Mapleflame Mod

Brad737

This space for rent...
Joined
Apr 27, 2012
Messages
1,254
Location
Cincinnati, OH
Hello all,

I started a thread about the "Mapleflame Mod" on VR, and thought I'd share it here. This is a mod for guitars with the Gibson ABR-1 bridge. However, since several PRS models use ABR-1s, such as the Signature, Artist 1s, and the early Limited Editions, I thought some folks may find this interesting. Here goes:


As a lot of you may have picked up on in various threads, I'm a tinkerer. Unless I buy a guitar solely as speculative investments, I can't resist "making them mine". I normally don't do anything too outlandish. But I'll do just about anything, as long as it's a keeper. Having said that, I stumbled across the "Mapleflame Mod", named for the LP forum member who popularized Murkat's bridge post mod. What it does is replace the stock bridge posts on Gibson ABR-1 bridges. On my 2 Les Pauls, the stock posts were 1-inch nickel covered brass screws, screwed about a half inch into the top, with a half inch on top. I drilled 1.5 inches into the body and screwed 2-inch 6-32 stainless steel screws into the body until they bottomed out. The results on both Lesters was noticeable. (I couldn't drill that deep on my Flametop but I did go a little deeper.) Like I said, there is a definite improvement in the tone. When the screws go deeper into the wood, more vibration is transferred to the body. I've noticed a little more volume and clarity, but the big difference is increased sustain. I'm going to do a little recon on my Artist 1 and see if she's a candidate as well. I HIGHLY recommend this upgrade. You can't see it externally, and it's totally reversible if you don't like it. Others have tried different metal screws for different tonality, such as zinc or brass. Personally, I think the difference is the increased contact area versus type of metal. Let us know how you like it!

http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=139132

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/historics-reissues/171219-anyone-here-try-maple-flame-mod.html
 
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