Show your GK Guitar

Started by Virtual Tone, February 22, 2008, 11:45:18 AM

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ronfrost and 4 Guests are viewing this topic.

flabergaster

Here's my newest build.  I ordered the guitar kit from an ebay site, routed the unfinished body to put the Roland electronics under the pick guard. I had to splice in extra wire for the 13 pin cables because of the length of the run. The first two knobs are volume and tone for the guitar pick ups, and both are pull pots to coil tap each pick up. The 3rd knob is the Roland volume.

The Bigsby is a B5 model with a really cool adapter plate that mounts to the stop bar mounting posts without any additional drilling. It is called a "Vibramate", and one of the best ideas I've seen in a long time. Anyone who has a vintage LP, SG, Explorer, Firebird, etc. with a tunomatic and stop bar, and that wants a trem but doesn't want to drill their baby, should check this out.

Can't wait to get to building some patches for this. Glad there's a long weekend coming up.

Have Fun! Play Loud!

cell7

@flabergaster - nice one! It looks fantastic.

mbenigni

#427
cell7 - what on earth is that thing in your profile pic?!   :o

JolietJake

#428
This is my first post.
Really useful site found out so much here.

Anyway here is my take on fitting the GK kit to my strat.

The Guitar/Mix/Synth switch is usual 3 way switch supplied with the Kit but like a lot of people I replaced the two S1/S2 switches with a single on-off-on momentary toggle switch. Incidentally I have mounted the switches horizontally as this gives you more space to get the fingers in between the volume + Tone pots.

Speaking of those pots. The top pot is the Synth volume pot (supplied in the Kit).
I moved the strat volume pot to the middle position and completely removed the bottom tone pot. (I have never used it in 20 years)
Instead the tone pot is a fake which can be removed to show the normal guitar output.

I removed the Strat jack plate and replaced it with a home made plastic plate which has the GK socket fitted to it. (I looked everywhere for a chrome flat plate but couldn't find one)

The main points of this install are:
Don't have to perform major surgery on the guitar.
In the event of a "technological emergency" I can still plug a regular cable into the guitar.
If I want I can remove this and replace the pickguard and jackplate and the guitar looks just as before.
The GK cable comes out the face of the guitar (and fed under guitar strap) and doesn't get knocked by feet stands, drunks etc.

Hopefully this might inspire someone to take the plunge into fitting the internal Kit.

Elantric

#429
Welcome to the forums Colin!

Thanks for sharing your Clever tips for an internal Gk install

Reminds me of mine - which was "ridden hard and put away wet" too many times.

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=5809.0



rolandvg99

Hi, Colin and welcome. Clever solution with the jack. Nice! ;D
To V or not to V: That is the question.

My little Soundcloud corner

neophytte

#431
Nice work, I had a similar solution with my MIDI-only guitar:



http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152599859070514&l=a9ed4e0519

Cheers

Richard

Magiamusical

Do you have any picture showing the inside? I have an internal kit that have never installed and seeing your its giving me some inspiration to give it a try.

BTW: Nice job

Quote from: Colin on May 24, 2013, 11:47:43 AM
This is my first post.
Really useful site found out so much here.

Anyway here is my take on fitting the GK kit to my strat.

The Guitar/Mix/Synth switch is usual 3 way switch supplied with the Kit but like a lot of people I replaced the two S1/S2 switches with a single on-off-on momentary toggle switch. Incidentally I have mounted the switches horizontally as this gives you more space to get the fingers in between the volume + Tone pots.

Speaking of those pots. The top pot is the Synth volume pot (supplied in the Kit).
I moved the strat volume pot to the middle position and completely removed the bottom tone pot. (I have never used it in 20 years)
Instead the tone pot is a fake which can be removed to show the normal guitar output.

I removed the Strat jack plate and replaced it with a home made plastic plate which has the GK socket fitted to it. (I looked everywhere for a chrome flat plate but couldn't find one)

The main points of this install are:
Don't have to perform major surgery on the guitar.
In the event of a "technological emergency" I can still plug a regular cable into the guitar.
If I want I can remove this and replace the pickguard and jackplate and the guitar looks just as before.
The GK cable comes out the face of the guitar (and fed under guitar strap) and doesn't get knocked by feet stands, drunks etc.

Hopefully this might inspire someone to take the plunge into fitting the internal Kit.
Godin LGXT, Les Paul Studio w/GK3, JTV89F w/GK3, GR-55

JolietJake

Hello Magiamusical

Not sure why I didn't take any pictures of the inside... Probably because it was so straight forward I suppose.

As regards the wood working, all I had to do was drill a larger hole than already existed from the main cavity to the Jack plate cavity to allow the extra wires for the GK socket. That was it! The existing cavity below the volume/tone pot was large enough to accommodate the pre-amp PCB supplied with the kit. It comes wrapped in a clear plastic cover. I simply put a blob of hot melt glue on this cover and fixed it to the cavity base to hold it in place.

Wiring wise, I simply removed both tone pots and took the output from the volume pot direct to the output jack which was moved to the bottom tone port.

I didn't bother fitting the LED (don't really see the point of it).

As I said before I fitted an ON-off-ON toggle switch instead of the supplied momentary switches. To be honest now I've used it for a few weeks I wouldn't have bothered fixing this switch at all and just had it wired (or rather un-wired) to keep it permanently on mix. I'm unlikely to switch from some fancy synth sounds to the straight guitar sound, and if I did want to I could program separate patches do do it and use the foot switches anyway. Maybe just me though.
everything else is pretty much exactly as specified in the supplied diagram.

The pick up is simply drilled through the pickguard into the body and held in place with the supplied screws. Instead of the springs which were too long I used small pieces of silicone tubing to act as a spring (similar to what is supplied with the GK3). There is a hole under the GK pickup for the cable underneath. This fitted into the existing (humbucker sized) pickup cavity so once again did not require any woodworking.

All in all it took about 2 hours to fit. That included making the socket plate.

I hope this helps. If you want any specific info please get back to me and I'll help any way I can.







neophytte


rolandvg99

Quote from: neophytte on May 26, 2013, 12:28:18 AM
If you want pics of a build, I documented mine here: http://neophytte.mine.nu/photo/2011-09-28-PRS_Torero_add_Roland_GK-Kit-GT3/

Cheers

Richard

Nice guitar, great montage and wonderfull work  8)
To V or not to V: That is the question.

My little Soundcloud corner

cell7


trev27

Quote from: Colin on May 24, 2013, 11:47:43 AM
This is my first post.
Really useful site found out so much here.

Anyway here is my take on fitting the GK kit to my strat.

The Guitar/Mix/Synth switch is usual 3 way switch supplied with the Kit but like a lot of people I replaced the two S1/S2 switches with a single on-off-on momentary toggle switch. Incidentally I have mounted the switches horizontally as this gives you more space to get the fingers in between the volume + Tone pots.

Speaking of those pots. The top pot is the Synth volume pot (supplied in the Kit).
I moved the strat volume pot to the middle position and completely removed the bottom tone pot. (I have never used it in 20 years)
Instead the tone pot is a fake which can be removed to show the normal guitar output.

I removed the Strat jack plate and replaced it with a home made plastic plate which has the GK socket fitted to it. (I looked everywhere for a chrome flat plate but couldn't find one)

The main points of this install are:
Don't have to perform major surgery on the guitar.
In the event of a "technological emergency" I can still plug a regular cable into the guitar.
If I want I can remove this and replace the pickguard and jackplate and the guitar looks just as before.
The GK cable comes out the face of the guitar (and fed under guitar strap) and doesn't get knocked by feet stands, drunks etc.

Hopefully this might inspire someone to take the plunge into fitting the internal Kit.

excellent job there  :)
Takamine EG 530 electro Acoustic
Ibanez RG2610
Ibanez RG1570
Aria PE DLX

mbenigni


mbenigni

QuoteInstead the tone pot is a fake which can be removed to show the normal guitar output.

That's brilliant!

I love that you've achieved a practical internal GK install in a way that's almost entirely reversible.

JolietJake

Thank's for the comments  ;D

The plan was to make it reversible and still allow me to use the guitar with a regular cable for jamming etc, but mostly I didn't fancy chopping large chunks from my guitar.
If I want to move to another guitar at a later date I can remove the GK kit (to transfer to another guitar) and buy a replacement pick guard pretty cheaply to stick on this guitar.

I kind of wish that I had bought a black pickguard and put that on the guitar first and removed the white one to keep but you live and learn.

I'll possibly look for a small piece of mirror perspex to replace the white GK jack socket at some point, but I'm not in a hurry.

Bill Ruppert

My Ibanez 30 fret now GK-ified!

rolandvg99

#442
Nice guitar Bill. Just 2 frets short of a vintage strat in that cropped pic alone.  8)
To V or not to V: That is the question.

My little Soundcloud corner

aliensporebomb

Wow - you can get up into the high ranges with that one!  Watch out for the lower cutaway - might poke your eye out.
My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

GK Devices:  Roland VG-99, Boss GP-10, Boss SY-1000.

Bill Ruppert

YES your right!
Its that and an octave below as well.
I must say this guitar sound so good acoustically, its very alive.
Ibanez has done a great job with their non Japan stuff.
Perfect ...NO some flaws .
BUT out of the box this is crazy good.
I changed the bridge pickup and may yank the preamp.
The neck angle was to low for a GK so I redid that.
One high fret and that is amazing out of a box.
I dont know how they do it.


Quote from: rolandvg99 on June 02, 2013, 08:49:50 PM
Nice guitar Bill. Just 2 frets short of a vintage strat in that cropped pic only.  8)

rolandvg99

Fun fact: My Cort Hiram Bullock and most Korean made Ibanez guitars were made by Cort Korea.
Back in 2003 there were talks between Cort Guitars and Roland about making a full range of GK equip ed guitars. Those talks sadly ended without any deals being made  :(
To V or not to V: That is the question.

My little Soundcloud corner

Toby Krebs

I have a Cort Curbow 5 string bass with a Luthite body that is amazingly good! Cort is Cool!

mbenigni

Quote from: Bill Ruppert on June 02, 2013, 06:37:12 PM
My Ibanez 30 fret now GK-ified!

Woah that is cool.  How is the tracking way up there?  I assume that's an after-market neck and some custom body/ finish work?  I don't remember Ibanez ever doing a 30-fret.

I have a Hamer Virtuoso with 36 frets - all scalloped.  It's a pretty amazing guitar and I don't play it enough anymore.  It was my #1 in my 20's and early 30's, until I got into Parkers.

neophytte


aliensporebomb

#449
I'm curious how it will do in high registers on some of the patches where you have the pitch transposer set to +12 or +24.
My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

GK Devices:  Roland VG-99, Boss GP-10, Boss SY-1000.