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McNelly x Home of Tone harness offer!

Have you been thinking of fitting a set of McNelly Pickups to your guitar, but tempted to change the harness at the same time whilst the soldering iron was on? Well to help a little, I'm now offering 10% off all Home of Tone pre-wired harnesses if purchased alongside any McNelly Pickup model!

Meet the latest McNelly Pickups set! The Chaplain

I've been really excited about this set, after Tim teased some prototype videos on his social media channels recently.

McNelly have never let tradition dictate design and The Chaplain is a testament to that approach. By taking some inspiration from the Charlie Christians, Tim has made something that's not only bold, but extremely expressive with none of the honk. The tight and punchy low end is combined with exceptional clarity that is well beyond any traditional humbucker. But don't mistake this for a jazz-only affair. When you push harder, you'll be rewarded with dynamic response and distortion that doesn't get in the way of chords.

Repair Work - My 'Old Man's' Vintage Gibson Les Paul Custom

I do enjoy taking on set-up and minor repair work, and sometimes it arrives from closer to home. On this occasion, my Dad approached me about giving his old Les Paul Custom a much needed bout of TLC.

Gibson Les Paul Custom

Here's a photo of it before I got started, although it looks stunning there were some things that needed addressing to bring it back to life and be the guitar it deserved to be. After a few chops & changes to the wiring over the years, the cavities were looking a little worse for wears. Throughout it's time as Dad's only gigging guitar, pots had been replaced, push/pulls fitted, DiMarzio pickups installed and sadly didn't stand the test of time. Then a set of modern Gibson humbuckers were fitted a few years back (as seen in the photo above) but we both felt they we'rent bringing out the best in the guitar. So the idea was to pull all of that out and start fresh with a new harness. All of the old wiring will be kept to one side should for any reason it need to go back to how it was, not really ever going to happen but with Vintage Guitar work, it's worth doing. All part of it's history I guess. The pickups in there were Gibson replacements from about 6/8 years ago I would guess, unsure of the exact model but they were the same model Gibson were fitting to new Customs out the factory. They sounded okay, but being truthful, they certainly weren't great and didn't bring out the best in the guitar.

In comes it's replacements...

McNelly Cornucopia Humbuckers in Gold Foil

McNelly Cornucopia Humbuckers in Gold Foil

McNelly Cornucopia's in the gorgeous Nickel w/Gold Foil covers. I suggested these to my old man, as a bit of a curve ball due to the more unique look, but mainly because of the versatility of the Cornucopia humbucker model. He agreed, so these along with a full wiring harness consisting of CTS 500k pots, RS Guitarworks black case .022uF Capacitors (trying to be in-keeping with the 70s era black Sprague caps originally in the guitar), Switchcraft 3 way Short Frame Toggle switch & jack socket, all wired together with traditional 22 AWG braided wire, this should be a force to be reckoned with as well as staying fairly faithful to how it should have been originally.

Gibson Tuneomatic restoration

I set to work removing and restoring the guitars original components, like the Tuneomatic bridge. Which had a lifetime of buildup sat in the recesses, so out they came and were re-fitted all nicely cleaned up. I also spent a good portion of this job cleaning the fretboard & polishing the frets. The ebony is a stunning jet black colour, but was super super shiny. After a good clean and lemon oil it looked alive, seeing all the detail in this rare wood, the grain breathing, it was a lovely sight. Frets polished up to match and it looked perfect!

So then came the re-build, all wiring dropped in and soldered up. Hardware re-fitted and strung up with a set of Gabriel Tenorio 9s, specific for Les Pauls which suit it's low action and fretless wonder frets well.

Gibson Les Paul Custom

It came to life! Here's a few more photos, enjoy!

Gibson Les Paul

James.

McNelly Pickups at the Home of Tone going into 2019

I'll be honest, with so many aspects of starting and trying to grow your own business, It's difficult to pinpoint my proudest moment since doing this, but I feel I can very much put representing McNelly Pickups right up there at the top of the list. I've worked with Tim at McNelly Pickups since 2015, and he has been one of the most reliable, consistent, innovative and inspiring suppliers to work with and it's an honour to represent such a quality brand here in the UK.

Pickup spotlight - McNelly Jazzmaster range

For me, the Jazzmaster totally reset the bar of what I wanted from a guitar. The Chime, overall feel, scale, string tension and versatility spoke to me instantly. This is the same for so many of my customers, so I wanted to highlight the range of Jazzmaster pickup options available through us, how you can capture the classic JM tones and how you can mix it up a little without the need for re-routing or a new pickguard. So let's dive right in.

McNelly Black Friday new model release!

For this year's black Friday, we have officially launched a range of pickups which have always been available, but upon special request previously, making them part of the main line-up!

The Saint Nick returns!

It's Christmas, the eggnog is flowing, and McNelly Pickups thought they'd have a bit of fun with these, and for one night only (Christmas Eve) bring back the Saint Nick! Dropping single coils in a humbucker guitar with no need for mods is the name of the game with the Saint Nicks.

They're warm, fat, and chimey. Just like the man himself.

McNelly Charlie Christian Soapbar Pickup demo!

Using traditional components, true to the original CC Pickup design but of course in typical McNelly fashion, trying to further improve on it too. This pickup is beautifully clear and very transparent, whilst also being incredibly responsive to touch and tone/volume settings. I recorded this clean demo (which also shows it mixed with a T-Bar bridge pickup for example purposes) to hopefully show what a beautiful sounding and versatile pickup this is. Charlie Christian by name and design, but a whole lot more than just a swing/jazz sound!

Thinking of swapping your pickups? - A handy guide for new tone hunters!

Changing your guitar's pickups can prove to be a brilliantly cost effective way of transforming the sound of your guitar, and also a way of bringing out the best in your instrument. For so many it has been the first port of call in modifying their guitar and changing their sound. Perhaps you're planning on tweaking a more entry level Squier for example, chances are that you love how the guitar feels and plays but it's low quality pickups just don't quite do the job. This can sometimes even be the case with higher value instruments and it's existing pickups just simply don't fit the bill for you, be it personal tastes etc.

Project Offset - A Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster goes under the knife

One task that's always at the top of my 'To-Do' list, is creating a collection of demo videos for the entire McNelly Pickups Range. Although I've recorded videos with some beautiful premium guitars, without doubt the best way of demo-ing pickups is by upgrading more 'budget' instruments. Why? Well this is a great way of not hiding behind quality woods and materials. If it sounds great, then it's mostly because of the pickups!

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McNelly x Home of Tone harness offer!

Related Posts

Meet the latest McNelly Pickups set! The Chaplain

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Repair Work - My 'Old Man's' Vintage Gibson Les Paul Custom

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McNelly Pickups at the Home of Tone going into 2019

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Pickup spotlight - McNelly Jazzmaster range

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McNelly Black Friday new model release!

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The Saint Nick returns!

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McNelly Charlie Christian Soapbar Pickup demo!

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Thinking of swapping your pickups? - A handy guide for new tone hunters!

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Project Offset - A Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster goes under the knife

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james@homeoftone.co.uk

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