Project: o(VEL)h(A)ul - The Franken-Vela

[EatSleepGuitar]

While we’re at it, who wants to see me slap an AL8 magnet in one of my Dragon I trebles

 

[Deleted member 5962]

Eh, disagree. Still the super sick offset silhouette and tele style barrel bridge. Vernon Reid seems to think his is a Vela anyway.

That’s a whole different animal! Floyd Rose and high gain pickups… WHOLE different thing. And a very cool one, for sure, but different.

What you’re talking about is like comparing a regular Strat to an HH model. Yeah, it still looks like a Strat, but it’s not the same.

I could see swapping bridge pickups on a Vela, but I thought the neck pickup was part of the magic of the Vela.

 

[EatSleepGuitar]

That’s a whole different animal! Floyd Rose and high gain pickups… WHOLE different thing. And a very cool one, for sure, but different.

What you’re talking about is like comparing a regular Strat to an HH model. Yeah, it still looks like a Strat, but it’s not the same.

I could see swapping bridge pickups on a Vela, but I thought the neck pickup was part of the magic of the Vela.

problem is this:

The type-D was designed for a middle position complimentary to the DS-01, as much as it was designed for use by itself. By itself, yeah its alright, pretty decent for Korean made. Middle position sounds great too, whether the DS-01 is split or not.

DS-01 didnt do it for me as a bridge. Its...fine for certain kind of styles, but I think there are better out there for what its trying to accomplish. Never found that it cleaned up well, despite loving the transient-heavy P90-ness of it.

Tried a couple other hums in the bridge, and they just didnt play well with the Type D in the middle position.

So its like, all vela or no vela.

I plan on acquiring a satin semihollow vela later this year anyway, so I have no qualms with frankensteining this one

 

[Aahzz]

You’re replacing the neck pickup of a Vela????

Ain’t no Vela no mo.
Signed,
Friend of Aahzz

My man speaks TRUTH!!

 

[Deleted member 5962]

I’m not saying I wouldn’t love me both a regular Vela and a Vernon Reid model. I’d be fine with both. Yin/Yang.

Edit: I love me some Living Colour. Exposed me to music I normally wouldn’t have purchased, and I REALLY dig this band, and Vernon is a bada$$ so, yeah, I’d like one of his Vela’s, but I’ve got “rippin” guitars now, so I’d rather check out a regular one first.

 

[Rider1260]

I picked the 58/15tm for both positions thinking they were close to the 58/15mt that I have in my special semi hollow I think they would be a GREAT fit for a Vela

 

[goat-n-gitter]

I built a Frankenstein once upon a time where I used concentric pots for tone/volume like you describe. They were very tough to adjust on the fly. I tended to accidentally darken the tone when I went to lower the volume. YMMV. I ended up going 2 vol 1 tone and drilling an extra hole for a mini switch that had been in one of the existing holes.
As far as pickups, I voted 85/15 bridge, 57/08 neck.

 

[EatSleepGuitar]

Looks like most of the pickups got at least a little love (sorry #10s), but in the end y'all wanted the 57/08 neck and either a Dragon I or 85/15 bridge.

Sadly for you Dragon folk, I've already had a Dragon in this Vela before, and it did sound great. It is a bit of a juxtaposition though, as it's not really a vintage vibe kinda sound, obviously.

So I'm gonna have to tie-break and say lets have an 85/15 TCI and 57/08 combo; should make for some great tones I think.

More to come!