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  • Sterling by MusicMan

fsmith

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Joined
Oct 30, 2003
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2,297
Location
Halethorpe, MD
After playing it for a few years I decided two things about this guitar. I prefer maple necks and P90 pickups.

I offered up the original rosewood neck in a swap for a maple neck, beej stepped up and a trade was made. I swapped out the original pickups :eek: I know blasphemy, but decided to drop in a set of Seymour Duncan Phat Cats, P90's in a humbucker form factor. In my opinion this was a success all around and the guitar plays and sounds fantastic. Original pickups were sold to a forum member.

Obligatory pic...

 

sanderhermans

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Nov 5, 2013
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1,092
Location
belgium
Fred, that looks great! I've thought about trying 90s in 'bucker size, you might have just pushed me over the edge. Would it be sacrilege to swap them into my original Dargie JP?

Yes it would be sacrilege! 1-it's a dargie 2-it's a jp model wich should melt your face off 3- it's a dargie for cryin' out loud! :)

The albert lee does look great with a maple neck and p-90 on that colour combo!
 

GWDavis28

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Joined
Jun 23, 2003
Messages
12,474
Location
Mass
Fred, wow man, looks great. I've always thought the AL HH would be pretty cool with a maple neck, love it man!!! Michael would be digging it big time. Got any other pics?

Glenn |B)
 

threeminutesboy

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Joined
May 11, 2003
Messages
6,909
Location
France
The phat cat is a fantastic sounding pickup. I did that mod in an ASS back in the days and regret selling it. I will do it again for sure

Congrats
 

xjbebop

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Joined
Jan 8, 2013
Messages
2,792
Location
AZ High Country
Outstanding! An HH with maple neck is still on my wish list.
I dig the p90's as well.
Fyi - the new railhammer gnarly90 and tel90 are fabulous options. ..
 

Tollywood

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Joined
Mar 23, 2011
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4,179
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Rhode Island
That looks excellent, Fred. Mint green is such a great color. It's really cool that a fellow formite got the hallowed Axis pickups.
 

Sweat

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Joined
Dec 31, 2006
Messages
7,022
Location
Texas Finally!
Awesome Fred good job:) now I understand why you wanted the maple neck! Great change and I am sure Mr. Greene would be proud.
 

MajtasticVoyage

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Joined
Jul 7, 2014
Messages
213
I would love a rosewood neck but BEM fretboard with that sea foam green color, white pickguard, and cream knobs!
 

pentaspan

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Joined
Oct 9, 2014
Messages
49
gorgeous guitar.

I had a fender Strat in the same colors. Loved it's look and played the crap out of that guitar every day for 10 years...until I had to get a refret and realized fender not only finishes their maple fretboards, but they put finish over the frets! None of the luthiers in my area would touch it, saying refretting it would be complicated and wouldn't be worth it. I simply sold the entire guitar and bought a silo special with a rosewood fretboard (never dawned on me that MM didn't finish any of their fretboards)...I was kinda wanting to emulate Steve Morse's original guitar at the time, anyhow (on a budget).

Love my silo even more than my strat (it's just a better guitar in every aspect, imo), but I still appreciate a great (unfinished) maple fretboard...like yours.
 

sanderhermans

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Joined
Nov 5, 2013
Messages
1,092
Location
belgium
gorgeous guitar.

I had a fender Strat in the same colors. Loved it's look and played the crap out of that guitar every day for 10 years...until I had to get a refret and realized fender not only finishes their maple fretboards, but they put finish over the frets! None of the luthiers in my area would touch it, saying refretting it would be complicated and wouldn't be worth it. I simply sold the entire guitar and bought a silo special with a rosewood fretboard (never dawned on me that MM didn't finish any of their fretboards)...I was kinda wanting to emulate Steve Morse's original guitar at the time, anyhow (on a budget).

Love my silo even more than my strat (it's just a better guitar in every aspect, imo), but I still appreciate a great (unfinished) maple fretboard...like yours.

2 misconceptions here:
Musicman does make finished maple boards on their classic series. In this case the frets are finished aswell... 90% of maple fretboard guitars and basses are finished after the fretjob.
And anny good luthier will refret this for you, altough it is some extra work. As you have to cut away the frets from the clear coat. You can even do this preperation work yourself with a sharp razor blade. The rest of the refret is the same as on anny guitar.
 
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