Members thomasterrible Posted January 28, 2010 Members Share Posted January 28, 2010 I recently purchased a BC Rich Draco, the one with no fretboard markers. I dont see any place on the guitar that would look ok to house the 9volt battery for an active pickup. The control cavity is round and only a bit larger than an inch in diameter and houses the one switch that turns the volume up and down and changes pickups. Does anyone have some suggestions? Thanks,T:poke: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members satannica Posted January 28, 2010 Members Share Posted January 28, 2010 Hmm, sure you can't squeeze it in wth some tidy wiring? Short runs and that? If not, then I would go for a battery box. They're not hard if you're handy with a router. If you're not, a tech shouldn't charge too much to fit one. BC Rich are fairly tight with their cavities I've found! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members benricci Posted January 28, 2010 Members Share Posted January 28, 2010 BC Rich are fairly tight with their cavities I've found! This. You may need to just route for a battery box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hellion_213 Posted January 28, 2010 Members Share Posted January 28, 2010 Probably going to have to route. I could fit One battery in my Beast compartment, but I'm thinking the Draco's is tighter than my Beast's. Right now I'm electrical taping my 2 9vs to the lower tip Shouldn't be too hard to route though, and you can order a cover, and custom cut it to fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members A_Gitarman Posted January 28, 2010 Members Share Posted January 28, 2010 Route out a cavity & put one of these in it: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thomasterrible Posted January 28, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 28, 2010 Thanks for the guesses. I was hoping to not have to route out for the battery box but I cant see any other way to go on this one. I do have electronics experience and have done mods on lots of guitars but this one is unique. I had Son Of Beast, gave it to my nephew. This is a pretty unique looking guitar and pretty basic. I will try to attach photos. If they work the first one is of the guitar (standard all black no markers on the fret board. The one knob changes the pickup by push/pull and is also the volume control. The salesman ordred me one of the cases like is in it, it is a BC Rick coffin case and about the only case it will fit in. It has good protection and a bunch of pockets and I was charged 100 bucks. The other photo is of the back of the guitar the one circular cover is all there is. Even if you removed the switch there still would not be room for a battery. So your options are to keep it stock with the Rockfield Fat Ass in the bridge, install a different passive pickup like I did (Bare Knuckles Miracle Man) or route out a space for the battery box to go. I would hope for a good spot close to the control pot to keep the wires short (it is a neck through guitar). The BC Rich stock neck pup sounds good to me, I didnt like the stock Fat Ass and dont like the Miracle man too much either hence wanting to try the active. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members axegrinder Posted January 28, 2010 Members Share Posted January 28, 2010 I'm not an expert, but EMG recommends against using actives with passives...not sure why. Also, I thought the pot values for the actives are MUCH different impedance than for passives. So if you have only one pot I doubt you can have it work both types of pickups. If you went to an EMG single at the bridge, that may be a different story. Something to consider, good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thomasterrible Posted January 28, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 28, 2010 It is true that it is problematic but it can be done. The real issue is when you get to the output jack. And yes EMG pots are 25K vs 500K for most humbuckers to 250K for some single coils. With this particular guitar it is a double edged sword. It is about the only BC Rich that I have not thought was garbage right off but it also has the least amount of features possible. Personally I dont care that it has no tone pot because I dont find they do much anyway. I was planning on just running the one Bridge pup though, even with the stock pickups the sound level is not very even between pickups and the bridge pickup is low gain and muddy. The stock BC Rick neck pup is the best one on it, much like a Seymour Duncan Hot Rail, but I was wanting to just have the bridge pickup on there, an EMG 81 or a Seymour Duncan Blackout Metal. It is surprising good for a BC Rich and for a V guitar, it looks like the most uncomfortable guitar in the world but it is not that bad and better than most V guitars because of the serrations in front, also has much sustain due to its being a neck through. If I can get a active in there it would play like it looks like it should. It does not have fretboard markers so if someone is interested in getting one they should know this, it does have the markers on the "spine" You can have a luthier put some inlays in for 100 bucks or learn to play without them which is the way I went. It is a radical guitar and most people love it or hate it. Oddly enough after owning it for a bit it is just another black guitar and doesnt strike me any differently than any of the other 15. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members axegrinder Posted January 28, 2010 Members Share Posted January 28, 2010 With this particular guitar it is a double edged sword. :poke: Actually though even though the stylings aren't to my taste, it does look like a damn nice guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members satannica Posted January 28, 2010 Members Share Posted January 28, 2010 I see your prob - looks like they've just used a standard 3tog template, as in a les paul cavity. If it were me, I'd look to extending the route, drilling for a 3-pos switch and a custom back plate. That's where I'd go anyways. A push pull for pickup selection? Didn't know those existed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr_GoodBomb Posted January 28, 2010 Members Share Posted January 28, 2010 They say not to mix actives and passives because they sound bad together. Jumping from an active EMG to the neck pickup will be a considerable drop in output, and mixing the two won't sound good. Why not just get a high-output passive and save the trouble of routing a brand new guitar that seems to have a lot of weak points on the body layout, like a Super Distortion or X2N, on the Dropsonic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thomasterrible Posted January 28, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 28, 2010 Well like I said the back of the guitar is also where the jack is at. I think it is one of those if you plan to keep it then do whatever you want, if you think you might sell it try to make it so it can be stock again. While routing out the hole for the battery holder I have a Jackson that came stock like that because it had to power a sustainiac and it is the easiest way to get a battery in and out and if flush mounted would look stock. I am just tired of modifying guitars for myself and others and would rather play. Yeah they intentionally made the smallest control cavity they could which meant no tone and combining the push/pull pup selector and volume knob in to one that they can cut out with a hole saw. I got a deal on it new and I dont see a lot of these in the stores but to be a good playing guitar it needs an active. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thomasterrible Posted January 28, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 28, 2010 That is what I was trying to do by installing the Bare Knuckles pickup, did not work out to my liking. I think putting in an active would make it good. It is stable with strings through body and no trem (I hate trems) and a neck through design, so it plays good just need to bump the output, I have 3 high output amp rigs to work with it. Just one of those things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hellion_213 Posted January 30, 2010 Members Share Posted January 30, 2010 So how's it going man? You going the cavity route, er....route? Would definitely with an 81 at the bridge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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