mr newhaven Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 so i know alot of you are like me and did your research when buying your les paul... i did mine and concluded that the VM was not only best bang for your buck ($250 pickups...in a studio?? CMON!) but i also liked its uniqueness! before gibson started to make all studios in the VM finish...the VM really stood out to me because no other les paul looked like it (back in 07) i like the combo of the mahogany body with the carved mahogany top...a combo that gibson points out hasnt been done since the black beauty back in the 50's or something along those lines! here is my question...i cannot afford a black beauty...i love everything about them other than the price! (maybe i like the price too but only after i was able to get one...it would add to the exclusivity! hahaha) regardless here is my question...i saw a kid put a bigsby b7 on his and it looked killer! i noticed the VM has the same scale length as the black beauty...so sound wise i am sure they are very similar...pickup number not withstanding... should i spend the loot and get the sprague black beauty caps?? i know there is a lot of debate on caps and how/if they change the sound of the guitar...and i understand that a lot of factors go into the sound...wood...scale length...finish...caps...pickups...etc... if i bought the sprague black beauty caps...over some bumblebees lets say...and add the bigsby...my thinking is that it will mirror more closely the sound of the black beauty... i know the black beauty didnt have the BB pros...but for right now i am happy with them in my axe... i just want to know from you knowledge bale gurus on whether or not clunking down a few hundred more on the the bigsby, caps, and install...if that would have the desired result i seek which is something closer to a black beauty?? thanks in advance everyone! **on a side note i read the articles about caps in the forum and all the supplementary materials linked in those topics...so i know where to get "info"...what i want are experienced opinions! thanks again! mr newhaven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr newhaven Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 wow im shocked no one has any input! i know it hasnt been too long since i posted but usually any chance people get to "grace" me with their info...they take it! and its on places like this that you can get the answers to all of your really tough questions...hence why i posted it here... i guess i have to just be patient! thanks again in advance, mr newhaven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuckomf Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 I have a grab bag of caps from various sources. A lot of them came out of vintage electronics, so there's a ton of PIO caps, bumblebee types etc. There was a link on singlecoil.com or something that said the best way of testing is to rig alligator clips to the cap terminals, which is easy enough on the PC board in the VM. When all was said and done, I found that the green mylar chicklet caps sounded the best in my VM. All in all, I thought it was a great sounding guitar to begin with, and with the ceramic caps replaced with chicklets, she's a tone machine. What it comes down to is that your guitar is a Vintage Mahogany, not a Black Beauty. Rather than trying to make it sound like something it isn't, you should mess around with various pot and cap combinations to make it sound exactly the way you want it to. As far as the old sprague caps go, they definitely have their place. I personally couldn't justify spending a benjamin on vintage old stock. There are a ton of unique combinations that you can try out for 20-30 dollars to get it set up just the way you want it. Long story short, don't limit yourself to a certain kind of cap and expect it to magically transform your guitar. Mess around and hone in on your own personal sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr newhaven Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 I have a grab bag of caps from various sources. A lot of them came out of vintage electronics' date=' so there's a ton of PIO caps, bumblebee types etc. There was a link on singlecoil.com or something that said the best way of testing is to rig alligator clips to the cap terminals, which is easy enough on the PC board in the VM. When all was said and done, I found that the green mylar chicklet caps sounded the best in my VM. All in all, I thought it was a great sounding guitar to begin with, and with the ceramic caps replaced with chicklets, she's a tone machine. What it comes down to is that your guitar is a Vintage Mahogany, not a Black Beauty. Rather than trying to make it sound like something it isn't, you should mess around with various pot and cap combinations to make it sound exactly the way you want it to. As far as the old sprague caps go, they definitely have their place. I personally couldn't justify spending a benjamin on vintage old stock. There are a ton of unique combinations that you can try out for 20-30 dollars to get it set up just the way you want it. Long story short, don't limit yourself to a certain kind of cap and expect it to magically transform your guitar. Mess around and hone in on your own personal sound.[/quote'] i like your advice tuckomf! i think i misspoke earlier (not like roger clemens) but when i said i wanted to sound like the black beauty i meant because the VM wood combo wise is closer to the black beauty than say a standard...or an R9 for example... my idea was that if the sprague caps worked so well in the combo of mahog body/mahog top...maybe it would translate well in mine! ultimately i agree that i need to try a variety and pick the ones that speak to me but i was using the spragues/bumblebees just as a point of reference because those are the ones i always hear about...the spragues being my first choice because they were paired on the Les Paul with the same scale length and same wood combo... great advice though guys! i am always at a loss for words on the knowledge base you guys present! thanks again and lets keep them coming! i have a recording question about mics on the acoustic forum...please check out and weigh in if alot of you guys record...it seems not too many of the acoustic guys do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tango martin Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 i would think that the chambering (im sure the vm is chambered) and the faded finish would alter the overall guitars tone making it difficult to mimic the black beauty as its got a thicker finish with a heavier thicker body, im not saying for sure but if the swiss cheese/chambered debate is taken into account (wasnt the black beauty non weight relieved or was that customs? its late an im bit caned) then this would be one hard task to achieve, i know the feeling though, im (for some silly reason) aching to put together a bucketheadish guitar out of a battered studio i have yet to aquire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goatlaw Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 here's my Worn Cherry GREATH GUITAR!!! i took off the pick gard it look better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.