I know I have to still post the last part in the Kamikaze Saga: The Completion, but I couldn’t wait to let you all know how the new guitar held up under fire at last night’s rehearsal.
A brief rundown: I took my ESP Kamikaze apart and swapped out every single part: new hardware, new electronics, new neck. Even the volume knob and strap pins are new! Body is 1 piece maple, neck is 1 piece maple, birdseye maple fingerboard. Here’s a pic of the body + neck (assembled pics are coming soon):
I not only schlepped the new guitar to Ultrasound last night, but also my JCM800 head and pedals … over 100# of gear on the NYC subway system!
My setup was: Kami > Fulltone Full-Drive 2 > JCM800 > Diezel 4x12 … I ran a Fulltone Fat Boost through the FX loop for solo boosting.
The big question is: how did the Bare Knuckles fair, sonically, in a live band, twin guitar setup? The answer is: ASTOUNDINGLY WELL!!!
For volume reference, I was using the “Boost” channel of the ‘800, with the Gain at 5, Boost Volume at 8, Master Volume at 7-8.
TRIAL BY FIRE PART 1: MIRACLE MAN BRIDGE HUMBUCKERIf you read my initial impressions thread, you will see that I thought the Miracle Man sounded very bright, articulate, and hard. Well, that must’ve been the VG88’s influence, because my tone was anything
but bright or harsh last night! On the contrary, it was still articulate, but it had a woody organic texture that sounded HUGE compared to the other guitarist’s Breed-equipped Jem, with a lower-midrange growl that made the rhythm parts sound heavier than wet carpet! I’m assuming that the maple body has much to contribute to this, as my other Lynch guitar has amazing low-end growl, as well. (Can’t wait to hear what
that guitar sounds like with a BK in the bridge!!)
Boosted, I noticed that the tone was lacking the high end bite necessary for pinch harmonics, and I re-EQ’d accordingly (Hi 5, Mid 7, Low 5). That made the leads sound HUGE. I had to roll back the boost twice; it was cutting through the mix with a vengeance!
TRIAL BY FIRE PART 2: IRISH TOUR NECK SINGLE COILFor one song, there is a nice, quiet, Maidenesque intro. Switched to the Irish Tour … a nice 5-6dB drop, as I have the pup mounted flush with the guitar body. Boosted, you could hear it as clear as day. The tone was pretty much as I experienced through the VG88; it still had that overpowering “organic-ness”. My overall experience with single coils is practically nil, as I have always been a rail style pickup user. The focus you get from a single coil is quite seductive, tho! It has a warm, woody character, and a rolled off top end. I found I could improve pick definition by picking directly over the pickup itself. Tap harmonics rang clear and true. Chords had almost infinite sustain (ie, they would sustain until feedback).
So there ya have it, folks, right from the horse’s … er, guitar, I guess. Sound clips to follow soon.
