Steve Morse model

[mapuna]

Just got a brand new Steve Morse model, I had been lusting for one since they first were available. It's the first "brand new" guitar I've ever had, I got it through Sweetwater and I had them do the PLEK thing. They raised the single coil pickups up to standard height, I know the factory setting is almost down into the pick guard. At the same time I had sent them another guitar for PLEK and received them both back on the same day. Lots of playing on that day. I am surprised how dark sounding the Morse model is, might be the ceramic magnets. I can't get the cluck, cluck, spank, spank sound that you would normally associate with a bridge and middle pickup selection. I'm not sensing any microphonics like another post mentioned. I'm using an Engl Savage 60 watt, a 60's Princeton Reverb and an early Line Six Pod. The guitar is very playable, I can't believe I dropped that kind of money for a bolt-on neck guitar. Over all, I'm surprised at the limited tones available considering the four pickups on it. But very playable. Over time I might put Seymour Duncan Alnico Pro II in the the neck and bridge and maybe their vintage or "psychedelic" single coils in the single coil positions, I never liked DiMarzios that much. Kind of bums me out that I'm already thinking about different pickups. Steve makes it work though. I emailed Seymour Duncan, asked them what their lowest output, scratchiest sounding pickup is and they came back with the "psychedelic". Neck is just under 6k resistance, bridge is slighty over 6k, which is right where my stock Strat pickups are. The proprietary single coil pickup closest to the bridge pickup on my Morse guitar came back at 12k, I don't think you can get cluck, cluck, spank, spank with that. I might try just changing out the single coils. This guitar ships with a standard spaced bridge pickup, looks to me like it should have been an F-spaced pickup. Again, Steve makes it work.

 

[beej]

It's an odd duck of a guitar, but Steve definitely makes it work. But you have to approach it like he does.

It's not a Strat, and the location of the single coil pickups gives you a completely different sound than you would get from an SSS or HSS guitar (even if you swap them out). If you're looking for more of a quacky tone, I found the best results from the bridge HB along with the neck single. (Bridge & bridge single won't get you that kind of sound.)

If you're looking to brighten it up, you could try disconnecting the tone pot- that would add some additional high end. Or wire it up to be a variable coil split on the bridge pickup.

Anyhow- interested to hear your results if you go down the rabbit hole!

 

[mapuna]

Hey, thanks. Yeah I'm not going to start shredding the wiring on this guitar. Kind of wondering why the 250k pots though. If I was only doing my original material, this would be the end-all-be-all. Steve threw out in an interview that he thought it would be an excellent guitar if you were in a cover band (which I am). Uh... maybe. Still feeling it out. Thanks,

Mark

 

[fbecir]

Hello

I'm the proud owner of a Morse guitar since 2001 ... There are some many combinations you can have with the 4 pickups ! And if you start to change the pickups heights ... well you can lose a few afternoons but it's worth it.
For me, the slanted single coil is the secret weapon of the Morse. I use it more than the bridge single coil. In fact, the slanted single coil switch gives me the 3 sounds I use the most : bridge humbucker, bridge HB + slanted single coil, slanted single coil.

Thus take the time with your new Morse (but .... where are the pictures ????)

 

[beej]

Hey Mark- most guitars with single coils have 250k pots, and these humbuckers happen to work with 250k pots.

That said, lots of people like this guitar with 500k pots. Snipping out the tone pot gets you the same results, so that's an easy thing to try without doing any major wiring. Makes it a tad brighter. Or just turn up the presence on your amp

 

[tbonesullivan]

I think if you search on the forum you can find the "stock" pickup heights that Steve prefers. I have never changed them, and the pickups really are designed to work best farther from the string than usual. If I ever have to bring it in for service I will need to TELL Them to NOT mess with those heights.

The guitar is also wired differently than many out there. There is no splitting of the humbucking pickups at all, so you really can't get a quack or cluck type of sound when mixing them with the bridge pickup. The closest you can get is using the bridge single coil with the middle single coil, though that is a bit lower in output than the other positions.

I love mine but it definitely takes getting used to. The neck pickup especially is supposed to be dark, and really works better farther from the strings.