failsafe306
04-14-2008, 03:57 PM
I'm a new member here, and a recent Ibanez convert. Although I used to own a Horizon NT-II for a while, it wasn't really "me" so I sold it, and have been playing Ibby's and Fenders ever since. The fact that there are no ESP dealers in Oklahoma also contributes to that fact.
Fast forward to now- I came across this M-II while on vacation in Las Vegas about a month ago. After playing it for about 1/2 an hour, I decided that I HAD to have it. And after playing it at home for a while, I decided to change a few things about the guitar. If you know me, you know that I can't leave things well enough alone, so I tend to mod them to be more to my liking, and to be a little more unique to me.
The M-II originally came with two EMG 81 pickups with a 3-way toggle switch and one volume control. I personally can't stand 81's, especially in the neck position, so I switched them out to an EMG 85 in the bridge (running on 18v) and a Seymour Duncan '59 in the neck. Each has their own volume control (25k for the EMG and 500k for the '59) and switching is done using a mini two-way toggle switch that I added. I used the stock toggle switch hole for the 2nd volume pot, and drilled a 3/16th hole for the mini switch. Just for the hell of it, I used some old style plastic knobs just to make it a little more "me".
The ESP is tuned to drop C using 10-52 strings. The bridge is blocked, not because I don't know how to set it up properly, but because I like to tune the low C up to a D at times. I leave off the truss rod cover and rear trem cover on all of my guitars, and this one is no exception :)..
Enjoy :)
http://i28.tinypic.com/mcas01.jpg
http://i25.tinypic.com/14wb2g.jpg
http://i27.tinypic.com/2uqdli1.jpg
http://i27.tinypic.com/35by14o.jpg
http://i25.tinypic.com/11joe3a.jpg
Fast forward to now- I came across this M-II while on vacation in Las Vegas about a month ago. After playing it for about 1/2 an hour, I decided that I HAD to have it. And after playing it at home for a while, I decided to change a few things about the guitar. If you know me, you know that I can't leave things well enough alone, so I tend to mod them to be more to my liking, and to be a little more unique to me.
The M-II originally came with two EMG 81 pickups with a 3-way toggle switch and one volume control. I personally can't stand 81's, especially in the neck position, so I switched them out to an EMG 85 in the bridge (running on 18v) and a Seymour Duncan '59 in the neck. Each has their own volume control (25k for the EMG and 500k for the '59) and switching is done using a mini two-way toggle switch that I added. I used the stock toggle switch hole for the 2nd volume pot, and drilled a 3/16th hole for the mini switch. Just for the hell of it, I used some old style plastic knobs just to make it a little more "me".
The ESP is tuned to drop C using 10-52 strings. The bridge is blocked, not because I don't know how to set it up properly, but because I like to tune the low C up to a D at times. I leave off the truss rod cover and rear trem cover on all of my guitars, and this one is no exception :)..
Enjoy :)
http://i28.tinypic.com/mcas01.jpg
http://i25.tinypic.com/14wb2g.jpg
http://i27.tinypic.com/2uqdli1.jpg
http://i27.tinypic.com/35by14o.jpg
http://i25.tinypic.com/11joe3a.jpg