Although I acquired this one almost a year ago, I have had to address a few issues, which were only recently resolved.
First, thanks to Glenn @wileypickett for actually acquiring this for me from a local pawn shop, even negotiating a better price for me.
When I first received the guitar, I soon realized that one of the tuners was stripped, making it impossible to tune that string. But the guitar itself was in decent condition, and the original electronics worked perfectly (more on that later). The guitar is very well built, feels solid, and is a lot of fun to play.
But the original, stock electronics (a Barcus-Berry system) sounded very thin and tinny. I decided to upgrade the electronics. No easy task, since this is a solid body guitar (the sound hole is fake). Also, I wanted to retain the use of the volume and tone knobs, and not physically modify the guitar, other than the electronics upgrade.
Our own Dave @hearth_man owns several of these “Crossroads” guitars (not to be confused with the double-neck and acoustic-electric Crossroads guitars from the 1990s), and has acquired a lot of knowledge about these systems, and has even modified them. Thanks to him for providing invaluable information and advice during this process.
The first luthier I took it to replaced the tuner, but convinced me not to upgrade the electronics ("if it ain't broke, don't fix it"). But he did fabricate a replacement cover with a barn door, to facilitate battery replacement (2 AAs), which was very cool. No need to unscrew and remove the original cover for this purpose.
But I was still unsatisfied with the sound and took the guitar to 3 other guys, 2 of whom would not touch it. Ultimately, Paul of Division Street Guitars in Peekskill took on the project and did a great job. He installed an LR Baggs Element system with new volume and tone pots, which the original knobs perfectly attach to.
The LR Baggs system takes a 9 volt battery, so I am stuck with the original cover, although I may seek to have a new barn door installed for the 9 volt in the future.
For whatever reason, the volume pot is a push-pull, but it works great. I just have to remember to unplug and disengage when I am not using the guitar to avoid draining the battery.
Overall, I am very pleased with the outcome. If I am being honest, the sound is a bit muddy, but it is far superior to the original, stock system, and it is really fun to play.
Although maybe not the 12 string equivalent of my Peregrine, it is a fun 12 string stage guitar. And it will hold me over until my Rick Turner Renaissance 12 is completed.
Anyway, here are some pix
First, thanks to Glenn @wileypickett for actually acquiring this for me from a local pawn shop, even negotiating a better price for me.
When I first received the guitar, I soon realized that one of the tuners was stripped, making it impossible to tune that string. But the guitar itself was in decent condition, and the original electronics worked perfectly (more on that later). The guitar is very well built, feels solid, and is a lot of fun to play.
But the original, stock electronics (a Barcus-Berry system) sounded very thin and tinny. I decided to upgrade the electronics. No easy task, since this is a solid body guitar (the sound hole is fake). Also, I wanted to retain the use of the volume and tone knobs, and not physically modify the guitar, other than the electronics upgrade.
Our own Dave @hearth_man owns several of these “Crossroads” guitars (not to be confused with the double-neck and acoustic-electric Crossroads guitars from the 1990s), and has acquired a lot of knowledge about these systems, and has even modified them. Thanks to him for providing invaluable information and advice during this process.
The first luthier I took it to replaced the tuner, but convinced me not to upgrade the electronics ("if it ain't broke, don't fix it"). But he did fabricate a replacement cover with a barn door, to facilitate battery replacement (2 AAs), which was very cool. No need to unscrew and remove the original cover for this purpose.
But I was still unsatisfied with the sound and took the guitar to 3 other guys, 2 of whom would not touch it. Ultimately, Paul of Division Street Guitars in Peekskill took on the project and did a great job. He installed an LR Baggs Element system with new volume and tone pots, which the original knobs perfectly attach to.
The LR Baggs system takes a 9 volt battery, so I am stuck with the original cover, although I may seek to have a new barn door installed for the 9 volt in the future.
For whatever reason, the volume pot is a push-pull, but it works great. I just have to remember to unplug and disengage when I am not using the guitar to avoid draining the battery.
Overall, I am very pleased with the outcome. If I am being honest, the sound is a bit muddy, but it is far superior to the original, stock system, and it is really fun to play.
Although maybe not the 12 string equivalent of my Peregrine, it is a fun 12 string stage guitar. And it will hold me over until my Rick Turner Renaissance 12 is completed.
Anyway, here are some pix
Last edited:
