ProMod So Cal... Modded....

[Donovan]

Got my SoCal a few weeks ago. I'm still getting used to it. Usually it takes a few years for a guitar to reach usable status in my stable.. Just like wearing in new shoes. Not sure yet if this one will be a top performer or go on the auction block. I love the way it looks, but the sound is not exactly what I was hoping for. Very top end and not very full sounding. I knew that I was buying a import guitar with a maple neck/fretboard and a top loader, but I was hoping for a little more based on my Charvels from the time this is supposed to emulate.

It's not a bad instrument, it just isn't the real 80's Charvels. So to try to cure some of the issues I've added a Floy Rose Bigblock 37mm to the trem. Seemed to help a tad but these things are really hard to quantify unless you have one right next to the other. I also jammed the original FR block under the springs so I wouldn't lose it and perhaps add some heft to the shovel. I then added some custom ordered Dimarzio pickups. I went with both being F spaced because I though it looked weird that the pic guard was cut out for 2 F spaced PUs but the guitar came with one F and one regular spaced Duncan Distortions. I put a Tone Zone in at the bridge and a Gravity Storm neck PU at the neck. The guitar is a lot more full, but has some pretty bad vowel overtones now. More so than my other guitars with the ToneZone. I'm currently working that out with height adjustment and amp tone settings. I like the open sound of the Dimarzio PUs, however the top load configuration with the maple and other bright woods is causing some trouble.

Pic.



Thoughts?

[Rich#6]

Are you playing it thru that line 6?

[Donovan]

Are you playing it thru that line 6?

That's my little practice amp down stairs. It actually sounds really good for something that small and solid state. I use Marshall DSL100s as my real amps.

[leftykingv2]

Try going with a Duncan 59 it should have more bottom end than the Dimarzio.

[Donovan]

Try going with a Duncan 59 it should have more bottom end than the Dimarzio.

Can I get one in white F spaced? I like the way the guitar looks now breaking up the black a little. I don't mind the way the TZ sounds, I just need to cut the vowels a little. I like how open and harmonic it is. Plenty of feedback and other weird sounds to play with.

[Hellbat]

I found the TZ gave that vowel like cocked wah tone when I had one in my RR1. Did the original pickup do that as well? I'd point my finger at the TZ if it didn't. If you prefer Dimarzio's to Duncan's I found the PAF Pro to be a nice pickup. On the Duncan side, I dig the Custom. (SH/TB-5).

[Chad]

As far as I know, the bobbins are the same size on Dimarzio pickups regardless of whether they are standard or f-spaced. Just the poles are further apart on the f-spaced version. So buying f-spaced pickups didn't actually gain any width in the body of the pickup.

With Seymour Duncan, their f-spaced (trembucker) pickups have a larger bobbin/body.

You can get a 59 in white with trem spacing, however, only with the bridge model. But the bridge model isn't wound much hotter and I've heard of people using them in the neck.

I generally find that Duncans line up better in Floyd Rose guitars.

String pacing is as follows:

Dimarzio standard: 48mm
Dimarzio f-spaced: 51mm
Duncan standard: 49mm
Duncan f-spaced: 52.6mm

You might consider an Invader in the bridge if you want something other than a TZ but still want thick and meaty.

[Donovan]

I have a PAF pro in an Ibanez RG that I bought about 15 years ago. I may actually try one of those next if I can't agree with this PU. I like the Gravity Storm neck and I like the white of the Dimarzio so I'd like to stick with them. I don't care much for the mixed PU look. I have a spot open already for the white TZ if I move it........

[Donovan]

As far as I know, the bobbins are the same size on Dimarzio pickups regardless of whether they are standard or f-spaced. Just the poles are further apart on the f-spaced version. So buying f-spaced pickups didn't actually gain any width in the body of the pickup.

With Seymour Duncan, their f-spaced (trembucker) pickups have a larger bobbin/body.

You can get a 59 in white with trem spacing, however, only with the bridge model. But the bridge model isn't wound much hotter and I've heard of people using them in the neck.

I generally find that Duncans line up better in Floyd Rose guitars.

String pacing is as follows:

Dimarzio standard: 48mm
Dimarzio f-spaced: 51mm
Duncan standard: 49mm
Duncan f-spaced: 52.6mm

You might consider an Invader in the bridge if you want something other than a TZ but still want thick and meaty.

I'm not as concerned with the actual spacing of the poles. They seem to sound fine either way in my experience. The PU holes cut in the pick guard on the SoCAl are both for F spaced PUs however so they look weird with a regular spacing PU in there.

[ginsambo]

Duncan distortions are ugly and way too OTT shrill, especially with these tight and sometimes bright sounding alder pro mods.

Although it is dry, I think the TZ is one of the best in these, especially in bright ones or alternatively something completely different, juicier and lower octane like the Dimarzio 36th PAFS or a JB that will add some more organic swell to the notes. Although I find the JB cannot punch anything on the low strings of mine and even harmonics can be a struggle. Some Pro mods just do sound brighter than others for some reason. I found the TZ to be great fun with a maple neck one though. Really percussive and great harmonics. My ebony board dreamsicle is tight but not too bright, like the old 2004 reissues and my 1H rosewood wildcard is not bright at all, almost like mahogany and actually quite dark sounding that has a JB in it with a 500k pot and you wouldn't even know it. The rest of the japanese ones I have, the white and blue pro mods are bright though. Anyway bright is good, it's '80's. Weird though.

As for the setup, absolutely everything is relative ain't it! Think mine have three springs and they are quite tight as you say, which is good as I play like a slob with my right hand on the trem.

I bought a couple of vintage radius strats with JV Tex Mex and SSL1 pups and I've been learning every back catalogue of hendrix which together, finally taught me some decent sustained loose but tight, rhythm techniques without getting cramp or knackered. I hit the pro mods now and shred them up for hours. They are ideal and press all the buttons for me, when you put them into context of what I play and like which are a gibson scale TOM Bridge BC Rich and Strats. Do prefer a lower vintage humbucker in them though and less gain. Still wanting a TOM Bridge 25.5 scale though. I have some Stars I need to put together. The dreamsicle does for the time being.

I guess a tight bridge might make it sound a bit brighter too. Although I am guessing. But for sure it will definitely sound brighter than Basswood. Could you maybe see if the former owner put a 500k or 1000k pot in there or something? Just a thought. I think they came with 250's and it sound be good with a TZ, even if it's one of the brightest pro mods out there. Some muppet possibly put the distortion in with a uranium 1 tega k pot or something for maximum overdrive...lol. Did you check when you wired in the pups?

[ginsambo]

And play a 60's strat for a while and learn to appreciate the brightness. lol.

Like I said everything is relative, if it's still really bright and the pot is OK, you'll just have to give it time I reckon and accept it for what it is. Probably a lower gain setting and less effects might help. Afterall they are 80's hairmetal shredder guitars. I don't think they pertain to be a verbose 90's basswood thing. lol. It should sound great through you DSL. Although those DSL's are bright and thin sounding amps anyway and you have to play with them to get an early JCM800 tone and they turn to shit if you wack the gain up, simply because they have way too much of it.

I play mine on lead 1 with the gain at 4, mids up, dry with no reverb and no tubescreamer and can do all the Demartini Lynch type stuff on it with those settings. I honestly think you'll have to tweak your amp right around as it's a completely different animal. But moreover I reckon it's a mental thing. But the feedback issues do point to the pot perhaps.

I hope it grows on you and you find your way round it.

[Donovan]

Duncan distortions are ugly and way too OTT shrill, especially with these tight and sometimes bright sounding alder pro mods.

Although it is dry, I think the TZ is one of the best in these, especially in bright ones or alternatively something completely different, juicier and lower octane like the Dimarzio 36th PAFS or a JB that will add some more organic swell to the notes. Although I find the JB cannot punch anything on the low strings of mine and even harmonics can be a struggle. Some Pro mods just do sound brighter than others for some reason. I found the TZ to be great fun with a maple neck one though. Really percussive and great harmonics. My ebony board dreamsicle is tight but not too bright, like the old 2004 reissues and my 1H rosewood wildcard is not bright at all, almost like mahogany and actually quite dark sounding that has a JB in it with a 500k pot and you wouldn't even know it. The rest of the japanese ones I have, the white and blue pro mods are bright though. Anyway bright is good, it's '80's. Weird though.

As for the setup, absolutely everything is relative ain't it! Think mine have three springs and they are quite tight as you say, which is good as I play like a slob with my right hand on the trem.

I bought a couple of vintage radius strats with JV Tex Mex and SSL1 pups and I've been learning every back catalogue of hendrix which together, finally taught me some decent sustained loose but tight, rhythm techniques without getting cramp or knackered. I hit the pro mods now and shred them up for hours. They are ideal and press all the buttons for me, when you put them into context of what I play and like which are a gibson scale TOM Bridge BC Rich and Strats. Do prefer a lower vintage humbucker in them though and less gain. Still wanting a TOM Bridge 25.5 scale though. I have some Stars I need to put together. The dreamsicle does for the time being.

I guess a tight bridge might make it sound a bit brighter too. Although I am guessing. But for sure it will definitely sound brighter than Basswood. Could you maybe see if the former owner put a 500k or 1000k pot in there or something? Just a thought. I think they came with 250's and it sound be good with a TZ, even if it's one of the brightest pro mods out there. Some muppet possibly put the distortion in with a uranium 1 tega k pot or something for maximum overdrive...lol. Did you check when you wired in the pups?

LOL THe only muppet working on this has been me. I bought it brand new, had it for about two weeks. I did not check the pot however. I would assume that the Mexicans are putting in a standard part. I will check it however. I may still mess with the pickups, but I ordered these in white so it would look cool in the guitar so I may not mess with them. I love the way the TZ sounds in all my other guitars, I think it's the woods in this one more than anything. I have noticed that the quality control on these isn't all there in Mexico yet if there is any. The neck feels to have been taken off the chop saw and bolted to the body after a fret job. The end where the fretboard hangs over the body still has a few burrs on it and I have found two spots on the back of the next that you can feel dips or bumps in the neck where it feels as though it was a 5th grade woodshop project that was sanded by hand.
I've noticed this thing does sound better on my little practice amp than it does through the Marshall. It may be that I've got all my settings for the LP and the mahogany bodied Ibanez RGs and this just cuts through. The sustain is seriously lacking still though and I don't know if that can be fixed. I have a cheap $400 Ibanez guitarcenter special I bought 10 years ago that actually sounds better in sustain.

I'll work with it for a while before I make a decision. I've had guitars take several years to come into their own. I hated my LP the day I bought it and almost sold it. Now it's my favorite thing ever. I think sometimes the necks just need to be worn in by your hand and soak up some of those good stage sweaty oils from your hands to feel and sound good.

[ginsambo]

Sorry my mistake, I assumed it was a used Jap pro mod. If it makes you feel any better, a lot of the Jap ones had router burrs on the heel, but not on the end of the board and they often had sunken walnut skunk stripes. My USA ones have some knots in the alder timber and all, you can see the three piece bodies as the paint is thinner.

Of course it'll sound way brighter than mahogany. My two relatively unused Jap pro mods sound very bright as I said and they are very modded but very new.


Definitely grease, oil and wear make them sound better.

That darker sounding 1H wildcard suffers from a bit of lack of sustain, as it sounds darker but not like mahogany, but I still get on with it OK.

I'm still convinced that all pro mods, in fact all oldskool type Charvels definitely make you put more in to get more out is you get what I mean, they are not designed to be refined, efficient, touch tone Ibanez type guitars or neantherthal gibsons, but definitely something in the middle, they are what they are I reckon and it takes a while to get them. Much like your DSL in fact. I hated my DSL the day I got it, but wouldn't give it up for the world now.