Roland GK-3 pickup mount for a PRS

[John Mann]

I recently had a customer who wanted to screw a Roland GK-3 divided synth pickup directly on to his 20th Anniversary PRS Guitar ! I told him that I just couldn't bring myself to do that, which IMHO would ruin such a beautiful guitar. Here i...s the solution I came up with... I designed and machined a new pickup ring with a shelf on it that the GK-3 could be mounted on. It worked perfectly, with no modifications to his guitar! Check it out!

Photobucket Gallery : http://s1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa368/mannmadeusa/Roland GK-3 Divided Pickup mount/

 

[sergiodeblanc]

What a simple, and brilliant idea! I can't believe nobody has thought of this before.

Good call on talking him out of hard-mounting the pup, I used a GK-2 and a Roland GR-50 for a while until I realized that there was no practical application for guitar synth (for me). The three little holes left over on my strat bothered me forever after I removed the GK-2, I wish somebody would have developed this sooner!

 

[László]

Brilliant!

 

[John Mann]

Well... turns out I wasn't the only one with this idea... so there goes my dreams of patenting it ;-)
But anyway I have made a handfull that work with PRS humbucker equipped guitars. It's made from black plastic, so you may want to swap out your pickup rings to black.
They are available at www.MannMadeUSA.com for $50 shipped with the USA

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[John Mann]

BTW photobucket gallery ... http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums...nd+GK-3+Pickup+mount/IMG_5916_zps3bb3413b.jpg

 

[Blackbird]

Awesome! I've been looking for something like this. Did you still need to use spacers or did you just mount the pickup directly to the ring and adjust with those tiny GK3 screws?

 

[JustRob]

Got the Roland GR-55 for Christmas with the GK3 PU. Didn't really like the way it mounted on my CU22 or CU24. Using it on an SE245. I'm thinking about getting the Graphtech Ghost system with the hexpander installed in one of my USA PRSi, but I just don't know if I want to commit to having my guitar drilled for the 13 pin and the switches. Anybody have any experience with this?

 

[robang]

Easy fix

Got the Roland GR-55 for Christmas with the GK3 PU. Didn't really like the way it mounted on my CU22 or CU24. Using it on an SE245. I'm thinking about getting the Graphtech Ghost system with the hexpander installed in one of my USA PRSi, but I just don't know if I want to commit to having my guitar drilled for the 13 pin and the switches. Anybody have any experience with this?

This is a quite simple job and should enhance the value as the target market are always looking for modified guitars as there
is no factory option. I have fitted both GK internal and Ghost systems and properly set-up there ain't a lot to choose regards performance,I prefer the 2 button bank up/down to the switch system that comes with the G/tech. if you need it and already have the guitar then do it, it is after all a piece of wood not a part of your body so whats the damage

 

[hippietim]

John, any chance you could do one that mounts to an NF?

 

[robang]

Got a PRS STUDIO to do now and as the H/B is closer to the trem Johns rig will not fit, Petroni on uk e-bay has the perfect answer as his rings are s/steel and allow the p/up to move 4mm forward while also allowing the GK to be screwed to the plate, he also does s/c plates and custom ones. I was going to make one but for £30 all finished this is a better bet. Must say I love the sound options on the studio, those NF units are buff'. Going ti fit a mini-sw. to give H/B +front NF option as this gives a Gretsch tone. This is a killer strat-mod that I do a lot of, why F/der don't do it as standard is a mystery