Gave my HBII a facelift and a Mann 2300

[garrettb]

This is all Carl's fault.

I freshened up my 2002 Hollowbody II with lampshades, ivory rings, and a MannMade 2300 stoptail. I also gave it some TLC by oiling the fretboard and polishing the pickups (Lollars, only a couple years old). The guitar looks, plays, and sounds like a million bucks now.



This really is a fantastic bridge. It's a beautifully made piece of hardware. I had the PRS adjustable on there previously. I can't make a scientific comparison, but I've been playing this guitar since new and there is now a more bell-like ring to the strings and it's more balanced string to string. It's louder and less plinky when strumming unamplified; it sounds more like an acoustic. The increase in sustain is surprising. I'm excited to crank it up and hear the notes bloom into musical feedback.


I'm actually on the fence about whether or not I like the ivory rings vs. cream. They do make a nice match to the bone nut, however. I think they'll grow on me. The recessed screws are slick, and a very cool feature hidden below is the little nubs that hold the springs (or rubber tubing) in place. Makes it 100% easier to install pickups.


And a pic of the back just for the heck of it...

 

[bodia]

Awesome job! Looks killer.....crank her up loud \m/

 

[CantankerousCarl]

Killer upgrades...The Mann's stuff indeed rocks. As your enabler, I agree with Bodia, and advise you to examine the limits of controllable feedback!

b.t.w. that's a killer-looking HB.

 

[veinbuster]

Nicely done.
The ivory rings look good on that guitar.

 

[Smoo]

Awesome. What kind of Lollars are in there? I was thinking about putting some in my mccarty

 

[toothace]

Beautiful! Nice upgrades!

 

[shupe13]

Wow that's sexy!

 

[Mikegarveyblues]

Stunning guitar with some great upgrades!

 

[LJD]

Sweeeeet.

 

[László]

Looks killer!

 

[g.wizz]

looks like a million bucks

Crank it up

 

[markintime]

Real sweet, congrats!

On a side note, if the rings are genuine ivory, as one who has worked with ivory often, you may notice some yellowing over time. But it could take years to develop. It shouldn't put you off, cause then you'll know for sure they're real ivory. Again, love that guitar!

 

[garrettb]

Thanks all. I do love this guitar. Looks 10 years newer with the changes.

Awesome. What kind of Lollars are in there? I was thinking about putting some in my mccarty

I have Low Wind Imperials. Perfect combo in a solidbody for me would be Low Wind neck and a regular Imperial in the bridge.

Real sweet, congrats!

On a side note, if the rings are genuine ivory, as one who has worked with ivory often, you may notice some yellowing over time. But it could take years to develop. It shouldn't put you off, cause then you'll know for sure they're real ivory. Again, love that guitar!

Nah, they're just the newer style PRS off-white plastic rings.

 

[garrettb]

Okay, one more pic. The weekend's snow (all 1/2" of it) has melted and the temp is in the mid-50's, so I snapped some pics outside. I think this one best captures how the guitar looks.



And more on the tone: I've fallen in love with this guitar all over again. I got to turn it up a little bit today and what I previously observed about the bridge is more apparent with some more volume. More balanced across the EQ, better string separation, and crazy-long sustain. Again, this is a fresh set of strings, but I measured the setup and pickup heights before/after so they are the same. No changes to my pedals, amp, etc.

Is the bridge a night and day difference? Well, probably not. Like most mods, it is an incremental upgrade towards optimizing the guitar for my taste. It also looks fantastic and makes me want to play the guitar more. Totally worth it. Now I can stop tweaking this guitar. Probably.

 

[Tag]

Beautiful guitar, and one of my favorite PRS colors ever.

 

[LJD]

So why a Mann bridge and not PRS?

 

[Guitar_Brat]

The Darken fret board looks very rich against the body.

 

[garrettb]

So why a Mann bridge and not PRS?

I've had the PRS adjustable on there since new and figured I'd try something different. John makes some of the best stuff out there. The different reviews on here all reported the same (positive, in my opinion) changes in performance. It's cheaper than either PRS version and is much nicer than the competition (except maybe the Schroeder, but I don't like the hump on that design). Springs instead of the sometimes rattly C clips to hold the saddles in place. I think it's more in keeping with Paul's rules of tone with its unplated materials.

 

[Basauri]

I think it's more in keeping with Paul's rules of tone with its unplated materials.

This is what I don't understand.
I'm thinking about buying this bridge for my McCarty because I like to set up my guitars to the milimeter, but I can't understand why PRSh, the Rules of Tone Master, doesn't improve his stoptails having this in the market as competence.

 

[Mixstar]

I adore HBII's and this one carries off the colour beautifully. I'm not a great lover of blues, greens and purples on my guitars but this one is exceptional - well done