The arrival - Custom Select Kelly

[DesolationBlvd]

Back in October or so I placed an order for a Custom Select Kelly at Matt's Music. Changes from stock spec include mahogany body, top mount Floyd, gold hardware, urethane finish because it's required to do a white finish, and Seymour Duncan Custom and '59 set.

On Wednesday, I was notified that it had arrived. Somehow, the tracking number got swallowed up in Gmail's spam filter, and when I asked again on Friday, it turned out FedEx had already made an attempt to deliver. Knowing I would be out on Saturday (today) for errands including dropping off a dead synthesizer to a repair shop an hour away, I changed the delivery to the FedEx Office location, but then they said I couldn't pick it up until Monday.

Undeterred, I learned where the destination facility was and rescued my package from their clutches:







My intent with the black pickup rings was to put on some Gibson black speed knobs and possibly the pickup selector surround.

Will have more pictures tonight...

[Vass]

That is shit hot. Congrats.

[Mudlark]

Smooth.
Everything looks perfect. Most any black/gold hardware changes will still look perfect.

[calrc]

Very nice...

[lepard]

Top mount Floyd, excellent !!!! That feels SO MUCH BETTER !!! to me.

[guitardudeluke]

thats gorgous

[shreddermon]

Looks classy as hell. Don't change a thing. Love the PU and Floyd choices, too. Congrats.

[kmanick]

very cool! looks great as is

[DesolationBlvd]

^ Also just found out that the pots are only designed to take the dome knobs, and won't work with speed knobs.

The one thing preventing me from just playing all day was the fact that I decided to browse the music stores near where the synth repair shop was, and somehow found a AVRI '75 Jazz Bass used for pretty cheap.

[Tho]

That thing is super hot!!

[Johnnyryche]

Great looking kelly!

[AIC70]

Killer Kelly!

[Nightbat]

Classy axe!


Offtopic:
Does anyone prefer these 'shaped' cases over the oldfashioned big square cases?
I sure as hell don't, both from aesthetic (looks like you're carrying a trombone) to logistical (good luck stacking them) PoV

[Matt_B]

^ Also just found out that the pots are only designed to take the dome knobs, and won't work with speed knobs.

Well yeah. Dome knobs are typically found on solid shaft pots and speeds knobs are found on split shaft pots.

[DesolationBlvd]

More pics as promised:






I was worried that pointies used the speed neck, but I noticed the work order had the standard neck specified. Feels a lot like the Rhoads, and fits my hand perfectly.

The aesthetics go down to the sound - polished and smooth vs. raw and rough. I didn't know anything about the Duncan Custom except that it was supposed to be a higher-output PAF-style sound. It matched the Duncan '59 neck pickup perfectly.

I already preferred the look of a top mount Floyd over the recessed, and now I prefer the feel too.

Another little thing I noticed - the ivoroid binding is vaguely striped?