Pearl Tuners

Log Out | Topics | Search Moderators | Edit Profile

Author Message   Chucke99 Username: Chucke99 Registered: 2-2007 Posted on Tuesday, July 03, 2007 - 8:57 pm:    So what I'm trying to do is, ultimately, recreate, at least in outward appearance, Frank Zappa's cherry sunburst Les Paul Custom that he used in the early 1980's (and which is pictured on his "Shut Up N Play Yer Guitar" album covers). I've got a MIJ body incoming, I've ordered the black trimmings and gold screws, and can easily get some gold plated bridge/stop pieces. But I notice on the picture of the guitar (see below) that his guitar has what appear to be the same Ibanez pearl tuners that are on my MC400. Where can I git some of those? (And they don't have to be Ibanez if the same style are made by another manufacturer. They just have to be gold plated.)   Talajuha Username: Talajuha Registered: 11-2006 Posted on Wednesday, July 04, 2007 - 5:33 am:    What is the fifth knob? Juha   Chucke99 Username: Chucke99 Registered: 2-2007 Posted on Wednesday, July 04, 2007 - 5:53 am:    I'll let Frank explain it (from a 1982 "Guitar World" interview). Note that the magazine transcribed "carbon" when Zappa said "Carvin" a couple times: GW: What kind of modifications did you build into the Les Paul? Frank: The Les Paul has a pre-amp and it has two different kinds of pick ups, and it has a Dan Armstrong pickup in the neck position and it has a carbon pickup in the bridge position. It has a Dan Armstrong gizmo called The Green Ringer built into it, which I can dial in. It also has a EQ circuit which in one position gives you about an 8db boost at 8-K and the other position gives you an 8db boost at 500 cycles, so you can either go from a bright sound to a more mid-rangey wah-wah kind of sound, all built into the guitar. And then it has a pickup selector switch that has nine positions. It changes the wiring between the pickups in a lot of different ways, so it's got a lot of tonal variation, I can make it sound just like a Telecaster if I want. Unfortunately, in that position it's not humbucking and under the lights it makes a lot of noise but in a studio it's usually okay. And then there's a little toggle switch on it that goes from series to parallel on the pickups and depending on where the pickup selector switch is set that gives you yet another whole series of variations. And so, I have eighteen times three different tone selections on that guitar. Complete article: http://wiki.killuglyradio.com/index.php/Frank_Zapp a,_82/03   Chucke99 Username: Chucke99 Registered: 2-2007 Posted on Saturday, July 14, 2007 - 10:09 pm:    Bump. Still looking for those pearl tuners. The tuner heads look just like the ones on my MC400NT, so I'm thinking Zappa put a set on his Les Paul. Where can I get a set of these tuners? Are they available new? I'm watching eBay like a hawk, too. -Chuck   Acetan Username: Acetan Registered: 9-2003 Posted on Saturday, July 14, 2007 - 10:23 pm:    Are they in gold or chrome? Can't tell for sure.   Chucke99 Username: Chucke99 Registered: 2-2007 Posted on Sunday, July 15, 2007 - 12:00 am:    Gold.   Ibanezfreak1960 Username: Ibanezfreak1960 Registered: 3-2004 Posted on Sunday, July 15, 2007 - 7:23 am:    http://www.ibanez.com/parts/2004_PARTS/el_guitar/p arts/MB506G.html If you are in the USA these are it. They are new parts form the ar3000.   Ibanezfreak1960 Username: Ibanezfreak1960 Registered: 3-2004 Posted on Sunday, July 15, 2007 - 7:30 am:    Chucke99 the set is 75.00 dollars according to the price index on Ibanez.com. These are Gotoh tuners and are very good tuners.   Ibanezfreak1960 Username: Ibanezfreak1960 Registered: 3-2004 Posted on Sunday, July 15, 2007 - 7:33 am:    By the way I have pics of him somwhere that I took at the Philadelphia Tower Theater in 1981 of Frank playing this guitar with a 80 to 200 zoom lens on my old manual Pentax K 1000. They were some great gigs.   Chucke99 Username: Chucke99 Registered: 2-2007 Posted on Sunday, July 15, 2007 - 3:37 pm:    IBZ Freak, I would KILL for scans of those pics. If you ever find them, let me know. I saw Frank twice in 1981, once at the Palladium in NYC and also, I believe, in Hartford, CT (but it could have been NJ).   Chucke99 Username: Chucke99 Registered: 2-2007 Posted on Sunday, July 15, 2007 - 3:47 pm:    I don't see how to order the tuners on Ibanez.com.   Acetan Username: Acetan Registered: 9-2003 Posted on Sunday, July 15, 2007 - 5:36 pm:    I have a set of valve tunes with pearloids but they're in chrome. Sorry can't help you.   Ibanezfreak1960 Username: Ibanezfreak1960 Registered: 3-2004 Posted on Monday, July 16, 2007 - 9:58 am:    Chuckee, ibanez.com has the store button on the menu at the top. But it seems to be down at this time. That is where you place your orders.   Mr_roadstar Username: Mr_roadstar Registered: 6-2002 Posted on Monday, July 16, 2007 - 1:21 pm:    Ace, "Valve"? I think you meant "Velve Tune". As in "velvet" with a speech impediment. The Bear   Bobzilla Username: Bobzilla Registered: 2-2005 Posted on Monday, July 16, 2007 - 1:51 pm:    Chuck, the tuners you want are on ebay pretty often. Type in "pearl tuners" as a search, you'll probably find them within a week. I know I got 2 sets that way... recently. I am looking for star tuners, I'd trade you if you got 'em.   Bobzilla Username: Bobzilla Registered: 2-2005 Posted on Monday, July 16, 2007 - 1:52 pm:    P.S. - try what Freak said first.   Chucke99 Username: Chucke99 Registered: 2-2007 Posted on Monday, July 16, 2007 - 7:10 pm:    Thanks guys. I'm checking regularly on the bay for pearl tuners now. There's a trashed Ibanez LP up now that has star tuners with it, but they look in need of a plating job. Bob, you have experience with that, don't you? ;-) Just kidding. Don't mean to dredge up bad memories.   Acetan Username: Acetan Registered: 9-2003 Posted on Monday, July 16, 2007 - 10:40 pm:    Can't get away with anything around here.

Add Your Message Here Post: -Color- Black Red Green Blue Yellow Purple Orange Cyan Gray White -Font- Arial Courier Symbol Times Verdana -Size- Smallest (-2) Small (-1) Normal Large (+1) Largest (+2) Enter Item number: Username: Posting Information: This is a private posting area. Only registered users and moderators may post messages here. Password: Options: Post as "Anonymous" Enable HTML code in message Automatically activate URLs in message Action: