Adding a single coil to a RG 321

zenmastercc · #1 05-03-2006, 08:47 PM

I like having a hardtail in addition to my Jem but I miss that in between Strat sound.

I am using the "Paul Reed" Wiring with the two humbuckers but I still hear a small difference when playing clean solos. It gets a very good Strat sound for clean stuff but it sounds a little bright when it's time to play cleaner solos then switch back to chords (I play in a top 40 band where we need different tones depending on the song.)

I don't know if there is a J-Custom with PAF Pros, 24 frets, middle single coil and a hardtail. (There probably is but I'm not familiar with the markets in Japan or the UK.)

I appreciate any answers.

Thanks

lyconxero · #2 05-04-2006, 12:38 AM

You'd be better off just adding a coil tap to your current wiring configuration.

Ki swordsman · #3 05-04-2006, 12:58 AM

not certain on if this'd fit but here's a possibility i've been thinking about..

swap the neck bucker for a good powerful single coil and to cover the extra space have a dummy single coil empty cover(with no holes) next to it

this'd give you power in full neck position like a humbucker still but with more stratlike tone, and when mixing both pups you could mix with the bridge split or not to get some new strat overtone sounds ANNND if you get a single coil that is stacked and splittable itself like virtual vintage or chopper etc then you get a whole big bag of new splitting possibilities too...

lyconxero · #4 05-04-2006, 04:02 AM

Well you'd have to get some sort of special pickup holder because the ones that come stock with the guitar are built to hold humbuckers. But if you're going to go the route of a stacked single coil anyway then it would be MUCH EASIER to just get a lower powered humbucker for the neck and add a coil tap. Also, if having an actual single coil is that important then I would say that the RG series is not for you since humbuckers are really where it's at. The SA series have some nice guitars with single coils so that could be more to your liking.

Ki swordsman · #5 05-04-2006, 05:16 AM

well stacked singles and low powered hums can be very different things tho..

and i have to disagree, the RG can be whatever you want it to be, if you like the look and feel, you can make it whatever you want
know what i mean?
it's like saying if you like EMGs you should go ESP and stay away from ibanez cos 'passive is where it's at'...

doesn't make sense to me

Ibateur · #6 05-04-2006, 05:24 AM

why don't you just put a Humbucker from Hell at the neck position?

zenmastercc · #7 05-04-2006, 06:18 AM

Thanks for all of the answers.

I don't know what tone The Humbucker from Hell produces in the neck position. I figured everyone would suggest an Air Norton.

I'm using two PAF Pros in the RG 321MH with The "Paul Reed" wiring with a 5 way Megaswitch.

I did position the neck pickup 180 like a Jem so maybe that explains the "brightness" when I split it in the "2" position.

It's good for rhythm tones but for clean solos it's has a tinniness to it. The pots are 500k with a .02 capacitor.

marianozz · #8 05-04-2006, 07:01 AM

Just take it to a luthier with a picture of a 570 and tell him thats what you want... shouldnt be too hard, and if they do it right they shouldnt damage the finish around the new hole edges...

zenmastercc · #9 05-04-2006, 12:27 PM

To clarify things I meant put a single coil in the middle position.

So it would be configured like a hardtail Jem. H/S/H.

toneboy · #10 05-04-2006, 02:47 PM

You could always get a PGM301.

I wanted the pickup arrangement you're looking for as well as a hard tail so that led me to get the PGM. Yes, I'm a Paul Gilbert fan but my tastes are very eclectic. Heck, I was playing along with the Fugees last night. The graphics on the PGM, IMHO, are pretty subdued so that I'll probably never get sick of them.

BTW, I've got a Humbucker from Hell on order so I'll be making post on how it sounds after I install it. I've used that pickup in a guitar with an alder body and tunamatic bridge. I liked it in there so I'll probably like in the PGM301.

zenmastercc · #11 05-04-2006, 03:18 PM

You're right Toneboy. I don't like the f holes or the reverse headstock.

But that is a no-brainer. The PGM 301 is nice.

Thanks.

marianozz · #12 05-04-2006, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zenmastercc

To clarify things I meant put a single coil in the middle position.

So it would be configured like a hardtail Jem. H/S/H.

I understand, see my previous post

zenmastercc · #13 05-04-2006, 08:01 PM

OK, I gotcha. The 570 is a good example.

The repairman I go to is a good craftsman so I shouldn't have a horror story.

Thanks!

ChopTart · #14 05-04-2006, 08:18 PM

FYI, the reason not many people suggested the Air Norton is because it has a really warm, full humbucker-esque sound and would not fill your single-coil glass-bell requirement. The virtual Vintage sounds like a good choice (the neck one has great strat sounds)

zenmastercc · #15 05-04-2006, 08:48 PM

Hi Choptart,

I figured they would suggest the Air Norton in the neck position, Blue Velvet for the middle single coil and PAF PRO for the bridge position.

Thanks for the information.