my RR1 sounds dull

[Deathrider29]

So here's my situation. In January, I bought an SL2 from a guy on craigslist. I love the guitar, sounds great, super comfortable, and also just the nicest guitar I've gotten to get my hands on. When I had an EMG 81 installed in the bridge, it sounded even better than before. So, fast forward to now. I was cruising ebay and came across a beautiful quicksilver RR1, that already had and EMG 81/85 combo installed. Since I'm left handed, and it's really hard for me to find good deals on USA Jacksons, I since I've always wanted a roads, I bid on it and won the auction.

Basically, the guitar feels great, it's super light, comfortable, and the neck is possibly even better than my SL2 (even though they're allegedly the same profile).

Here's the problem, the guitar just sounds dull compared to the SL2. It's not nearly as bright, and it just doesn't have the same bite/attack. It basically sounds like if you turned the tone knob way down, just kind of bassy and dull (the guitar's tone knob is actually not hooked up, when I opened the control cavity only the selector and volume had any wires going to them).

So I know that no two guitars will sound exactly the same, but considering the fact that they're both alder, neck through USA selects with EMG's, how could there be this big of a difference? I tried changing the battery, and that didn't help the situation at all. Also worth noting, whoever did the wiring didn't do a particularly good job, considering the fact that the whole guitar was shorting out when certain wires were touching, but I figured if the problem was the wiring, that the guitar would just work or not work, with no real effect on tone.

I'm considering having my tech completely re-wire everything in the guitar, and possible even put in brand new EMG's but I don't know if that would actually help anything, and I'm not dying to spend another $200+ just to find out.

Any feedback/suggestions/advice/ is greatly appreciated. Also, FWIW, I'm playing it through a Peavey 6505+ into a Marhsall 1960DM Cab at band practice, and a little Line 6 Spider solid state combo at home. The difference in tone is most notable on the big rig I use at practice.

[Animus]

Sounds like a bad wiring job.

[tomanyjacksons]

Cold solders maybe. While you're in there go 18v with it. I've done that to all the EMG equipped guitars and loved the difference. Good luck.

[Axewielder]

Verify that the volume pot was changed to 25K ohm.

[Grahf]

did you try a fresh set of strings?

[Deathrider29]

Axewielder, I will check that out. Grahf, yes, I just had a fresh set of DR tite fit 11-52's put on.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

Verify that the volume pot was changed to 25K ohm.

+1

In my experience if anything EMG's will make a hunk of plywood with EMG's sound about as good as a good guitar with EMG's.

[Deathrider29]

Well the volume pot definitely says "A25K" so apparently the problem is not incorrect pots. Any other ideas? Can a bad overall wiring/solder job cause tone to suffer?

[norcalshred]

have you tried to innoate your bridge.? this can also cause flat sound and or sharp sound if its out of whack.

[Newc]

Flat/sharp is not the same as dull and lifeless.

You may have just gotten a dog. They happen.

However, I'd say take the EMGs out of the SL2H and put them in the RR, just to be sure (quick connects, after all). The previous owner could have somehow baked the internal preamps, or maybe they're just duds.

Bad solder joints can give you a weak, dull tone. Sometimes you get a weak, bright tone, sometimes you get a weak, dull tone, sometimes you get zip.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

+1 to Newc. A cold solder joint could cause a high resistance at the joint and suck a lot of tone.

If the guitar sounds good acoustically I'd suspect the wiring more than the guitar.

[Sephiroth]

I don't mean to be an ass but why own different types of guitars if you want them all to essentially sound the same due to actives?

Honestly, since you already have a guitar with EMG's I'd recommend re-wiring the whole damn thing then dropping in passive pups instead of the crunchies, or placing the electrics from the SL2 into the RR so it has the crunchies then dropping passives into the SL2.


Personally I'd make one guitar the one with "sweet" tones and the other one with metal tones.

[Newc]

Agreed. Put some P-Rails in the Rhoads.

[petez0r]

i had this problem with my kv2 when i first bought it ...except it had jb and a jazz. it was so thin and lifeless totally unlike my rr1 which has a nice fat grinding tone with those pups, so i had emg's installed and it just screams now, even better than my esp with the same pups. so id say its probably the pups or the wiring or both, whoever owned it probably did a hack home job and messed it up so he sold it to you thinking it sucked

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

I don't mean to be an ass but why own different types of guitars if you want them all to essentially sound the same due to actives?

Honestly, since you already have a guitar with EMG's I'd recommend re-wiring the whole damn thing then dropping in passive pups instead of the crunchies, or placing the electrics from the SL2 into the RR so it has the crunchies then dropping passives into the SL2.


Personally I'd make one guitar the one with "sweet" tones and the other one with metal tones.

Personally I would put a Duncan Custom in the bridge of the Rhoads, then put one in the SL2H, and then put one in all the other guitars... All the guitars in the world. Except a Les Paul, which is where you put the JB.