Queen tones from semi-hollow (long post alert!)

[Dave Sloven]

This is my favourite song featuring Brian May:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oHBO88ra3Y

[metale]

Just a small update, this guitar is still without a pickup.

There may have been some problem with my order (not with Bare Knuckle, this was ordered through a dealer/guitar shop). I have talked to Tim via e-mail, and am trying to figure this out.

[metale]

Just great. Just got confirmation from BKP that the dealer, to whom I transferred the money on December 19th, never placed the order with BKP.

[Kiichi]

Just great. Just got confirmation from BKP that the dealer, to whom I transferred the money on December 19th, never placed the order with BKP.

Ah yes, dealers. I tried a few german ones so far with mixed results. Nothing as bad as you, but not all satisfactory and even the same area as BKP service. Then I asked Feline if I could just order from him. He said yes and I never looked back. Soon again...

Hope things clear up easily from here on out, this situation really sucks.

[metale]

I don't think it will be easy. Tim told me twice yesterday that there had been no such order placed from such dealer, and that my pickups are not being made.

I e-mailed the dealer about this in the evening, and he told me not to worry because the pickups were in production.

My best guess is that the dealer tried to wait until he had more bkp orders so he would save on shipment from the UK. When confronted yesterday, he MAY have put my order through, hence he stating explicitaly that it is in production. Will have to probably wait a couple more weeks to find out.

I would have dealt directly with BKP, but I don't have a credit card (most people in Portugal don't have one, they have a bad name because the banks use them agressively to get people into debt). Will do so in the future though.

Edit: Sure enough, Tim e-mailed me saying that he received my order from the dealer this morning...
Thumbs up to Tim, who has been very helpful on all this.

[Dave Sloven]

You don't have debit cards in Portugal?

They have a Visa number attached to them but basically they just withdraw funds from your bank account, the same as using an ATM

You should look into it. I have had one here in Australia since 2001 and I didn't have a credit card for a long time, yet I was able to do all of my internet transactions (including Paypal) using one of those cards.

[metale]

My debit card is a Maestro, which to buy online seems to need a special Security Code that my bank doesn't seem to support/provide.

Traditionally, debit card don't allow online shopping in Portugal.

I will try it anyway, with paypall, to see if I can get it to work. We also have 'virtual' credit cards that we create on our account, but each time the CC number will be different and some sellers may think it's a scam.

Failing the debit card thing, I'll ask my bank for a low limit, no-interest credit card.

[Dave Sloven]

My debit card is a Maestro, which to buy online seems to need a special Security Code that my bank doesn't seem to support/provide.

Traditionally, debit card don't allow online shopping in Portugal.

I will try it anyway, with paypall, to see if I can get it to work. We also have 'virtual' credit cards that we create on our account, but each time the CC number will be different and some sellers may think it's a scam.

Failing the debit card thing, I'll ask my bank for a low limit, no-interest credit card.

You mean the three digit number normally found on the back of cards?  Well if that is missing that makes it pretty useless for online transactions.

I think in Australia all of the debit cards are Visa.  Mastercards seem to be credit cards only

[metale]

My debit card has those 3 digits, but I tried it this morning on paypal and indeed it is not accepted, seems to be blocked bank-side.

I think this is a way for getting people into credit cards (if they want to shop online regulary).

Either way I should be able to deal directly with BKP on my next orders. So my plans as of now are:
- Receive the Abraxas, install on the ES-333 with push-pull split.
- Receive The Mule, replace the LP's Mississippi Queen with it.
- Find a guitar for the Mississippi Queen, I hate unused pickups.
- Get a tele set for the MIM.

LOOONG term:
- Get an Irish Tour neck and Slowhand middle for my black gilmoured strat.
- Get some kind of strat combo for the red strat that is getting the Brian May inspired wiring.

This should keep me busy for a while.

[Dave Sloven]

The Mississippi Queen bridge might work in one of those recent Gibson Melody Maker SGs if you can find one cheap somewhere.  They were out at bargain prices for a while.  SGs of all varieties generally work well with P-90s, although I'm not sure how the maple body might affect things.

[metale]

The Mississippi Queen that is on the LP is a neck position. I've toyed with the SG ideia, but in my case it would most probably be an Epi G400.

I've thought about putting it on the neck of my new (used) tele, but would have to route it ALOT (the MQ is long legged, to make maters worse).

But I really don't need more guitars :/

[Dave Sloven]

Yeah I have that problem with the Warpig set I have.  It is open coil, long legs, so it will probably only fit another Gibson or Epiphone. I will try it out in my SG Standard the next time I change strings but it won't look right there.  If it sounds good there I will look at putting it into a more bare-bones SG at some point in the future - maybe one of those cheap SGJs or an Epi, biut possibly an SG Special.

[metale]

My ideal plan is, if I have the money at some point, order a matching bridge and get either a G400 1966 (the one with the full pickguard) or a Fender Blacktop tele for them.

Failing that, I may grab a cheap squier bullet strat (new = €100) and butcher it to accept the MQ on the bridge (despite being a neck MQ) with a Delonge type pickguard and a single 250k volume knob.

[metale]

- Find a guitar for the Mississippi Queen, I hate unused pickups.

Wow. I may be doing this later this afternoon. My self-control has really been lacking lately.

In case that I don't open a NGD and go missing, it's probably because my wife killed me over one more guitar related buy...

[metale]

Warning and apology: this post has little to do directly with the pickups.

I would like to be here saying to you that I had received the Abraxas and The Mule, and how great they are. Basically:
1- I ordered via a guitar shop the Abraxas on December 19th and paid on the same day.
2- On December 30th, I ordered to the shop (but wasn't asked for payment) the Mule, and was told by the shop BKP were taking their time with the Abraxas.
3- On January 6th I decided to check with the shop AND Tim how the order was.
4- Situation on January 7th:

I don't think it will be easy. Tim told me twice yesterday that there had been no such order placed from such dealer, and that my pickups are not being made.

I e-mailed the dealer about this in the evening, and he told me not to worry because the pickups were in production.

My best guess is that the dealer tried to wait until he had more bkp orders so he would save on shipment from the UK. When confronted yesterday, he MAY have put my order through, hence he stating explicitaly that it is in production. Will have to probably wait a couple more weeks to find out.


Edit: Sure enough, Tim e-mailed me saying that he received my order from the dealer this morning...
Thumbs up to Tim, who has been very helpful on all this.

5- On January 17th the shop asks me to pay the Mule, because my order has arrived to them and is ready to ship to me. I got ahead of myself, wanting to get my pickups as soon as possible, and transfered the money to the shop before remembering to check with Tim.
6- On January 18th, Tim replied me that the etched cover will still take a further 2 to 3 weeks.  :o

I'm feeling pretty dumb right now. I don't have my pickups nor €276. This is not a usual situation here in Portugal (scams and such), and this shop has pretty good reputation.