DC3 humbucker?

WEDGE

WEDGE

Zombie five, DFZ
Joined
Apr 26, 2012
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Too close to the casinos in CT.........
i have a DC3 incoming but I also scored a F Jimi Hendrix Strat brand new on a huge discount. This does killer single coil position 2 and 4 sounds, so much so that I am contemplating doing a bridge humbucker conversion to the DC3.

Of course I have to play it first and determine if it is right to do to it but wondered if anyone knew what the route under the pickguard looked like on a DC3. Not sure I want to carve wood but if there is a hole there anyway I might slap a bucker in there. Anyone do this and how did it turn out?
 
Pretty sure it's only routed to fit the 305 single coil in there, remembering they are mounted differently than a regular pick guard guitar. This pic doesn't show it perfectly but you get the idea (Skitchy about to get busy with a router on my DC3)

IMG_20130719.jpg
 
Remember, Wedge, you can always get a single coil sized humbucker to install. They just stack the coils.
 
dogrocketp said:
Remember, Wedge, you can always get a single coil sized humbucker to install. They just stack the coils.
Click to expand...

Yeah, i had a red Lace Sensor in a strat years ago and it killed. I would need to get one that splits well to keep the position 2 sound right.

So I did get the DC3 in and i have to tell you it is sweet. Not as quacky stock as the real deal, but it plays like a PRS and sounds great. I lowered the pickups and it helped the tone greatly, brought the quack back :)

I will keep the JH strat for hanging on the wall as my quick grab beater but am loving the PRS.

 
How much different are the tones from the Strat?

Congrats on a nice guitar!
 
Different like the flavor of coke versus pepsi.....both obviously a cola but taste diferent. To my ears the DC3 is better than a split tone from a humbucker guitar. A DGT for example gives a really good single coil tone but the DC3 is a much better strat tone.

The JH strat is rawer amd the PRS is more refined, both great but different, but i have had a bunch of strats and they all sounded different to; MIA, MIM, MIJ, different body woods, different pickups, etc.

I never played a 305 and would still like to, but at least construction wise with the bolt on neck this is closer to a strat, and the maple neck feels good. Feels like raw wood but i am sure it is oiled or something. I actually am going to take down the sheen on the strat to reduce the gloss and give it a more smooth feel like this one.

There are some really good 305 versus strat videos on the web that give you a great sonic comparison and i echo the findings there with the DC3, different yet the same but you get P.RS feel and playability which is a win. Also you cant even compare the trems for feel and staying in tune.
 
WEDGE said:
Yeah, i had a red Lace Sensor in a strat years ago and it killed. I would need to get one that splits well to keep the position 2 sound right.

So I did get the DC3 in and i have to tell you it is sweet. Not as quacky stock as the real deal, but it plays like a PRS and sounds great. I lowered the pickups and it helped the tone greatly, brought the quack back :)

I will keep the JH strat for hanging on the wall as my quick grab beater but am loving the PRS.

Click to expand...
Nice! I'm Lovin' it!
 
I have a DC3 and LOVE the strat-like tones I can get from it, but the only thing holding it back from being my no.1 guitar is the lack of oomph in the bridge position. Definitely considering a stacked humbucker upgrade - anyone have any good recommendations? As mentioned above, would have to have a good split tone, to retain that 2nd position magic!
 
Try changing the pickups heights before you come to conclusions. PRS pickups are very tunable, and can sound completely different depending on the height.
 
I wonder if the dc3 pickups are all the same or if they are wound differently for bridge/middle/neck? I was thinking of adding the neck pickup to the bridge pickup for a double coil option
 
1st post.
I love my DC-3, but was wondering where I could get another pick-guard for it if I routed it for a Duncan pearly gates?
 
I have one modded from an NF3. Bought it this way.

Untitled by jcolmn, on Flickr


I also modded a DC3 once. A couple of notes to share.

If you want to make toggle switches a la Brent Mason, it is pretty obvious where to put the toggles, but you'll need to move the volume pot so that you can see both of them in playing poisition. Note the pic of the blank pickguard.

The location of the original volume pot hole from the NF3 (I assume also the DC3) is plugged and the location of the Brent Mason model hole has been drilled. The volume pot needs to basically be directly below the bridge screw coil and right in lind between the two pickguard screws. There is a small channel under there for the pot to fit but depending on where the hole gets drilled, you may need to do some routing.

Untitled by jcolmn, on Flickr
 
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