Weak Soloist - Part 2

[84sups]

You say it sounds good unplugged? Then it sounds like a cold solder joint. Break out the soldering iron and hit the solder and see what happens. It'll cost you nothing if thats the problem.

[xenophobe]

No update on the $160 titanium block? lol

[tonemonster]

You say it sounds good unplugged? Then it sounds like a cold solder joint. Break out the soldering iron and hit the solder and see what happens. It'll cost you nothing if thats the problem.

I think this is a very definate possibility.

[JACKSONFREAK]

Try the ernie ball cobalts. They work and seem to add fullness and texture to the tone that was already there. I put some on my home made feankenstienand it made a difference to what was already a great sounding.g guitar.

[veniculum]

No update on the $160 titanium block? lol

The titanium made a difference. It didn't change the overall tone of the guitar...but any of the 'flatness', or weak spots, or just general punchiness that I wasn't getting before has certainly been rectified. I wouldn't call this my favorite sounding guitar...but at least I (think) I got the most I could get out of it.

The titanium alone didn't make the difference....but neither did the EMGs installation. It was the combination of the pickups, the block, and a good setup. So...that's where I'm at with this guitar.
I think that if I could do everything over again, I would've stayed away from the neck through, as I've always liked bolt-ons better anyway (Dinky perhaps...well..I have one. It's called a PC-1)...and to be honest...I think that I would've been happier saving the money spent on this guitar, (putting a little more money aside), and picking up a custom shop Charvel...or...with my more recent introduction to some of the 'boutique' stuff...maybe looking at another Suhr..or Tom Anderson. There's a transparent black Tom Anderson out on Matt's Music that I want so bad my dick is hard...I just can't do it right now. Had I not dropped so much coin on this Soloist (and the mods), who knows. What is it they say...hindsight is 20/20? No regrets...I'm glad I have a Soloist...it's a beautiful guitar...and as much a collector these days as a player, I'm proud to have it in my collection...even if it isn't my favorite sounding guitar.

Oh..and by the way...the EB Cobalts were mentioned. I bought 5 packs of these when they were announced. I finally got them in the mail two weeks ago, and immediately put them on my Les Pauls. You know...I'm not sure I get what all the hype is about. I like the way they feel...they are kinda nice. But they literally look like old worn out strings...and they don't sound particularly great to me. I much prefer a nice new set of D'Addarios...I like the clarity that I just didn't get from the Cobalts. Anyway...I don't think I'll be using all five sets. Thanks for the suggestion though....to each their own. Hey...Slash like's em!

[JACKSONLEFTYFREAK]

I know exactly where you are coming from regarding the neck-thru alder Soloist. I had the same exact problem, and I tried a bunch of things to get it to sound the way I always dreamed it would. My god the Seymour Duncan JB sounds like crap in that guitar. I then replaced with EMG's and still wasn't happy. Just when I was about to give up on her and put her on eBay, my tech and I tried one last thing.....

We put a pair of Doug Aldrich humbuckers in her, then we did a coil split with push-pull pots. Now not only did that solve my tone problem, because the Aldrich sounds AMAZING in there....but it also made my guitar extremely diverse...so it was a double win.

These days I learned my lesson. I ONLY buy mahogany Soloists, which sound completely different (and the JB sounds great), and if, for some reason, I end up with another Alder Soloist, the Aldrich pickups are going in right away....

Good luck!

[pro-fusion]

I have three Soloists (and have owned many others in the past), and they all sound different. The heavier ones are generally going to be darker sounding and less lively. My '85 is like that. Very heavy, very tight on the low end, and sustains for days in the upper register. But it's definitely darker sounding and not as "lively" as most bolt-on strat types. My '90 Soloist Pro, on the other hand, might be the "singingest" guitar I've ever owned.