software

Just finished installing some s in my new HT Select and made some slight mods to the wiring to make it easier to get around. First off, I installed an Alnico Pro 2 neck and Duncan Distortion bridge. These are a slight variation on Seymour's fave Jazz/JB combo, same idea I think but a little farther in each direction. think of a warm, smooth, singing Allman Bros solo, In Memory Of Elizabeth... or something along those lines - and that's the sound I hear from this pickup. The Bridge just sings and soars and screams with harmonics all over the place. I'm not susually a fan of high-gain pickups but this might be the best bridge pickup around for Classic-Hard Rock in a mahogany bodied guitar. I first tried a Pearly Gates in the bridge since I have a bunch of Duncans around, but it didn't have enough guts so I put the DD in there just to see what it sounded like. I also have a brand new C5 that I was going to use but I think I may just leave to DD in there now. It's a blast.

For wiring mods the first thing I did was to add some quot;treble bleedquot; caps to the volume pots. I usually use 330p's but I on this one I used a 330p on the neck and a 220p on the bridge. The DD bridge pickup doesn't need much help in the high end so the lower value is fine in this case. I then added a jumper wire between the coil-tap switches (tone pots are push-pull pots) so that I can either pull one coil-tap and split both pickups (using bridge tone control) or just split the neck (using the neck tone control). I find that I like the middle position with both pickups split and I also like to have the neck split with a full-on bridge pickup, this way I can have a jangly/funky neck sound and a wailing bridge sound. I wired the splits so that it is also hum-cancelling in the middle position with the pickups split.

This guitar can now cover so much sonic territory it is unreal. The stock pickups just do not do this guitar justice and the pickup swap coupled with the wiring mods have bought this guitar up quite a few notches and this will probably take the number one spot in my collection.

Rock on!

Great review. Its always interesting to hear how two pups, that you might not consider together, work together. I love the DD. (Have one in the neck.)

Its cool that you tried some wiring quot;modsquot;. I assume that clips are forthcoming?

I am working on some tracks with the band and will definitely use this guitar on something. I will make some clips and post them when I have a chance.

Good to hear another satisfied Distortion customer. It's also nice to know that the AP2 matches up with it.

I think the APH neck goes with almost any bridge pickup. It's my favorite neck HB bar none......the DD was a little too compressed for me, but I know tons of guys like it.

Cool combo, glad it does the trick for you.

Yeah, I'm sure I'll try other stuff, after all, I have never been one to leave well enough alone, hehe. For now though it's all good