Sub1 Love (Warning: Mods!)

[NickLee]

Hey guys, I thought I'd share my sub1 project among some others here. Besides, who doesn't enjoy a sub shout-out? Everyone who has one of these things knows how great they are, or were. Plus, after a little customizing it feels more personal than my JP6.

All of the electronics have been replaced. Some of the mods are pretty common...

DiMarzio D-Sonic
DiMarzio PAF Pro
DiMarzio EP1111 3-way switch (split center position)
500K pots w/ treble bleed circuit
GraphTech nut & saddles

Next up are the Schaller locking tuners. Contemplating stripping the neck too, but we'll see...

Update: Schaller locking tuners ordered. Big thanks to A.J. at Music Man for helping me out!

20/04/13 Update: Locking tuners installed and lookin' good



Nick

 

[Jack FFR1846]

Nice start! I like where you're heading!

 

[NickLee]

One thing I'm pretty proud of is that I'm the original owner. I've been trying to see if I could get my hands on another one because the last price I saw them go for was $300-$400 here in Canada. There's been quite a surge lately in people looking for these guitars.

 

[Bass Control]

That looks great! I'm still in the process of finishing mine. I did strip the neck (I had to, it was in terrible shape) but put a satin clear coat on the back. I will need to go back to my original thread and post some updated pics.

Keep up the great work and rock out!

 

[Metropolis777]

Stripped the neck on mine last weekend. So worth the short time it takes to do it.

 

[edhalen]

I finally had a chance to try one of these out last week at GC. Wow what a guitar! Played and sounded fantastic. No $$$ to buy it but was great to finally get a chance to play one. If I ever got one the neck finish would have to go.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

I have been thinking of doing something similar to a Silo at some point...

 

[NickLee]

Another Duoverb user...sweet.

 

[tlasol]

Nice job! Looking forward to see your progress on this one. Big difference between the GraphTech nut and saddles compared to the original ones? Was it hard to install the nut?

Cheers from Finland!

 

[NickLee]

The nut was probably the first thing I changed a few years ago, because the original snapped at the low-E. A little filing should fit the nut if it doesn't fit already. I also trimmed the sides of the nut so they were flush with the neck.

The first thing I noticed about the saddles is that they were much more comfortable under the hand. Then I realized how effortless bending became. The saddles are called "String Savers" and they claim to never break strings, but we'll see about that...

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

Another Duoverb user...sweet.

My favorite amp of all time! Never found a better amp! I constantly get compliments on my tone, and the DI is fabulous. How long have you used one?

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

The nut was probably the first thing I changed a few years ago, because the original snapped at the low-E. A little filing should fit the nut if it doesn't fit already. I also trimmed the sides of the nut so they were flush with the neck.

The first thing I noticed about the saddles is that they were much more comfortable under the hand. Then I realized how effortless bending became. The saddles are called "String Savers" and they claim to never break strings, but we'll see about that...

All my Axis guitars have Graphtech saddles, and I think since I have been using them I have yet to break a string. The only problem is that you lose the will to change strings on a reg-ular basis and they go black!

 

[Warg Master]

Very nice! Love the sub! The most Moddable guitar IMO! I love mine, and yours it very very nice!

 

[NickLee]

Tim: Not if you use coated strings

I've had my Duoverb since '08 I think. I used to have a Mesa Boogie half stack, but have since been searching for a new tube amp. I got the duoverb for its stereo abilities (love my ping pong delay) and the mixing of vintage amp models. So it serves its purpose

 

[DrKev]

Tim: Not if you use coated strings

And the tone stay fresh significantly longer too. Especially on the wound strings.

 

[paranoid70]

The saddles are called "String Savers" and they claim to never break strings, but we'll see about that...

... eh Nope. Still break D strings on my Silhouette Special. Big Bends Nut Sauce helps more than the string savers. In my experience the Graphtech saddles didn't help at all.

 

[NickLee]

Yeah, I've been playing long enough to know a bold claim like that. As I said, we'll see. I never really purchased them for that reason anyway...

 

[NickLee]

Where do your guys get your pickguard blanks? I know the sub1's pickguard is just a silhouette special, but I'm debating routing a single coil at some point and instead of using my current pg, I'd like to be able to switch back to the original config. if I need to.

 

[tlasol]

Got mine from Allparts with no problems. The quality of the blanks was great, too. But I'm no expert

 

[NickLee]

Got my Schaller M6 locking tuners w/ pearl buttons from EBMM this week. Great upgrade. I think the lower profile of the tuner pegs added some slack to the string tension.



My upgrades are complete for now. Maybe some new knobs, who knows. I would like to get a compensated nut, but after some research and discovering a pending lawsuit between EBMM and Earvana, I doubt this will be possible. Anyone want to shed some light on this subject?

I've decided to leave the neck for now until it starts to wear. I've been contemplating getting stainless steel frets once it needs a re-fret, but my tech currently doesn't have the tools.

Nick