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I need to make an update video for this guitar. The KM pickup has been replaced By a D-Activator pickup because the KM was damaged while shipping the guitar. The D-Activator sounds a little sterile to me, lacking low-mids but it has enough output to handle baritone tunings.

@@HeavyInHawaii Thanks for the reply friend!

I no longer have them but those monitors are the same as most powered monitors in the US. The power supply is internal and the lead/power cable is the same as any you would with a desktop pc that uses 120v AC. The power cables don't have any volt or amps. Hope this helps.

I'm pretty sure it was fixed a while back. The mt15 used in this video was my friend's that had the stock 6l6's. I owned the newer mt15 and it never hummed like the older unit.

I think the stock Gretsch pickups were filtertron style and were def lower output which sound great but just weren't what I was looking for. Just wanted more omph and I feel like the KM passives give me that.

@@HeavyInHawaii Thanks for the reply. I guess i was confused because it sounded like you said after you installed the new pickup, you lost some brightness. I was thinking about getting one of these guitars and putting either a bare knuckle or a fishmann in it but was just wondering how it would end up sounding with the wood/construction of the guitar which was obviously not designed for this sort of music. Was hoping since you've done a swap to something a little more aggressive, you'd be able to tell me whether it was worth it or not :)

I think any brand pickup can be awesome in there as long as it is voiced how you like. Let us know what you decide and how you like it.

I can believe it. You're going from the longest scale to the shortest scale. What a difference. I still have this one and love it.

Thanks for checking out the video. Yeah the headrush will work as a practice amp or you can obviously gig with it. If you're looking for a bass amp there's better options depending on how much you're looking to spend right.

@@HeavyInHawaii Thanks Friend!

The imports do not come with USA Wolfgang pickups like they used to. The import pickups are decent. They are all direct mount tho.

@@HeavyInHawaii Thank you

for sure!

Great question 👍

Really!? Not familiar with the hybrid 59. I will look into that one. I've been going with lighter strings to try and go brighter.

@@HeavyInHawaii it's really good with lower tunings.. clear and with a good balance of high end

Let me know when you get it installed and what you think of it. I just went through a big move and my gretsch got damaged, the pickup didn't survive shipping so I just put a d-activator in the bridge. Already I'm not sure I like it's charactor as much as the Keith Merrow pickup.

I definitely will. I'm anxious. The Fortitude is low output, as well, yet very diverse. I hate to hear that. But, I'll definitely let you know

Btw, I'm also direct mounting it, if you have any suggestions

Just finished it! Still has clarity and it handles effects very well. Sounds very warm, yet still chugs🤘

That's a bold stance. Sworn off humbuckers eh?

@@HeavyInHawaii i just greatly prefer how they sound in most scenarios, even in heavy contexts. humbuckers are completely valid i just think singles compliment my playing more than humbuckers.

I've been so impressed with mine. They're so much fun for the heavy stuff. The stock pickups do sound beautiful. I don't hate them.

The fishman moderns are just a lot. I prefer the Keith Merrow set or the open cores. The stock Gretsch pups do sound beautiful and you can certainly tweak the sound with an eq pedal.

@@HeavyInHawaii I agree, the Moderns are a lot, especially in a big neck-through guitar. I sold it, with some regret as it was a NAMM one-off and eventually replaced it with an Abasi Larada 7. The Abasi pups are more subtle. I also have a Jackson MM Juggernaut with the BKP Juggernauts. Passive, but still massive, also a LOT, but better than the FM's. Overall, I'm good with low-output mini hums though. My St Vincent Sterling works just fine.

@@HeavyInHawaii Sidebar, I love your country man. I have been privileged to visit a few times and my experiences in Hawaii have been unreasonably good. I wish we could adopt some of your dignity and respectful approach here in Australia.

@@MrScrofulous Yeah this place is beautiful and I have been fortunate to live here as long as I have. I couldn't agree more, many locals have treated me "unreasonably" well, lol.

@@HeavyInHawaii That is cool. Yeah, funny turn of phrase, not sure exactly why I used that term, LOL !! Update, I've had my Gretsch for a week or so and I get where you are coming form with the pow output pups. Playing through my big amp at home, H%K Traimp and a quad, it sounded great. I'm away from home now and my travel rig is a Mesa TA-15, single 1x12 Creamback 65 and pedals, and it's a lot harder to get a good tone. I ended up stacking a Black Ash into a Special Cranker and that works OK. Cleans with reverb are awesome though. It was so funny , played it for a few days then when I picked up my Eclipse it felt like a toy by comparison.

I can understand that. There was def a trade off swapping the pickup. The clean tone on the original pickup was just beautiful. For heavier stuff that I more often play it just felt a little sluggish.

Nice!

I don't think you'd be able to swap in a P90 w/o routing. The routes are just big enough to contain humbucker ring mounting screws. I feel like these guitars are affordable enough that if that's what your heart really desires, do it. Yolo.

Thanks buddy!

I'd rather use a 60w or more tube head for something like that

Couldn't agree more, the drums are bad.

Thanks for the input. Which power tubes did your mt-15 come with?

@@HeavyInHawaii It’s a 2020 model with the 6L6’s

All the Duncan stuff comes with a little booklet that shows you the wiring for the pickup. I typically just follow that or go to guitarelectronics.com. They have have a diagram for just about every setup.

Yeah for a small club you could get away with this. It would work nice at practice with a drummer as well. Open air venue tho, probably not.

How about the 8, in all honesty

The algorithm is listening, lol. How are the Classics? So far my favorite have been the KM's, they're really hot but not as nuts as the Moderns.

I have the will adler fishmans in mine. Had to custom make some pickup rings too.

I routed out space for the pickup height adjustment screws and it works just like any other guitar with pickup rings.

I looked at those before buying this one. They look great for the price but they were out of stock last time I was shopping.

10 band eq is always a good idea.

lol, I'm in Hawaii brother. You'd be much better served finding a local shop that works on electronics. Thanks for checking out the video.

You are. What's up Louis? Thanks for the fair deal on a black wolfgang when there were NONE available.

It's quickly become one of my favorite guitars. It's kind of like a tattoo though, you want to get more baritones. Always loved the groove in that song.

@@HeavyInHawaii I probably shouldn't get one then. If I do, I may try a set of P90s in it. And yeh, it's a great song. \m/

lol. Yeah, I've come to terms with not being able to sing like Myles Kennedy.

Like Ross Johnson said above, I would start with a boost pedal and I would add to that some lighter gauge strings. You'll have to get a new nut. I replaced mine with a tusq nut and it was the perfect size, you will have to cut the string slots bigger. I really like 62's but 68's hold up easily at A standard and can probably go to G standard. Hope this helps, Satan.

@@HeavyInHawaii yeah, a boost pedal might do the trick, because the pickups are very low output. I use 84s for D1, nice tension, but it's muddy :/

Hello Satan. Just get an eq pedal. You should have known that being who you are. Joyo btw.

@@mattrayner7810 Hi Matt, thanks for the advice. I have actually tried an eq pedal and you are absolutely right. Joyo rules btw! That zombie 2 preamp is a beast. cheers!

Cool! See you sooner or later ;-)

You gotta keep in mind the model used in this video is over 10 years old, newest models may be different. I have a slightly newer set of Bx8a's and amp removal is the same. Just remove all the perimeter screws on the metal plate on the back of the cabinet. Hope this helps

@@HeavyInHawaii hello it was not neccessary. I found out that i can change the fuse directly at the power cord entrance.. it even had a spare fuse! So cool!

Right around the 5:45 mark there is a still and the parts circled in red are the parts i carved out with a dremel and sanding wheel. The problem with the stock pickup cavities is there is no room for the pickup mounting legs. After you do this mod though, if you decide you don't like it, you can always put the stock pickup back in and no one is the wiser. Thanks for watching SC.

What are you gonna put in?

That's really kind of you Sami

That's awesome. I hope you like it as much as I do. Let me know what you think of it when you get it.

@@HeavyInHawaii i sure will. Thanks.