Has anyone else "gutted" your Jackson PC1 ?

[Bryan]

I had issues with the first PC1 I owned (Redrum 06 I think). Luckily I got great help here from Rjohnstone. And it was fixable. Otherwise I was screwed.


It is an utter shame as (to me) the Sustainer is a great option and the PC1 is Jackson's best production model.

[Radiohead]

I have installed Sustainiac's in 2 different guitars (one for me and one for a buddy) with no issues at all. The full kit is about $260 and the switches are not mounted to the board. The board is relatively small and would fit in any standard size control cavity fairly easily. Very flexible install.

Loved the look of the PC1 but could never get over the neck and the price tag, so built my own tribute. (no Sustainiac in this one - BE Maple neck to my favorite specs from Musikraft)

[SausageofPower]

Very nice. What kind of body is that?

[1337storm]

Have no PC-1, but I do have a CS Soloist which had the same crappy sustainer.
After trying to troublshoot it myself I tried to find someone who actually knew something
about those units...to no avail.
I ripped the thing out and replaced the pickups and the guitar really came alive.
The Sustainer is a cool toy but it's a real tone sucker...at least in my case.

[RobRR]

Im wondering if Im the only one who has a good sounding PC1? Wow! Now, my PC1 was somewhat of a workhorse before I got it. Some jackoff tried messing with replacing a switch on the board and messed it all up, delaminated traces and all. Considering what I do for a living, it wasnt a problem for me to fix it. The guitar sounded like crap when I got it and the sustainer wouldnt function, turns out simply wiring (or in the stock sustainers setup, plugging in backwards) a pickup backwards will completely disable the sustainer and kill the sound of the guitar. These boards are VERY picky, everything has to be just right for them to work properly.

Luckily, after some inspection, Ive found that there are no parts on the board that couldnt be troubleshot and replaced. If/when something goes wrong with mine, Ill be doing what ever it takes to do the repair, as the sustainer is one of the main reasons I always wanted a PC1.

If anyone needs help with their sustainer, shoot me a message, Ill do what I can to help you!

[rjohnstone]

Im wondering if Im the only one who has a good sounding PC1? Wow! Now, my PC1 was somewhat of a workhorse before I got it. Some jackoff tried messing with replacing a switch on the board and messed it all up, delaminated traces and all. Considering what I do for a living, it wasnt a problem for me to fix it. The guitar sounded like crap when I got it and the sustainer wouldnt function, turns out simply wiring (or in the stock sustainers setup, plugging in backwards) a pickup backwards will completely disable the sustainer and kill the sound of the guitar. These boards are VERY picky, everything has to be just right for them to work properly.

Luckily, after some inspection, Ive found that there are no parts on the board that couldnt be troubleshot and replaced. If/when something goes wrong with mine, Ill be doing what ever it takes to do the repair, as the sustainer is one of the main reasons I always wanted a PC1.

If anyone needs help with their sustainer, shoot me a message, Ill do what I can to help you!

Ditto.
The boards are not too difficult to repair if you have the skills to work on them.
I've repaired a few myself. Wiring seems to be the #1 culprit for their failure.
I've only had one that had a bad resistor that required replacing.

I also had one come in that was flat out dead.

[holycross1]

I have installed Sustainiac's in 2 different guitars (one for me and one for a buddy) with no issues at all. The full kit is about $260 and the switches are not mounted to the board. The board is relatively small and would fit in any standard size control cavity fairly easily. Very flexible install.

Loved the look of the PC1 but could never get over the neck and the price tag, so built my own tribute. (no Sustainiac in this one - BE Maple neck to my favorite specs from Musikraft)

That is just sexy.

The Musikraft stuff has really come along nicely. About how much was the build? If you don't mind my asking.
Koa or Mahogany? 1

[slashrox]

My PC-1 is still on layaway, When I tested it out, the guitar sounded great and the sustainer worked great. Now reading this thread you guys have me worried

[rjohnstone]

My PC-1 is still on layaway, When I tested it out, the guitar sounded great and the sustainer worked great. Now reading this thread you guys have me worried

No need to worry.
I have had my hands on a ton of them. As with all things that are hand assembled, sometimes you run into QC issues.
99% of the time they are easily remedied.

[Chief_CrazyTalk]

If I had one I surely would. I gutted my Charvel M4 and it was a much better sounding guitar, albeit with lots of holes.