Tboneous Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 ...The downgrade in functionality with my current Dream Rig drastically out weighs the upgrade in Helix goodies! So what's a dude to do with a wad of cash to spend? I know!,, go to Las Vegas, visit the Ed Roman guitar store and purchase a hand made Pearlcaster! Oh yeah....and go indoor skydiving! I hear Ed was an lollipop, but this is one sweet guitar! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncann Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 Nice guitar. It reminds me of my Jem, but rounder and fatter and with a maple fretboard. Have fun with it. That indoor skydiving sounds really fun. I've done the real thing several times but taking the fear away with these indoor contraptions looks more relaxing. Are they expensive? And how long do they let you "float" around in there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tboneous Posted April 6, 2016 Author Share Posted April 6, 2016 $75 fo1/2 hour. Totally worth it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tboneous Posted April 8, 2016 Author Share Posted April 8, 2016 People! My Ed Roman Pearlcaster is f'ing incredible! WOW! What a find! If you are ever in Vegas, you MUST go visit Ed Roman! Ed is dead but the guitars live on and are absolutely Valley Arts, Tom Anderson, Suhr, SVL, James Tyler (the real deal James Tyler, not the licensed stuff) quality instruments for nowhere near the same cost! But, as well as these guitars are made, I have re-discovered the importance of pickup selection. My Pearlcaster has Seymour Duncan STK-S4 pickups in it. I don't know if these pups are considered good, bad or ugly by the guitar tech nerds, but let me tell you this...these f'ers are working for me! When I got my JTV-69, I immediately contacted Sean Halley and asked, "what pups do you have in your JTV. his reply?...Suhr Landau Pups. Sean is a great player and I want to be like Sean so I immediately swapped my pups out for the ML's! Definitely an upgrade from the stock JTV-69 pups. I was happy! I was like Sean Halley! (Less the crazy hybrid picking thing that he has mastered! Sean... Please get with Truefire.com, do a lesson so I can bite your style and become wickedly famous and never give you any credit for my success!!!!) I digress!!..... Now this Pearlcaster has entered my life! All of a sudden, My Dream Rig is sounding like WHOA....What was that?!!! Let me try that again......WHOA! It did it again!!!! That amp model that I could NEVER get to sound right is now sounding like WHOA!!!!! I never used the "Twin Models" Because they suck! But with my Pearlcaster?!?!....Yep......that's right..............WHOA! I've got work to do! The Duncan STK-S4 are a dark pup! But that is what I like! It is what I need! It is what makes my Dream Rig sound like.....(I'm not gonna do it again!, I promise!) I didn't know these pups were a part of an answer I had been looking for for years. But now that I have found them?......I've got work to do! More importantly...I'm not Sean Halley, nor am I anyone else that has displayed a fantastic tone with their Line 6 gear. I have got to be me! I have got to experiment with all that is out there and see what is a fit for MY playing style. The way I hold the pick, the way I attack the strings. Which pickup is going to work BEST for MY style?! I mistakingly came across the STK-S4 because I purchased a guitar that played nice. Really I got it because it was white with gold hardware and had a maple fretboard! I don't have any of those! I will keep the Suhr ML's in my JTV. They are a beautiful pup. Way better that the stock pups! But these dark loud STK-S4's are rocking me right now!!!! I wonder if those disillusioned Line 6'ers who swear that Line 6 gear sucks the big Ron Jeremy, might have a different opinion had they tried a different guitar with different pups in it? Just a thought! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncann Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 Good to hear you're enjoying you're new guitar. Pickups are probably one of the most influential things you can do to a guitar to change the way things sound. Sounds like you may have found ones you like. Give it time, I'll sure you'll find something you don't like about them. It's always a great thing to find an instrument you can connect with to make music. I finally got back my Jem for re-fretting, chose stainless steel, and it's like a brand new instrument, it's better than how it was when I first got the guitar originally. The stainless-less steel frets really make a difference and everything is buttery smooth. For anyone in the Milwaukee area looking for this service, check out Denny Rauen, absolutely flawless work by him. He's well known in the business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 I finally got back my Jem for re-fretting, chose stainless steel, and it's like a brand new instrument, it's better than how it was when I first got the guitar originally. The stainless-less steel frets really make a difference and everything is buttery smooth. For anyone in the Milwaukee area looking for this service, check out Denny Rauen, absolutely flawless work by him. He's well known in the business. Best part is, you'll take those frets to the grave with you. I'm slowly converting all my guitars to stainless frets. First one I did was almost 3 years ago now, on a guitar that gets played daily, sometimes 4-6 hours at a clip...there's not a mark on them. Things are damn near instructable. Should have done it years ago...would have saved me a small fortune in grind & polish jobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncann Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 Best part is, you'll take those frets to the grave with you. I'm slowly converting all my guitars to stainless frets. First one I did was almost 3 years ago now, on a guitar that gets played daily, sometimes 4-6 hours at a clip...there's not a mark on them. Things are damn near instructable. Should have done it years ago...would have saved me a small fortune in grind & polish jobs. He did tell me that they still will wear over time. He didn't say how much time. And I've been told they're harder on the strings. I have no doubt about that, but the question is by how much. Previously, I've let my strings get to a point where the wound strings are missing their windings over the frets. It usually took a while, a month maybe, to get to that point. That's when I know it's time get rid that string for fear of slicing my fingertip. But it's hard to determine because playing times and intensity can vary greatly. In any event, replacing strings is better than an occasional fret replacement or dressing as you say. It's like having a completely different guitar with these frets. Almost frictionless. Don't regret it one bit. It was expensive though. Could have floated around in that indoor skydiving place for six hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 He did tell me that they still will wear over time. He didn't say how much time. And I've been told they're harder on the strings. I have no doubt about that, but the question is by how much. Previously, I've let my strings get to a point where the wound strings are missing their windings over the frets. It usually took a while, a month maybe, to get to that point. That's when I know it's time get rid that string for fear of slicing my fingertip. But it's hard to determine because playing times and intensity can vary greatly. In any event, replacing strings is better than an occasional fret replacement or dressing as you say. It's like having a completely different guitar with these frets. Almost frictionless. Don't regret it one bit. It was expensive though. Yeah, if you bend strings a lot, it's fantastic. They feel like glass. And yes, I was exaggerating a bit...but only a little. Nothing lasts forever, and they are a bit tougher on the strings. It's more apparent on the wound strings. You'll start to feel those flat spots right over the frets a little sooner...but I plow through strings quickly anyway, so it's made little difference for me. I think I sweat battery acid. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncann Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 I think I sweat battery acid. ;) Lol. You're not some Ridley Scott creation come to life, are you? :ph34r: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillBee Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 Wow that is a beautiful guitar what a splendid combo! Congrats on the new baby! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tboneous Posted April 8, 2016 Author Share Posted April 8, 2016 Wow that is a beautiful guitar what a splendid combo! Congrats on the new baby! Thanx! I'm totally enjoying the hell out of it! .....Give it time, I'll sure you'll find something you don't like about them. Already there my friend!!! These pups do what they do really well and they are suitable for maybe 90% of what I like doing. The rest? I've got a JTV with Suhr ML's in it that does it's thing and a 335 with P90's that does its thing and so on.... For an SSS Strat, which is my axe of choice, I am glad I found the Duncan STK-S4 pups! Very responsive. The bridge pup is very musical and usable with great bite without being shrill! What can I say?....they work for me! If anyone is looking for a warm darker sounding pup for their Strat, give 'em a try! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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