks almost ALWAYS bigger).

Back when Jr. prices first started to rise, people got it in their minds to do this to save money, and had it done to some newer MM's, as well as Vintage guitars( Idiotic jerks!), and came to the store I was working in to A/B them with a killing 1957 Single cut, and a equalling screaming and humbling 1960 TV Junior. You should have seen the jaws drop when they realized that they didn't even sound close. I'm not saying that they will sound bad, just not like a great Jr........................The REAL Rocker.

[danelectro]

Originally Posted by vanguard

AMAZING!

do you know how much you'll be charging for the compensated wraptail?

also, do you notice a big difference in "feel", tone and especially wood-quality between your ri melody-maker vs. your originals?

I haven't fixed a price yet. They're quite a bit more expensive to make than a molded part. Probably around $150.

I've never owned one of the reissues, only vintage (1962, 1959, and a couple of 1960s).

[Turbozag]

Yep. About 5 years ago...

Gibson gold-top gold nitro finish, Tone-Pros hardware, ivory nut, Wolfetone "Meaner" P-90 pup, Dunlop straplocks, RS electronics, Grover tuners, pearloid Gibson headstock logo inlaid.

[ReginaldBisquet]

Originally Posted by vanguard

you can get 'em for like $300 and they have the sustain and feel of a good LP jr. i'm considering getting one and then routing it for a Thorn staple-top P90 or the likes. you could just thrash it at gigs and make it a worry-free killer!

Here's the body cavity as a reference:



The body is a solid chunk of wood. For a P90 installation, all you would need is to shave off the "wings" on the left and you're good to go.

I'd suggest experimenting with a darker pickup first as the guitar imparts a bright tone. Also, take note of the string height with the stock pickup. You'll noticed that the stock pickup is set as high as it can go due to the weird geometry of the body v. neck height.

Hope that makes sense.