As part of the guitar sales/purchases of the past week, I found a ridiculously good deal on a new G&L Legacy Standard in Fullerton Red. As expected based on past G&L experience, it's an amazing guitar! Almost too good to mod, but as we all know, nothing's safe around here. I thought it would be fun to hot-rod it to be similar to David Gilmour's Strat... starting with installation of an EMG DG-20 pickup set (3 SA single coils + active EXG & SPC tone controls). For added versatility, I ordered an EMG PI-2 phase switch to throw the middle SA out of phase in relation to the neck/bridge SA's. So last weekend I took the Legacy apart, removed the stock pickups, and installed the EMG's... it wasn't a true plug & play installation since the EMG pickguard didn't fit the Legacy, but it was relatively simple. Transferred the EMG pickups & pots over to the Legacy pickguard, drilled a small hole for the PI-2 switch, and soldered in the switch & input jack. The biggest challenge was finding space for the 9V battery... the Legacy doesn't have as big of a control cavity as Strats, so space was tight under the pickguard.
With the mod complete, the guitar looks sweet... for some reason the DG-20 set includes a pearloid pickguard, white knobs, & ivory pickups (???). The ivory pickups are a much better match with the cream pickguard & knobs that came stock on the Legacy. Observe...
The tone of the EMG's is unique... they sound "flatter" than the stock G&L pickups and have virtually no noise. The EXG control boosts highs & lows--it is great for clean tones, giving the guitar an almost acoustic quality. On the other hand, the SPC control boosts mids--it makes the single coils sound almost like humbuckers. Jury is still out on the utility of the PI-2, though after I re-assembled the guitar I realized that I accidentally wired it to the neck pickup instead of the middle pickup... not a big deal, but would definitely be more useful in the middle position. But that's a project for another weekend.
Before I go, had to share this picture... with addition of the Fullterton Red Legacy I've got this all-American trio thing going on...
--B
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2 comments:
What is a G&L Legacy standard, about 8 years old worth? It doesn't have the matching red head on it, but it its in perfect condition. It is candy apple red
Hard to say... I know some folks dig the older G&L's (3 bolt necks), so maybe it's worth a bit more. Nonetheless, seemns like used Legacy's are typically in the $600-800 range, based on condition. They (at least the new ones) don't seem to maintain resale value quite as well as Fenders, which is a shame since I think the G&L's are just as good (if not better) from a craftsmanship, playability, and tone standpoint.
--B
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