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The 12-fret


Buc McMaster

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Pickguard removed, Sunrise installed. Been taking the 12 to open mic stages and have decided the K&K pickup doesn't suit my percussive right hand technique. The thumping of my fingers does work for some tunes, adding a sort of drum track, but it's just annoying for others. Enter the Sunrise. Used one of these 20 years ago and was quite impressed with the sound. It's only drawback (for me) is the weight it adds to the instrument.......they are large, heavy pickups. Road test this weekend!

 

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(Pardon my Astros World Series Champions rug!)

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Hi Buc - great looking guitar. I've been becoming interested in the 12 frets, what is it you like about the guitar? Also, would you ever consider removing the pick up and going with a microphone, or is it too restrictive?

 

Rgds - billroy

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The 12-fret is, well, shorter necked than my 14........which brings everything closer by 2 frets. Sounds simplistic, yes, but the difference is quite profound in how the guitar feels. The neck is noticeably slimmer than the Vintage and if push came to shove the 14 would be the island guitar, but I really like the compact feeling of the 12. It doesn't like nickel strings like the 14........phosphor bronze works best on the short neck. The 14 is louder, the 12 is warmer........a pair of nice examples of Gibson Montana craftsmanship.

 

For what I do right now, no, I would not consider removing the pickup and using a microphone. While there's no denying a mic gives the truest reproduction of an instrument's sound, outside of a very controlled environment they can be quite troublesome......feedback, bleed, stage rumble among others. Perhaps someday I can make use of the Edwina, but not right now.

 

The Sunrise sounds good plugged into the Schertler amp. I did have to drop the pole pieces quite a bit from the factory setup.........poles too close to the strings cause weird harmonics and warbling sounds (as those of you who play or have played Stratocasters know!) Got things balanced well with a strong output, the body noise is eliminated and I expect it will perform well come the weekend.

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The 12-fret is, well, shorter necked than my 14........which brings everything closer by 2 frets. Sounds simplistic, yes, but the difference is quite profound in how the guitar feels. The neck is noticeably slimmer than the Vintage and if push came to shove the 14 would be the island guitar, but I really like the compact feeling of the 12. It doesn't like nickel strings like the 14........phosphor bronze works best on the short neck. The 14 is louder, the 12 is warmer........a pair of nice examples of Gibson Montana craftsmanship.

 

For what I do right now, no, I would not consider removing the pickup and using a microphone. While there's no denying a mic gives the truest reproduction of an instrument's sound, outside of a very controlled environment they can be quite troublesome......feedback, bleed, stage rumble among others. Perhaps someday I can make use of the Edwina, but not right now.

 

The Sunrise sounds good plugged into the Schertler amp. I did have to drop the pole pieces quite a bit from the factory setup.........poles too close to the strings cause weird harmonics and warbling sounds (as those of you who play or have played Stratocasters know!) Got things balanced well with a strong output, the body noise is eliminated and I expect it will perform well come the weekend.

 

 

Similar to my baggs m1a

Start by removing the B pole completely , get the volume to match all the way across , and then tweak if you want.

It’s tricky enough

But like you say , the poles are way lower than the way they come in the box. Made me wonder if I was doing something wrong because of how much they were changed . You would think they’d be close coming from the factory. I’m not a particularly heavy handed player .

 

Good luck with the outing buc

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The 12-fret is, well, shorter necked than my 14........which brings everything closer by 2 frets. Sounds simplistic, yes, but the difference is quite profound in how the guitar feels. The neck is noticeably slimmer than the Vintage and if push came to shove the 14 would be the island guitar, but I really like the compact feeling of the 12. It doesn't like nickel strings like the 14........phosphor bronze works best on the short neck. The 14 is louder, the 12 is warmer........a pair of nice examples of Gibson Montana craftsmanship.

 

 

Thanks Buc, really appreciate the input, and good luck!

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