GFS RedActive Golds....and ModBoards

[hellion_213]

Anyone ever tried these? I'm thinking of trying these out. A whole set of RedActive Golds goes for about the same price as one EMG, so I'm not really expecting the same performance, but from what I've read in reviews, they seem to be pretty good. Just wondering if anyone's had any actual experience with them. I'm looking at two Buckers and a Single.

And on a second note, what about their ModBoards? I kind of like the idea of an onboard wah. I have no practical experience wiring onboard effects, but I checked out a few of these online, and they don't seem that difficult, when wired as a retro, but I'm thinking of installing the ModBoard with the redActives, and would like to only have one 9v route to contend with, so the big question here is - would it be better to run two leads from the 9v? Or split off at the Board? Switch? somewhere else? The input jack is the on/off for the pickups, and a switch or push/pull pot for the board, it would most likely make more sense to have the jack route power to the board as well in case the switch or pot (can't decide which way to go, I kind of think a switch for on/off would be easier to hit on the fly) was left on......?

http://www.guitarfetish.com/REDactiv...ups_c_591.html

 

http://www.guitarfetish.com/Onboard-...Kit_p_573.html

 

And lastly, it's hard to tell from the pic how big these are. Knowing the rough size of the components, I'm figuring about 1.5"x2"?

[Ancient Mariner]

For power for the board & PUs, I'd do what you suggest & run power to the jack first: you'll never need the effect when the guitar isn't plugged in. As for switch or pot to turn on the effect, if the guitar has a cheap, easily replaced scratchplate then I'd drill & use a switch, but if the guitar has a back-routed cavity and wood top then I'd use a push-pull, or maybe a push-push type. With mods like this, it's always good to make them as reversible as possible.

[hellion_213]

It's a wood top, so the push/pull makes perfect sense. Thanks!

[WRGKMC]

The problem you have with the mod boards is effects order. If you install an echo for example and want to a drive pedals afterwards its going to sound awful because the repeats wind up being distorted and full of string beating. most musicians prefer to have time based effects at the end of their chain so installing things like Chorus, Echo or reverb on board are only good if you run a clean amp.

 

Tone, compression or drive can work as onboard effects, but you'll only have them available for that one guitar.

 

I've used Artec active electronics in several of my instruments over the past 15 years. They are 1/4 the cost and sound top notch. The circuits are very small too so you don't have to do extra routing in most cases.

 

Here's the site for them. http://www.artecsound.com/pickups/index.html

 

The BCU - band cut/boost is excellent in fender guitars. Its provides a TBX type of midrange cut boost very well and when turned to one extreme or the other sounds like you have a completely different set of pickups in the instrument. I use the preamp/booster in a guitar with P90 pickups and it not only gives the pickups a high fidelity tone but it can clean boost the pickups nearly double.

 

They make a three frequency EQ which I put in my Electric Sitar which made its lipstick pickups much more adaptable to playing through different amps.

 

I tried the 5 way distortion in a strat. Its OK for playing out with minimal effects. I was able to get some decent Joe Walsh tones but its pretty much a one trick pony. I have one other that's a single switch boost which I haven't used in an instrument yet These Artec on board circuits are excellent on battery life. they go thousands of hours without draining the battery so there's no big need to install phantom power. I've left guitar plugged in for a week straight and detected no battery drain.

 

Its allot easier to install a rechargeable 9V battery and a charger plug, especially in guitars where the battery is hard to get too like strat's where you have to pull the pickguard off. Even then you'll likely misplace the charger between the times you have to charge them.

[hellion_213]

WR, as always, you have hit a point that I should have immediately recognized - effects order. Never even dawned on me. It's easier to diagnose other's issues spelled out than my own potential ones, lol. I have toyed with the idea of adding a little fuzz on occasion.

As for the effects order, I don't use any distortion pedals. Just a gate, Whammy, and Crybaby, in that order, with a Sonic Stomp in the loop. I don't expect to have any issues, except possibly with the gate and now the fuzz later on.

Thanks brother

[Rockalance]

On 1/17/2017 at 10:50 AM, hellion_213 said:

WR, as always, you have hit a point that I should have immediately recognized - effects order. Never even dawned on me. It's easier to diagnose other's issues spelled out than my own potential ones, lol. I have toyed with the idea of adding a little fuzz on occasion.

As for the effects order, I don't use any distortion pedals. Just a gate, Whammy, and Crybaby, in that order, with a Sonic Stomp in the loop. I don't expect to have any issues, except possibly with the gate and now the fuzz later on.

Thanks brother

I'm purely curious as to why the gate is 1st, assuming you mean noise gate and not eq. How loud are your pickups?

[humbuckerstrat]

I've tried both the redactive Golds and the regular redactives in a Flying v i have, I preferred the regular redactives