Guitar Setup Advice (yes its misc & meaningless)

Got the jack the right way round?

Yup, I tried wiring it up the other way round and there's no output, so that definitely correct. I might just ask a mate (who's better at soldering) to gimme a hand

is the pickup cavity earthed/screened?

Yep - I used some of that sheildng tape, which you can stick to the cavity/back of the pickguard.

sounds like you've knocked something loose when you switched the jack. time to get a wiring diagram and the soldering iron out.

http://www.guitarelectronics.com/category/.wiringresources.22pickupdiagrams/

TBH if your not used to doing this kindof thing then leave it to a shop, Floyd's are a pain in the testes, love them but they're not enjoyable to set-up...buy one of these instead, not that antiquated rubbish teenslain's peddling above

:D PRS FTW

Paul Reed Smith = Dentist's guitar

good enough for carlos

i think he dabbles in dentistry :P

Santana is actually a qualified dentist... Little known fact...

all those root canals paid for the bird inlay flame tops innit...

He loves his seagulls does Carlos...

Another little known fact: Carlos Santana is a Mexican.

This is what I'm rocking at the moment.

No tremolo - just a good old fashioned tailpiece.

Nice avatar :D

not a fan of BFG's or modern Gibson for that matter, but I like the pickup combo.

Paul Reed Smith = Dentist's guitar

Have you played one, there is no Gibson ever made which is better than PRS. Most people are just in love with the romantic ideal of owning a '58 Les Paul but in reality Vintage guitars were often poorly made using whatever bits and bobs were lying around the factory at the time...acoustics are an entirely different ballgame but with electric guitars PRS really are as good as you can get.

strat FTW

I do like a tidy Strat!!

Love this Tele though, it's Jim Root's (Stone Sour, Slipknot) new signature model!!

Never tried a PRS. I'm not a fan of the looks.

And I've tried loads of Strats and only found one I liked playing. No idea why as I like Fender basses.

The Gibson BFG on the other hand RTFO. The tone is sensational and sustains forever. I bought it because it's barebones and cheap but the money has gone on the chambered mahogany body and the hardware rather than the fancy finish. As an instrument it's fantastic. The pickup combination is a great choice.

My other electric is a Line 6 Variax 500. It's one of the early ones and despite all the money going on the fancy electronics it's a pretty decent instrument to play. And the guitar models really do sound right. It's awesome for recording, and not bad for gigging.

Best guitar I ever played was a Clapton Strat, looks wise not great with the lace pickups but by golly it was good.

apologies in advance for this but:

[HUGE RANT}i really hate PRS's.

sorry man. nothing personal, honest, but i had to let this rant out!

i'm sure they're very well made and that (and yes i've even played a few) but to me they are absolutely baby-boomer dentists' guitars. they are the £5k carbon road bike of the guitar world. i can't think of anyone i like who plays one, and i can name you a lot of people i think are utterly utterly god-fucking-awful who do. it's not that i'm inherantly prejudiced... okay i am inherantly prejudiced, but still the facts seem to back me up there.

and claiming they're good enough for carlos? good as he briefly once was, to my ears he's always had pretty bad honky nasal tone (whatever he's playing). and he stopped being any good at all a long long time ago. probably around the time, when was it? oh yeah, around teh time he started using PRS's. also (coincidence) around the time his tone went from being idiosyncratic and recognisable to completely fucking hornet in a matchbox "diddly-diddly-diddly-diddly-wheeeee!" terrble. maybe he started sucking before he picked up a PRS but he's undoubtedly sucked horribly the entire he's had one in his hairy-knuckled hands. he does make some excellent faces though.

To my eyes they're just the worst combination of bland, flashy, tasteless and boring. they're got no personality or identity in either looks or sound. The shape is horrible generic and derivative, the ridiculously figured tops and vile colours showy, tacky and tasteless (as are the bird inlays).I can identify the tone of a strat, tele, 335, les paul and a lot of times at least the family of amp though which it was played on most recordings. but i defy ANYONE to hear a recording of a PRS in a song and identify it as such. unless it's a santana, nickelback, linkin' park or dave navarro solo record (see!? see!? LOOK at that list!): http://www.prsguitars.com/artists/

i really don't judge anyone for wanting one or playing one. really honestly really i don't. well... let's just say i don't judge their character or worth as a person or anything of that kind. but if i'm brutally honest i think if someone tells me they love PRS's i think i do make certain assumptions about their tastes and influences in the musical equipment area and then extrapoloate that into the musical world in general (is this wrong?) and those judgements would tend to lead me towards the conclusion that anyone who owns a PRS is likely to have very different tastes in music to me. Beyond that even i imagine that they might also have very different ideas about what it is that makes music good/bad/whatever.

Now i look like a total guitar snob but i'm honestly not. Well maybe i'm an inverted guitar snob. i really think that to a large extent what gear you use doesn't matter. I'll really use whatever. i like what i like but i'm really no snob about cheap/expensive/japanese/american/uk boutique or mass produced. I've tried lots of things over the years. i've got vintage stuff, new stuff, cheap stuff and some really nice bits. i use all of it and if i find i've no use for something anymore i sell it or give it away.

oh i don't know. i just hate them okay?! they just remind of horrible music played by horrible musos and horrible tasteless americans in horrible advets in horrible guitar magazines. that and rich middle aged guys who buy them to go with their Matchless amp, B&O stereo and Smeg fridge. just the power of association i guess.

and while i'm at it that tele is hideous! what's the point in an otherwise classic looking tele with two hideous plastic covered (active?) humbuckers, naff looking black plastic knobs and revolting chunky black tuners and pegs? It looks like '52 chevvy with blacked out windows, fake exhaust, plastic spoiler and a max power sticker.

[HUGE RANT/]

What do you really think though?

I'm thinking of getting one of these. Looks great, loads of features and it's only £400!
http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/shop/flypage/product_id/17414

I have a guilty pleasure. I want one of these

apologies in advance for this but:

[HUGE RANT}i really hate PRS's.

sorry man. nothing personal, honest, but i had to let this rant out!

i'm sure they're very well made and that (and yes i've even played a few) but to me they are absolutely baby-boomer dentists' guitars. they are the £5k carbon road bike of the guitar world. i can't think of anyone i like who plays one, and i can name you a lot of people i think are utterly utterly god-fucking-awful who do. it's not that i'm inherantly prejudiced... okay i am inherantly prejudiced, but still the facts seem to back me up there.

and claiming they're good enough for carlos? good as he briefly once was, to my ears he's always had pretty bad honky nasal tone (whatever he's playing). and he stopped being any good at all a long long time ago. probably around the time, when was it? oh yeah, around teh time he started using PRS's. also (coincidence) around the time his tone went from being idiosyncratic and recognisable to completely fucking hornet in a matchbox "diddly-diddly-diddly-diddly-wheeeee!" terrble. maybe he started sucking before he picked up a PRS but he's undoubtedly sucked horribly the entire he's had one in his hairy-knuckled hands. he does make some excellent faces though.

To my eyes they're just the worst combination of bland, flashy, tasteless and boring. they're got no personality or identity in either looks or sound. The shape is horrible generic and derivative, the ridiculously figured tops and vile colours showy, tacky and tasteless (as are the bird inlays).I can identify the tone of a strat, tele, 335, les paul and a lot of times at least the family of amp though which it was played on most recordings. but i defy ANYONE to hear a recording of a PRS in a song and identify it as such. unless it's a santana, nickelback, linkin' park or dave navarro solo record (see!? see!? LOOK at that list!): http://www.prsguitars.com/artists/

i really don't judge anyone for wanting one or playing one. really honestly really i don't. well... let's just say i don't judge their character or worth as a person or anything of that kind. but if i'm brutally honest i think if someone tells me they love PRS's i think i do make certain assumptions about their tastes and influences in the musical equipment area and then extrapoloate that into the musical world in general (is this wrong?) and those judgements would tend to lead me towards the conclusion that anyone who owns a PRS is likely to have very different tastes in music to me. Beyond that even i imagine that they might also have very different ideas about what it is that makes music good/bad/whatever.

Now i look like a total guitar snob but i'm honestly not. Well maybe i'm an inverted guitar snob. i really think that to a large extent what gear you use doesn't matter. I'll really use whatever. i like what i like but i'm really no snob about cheap/expensive/japanese/american/uk boutique or mass produced. I've tried lots of things over the years. i've got vintage stuff, new stuff, cheap stuff and some really nice bits. i use all of it and if i find i've no use for something anymore i sell it or give it away.

oh i don't know. i just hate them okay?! they just remind of horrible music played by horrible musos and horrible tasteless americans in horrible advets in horrible guitar magazines. that and rich middle aged guys who buy them to go with their Matchless amp, B&O stereo and Smeg fridge. just the power of association i guess.

and while i'm at it that tele is hideous! what's the point in an otherwise classic looking tele with two hideous plastic covered (active?) humbuckers, naff looking black plastic knobs and revolting chunky black tuners and pegs? It looks like '52 chevvy with blacked out windows, fake exhaust, plastic spoiler and a max power sticker.

[HUGE RANT/]

It is true that PRS are generally played by the most awful musicians. Notable exceptions:

Steve Austin from Today Is The Day

Dave from Botch/Minus The Bear (although I'm not sure about this)

PRSes are like Ferraris in that they are theoretically cool, but in practise are going to be owned by people that pretty much epitomise lame.

Also, that tele is horrid. Teles should be teles, not shitty dual humbucker monstrosities. If you want that, buy an SG - they are great guitars, played by some of the best for the last 40 years.

Point in fact: who is better, Tony Iommi, Pete Townsend, et al or Nickelback?

Iommi FTW

I do like a tidy Strat!!
Love this Tele though, it's Jim Root's (Stone Sour, Slipknot) new signature model!!

Yehah, that looks wild..I'm rediscovering my old black telecaster/double humbucker beast..theres this great gnarly fatness to it that I really like

I used to string my Strat with 13-56 and I put a 5 springs in the back to help with the string tension.

13-56? Is this one of those HTFU posts? Part guitar, part bullworker? Actually, I bet it sounded amazing...