Kong Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Last week I posted that I bought a Korina Explorer with Dragonfire active pickups on Craigslist. I could not get into the actives so I decided to swap out the pickups. I'm more into classic rock / blues tones, and I like the ability to get a heavier tone from the guitar as well. I went with GFS for the pickups and got their vintage '59 in the neck and their Fat Pat in the bridge. I also installed a push/pull tone pot so I could split the 'buckers and used an orange drop .022uf cap. I did the mods a couple of hours ago and I'm stoked. This guitar sounds amazing and plays like a dream. I love the look, basically the mods brought the look back to stock. I've used GFS strat pickups before, but this is my first experience with their humbuckers. After I wired it and buttoned it back up, I played it through my Spiderjam and ohhh boy. This thing sounds killer, the bridge pickup screams and the neck is smooth and creamy. The coil-splitting works like a charm, but I have not experimented too much with that option yet. I was able to get some real nice clean blues tone with the neck pickup. One thing I've always had trouble with is the harmonics in Van Halen's "Panama". This bridge pickup made that easy for me. I also put on some strap-locks. When I went to change the strap button on the bottom of the guitar it practically fell out, so it was a good thing I was making the change. A previous owner must have stripped out the hole and did a poor repair job with what looked like paper or something jammed in there. I glued in some toothpick bits and installed the new strap button which worked like a charm. This guitar is going to be my favorite. It is beautifully balanced and comfortable to play sitting or standing, although I find I need a strap even when sitting. The neck is just right for my hands and the ebony fretboard feels great. I'll try and post a sound clip or two over the next couple of days to show the amazing range of different tones I can now get from it. Here are a before and after pic: Before: After: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggs Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Very nice indeed I look forward to hearing her Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midiman56 Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Bravo, Kong! Excellent choice and execution of this mod. Now it not only sounds like a '58 Explorer, but looks the part as well. That is a seriously fine looking axe ... congrats! Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSAR Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Awesome! If it was mine, it'd get a black pickguard and speed knobs some day too. But either way, its a BEAUTIFUL guitar, congrats on the successful mods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hungrycat Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 it'd get a black pickguard I think I already mentioned this, so make it two votes now. I've got GFS pickups in my Explorer. I went with the Crunchy PAT in the bridge and the Vintage Split in the neck. I really dig the Vintage Split. GFS makes great pickups. Have fun with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaSTuS Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Great mods and it looks a million dollars, congrats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUSHian Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Great improvements! I bought a Korina Explorer around 2002- I loved it BUT it wouldn't stay in tune. I should have invested in new tuners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.