Question for the Charvel guys about brass hardware.

[fritzreiser]

I have a Charvel Model 1 that has been heavily modified with brass hardware. It has a brass bridge, brass block, brass pickup ring and brass volume knob. I put a Mahogany/Rosewood conversion neck on it and the thing is still ridiculously bright. I would have thought that with basswood, mahogany, rosewood, and the 24.75" scale, the guitar would be warm as all get out. I had no idea that the brass would take over the tone. I thought it just looked great.

Question, which hardware would you replace to get back some warmth in it?

 

[Code001]

I'd replace it with a guitar that sounds more towards my liking.

 

[XSSIVE]

What pickup is in it? Odds are it's more the pickup than the brass bridge. If it's a ceramic magnet, there's your problem. Move to an A5 magnet pickup and if that's not warm enough something with an A2 magnet. Or before you do that you could also try going to a 300K or 250K volume pot. Or install a tone knob hidden in the control cavity, roll it back a bit and leave it hidden in there set to one setting. Or temporarily hook up a tone knob, find the setting you like, take an ohms reading from the pot at the position you like with a multimeter and wire in a resistor of that ohm value in place of the pot so it's always set to that amount of tone roll off. Many ways to warm up a bright guitar.

Brass trems are actually warmer sounding than steel. It's a softer metal than steel and just like softer woods like basswood sound darker than hard woods like maple, softer brass sounds warmer than steel. I'd try simpler things before swapping hardware because the only thing warmer than brass is pot metal and zinc and those just sound dead and lifeless.

 

[Chubtone]

I agree, brass as a bridge is very warm sounding! Deliciously warm sounding. Those old brass Charvel bridges are my favorite sounding bridges ever made.

 

[paulyc]

More than likely it has a J90C Jackson pickup, which is a high output ceramic and pretty bright, so I'd start by replacing that (although I LIKE those pickups quite a bit). If you want to stay somewhat original, find a Jackson J80, it's an alnico magnet and pretty cheap (and the choice of Joe Holmes).

 

[fritzreiser]

The pickup is a Duncan Pearly Gates, which I think is part of the problem. It is an Alnico II magnet, but has a ton of high end. I am replacing it with a DiMarzio Super Distortion.

I have replaced the brass pickup ring with a black plastic one and have already noticed quite a difference. The brass ring weighs a ton.

 

[AndyK]

The pickup is a Duncan Pearly Gates, which I think is part of the problem. It is an Alnico II magnet, but has a ton of high end. I am replacing it with a DiMarzio Super Distortion.

I have replaced the brass pickup ring with a black plastic one and have already noticed quite a difference. The brass ring weighs a ton.

Bingo! The Pearly Gates is one of the worst sounding pickups I've ever tried! Bright, low output, no lows. Ick. Kinda the opposite of a SD!