pickups slanted

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pickups slanted

Just got my new ESP USA Eclipse Black Cherry Duncan. Amazing instrument. My pickups are weirdly slanted on the bridge side, the neck is really noticeable. They will adjust up and dwn but cannot tilt them lvl, have not seen anything quite like it. Posing to remove the strings and take off the pickup mounting rings to see why or how they are slanted and won't move tilt wise. Anyone seen anything like that?? Very surprised the guitar went through ESP QC like that. I get Sweetwater probably did not want to remove the strings or take out the pickup mounting rings to see what was going on so they just sent it on to me. Other than that bit of odd it really is an amazing instrument in looks, quality and playability. Just need to get the pickups lvl to the strings. 

Pushead

Any chance you can post some photos to show what's going on?

Paul A.

     After examining the guitar I have discovered that the initial hand forming of the arch top contour was taken down a little low after the neck pickup, w the neck angle it has caused the pickup mount rings to be cut to form to the top curve and drop, one side on the neck one is higher than the neck side further adding to the pickup slant appearance.

     It would seem the ESP spring mounts want the pickups to follow parallel to the body and resist any attempts at merely slanting them by hand as one can most pickups. So in effect the issue traces to the forming of the arch top, and the ESP pickup ring spring mounts which want to keep the pickups parallel to the body.

    It is not tragically killing the guitar and there would seem to be not much to do about it unless one can fully remove the spring mounts and derive some manner of allowing the pickup to tilt back more towards the string angle. I am resisting modifications as the guitar is new but as some point I will customize the mounting issue. 

    The bridge components are still OK to the body arch bump and even w the neck tilt action is still fine and over all stop piece is able to screw almost down to the body and still provide clearance across the edge of the bridge angle. The string action and tension are more or less ideal, it's just the pickups are not able to follow the string slant.

     Problem is just a fluke issue with too much of the arch having been reduced in the pickup area and the ESP pickup mounts which apparently want to force the pickup to align to the body wood angle. I should point out that the Eclipse Duncan is till one of not the finest LP single cut type guitar in the 4 I have including my best Gibson. The neck work is flawless and I love the ebony board, all in all it is a fantastic guitar of quality build and playability, much less a striking beauty of finish appearance. The reason it passed ESP QC was probably due to the issue of having to just trash the entire body but with the over all action not impaired or flawed they let it go. Had I been able to hand hold and pick through the 3 guitars available I would have picked another one. As it was this one had the most weight which I care about significantly and it just happened to have the most beautiful finish. It is doubtful another guitar would have this issue, seems to be a fluke of hand held contouring and shaping.

     In no way do I wish to downgrade or infer the ESP Eclipse Duncan is not a great guitar, it remains the finest playing and looking single cut in the 4 I own. It's just the pickup slant to the strings is not ideal and some mod will be needed to change the spring mounts to allow tilting to the reverse of what it is doing now. 

Paul A.

After running the guitar through my board and rig extensively I could not be happier w the tones and playability. Just might be the best neck I have seen on a guitar. So no way my little issue of the pickup slant should be of concern. The Eclipse Duncan is truly a fine instrument. I've been play a very long time and one tends to get picky but it does not really effect the tone from what I can tell, best sounding single cut ever! 

Paul A.

Older post: it seems the routing hole for the pickups allows no room for side to side tilt. Someone suggested the mounting rings might be off center but I have not gone back in to look at them. Next string change I will see if that is what happened, but really weird they are both effected.

Either way it bugs me, extra holes in my beautiful finish to reposition the rings or the prospect of routing out the sides a bit quite frankly alarms me. This was like a nearly a $4K guitar, seriously how did this get by QC?? 

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