modding a TIMBRE guitar

[keithC]

hi there i'm sure everyone knows the timbre guitars from standardvalue... since there was a previous thread... i wonder if anyone bought and modded theirs?

i'm considering getting the sr200 and changing its pickups to something better for a more clean and powerful sound. considering EMG-SAs or seymour duncan single coils... i'm not sure which will be better.

its body is alder, and i dont know how the pickups will sound on it too... any pros around?

also thinking if this idea is even a good one, cause i may be modding a guitar thats not really worth modding... if u know what i mean.. i'm sorry.

thanks for ur help...

XD

 

[Marksman]

Hmm, I don't feel that you should bother with active pickups, but then again, to each his own.

 

[losaris]

As long as u like the feel of the guitar I think you should go for it.

I'm changing the pups of a Samick Valley Arts strat with Seymour Duncan pups cuz I'm in love with the feel of the neck and body...

 

[Weiht]

I changed my pups on the timbre n it sounds warmer n nicer. Actually, u be suprised how hot the stock pups r!!! Its ceramic i think.

I put in my replacements which r supposed to be hot alr, but its not as hot as the stock. The nuances n dynamics after the switch is better, but the stock ones r also not too bad lah, if u compare to the other pups that come with guitars in that price range

 

[re_unknown]

sure thing, go ahead

 

[tany]

dont waste ur money modding a cheap guitar. there's lots of options to consider when modding a guitar, wood, feel of guitar, construction, hardware. change too much and u'll waste the good pickups in a cheap guitar, and of course waste money. moreover hard to resell, u lose lots for ur pickup/hardware values. i learned it the hard way.

get a better guitar if u want to mod.

 

[Weiht]

Have u tried the timbre guitar yet? Its cheap, but dont let the price fool you... Guitar is at the end of the day all down to the wood n construction, imo. Of course if u feel better paying for a brand then go ahead

But for wat u r paying, the timbre is really bang for the bucks... I modded mine, n have no regrets as it improves the guitar. N im finding myself playing it more than my fender mij, may be due to the alder wood as compared to the basswood, more strat-like maybe. But that doesnt make bassword cheap btw

n seriously, the guitar cost onli 290. How much can u lose by selling 2nd hand?

 

[tany]

well it's personal decision i guess. just sharing my own experience. moreover i havent tried the timbre yet. but wat i meant is the pickups would lose their value when placed into any guitar, what more into a cheap guitar, unless of course u plan to remove them to sell individually.

 

[re_unknown]

the timbres are really heck good starters... in some reviews does by our very own softies, they sound better than squier strats!

i did a sound test on both models too(standard value near my house... just take bus for 5 mins reach) and wah, i was surprised at the sound... sweet clean single coils

 

[Weiht]

Tany, u really gotta try it!!! woodlands is so far its really a bitch, but its worth it. Plus if u buy, mike sets it up well for u!!!

Its really makes u feel like its the best 290 bucks ever spent!!! I really like the clean tone from this guitar, really nice n glassy to me lah. The mij fender basswood doesnt have such nice cleans, but still thats nice too.

If u feel that u like this guitar, n wanna improve it to do it more justice, then go for it. Im loving it

 

[roysclub]

+100 to weiht

 

[keithC]

hey guys! thanks yeah this timbre strat is said to compare to fender strats, which is why i was thinking a modded one will be much better then a fender already.

was away overseas and didnt reply much, but thanks to all who replied me

re_unknown
PostPosted: Thu Jun 07, 2007 1:21 pm Post subject:
go for the 168, the colours ranges are nicer and i don't know why but they sound nicer to my ears than the 200s

well, 200 is highly recommended by mike himself, i think its much better too

 

[Weiht]

In term of construction finish n all the other details, the 200 is much better. Also i bought it as it has a slimmer neck profile to suit my hand.

 

[Lancefury]

I own a timbre strat as well, and i did various modifications to it.

I changed the pickups to Lace Sensors Gold, which had no hum and a bell sounding 50s sound.

I initially installed an Artec tone circuit, but it crapped out (in a few days), so i'm doing a 2 way switch that allows me to switch my neck pickup on, so i can get a Neck+Bridge PU sound.

I've also changed the tuners to Wilkinson Ezy-Lok, so its almost in tune all the time now, and the 5-way switch is a Tone Drive 5-way (pending patent), and Alpha Pots.

My opinion for changing of the Single Coils would be perhaps to take a look at Lace Sensors, and Tesla pickups.

The Tesla VR-1 is a replication of a vintage 50s+ single coil sound, akin to the Lace Golds, but different sounding... The Tesla Plasma 1s are modern, and relatively punchier pickups, akin to a 90s strat, but with more clarity and twang.

The Lace Sensor Gold is 50s bell sounding pickups with just enough twang and no hum, smooth sounding like Eric Clapton.

Personally i tried the Seymour duncans, and although it was ok and sounds pretty twangy, the clarity and definition loses out to both Lace Sensors and Tesla pickups. For the prices wise, i think the Plasma 1 is around $185 for a set, VR-1 is around $230, and Lace Sensor Gold is around $215... i think more accurate pricing can be found at the standardvalue website where Timbre guitars are also sold.

Btw, the stock single coil pickups of Timbre is so hot that they used 500k pots, instead of the normal 250k...

The differences between SR-200 and the earlier model are:

SR-200 has a thinner neck, the finishing of the neck is somewhat oil based satin (not sure), but it is smoother than the earlier model. The cutting of the guitar is more rounded, and almost exactly like a Fender Strat. It uses Alder wood while the earlier one uses basswood i think... hence different sounding, and people might like different sounds as well. I find the sound of the SR-200 to be brighter and more punchy. Headstock of the SR-200 is no longer like the Fender Headstock of the older model. Finishing and paint of the SR-200 is relatively better in which you can see that its a smooth and even coat, unlike its predecessor. The stock pickups are also different if I'm not mistaken.

 

[edder]

1) Change tuners to Planetwaves if you like to wank on the bar often.
2) Change pickups to Bill Lawrence Keystones, available on the ebay or direct from Bill Lawrence, look for Bruce. Cheap and good. Got a set of tele Keystones. Slightly louder than normal pickups but very nice!
3) Change the electronics only when they crap out, so not necessary to do now.
4) Got some spare cash, change the nut and get it shaped to fit your string gauge. Only if you have spare cash.

 

[deathism]

u can always sell the guitar without the aftermarket pups wad..

wads the big deal..

 

[sqoobs]

..........

 

[keithC]

hey sqoobs.

this thread, is half a year old. recently brought up by lancefury.
when i was still noob...
however, no one seemed to comment over my noob comment...

now, i feel its all about feel. its psychological as well, that i still think some fenders sound better than timbres.
but when u compare bang for buck, timbre will win.

 

[sqoobs]

..........

 

[ShredCow]

Its difficult to gauge a guitar based on "bang for buck" and I think the trend in SOFT is to go gaga over guitars that are bang for buck.

It really doesn't matter if a guitar is actually mediocre, or merely average sounding... as long as its bang for buck yah, its rocking. More features, electronics, hardware, etc etc....