My Forum V - Ebony or Ivory?

Started by L07 Shooting Star, May 25, 2015, 09:50:19 AM

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What color of P-90 cover would look best on my Forum V - RS4?

Black, as it is now.
3 (23.1%)
Cream.
10 (76.9%)

Total Members Voted: 13

Voting closed: June 08, 2015, 09:50:19 AM

I've had my Forum V coming on 3 years now.  As far as I know, it's the only one that has P-90s installed.  It came with black pickup covers.  I've always wondered if cream-colored covers would look better on this guitar given the color of the finish.  I'm thinking of changing it over, but having trouble deciding.  I'm interested in your honest opinion on which color would look better on it.  I will make my decision based on the results of the poll.

Thanks for participating.

Kurt
"Badges?  We don't need no stinkin' badges."

Became a Shooting Star when I got my 1st guitar.
Back in '66, I was 13 and that was my fix.
Still shooting for stardom after all this time.
If I never make it, I'll still be fine.


:guitar

I'vealways like the look of cream on a burst or a goldtop.
A REPAIRPERSON,Barefoot Rob gone to a better place
OM03PA.98 L10 Koa
Favorite saying
 OB LA DE OB LA DA,LIFE GOES ON---BRA,It is what it is,You just gotta deal it,
One By One The Penguins Steal My Sanity, Keith and Barefoot Rob on youtube
Still unclrob
#19
12 people ignoring me,so cool
rpjguitarworks
Call PM me I may be able to help

I voted for cream.  Attached are pics of my RS2 and RS4, both with cream covers, white knobs and upgraded tuning machines.  Maybe these will help you decide.  George
George




Quote from: Strings4Him on May 25, 2015, 01:02:38 PM
Cream all the way.
:thumbsup match with tuners
Larrivee Electrics - My Dream then and Now!!!!!<br /><br />Forum IV     00-03MT       #4      (Treasured)

Threads like this one make me think twice about selling my RS-4 with the cream-covered P90's.  Rest assured, though, I won't let her go at a rock bottom price ;)

Well Steve, I wouldn't blame you there, it is worth it.  You realize they don't make this specific model with the V-block inlays anymore?  I had to custom order mine...
George

Quote from: georbro3 on May 25, 2015, 03:58:04 PM
Well Steve, I wouldn't blame you there, it is worth it.  You realize they don't make this specific model with the V-block inlays anymore?  I had to custom order mine...

I hear ya :)

On that one, definitely cream (which I voted for above).

On my RS-2, which came with cream, I preferred the black covers (see pics below).

First pic: Original - cream pickups and black knobs

Second pic: changed knobs to match pickups

Third pic: changed to black & black

2021 C-03R TE left-handed
Larrivee owner since 1992

The votes were 10 to 3 in favor of cream covers.  So last night and tonight, I changed the covers to cream.  I would have had to order the covers, but then it dawned on me I could switch them with the covers on my Gretsch Pro Jet which I bought from UncleRob 4 years ago.  That guitar is black and had cream covers.  I figured the black ones from my Forum V would look good on the Gretsch.

It turned out it wasn't quite as straightforward as I thought.  I ran into 2 issues.

1.  The two cream covers on the Gretsch were identical in dimensions, but the black covers on the RS-4 were not.  The cover on the neck pickup on the Larrivee was not as deep as the one on the bridge.  The covers on both bridge pickups were the same depth and were interchangeable.  In order to make one of the cream covers fit the RS-4, I had to reduce it's depth (thickness) by cutting off about 1/8" of plastic from the bottom of it.  I did this with a very fine razor saw after scoring it with a marking gauge.

2.  The screw attachment holes in the black covers from the Larrivee were ever so slightly larger than the holes in the cream covers.  The attachment screws on the Gretsch have ever so slightly smaller head diameters than the screws on the Larrivee.  So when I went to tighten the black covers onto the Gretsch, the screw heads went right through the holes in the cover!  Crap, now what do I do?  I pondered this for awhile, then decided to fill the screw holes on the black covers with 5-minute epoxy, let it harden, and redrill the holes.  Trouble was, the epoxy did not adhere very well to the smooth plastic of the covers.  So when I went to drill the holes, the epoxy let loose.  So I inadvertently created 4 epoxy "washers" that are sturdy enough to prevent the screw heads from going through, but just barely.  It works but doesn't look so good on the Gretsch.

Next, I spent a couple of hours setting the pickup heights and pole pieces on both guitars to get the balance I wanted.  They both sound very good again.

Pics show the 2 guitars with switched covers.  I don't have a good "before" pic of the Gretsch, but I cropped one from another picture.
"Badges?  We don't need no stinkin' badges."

Became a Shooting Star when I got my 1st guitar.
Back in '66, I was 13 and that was my fix.
Still shooting for stardom after all this time.
If I never make it, I'll still be fine.


:guitar

Great job!  P. S. It would have been a lot easier if you had gotten them from Larrivee like I did...  But then, you would have missed out on all the fun you had!
George

Agreed! Now that guitar looks right!   :+1:

:nice guitar:

:coffee :donut2
2021 C-03R TE left-handed
Larrivee owner since 1992

Looks great.Miss the Gretsch every now and then.
A REPAIRPERSON,Barefoot Rob gone to a better place
OM03PA.98 L10 Koa
Favorite saying
 OB LA DE OB LA DA,LIFE GOES ON---BRA,It is what it is,You just gotta deal it,
One By One The Penguins Steal My Sanity, Keith and Barefoot Rob on youtube
Still unclrob
#19
12 people ignoring me,so cool
rpjguitarworks
Call PM me I may be able to help

Quote from: georbro3 on June 03, 2015, 05:51:25 AM
Great job!  P. S. It would have been a lot easier if you had gotten them from Larrivee like I did...  But then, you would have missed out on all the fun you had!

I agree, I could have ordered new covers with screws and it would have been a better fit.  But, as you say, I like a challenge and I was able to find a solution even though it's not perfect.  I think I'm a lot like Dan (Dependan) in that regard.

Quote from: unclrob on June 03, 2015, 02:41:06 PM
Looks great.Miss the Gretsch every now and then.

It's been a great guitar, Rob.  I've put a few upgrades on it since I got it from you.  The Kent Armstrong pups are the same, only now with black covers, of course.  A couple of years ago, I replaced the tuners with Gibson Deluxe ones.  And last summer, I replaced the original bridge with a "Golden Age" Nashville Tune-o-matic roller bridge from StewMac.  The bigsby works better than ever now.   :thumbsup  :nana_guitar

Kurt
"Badges?  We don't need no stinkin' badges."

Became a Shooting Star when I got my 1st guitar.
Back in '66, I was 13 and that was my fix.
Still shooting for stardom after all this time.
If I never make it, I'll still be fine.


:guitar

Looks great, I've always preferred the cream covers, my original 58 LP Gold top had cream covers.

I know I posted a good deal about my own challenges with my P90 RS4.
I never did see any responses from anyone who had similar issues regarding the pick ups.

The bridge PUP which should have had a bit more gain and growl, in fact had less gain  (despite all my adjusting)
and was very brittle sounding.
Even AFTER Matt sending me a new set.

In the end, I had a pick up custom made and also went with alnico 3 magnets instead of the 5's Matt used in those guitars.

Am I the lone wolf here? No one else had this problem?
"Senior" member means "old" right?
Like over 50?

Too many guitars to list here.
Too few brain cells to be bothered with...

I have not experienced the problem you describe on either my RS2 or RS4 with Larrivee generation 3 P90's.  I sold my humbucker RS4 because it was not getting played, the Larrivee P90's have all the growl and tone I would expect them to along with the expected output levels for each one...
George

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