My new R4

[k.online]

Originally Posted by mattymel

a bit off the "original" topic (though i think its safe to say we are past that)

That guitar is more than welcome on what has more or less turned into a mini-blog. A friend of mine has an identical '08 with a Bigsby. Very cool tone.

We are planning on getting all the guitars and amps together next month at my studio. Probably a dozen Historics. I'll definitely take lots of photos and anyone near Vancouver BC is welcome to attend. PM if you're interested.

[k.online]

This showed up on CL last night for a price I couldn't pass up... a '94 Matchless Lightning 15 with a flight case.

SOMEBODY STOP ME...!!!

[neils]

Stop you? No. So I thought this thread had died. Let's pick it up.

I finally today installd the rest of the RS kit I bought months ago. I had already done the Tigers along with trying the Jensens, that was a post from back on page 4? of this thread.

Today I installed the 4 500k pots, RS pots. I had done the same kit but with 250K tone pots in a Epi 1956 RI w/P90's. Nice guitar really. Iknew from that venture to stay with 500K for all pots on this one.

The result? It's been written in these forums so many times there is no point. I'll just say that with so much more gradual variation in the RS pots there are lots of new tones to find. They were there all along just stacked up so close on the knob from 8-10 they were hard to find.

I also back pedaled from Pyramid Pure Nickels back to GHS David Gilmour gauge. Why? I really liked the plain strings of the PPN's but the wound strings were just so so mellow, so almost dead it bugged me. They were installed and wrapped the right way but the "warm" AKA sometimes known as "dull" was too warm. The GHS's have much more tone and sparkle to the would strings. The guitar and wound strings is more lively now.

Some the changes I've made have taken something hard to describe from the tone of the R4 I really like. The strings were one.

I also put a Celestion Alnico Blue into my Blackheart. I sometimes got an almost piercing ice pick tone from the amp when cranked with the stock Eminence under certain conditions. I came across a near new "Blue" for a good price so I got it.

I liked the Eminence, I like the Blue. They're different. The Eminence was brighter, had some real snap and cut. The blue is warmer (that word again) with more mids. I don't think it is broken in yet.

Also the BH cab is closed back. MOJO makes a back with an oval port but I may just take off the back and see just what that does.

So some of the changes I've made I like, some are changes I'm on the fence about.

Really if we change something it should be a change. By that I mean sometimes I read here that guy X changed a part and his favorite sound wasn't there or he couldn't make it sound like it used to. Hey , you changed something and it supposed to be different. At that point you have to say to yourself that it was OK before even if you didn't have the latest and greatest tone enhancer.

So I'm backing up a bit.

K, I like the tone you had on that recording you posted a page or so back. Matchless amp? EL84's in that?

Neil

[R8R6Ben]

Great guitar. An R4 is definetly in my future. I put some lollar p90's in my R6 and it really opened up even more, well those pups and an rs kit I compare the tone to my old number one telecaster, just bigger and fatter and meaner... and oh yeah meaner:P

[k.online]

Originally Posted by neils

K, I like the tone you had on that recording you posted a page or so back. Matchless amp? EL84's in that?

Neil

The clip you are referring to was actually my first foray into the Axe FX. I don't love it overall but it is by far the best direct tones I have ever used. They still don't sit in a mix like an amp does. Any other clips you may have heard, perhaps on my Myspace or website, would have been a Matchless Clubman with EL34s.

I gigged all week with the Lightning and came to two conclusions. First, the Lightning sounds much better through my extension cabs so I am going to order a head cabinet from Matchless and swap the chassis. I don't mind carrying a head and cab for the right tone. Second, my beloved Clubman is likely to spend a LOT more time at home. The Lightning is a MONSTER...!!!

Oh... and the Junior got returned. I started feeling really guilty about spending so much money in one month, especially when my income can potentially fluctuate so much in this volatile economy. The curse of the freelancer... better safe than sorry.

The new 'family portrait':

[k.online]

Originally Posted by neils

I also put a Celestion Alnico Blue into my Blackheart. I sometimes got an almost piercing ice pick tone from the amp when cranked with the stock Eminence under certain conditions. I came across a near new "Blue" for a good price so I got it.

I liked the Eminence, I like the Blue. They're different. The Eminence was brighter, had some real snap and cut. The blue is warmer (that word again) with more mids. I don't think it is broken in yet.

For the price of a Blue or Gold, they better sound a hell of a lot better than 'good'. Personally I am a big fan of the G12H-30 Anniversary and the G12M-25 Greenback, which I am told are the same speaker with a different size magnet allowing for different power handling. I have one of each in my 2x12" and a G12H in my 1x12". The Lightning has a Vintage 30, which I have never cared for, and the box is a bit too small to really develop any lows. The newer Lightnings have much larger cabinets, I would assume for exactly that reason. In mine I think a Greenback would sound a lot better if I was staying with the combo.

[neils]

Well good is all I have for now to say about the Blue. It is different. Huge? No. Different. I got it used so I don't have a $300 speaker in a $150 1x12 Blackheart Cab. I may not keep it in there but keep it for a future 2x12 and add a Greenback or something for the mix.

Not sure what I expected from the change. But now I know. On the Celestion website and a link I found to a bunch of samples of the same riff played through a range of Celestions the Blue sounded brighter and with more cut or edge than all but the 1275? Lead or whatever that model is. I don't want a darker speaker.

Anyhow we learn by trying.

Like those Matchless amps you've got going.

[k.online]

Originally Posted by neils

Like those Matchless amps you've got going.

Well, my amp GAS is deliciously satisfied. A Matchless for all occasions... ;-)

[k.online]

Craigslist has been very fruitful lately. Some great deals on some great gear.

Since I returned the Junior I guess I shouldn't feel too guilty about buying an Analog Man King Of Tone. The KOT is one of only a handful of pedals that, in my opinion, actually lives up to the hype. It somehow has a bit of it's own character without messing up or really changing your tone, which is great because I love the sound of my R4 straight into the Matchless amps. Highly recommended if you can find one at a reasonable price. I've seen them go as high as $450 back when the economy was good. I got mine at about half that, which is a steal considering it is actually two pedals.

Wish I'd have hung onto my Sun Lion. They'd look great together on a board... ;-)

[Tele Jr.]

Sorry for the delay in getting back with this stuff;

My R4 pickup rout measurements;

Neck pickup rout at neck fingerboard side; 23/32"
Neck pickup rout at bridge side; 17.5/32"

Bridge pickup rout at neck side; 9/32"
Bridge pickup rout at bridge side; 9.5/32"

P-90 pickup measurements;

Gibson P-90 pickup height;
Bridge pickup; 17/32"
Neck pickup: 17.5/32"

Lollar P-90 pickup height;
18.5/32"

Note; all the Lollar pickups measured consistently, the measured distance is the bobbin height, not the pole piece height.

I have the regular alnico V magnet Lollars with the 5% underwound neck in the R4 now and they are everything I wished for. Thick tone that's bright and clear, sharper attack but not too sharp. I was thinking I would try these first and eventually go with the weaker magnet 50's winds as my 1st choice, but these are working out so far so good I'm not in as much of a hurry as I thought I would be to try the other ones quite yet.

Regarding the pickup height, when I first put the Lollars in, my R4 action had drifted up quite a bit, after I noticed that I did a seasonal truss rod adjustment to bring the action back down which resulted in a sort of a slight pup height adjustment. What made me notice this is that unless my action is quite low my intonation suffers, and I'm still more sensitive of that with the R4 and more likely to check it periodically.

So I've had a chance to try the Lollars at slightly higher and lower settings and I think they sound great both ways. I can see why someone might want to put the pups a little lower and take some wood but it doesn't seem to be absolutely necessary at least in my case with this set. I could hear a little more compression coming into play as the pups got closer to the strings but it's a very pleasant musical compression that doesn't take too much away from the attack or the highs. I am very curious to see how they might sound if set a bit lower but I'm not completely convinced at this point it's necessary with my instrument, at least with this set of Lollars.

[Tele Jr.]

Well goes around comes around and I've had a chance to check out both sets of Lollars now. I have the regular alnico V set with the -5% neck back in there and I'm definitely leaning towards preferring that set. I'm a little surprised because my initial impression was that I thought I would like the 50's Costello's better.

[mattymel]

anybody having any sitar-like ringing going on with their R4? im wondering if investing in the pigtail wraparound bridge will help. i want to keep the wraparound, looks too cool. but lately the ringing has been worse. any suggestions?

[Tele Jr.]

Originally Posted by mattymel

anybody having any sitar-like ringing going on with their R4? im wondering if investing in the pigtail wraparound bridge will help. i want to keep the wraparound, looks too cool. but lately the ringing has been worse. any suggestions?

I had some of that with my stock parts which didn't fit well at all. It got worse when the strrings got older. Adding the Pigtail parts soon made that become a distant memory.

[neils]

Mattymel

Did you read what I wrote a page or so back about my experience with Pigtail/stock/Tonepros parts and how they all fit?

I'm still all Pigtail, wraptail and studs. I love the idea of the Tonepros lockers but for dialing in a guitar they are a pain. And here in CT the weather is changing and the guitar is changing. Slight tweeks are a breeze.

One odd thing though. There was something about the tones I got or more like overtones I got in certain places on the neck when I had stock brass studs and sloppy tilting Historic wraptail that are almost gone with the "good" parts installed. I kinda miss it.

When I had the Tonepro stuff on the guitar I had their steel studs as a '50s Gibson would, but the guitar came with brass. The brass is warmer. Wonder what a Pigtail wrap with Tonepros brass studs would sound like. Tonepros are brass unless they say steel.

Neil

[mattymel]

would the pigtail wrap and tonepros studs be compatible? that sounds like the shot to me...

[neils]

MM

Completely compatible. The only downside and you may not consider it a downside is that to adjust action or intonation you have slacken the strings, loosen the tops of the studs and then adjust intonation with an allen wrench as usual or adjust action with the supplied Tonepros wrench. Then retighten the strings and tune.

With Pigtail studs you adjust intonation or action/stud height just as you would a stock historic.

Thing is on my R4 the Pigtail studs and tail are such a tight fit I can't believe I gained a thing with locking studs. I just gained a lot more work to adjust anything.

Pigtail studs fit their tail or even a stock historic tail really really tight. Far better than stock studs. I measured the diferences if you read my post.

Pigtail studs alone are a huge inprovement on even a stock tail.

Neil

[k.online]

Originally Posted by Tele Jr.

I had some of that with my stock parts which didn't fit well at all. It got worse when the strrings got older. Adding the Pigtail parts soon made that become a distant memory.

Originally Posted by mattymel

anybody having any sitar-like ringing going on with their R4? im wondering if investing in the pigtail wraparound bridge will help. i want to keep the wraparound, looks too cool. but lately the ringing has been worse. any suggestions?

This just started happening with the stock studs and tailpiece on Thursday. I'll live with it for tonight's gig and then change to the Pigtail parts on Sunday.