My Latest Guitar- Greg Bennett AV3- Finally, a Home For These Soapbars

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stevieb

Just another guy, really.
Just scored a lefty Greg Bennett Avion AV3- yeah, like I need another Les Paul type guitar... It actually compares quite favorably to my lefty Epi LP Standard, the Epi having Burstbucker Pro Alneco 5's (what a long name!), the GB having a DiMarzio Evolution bridge dp59 (another stupid-long name- what is it with that?) and a Duncan '59. I am not hearing much difference in the tonal qualities of the two guitars, with the exception of the much hotter bridge pup in the GB (13 k ohms, vs. 8.3) having higher output, and the resulting greater distortion. Personally, I like the Burstbucker sound much better.

The GB is a beautiful guitar, with a flamed maple top and cherry burst finish. The original owner removed the pick guard, but that just shows the flamed top off, better. Pickup covers are both chrome- although I love the look of the chrome pup covers on my black Epi, I think cream covers would look better on this guitar. The body is not an exact LP copy- the angle between the upper horn and the neck is less than 90 degrees, and the lower bout is wider than that on the 'Pauls, so it won't fit in the Gibson/Epi LP case. No matter, I got it with a Road Runner gig bag- I'd much prefer a hard case, but the price was right. Other than GB's signature asymmetrical head stock (which is reversed for leftys) it's obviously a "Les Paul," even if Samick never utters the "LP" word on their website. Samick has made some pretty wild claims about that headstock, none of which I believe for even a second, so I won't repeat them here.

The thing is, even on the drive home, I was wondering why I bought the thing. God knows, I don't need it, heck, I can't claim any good reason to have it. But then, I though, "Hey, I got those soapbars..." You may recall, I was planning on putting them in a lefty lefty Squier Strat (also redundant, it and my MIA strat both having Texas Specials,) but this guitar may be a far better home for those 'bars (soaps'?) I won't have to get another pick guard, it won't seem so strange, and the 'bars have ivory covers- so I avoid the chrome-cover strangeness, too.

What pots are best to use with 'bars? 250 or 500K? What cap? Thanks.
 
stevieb said:
Just scored a lefty Greg Bennett Avion AV3- yeah, like I need another Les Paul type guitar... It actually compares quite favorably to my lefty Epi LP Standard, the Epi having Burstbucker Pro Alneco 5's (what a long name!), the GB having a DiMarzio Evolution bridge dp59 (another stupid-long name- what is it with that?) and a Duncan '59. I am not hearing much difference in the tonal qualities of the two guitars, with the exception of the much hotter bridge pup in the GB (13 k ohms, vs. 8.3) having higher output, and the resulting greater distortion. Personally, I like the Burstbucker sound much better.

The GB is a beautiful guitar, with a flamed maple top and cherry burst finish. The original owner removed the pick guard, but that just shows the flamed top off, better. Pickup covers are both chrome- although I love the look of the chrome pup covers on my black Epi, I think cream covers would look better on this guitar. The body is not an exact LP copy- the angle between the upper horn and the neck is less than 90 degrees, and the lower bout is wider than that on the 'Pauls, so it won't fit in the Gibson/Epi LP case. No matter, I got it with a Road Runner gig bag- I'd much prefer a hard case, but the price was right. Other than GB's signature asymmetrical head stock (which is reversed for leftys) it's obviously a "Les Paul," even if Samick never utters the "LP" word on their website. Samick has made some pretty wild claims about that headstock, none of which I believe for even a second, so I won't repeat them here.

The thing is, even on the drive home, I was wondering why I bought the thing. God knows, I don't need it, heck, I can't claim any good reason to have it. But then, I though, "Hey, I got those soapbars..." You may recall, I was planning on putting them in a lefty lefty Squier Strat (also redundant, it and my MIA strat both having Texas Specials,) but this guitar may be a far better home for those 'bars (soaps'?) I won't have to get another pick guard, it won't seem so strange, and the 'bars have ivory covers- so I avoid the chrome-cover strangeness, too.

What pots are best to use with 'bars? 250 or 500K? What cap? Thanks.
Click to expand...

I have a Gibson Melody Maker-it has a tune-o-matic bridge and a single dog-ear P-90-and every time I record it I can't believe the sound of the single pickup!

I am quite sure it has a 250K pot for the volume and tone controls and it definitely has a 223 capacitor-maybe that 22pf is working the magic....:)


2004MelodyMaker-crop.jpg
 
Not sure I understand

You're going to replace humbuckers with soapbars because you don't like the look of the chrome? If these are true soapbars, you know they're not exact fit replacements, right? So, you'd rather carve up the top than have chrome on it? I know that's not the only reason, but it sure seems to me that it would be easier to put them in the Squier with a new pickguard (assuming there's room in that cavity) than to rout out the GB. Or am I missing something here?
 
notCardio said:
You're going to replace humbuckers with soapbars because you don't like the look of the chrome?
Click to expand...

:laughings:

Not exactly. Actually, not at all- but your post did make me laugh.

Wanting to put the soaps in this guitar because:

I already have a Les Paul with better (to my ears) humbuckers;

These HB's are not really blowing my dress up;

I want a guitar with soaps;

Soaps just seem more at home (to my mind) in a LP than in a Strat- while soaps in a Strat is not exactly wrong, it just doesn't seem quite right to me. I think it's the tremolo bridge...

Won't have to do that much routing, really, and if/when I go back to stock, the HB pickup rings will cover all the resulting bare wood;

I don't like having two guitars this much alike. I'm funny that way...:D

And anyway, it's not that I don't like chrome- the BBPA5's have chrome covers, and I even installed a pair of chrome pup rings on that guitar- it's just that, to my eye, chrome looks strange on a cherry-burst, flamed maple top.
 
Well, it was sort of a joke, as I knew what you were getting at. I just didn't think that the hb trim rings would cover the hole later, and that you'd also have gaps on either side (bridge to neck) of each soapbar. That, and to me, any routing on an LP would be too much routing.

And as far as chrome covers looking 'strange' on a chsb, isn't that pretty much what they've always come installed with? :D
 
I just remembered

I was in a car wreck in Marietta when I was a kid. We were on our way to FL for spring break and a guy came flying out of a liquor store parking lot and broadsided us. He took off and we chased him long enough to get his plates. They caught him shortly thererafter when he wrapped his car around a light pole. He was already drunk when he went into the liquor store for more. He had just gotten out on parole.

That's my Marietta story. Feel free to tell one about Indianapolis now. ;)
 
I was born in Marietta! That's my Marietta story. Gotta love the home of the big chicken!
 
Well, OK. You're Marietta story trumps my Marietta story. :drunk:
 
No Indy stories from me, although my GF went to IU... she competed in the mini Indy (girl's tricycle version of the bicycle Little Indy race featured in the film "Breaking Away.")

Yeah, chrome covers are probably common, I just think ivory looks better on a 'burst top.
 
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