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Jonken

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  1. My own solution to the Gibson pick up tilt problem: This will take a bit of Tech doin'; but the revard You will get for it; is well worth the extra effort: - A.) Remove the strings of the guitar. - B.) Remove the PU-ring -or PU-guard. - C.) Measure the length of the PU-heght/mounting screws that sicks out under the ring/guard. (You want to know ruffly how deep into the guitar body theese screws sink/go.) - D.) Measure the peepth of all the PU height screw cavities on each PU chamber. - E.) Check how far thru the PU height screws goes thru the mounting legs of each PU when properly height adjusted. (The bridge PU usually guoes thru far more compared to the neck PU.) - F.) Compare Your measurements. Measurements: "C" minus "D" tells You how muck clearence there is between the floor in the chamber -and the end of PU height screw. Add "E" to this measurent. - G.) Find some fitting woodpieces -and shape 4 pieces that fits snug in each spering cavity. The height of the wood pieces doesn't have to be as think as "C" minus "D" + "E". They just need to prevent the PU heght screws of hangin' free. You choose the thickness; but: "C" minus "D" + 0.1 inches will probably work just fine. - H.) Push the wooden pieces into their own holes -in each PU chamber. - I.) Take off the springs of each PU height mounting screw, -and mount the PU's again without the springs. (Rember your "C" height measurements.) - J.) Mount the guard -or ring with the PU's with out the springs. (You will notice that the heads of the PU heght screws sticks out from the gurad/ring. - K.) Screw on -and tighten the E-strings on the guitar lightly. - L.) Tilt Your PU's correcly against the strings. Remember: This also works equally good on getting the correct polepositions under the strings for the PU's. (Any position will work - You choose.) - M.) Apply a screwdriver against the head of each correctly tilted PU heightscrews; and softly knock on the top of the screwdriver handle with a light hammer. (Ths will leave marks on Your custom made wooden pieces.) - N.) Remove the guard/ring with the PU's. - O.) Use a drilltool with a fitting size drillhead to drill the holes at the marks. A correct size for the holes are ONLY to stabilaze the PU heighrscrew angle; NOT to acuually thread into the Wood. IMPORTANT: 1.) You OLNY need to drill the depth that will allow the PU height screws back down to the Surface of the guard/ring. 2.) Remember the drill angle -to match Your own chosen PU tilt. 3.) Be careful so that You don't drill all the way throgh the guitar body! - P.) RE-mount Your springs to Your PU mounting -and assemble. Just find -and fit the holes on the PU height screws. Sorry for all the many steps: But as a luthiere i have found that it's effort -and time saving; just to be a that extra little bit clear on theese things. Better to get it right from the start. So: What will this really do for Your guitar? Well: - It will angle the PU's properly against the strings on the guitar. - It will position the PU's pole alignment exactly against the strings of the guitar. - It will elimenate all the isssues with loose & "dangly" -mountted PU's. (The PU's mounting is firm and realiable.) - It will change the tone of the PU's a little bit. The correct PU angle will result in a better & tighther tone. Also: The PU it self will pick up wooden vibrations from the PU height screws too. Theese natural vibrations makes the PU more naturally synced on the guitar. (A little bit in the same way Eddie Van Halen did it in his Frankenstrat -when he mounted a Gibson 335 style PU straight into the Wood of the guitar body.) -It sounds GREAT! - Hope You like it!
  2. Unfortunetly this is true. All You need to do is to look at any Gibson guitar with PU's mounted into the pickguard -insted of a PU ring; like: -The Flying V's, -some SG's; to name just a few models: And You'll see this. What's even more remarkable is that You will find this paricular flaw on many Gibsons with the PU rings too. And this is not a isolated accident/thing; that only accures on a few Lzzy Explorers: Of the 4 Lzzy Hale Explorers i have seen: ALL have had EXACTLY the same problem. Here's a YT presentation of a another brand new Lzzy Hale Explorer from a store: If You look closely: You can see/spot this on the opening shot of the guitar. (The bridge PU is tilted towards the bridge -instead of the neck.)
  3. I have had my Lzzy Hale Explorer for about two months now. The reason why i bought the guitar; is not because i am a Halestorm fan. It was the sound, look -and feel of it that grabbed a hold of me. Today i have about 10 high end Gibson brand guitars. And this one has certainlly earned it's rightful place among them. However; it took abit of doin' on the guitar to get it theere. It's pretty amazing to axeprerience the positive effects of the Lzzy Hale -when the guitar is set up just right. I HIGHLY RECOMEND all the LH Explorer owners to put in that extra little effort into the guitar. Here is what is done on mine: The biggest issue om my guitar was that the PU routing on the bridge pick up was way too tight for the covered PU mounted in the hole. This resulted (like on many other gibsons) -that the pick up could not tilt properly against the stringangle over it. The neck bobbin was way closer -compred to the bridge bobbin on the PU. This even with a correctly angeled mounting ring. To get it right needed a small routing job on the back/bridge wall in the PU chamber. The natural angle positition for the PU is in a parallell angle against the stringtilt over the body -NOT parallell to the body. Soundwise this resulted is a pretty big difference. I Think it's remakable that Gibson doesen't put more/better attention to theese things in their factory. The second thing i do on all my Gibsons -is to replace the small multi wire that usually runs between the electric chamber and the PU selector switch. That thing is a tone sucker! This wire can be replaced with 4 single wires -or 3 braided Gibson style wires. I personly prefer the braided one. It keeps the instrument a little more quiet in terms of hum on a more demanding stage with alot of stagelights. The third thing is pick up pole adjustment. When You buy i brand new Gibson guitar -or a replacement pick up; The polescrews are just adjusted in a pretyy much staright line. What needs to be done; is to match the pole height to the bridge radius of the guitar. Without this done; the strings in the middle will just sound tired and flat -or the edge strings will sound too much. The fourth thing concernes the Gibson standard fretlevelling job. The Gibson PLEK machine produces a great result in "routing" the top of the fretheight perfectly across the entire fretboard. However: This also often leaves a harsh edge on each side of the flat spot on each fret. (You can easily spot this by simply scraping with Your nail against each side of the frets.) Theese harsh edges needs to be tended to -in order to get that truely smooth payability in the guitar. It also increases the note sustain against the frets -and the is alot less anoying "saw-sound" when You are really rubbing the srrings against the frets. With this said: The Limited Edition Lzzy Hale Explorer is a truely remarkable instrument in every way. It totally owns soundwise in just about every Music style out there today. It's realiable -and is totally ready to get to work every day. -No issues, -all business, -all the way. Finally some personal comments on Lzzy's choises on her signature guitar: I Think it's pretty inpressive for a female artist to go with a fatter neck profile. This is a importatnt thing in getting the true sustain that the Les Paul Customs are known for. (One of the main reasons i bought the guitar myself.) I have had the Sammy Hagar signature Explorer Before -and that thing is just plain sissy compared to the Lzzy. The Lzzy Hale Explorer is truely a solid statement -and a belive it's here to stay.
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