Upgrading components on your Pit Bull Guitar

[adam]

I'm amazed at the quality of the components that you get with our Pit Bull Guitars Kits. The machine heads, pick-ups, bridges and other bits of hardware are excellent quality for the price. However, if you feel the need to upgrade any components, or perhaps you want to try for some different sounds, you can always modify you kit with more expensive parts.

Here at Pit Bull Guitars, we recommend checking out StewMac.com. They have an excellent range of products and the prices seem pretty reasonable. Check 'em out here:

http://www.stewmac.com/

[dingobass]

Hi Adam,
I have been doing business with Stewmac for quite a while now, and I can fully recommend them.
Their customer service is fantastic and orders are shipped out the day you order.
If you choose to ship using DHL, the shipment usually arrives in Perth within 5- 7 days! Faster than getting items sent over from the East Coast of Ausralia!
Regards,
Phil.

[adam]

Hey Phil, yes, I've heard good things about StewMac. Our tech, Adam Brown, who runs a repair business in the CBD, uses them regularly.

I'd like to expand this business into higher quality upgrades eventually, but in the meantime, I'm happy to recommend StewMac.

[Benj]

Hey guys, another +1 for Stewmac. Do you mind if I suggest a few others that I've had great dealings with?
Guitarfetish - these guys have a huge range of products that could be used to enhance your Pitbull kits, also sell their Xaviere range which are great entry level guitars (I play a Tele with GFS pickups and it is amazing for the $300 I payed).
Dragonfire Guitars - I think the pickups are out of the same factory as the GFS ones but as far as accessories go, they are a bit cheaper on average, and all of the stuff Ive bought from them has been great. If you want to upgrade a humbucker equipped guitar, hit up their Phat Screamers.

The ST-1 I'm working on will feature plenty of dragonfire products, mostly due to the fact that they have alot of colour selection.

[adam]

Thanks for the tips Benj. Eventually we'll have a selection of our own upgrades (pick-ups, hardware, etc), but it's nice to have a few good options right now.

[MitchellJBurgess]

I want to make a suggestion for upgrading the pickups for the sv-1.

The great man that the guitar's design was based on, Steve Vai, uses Dimarzio pickups, these are the pickups he has used, Gravity Storm Neck, Gravity Storm Bridge, The Breed Bridge, The Breed Neck, Evo 2, Bridge, Evolution Bridge, Evolution Neck, Blaze Bridge Model, Blaze Middle, Blaze Neck Model, Evolution 7, PAF Pro.

For more information, here's an information page on the pickup and his other accessories from Dimarzio. http://www.dimarzio.com/player/steve-vai
=)

[adam]

Quote from MitchellJBurgess on October 20, 2012, 07:20
I want to make a suggestion for upgrading the pickups for the sv-1.

The great man that the guitar's design was based on, Steve Vai, uses Dimarzio pickups, these are the pickups he has used, Gravity Storm Neck, Gravity Storm Bridge, The Breed Bridge, The Breed Neck, Evo 2, Bridge, Evolution Bridge, Evolution Neck, Blaze Bridge Model, Blaze Middle, Blaze Neck Model, Evolution 7, PAF Pro.

For more information, here's an information page on the pickup and his other accessories from Dimarzio. http://www.dimarzio.com/player/steve-vai
=)

That's the great thing about these kits, Mitchell, you can upgrade anything you like on them. If you can afford it, you can try some different pick-up configurations.

[dingobass]

Benj has recommended Guitarfetish for parts. I also give them a big thumbs up! The service and backup is excellent and nothing is a problem for Dave at Guitarfetish.

Dingobass

[Benj]

If you can, put some of those DiMarzio Gravity Storms in, they are brand new from DiMarzio/Vai and from the clips I've heard, they sound amazing! And cheers Dingo, yeah Guitar Fetish seem to give really great service. I actually picked up their tuner and chorus pedals which I've lined up against my brothers boss (Chromatic Tuner and Super Chorus) and TC-Electronics tuner and Corona Chorus and they are definately as good, if not better. If I hadnt already bought a Crunch Box, Tubescreamer and Phase 90, I would have bought my whole pedalboard from them!

I've tried GFS before, and they're above OK. I've used several sets of humbuckers and twin rails, but eventually swapped them out. I wanted to like them, but... However, if you want to put down a little bit more coin, there are local alternatives.

Adam probably knows Perry Ormsby who is there for your hand wound pickup needs. He's winding the pickup* for Junior, who will be unleashed on the world prior to summer. I've only ever used his P90s, but they make GFS' P90s run away and hide.

Every quote he's given me says that if you're in Perth and drop your axe in he will install for free. However, best not to annoy him right at this very time- he's moving workshops.

There's also Chris Kinman Pickups in Brisbane. Cost wise they are less than the top end brand names, but in a lot of people's opinions basically crap on them and are noiseless while they do it. Anyone who produces the pickups that Tommy Emannuel insists on and Hank Marvin uses must be doing something right.

There was also the guy who was doing all my pickups, but he is no longer with us...

* (P90 Old School+ Alnico V Scatterwound)