After a few weeks with my 2001 Eagle Classic

[tsp17]

Liked it straight away, super playable/comfortable, neck profile suits me, very aesthetic without being flashy, love the neck pickup only vibe/look, but something was not quite right to my ear.  Tried it with multiple amps, but couldn’t get what i was seeking.    Decided to swap the Schaller Golden 50’s for a Benedetto B-6 (one of my all time favorite pickups)….still not feeling the love after much amp switching, new strings, etc. 

Then i started fiddling with my amp settings and BINGO!!!!

On all my other guitars I have always used fairly scooped EQ.   With this one, boosting the mids to about 2:00-3:00 was magic.  That plus a little delay effect and: Eureka, i found it!

Tight while still organic. A little more acoustic sounding than my two pickup archtops, which is part of what i was after.  Volume control bump gives it a little more electric sound.  Very versatile for what my band does.  Real Book ballads to boss nova to full electric modal jazz jam tunes. It came with some Doug’s plugs so feedback should not be an issue. The plugs alter the sound a little, but not dramatically.  Still sound like the same guitar.  A little less acoustic sound.

Getting closer to roughly the late  60’s/early 70’s (pre-pop era) Benson tone that i am looking for.   Check it out.  Links:   George Benson Thunder Walk on Giblets and Gravy  Billie’s Bounce  Body Talk .  

I just ordered an open box ($200 discount)  Henriksen Bud 10 (solid state, 20 lbs - good for the portability and the 65 year old back, two independent channels, super clean) that is voiced a little between a fender sound and a polytone sound. Cabinet built for feedback resistance.  We’ll see how that goes. I’ll probably use it on the gig Friday 2/13.  Will report back. 

Overall - after a couple of weeks thinking i might have made a purchase mistake and would have to sell it, I’ve found a great vibe with this guitar.  Will update this thread after gig on Friday, or perhaps sooner after the Bud 10 delivery scheduled for today.  Should be a fun pre-super bowl day exploring what the combination of Eagle Classic-Henriksen Bud 10 can do. 

 

[TalismanRich]

That's one of the reasons that I don't tend to go down the swap pickup route.   I can turn those tone controls and make 50 times more change than swapping pickups do, as long as you stay in the neighborhood.   You won't make a 150 with Seths sound like a Ric 360 or Tele, but to me, a 150 with Seths vs 59s is like two houses on the same block with different front porches. 

Plus, I never really try to mimic someone else's tone, especially off a record.  Even if it's a '59 LP and a Marshall BB,  you don't know how their amp was set, what was done on the mixing board and in the mastering process.   

[tsp17]

Henriksen amp arrived this afternoon.  Super easy to dial in with this Eagle Classic.  Amp  sounds great right out of the box with all the dials at 12:00.  Looking forward to a little more tone tweaking tomorrow.  It will go to the gig Friday.  I was a little concerned that it wouldn’t be loud enough to keep up with our drummer, but with the volume only at 10:00 my wife shared: “Honey, that’s really loud!” 

Another good feature is the headphone out that defeats the speaker.  Wife and family will appreciate that.  Super easy to tote at 20lbs.  Comes with a nice gig bag with a big front pocket for cables and other accessories.   Two separate eq’d channels so i can put a mic or another instrument in for solo gigs or to accompany a singer or whatever.  I ended up being the front man at gigs by default (someone had to do it), so being able to put a mic into this amp simplifies things and opens another input on the PA. 

Love the Benedetto B-6 pickup with this guitar.  Really a perfect match.  Really good with this specific amp.  Always a little nervous buying things without ever playing them, but this combination really works well.  The Eagle Classic was a good call in the end; so was the pickup switch and amp purchase.  I have a feeling this amp may become the go to for gigs since it is so light and compact.   

Maybe that will be the end of my new gear craving (for a while at least).

More to come….