Before & After

[ShredCow]

Thought it would be nice to show how our guitars have been modded thruout the years... I wanna know whats STOCK on your guitar in its latest state.

This is my main guitar, an Ibanez S520EX

Stock (2002)

Somewhere in 2004 I think

Now, 2006 July

What's still STOCK?
Body, Neck. Erm. Yeah. Everything else has been replaced/upgraded.

Whats your guitar been thru?

 

[Grain]

drh

You are realli a genious. U realli knoe what to do with to Guitars. I only knoe how to Modified my Car. now i guess i do the same like what u did to ur guitar.
But i dont knoe where to start.

 

[ShredCow]

Grain, the reason why I went thru so many changes was because I didn't know what to do to my guitar, so I did everything to find out what works for me. The final incarnation of my guitar is what I think its my best config.

You can start by install non-invasive mods like push pull pots.

 

[strats]

i want push pull pots. what's the red button?

 

[ShredCow]

Push pull or push push pots are available. Push-push being more convenient/faster but are harder to see which position they are in.

Red button is the auto solo thing. Its a generic Em pentatonic pattern, just running up and down. For filling up space you know? It also functions as a kill switch for silly stutter rhythms.

 

[edder]

where's the auto mode for Dragonforce solo?

 

[metalella_eh]

cow, where do you go to for your mods? very curious.

 

[bin4christ]

shredcow,how many times hav u changed the bridge on tt guitar? n can say the names too? the latest 1 is edge right?

 

[live33]

Just curious : what's your pickup selection configuration now? You're currently using YM-50 or VLX91? Does the VLX91 even fit in the S' cavity?

 

[hostile]

wa this fella ah, can nvr stop modding his axe..
:lol:

 

[17wil]

where does he get the cash/credit? :evil:

 

[ShredCow]

where's the auto mode for Dragonforce solo?

Thats activated when my drummer throws his sticks at me. 8)

 

[ShredCow]

cow, where do you go to for your mods? very curious.

I did it myself... i used to send it to techs and stuff, then I started experimenting myself.

The mods are nothing new lah... but since I cant' afford to get multiple guitars for different tones, this was a way out of it... not a good way but it works for the moment.

 

[ShredCow]

shredcow,how many times hav u changed the bridge on tt guitar? n can say the names too? the latest 1 is edge right?

Uh... actually, I changed the bridge twice only.

The guitar came with the almighty original Edge but it was with that silly cosmo finish, stuff that comes off really fast? My first Edge was corroding badly, black patches and stuff...

I wanted to change it for an Edge, but at that time, I couldn't afford the $350 - $400 price tag for a brand new Edge... 2nd hand, at that time, I wasn't Ebay "savvy" enough, locally, you know how hard it is to find one 2nd hand.

So my 2nd bridge was the Gotoh floyd rose... which is the 2nd picture in the middle. Its really much more well constructed than an OFR, and @ $250 for it brand new + shipping, you can't go wrong with it. Comes with locking posts too, a feature current ibanez trems have done away with.

Later on, I had some cash, I spotted a chrome Edge in GC, so I got that, and yeap, thats my current bridge.

 

[ShredCow]

Just curious : what's your pickup selection configuration now? You're currently using YM-50 or VLX91? Does the VLX91 even fit in the S' cavity?

My pup selector is an EMG 3-way toggle switch, its beside the red button.

Its simply, neck, both pups out of phase, bridge. Then the mini toggles handle series/parallel/split for each humbucker.

The VLX91 should fit in an S cavity, its the switch in some of the Sabers, esp those with H-S-H config.

I dislike the YM-50, its ridiculously fragile under soldering heat... also, its like 2mm too thick for my Saber, so it pushes the control cavity compartment up a little. I got so sick of it... the Sabers can only take the Ibanez switches, which are the ones with the word "Cortex" written on it, but specially designed for Ibanez to handle its H-H wiring, that and the VLX lah. But the Cortex switch feels absolutely cheap compared to the YM-50. So i thought of using that 3 -way lah.

 

[ShredCow]

wa this fella ah, can nvr stop modding his axe..
:lol:

Can stop liao. Got what I want.

THOUGH. the Tone Control is something I wanna change out... for another Varitone or that Bill Lawrence Q Filter... I never use the Tone Control as much as I should.

 

[ShredCow]

where does he get the cash/credit? :evil:

Work loh.
Save.
Bread and water.

I guess if your heart is to it, you'll do it, sooner or later.

 

[live33]

My pup selector is an EMG 3-way toggle switch, its beside the red button.

Its simply, neck, both pups out of phase, bridge. Then the mini toggles handle series/parallel/split for each humbucker.

The VLX91 should fit in an S cavity, its the switch in some of the Sabers, esp those with H-S-H config.

I dislike the YM-50, its ridiculously fragile under soldering heat... also, its like 2mm too thick for my Saber, so it pushes the control cavity compartment up a little. I got so sick of it... the Sabers can only take the Ibanez switches, which are the ones with the word "Cortex" written on it, but specially designed for Ibanez to handle its H-H wiring, that and the VLX lah. But the Cortex switch feels absolutely cheap compared to the YM-50. So i thought of using that 3 -way lah.

Oops! Dang... I noticed in the last pic after you've mentioned the 3-way toggle. Ha..haha... Yeah, the stock Cortex switch is pretty crappy, the copper threads are so thin, they'll lift off if one leaves the soldering iron on just a tat too long. Like you said, they're specially designed for the stock pickup combinations. Mine can't do coil spilt with 4-wire humbuckers. LOL... The Gotoh YM-50 is slightly better, but quite huge in the S cavity. Hmm... I may wanna try the VLX91, any idea where to get?

 

[ShredCow]

www.ibanezrules.com

Let me know if you are getting, I might wanna get some thing too.

 

[neuro182]

Okie,

Since ShredCow started the balling rolling, I shalt post mine as well..

Somewhere September 2005 during the Ibanez Sale

Sorry I never take the initial photo.

Then came around Feb 2006



I swap out the stock neck & bridge pickups to some Duncans & installed a Gotoh push-pull switch.

Just when I thought I was satisfied, something came along during the Swee Lee sale June 2006!!



The Final Incarnation of my beloved RG!! Dimarzio Breed neck + FRED bridge.

More to come as I experiment with the sound, tone, switch etc.