1986 Nightbird GG Repost

[caliban]

The latest iteration of my Nightbird GG. Originally purchased with EMGs, I replaced them with set set of Zhangbucker PAF-style pickups. Still not thrilled with the tone, I now have a set of Harmonic Design Z-90s and I'm very pleased.

 

[GGJaguar]

Very nice! I'll bet single coils sound great in it.

 

[GAD]

Very nice! I'll bet single coils sound great in it.

When I put the 4-wire HB1s in the LavaBurst I was floored at how good it sounded with the coils split.

 

[GGJaguar]

When I put the 4-wire HB1s in the LavaBurst I was floored at how good it sounded with the coils split.

Oooo, now I want to get another and fit it with single coil pickups.

 

[GAD]

Oooo, now I want to get another and fit it with single coil pickups.

I've got like 12 of them (not really) and even have one with missing pickups, though it's theoretically destined to be LavaBurst II...

 

[chazmo]

Go GG! Go GAD!!!! There's a trade in your future!

 

[HeyMikey]

Nice caliban. I would not have thought to try single coils in that. Very glad it worked out for you after previous attempts to find the sound you wanted.

 

[ClaytonS15]

That’s very cool! I had HD Z-90s in my Les Paul Studio for years in the early 2000s. Went back to humbuckers in that guitar and sold the Z-90s. I should have kept them though- they’re unique and great sounding pickups.

 

[caliban]

Thanks for the positive feedback. I forgot to mention that the mini switch is now wired to bring "cocked wah" into the circuit with a .0047 capacitor.

The Z-90 is an interesting pickup. The pole pieces are magnets, so despite its name it's more like a beefy Jazzmaster pickup than a P-90.

 

[caliban]

Does anyone have a lead on a replacement pickguard?

 

[matsickma]

I had a set of Z90's in Solidbody M75 and then transferred them into a X161. Love the neck pickup but my bridge Z90 didn't seem well balanced with the neck pickup. Anyone else have that problem where the bridge Z90 had significantly lower output?

 

[SFIV1967]

Does anyone have a lead on a replacement pickguard?

That's a difficult one...The only idea would be asking Hans at the e-mail address he shows here:

Guitars Galore - Contact

By the way, what happened to your previous user profile?

Ralf

 

[caliban]

I had a set of Z90's in Solidbody M75 and then transferred them into a X161. Love the neck pickup but my bridge Z90 didn't seem well balanced with the neck pickup. Anyone else have that problem where the bridge Z90 had significantly lower output?

Too funny. I had this set in a DeArmond M-77 at one point.

 

[caliban]

That's a difficult one...The only idea would be asking Hans at the e-mail address he shows here:

Guitars Galore - Contact

By the way, what happened to your previous user profile?

Ralf

I couldn't log in to the original account with the password I had saved and wasn't able to change it, so I created a new profile.

 

[GAD]

I couldn't log in to the original account with the password I had saved and wasn't able to change it, so I created a new profile.

Just email me or PM me here and I can fix that and/or merge your users.