Wed May 15, 2013 9:24 am
Wed May 15, 2013 10:44 am
Wed May 15, 2013 1:53 pm
Wed May 15, 2013 2:39 pm
HowlinWolf wrote:And regarding setups, I'd love to have the factory setup specs of this guitar, the USA Jerry Cantrell Rampage. I see Craig has specs of a few others on here, but can't find info on this. So should I try emailing G&L myself or could anyone help me out? Thanks a bunch.
Wed May 15, 2013 2:41 pm
Wed May 15, 2013 4:09 pm
Wed May 15, 2013 5:09 pm
HowlinWolf wrote:Very interesting and helpful that was Darwin, thanks. This guitar actually has some buzzing on the bass strings that I ignored due to the playability of the low action but I'm hoping it'll go away with the little relief added and raising the action. If there is an issue I'll be sure to seek help here on this forum.
Craig, thanks for directing me to that thread but I've already come across that, as I have many others that discuss issues with this guitar. What I'm looking for is the recommended factory specs of the neck relief and string height, like 1st E string at the 12th fret should measure so and so of an inch etc. I see there are some specs here on string height for guitars with hard tail bridges and also various tremolos, so is there a contact email you recommend I get in touch with to seek this info for my particular guitar?
Wed May 15, 2013 6:45 pm
Craig wrote:HowlinWolf wrote:Very interesting and helpful that was Darwin, thanks. This guitar actually has some buzzing on the bass strings that I ignored due to the playability of the low action but I'm hoping it'll go away with the little relief added and raising the action. If there is an issue I'll be sure to seek help here on this forum.
Craig, thanks for directing me to that thread but I've already come across that, as I have many others that discuss issues with this guitar. What I'm looking for is the recommended factory specs of the neck relief and string height, like 1st E string at the 12th fret should measure so and so of an inch etc. I see there are some specs here on string height for guitars with hard tail bridges and also various tremolos, so is there a contact email you recommend I get in touch with to seek this info for my particular guitar?
I've sent an email to my contact at the factory to see if I can get the setup specs for the JC Signature Rampage.
Stay tuned.
Fri May 17, 2013 3:06 pm
Fri May 17, 2013 3:56 pm
Fri May 17, 2013 7:28 pm
louis cyfer wrote:why would you be stuck with a certain gauge of string on a plekked guitar? that makes no sense. as far as relief, ideal relief is 0.001-0.005 imnsho. it takes a while for the neck to settle after a 1/4 turn of the rod, doing 8-10 full turns in 2 days is way excessive and just messing with the neck, not letting it settle in. you have certainly gone passed the mechanical limits of the rod, and having a loose rod rattle in there is not ideal. btw, you would hear that as a buzz, regardless of action. i would suggest a tech at this point, too nice a guitar to learn on.
Sat May 18, 2013 4:59 pm
Sun May 19, 2013 4:18 pm
Mon May 20, 2013 1:20 pm
Mon May 20, 2013 3:08 pm
louis cyfer wrote:it's a lot either way. until there is no tension on the rod. the key is to understand that it takes a long time to see the effect.
NickHorne wrote:Around .005 relief with .009 strings on, when the neck's been used to 10's, seems pretty normal.
You will most likely find that the relief increases a little, over days or a few weeks, now that you've slacked the truss off quite a bit.
Stay cool and keep an eye on things and you'll probably be fine.
And I'd agree that .005 relief, or a little less, is fine if the frets are in good shape and your picking style is not extreme. You should be able to get a very nice playable action all along the neck with that relief.
Thu May 23, 2013 7:54 am
HowlinWolf wrote:Ok I have a couple more questions regarding this Jerry Cantrell USA Rampage. I was looking through the guitars on the G&L site just now, all very beautiful and amazing it seems, and when I clicked on the Rampage to look at the specs again, it says the neck radius is 12" and not 13.75" as I think it did before on that site: NECK PROFILE: G&L custom profile with 12" radius and 1 3/4" nut-width. Other websites selling the Rampage still list it as 13.75". And by 'custom profile' does that mean it's no longer a No. 4 neck as I believe it was previously. So is this just a mistake or are they making the newer necks differently?
And regarding the Plek dressed frets, I read that you're stuck with the string gauge used when the neck goes through that process. This guitar came in 10s and I switched to 9s. Is that the reason for the buzz in the lower strings, from frets 1 to about 5? When I got this guitar second-hand the high E broke quickly thereafter and I switched to a new set of 9s. Come to think about it I don't think there was buzzing before I changed the strings. And regarding the buzz, I can hear it acoustically on the guitar but through the amp I don't really hear it. Is that still considered a buzz? I mean I'm mildly annoyed by it, so I am hoping that reverting back to the .010 gauge strings will fix the issue. And I tried raising the action to eliminate the buzz to no avail.
The Tribute Series Rampage is 13.75" but shortly a revised version will be coming with the Kahler Hybrid tremolo. This will have 12" radius which is consistent with the USA Rampage and Superhawk.
You could say that a custom profile makes it no longer a #4 neck exactly, but it's based on the #4 with minor proprietary (unlisted) differences. Referencing #4 tells G&L fans a lot about what this neck is like.
The comments the customer found on the internet about the Plek are wrong. The optimization of the Plek is based on a particular amount of relief. It doesn't really care what strings are on it when it takes its measurements, it's looking at curvature of the fingerboard and makes recommendations to the operator to optimize the fret height. The customer can put 9's on the guitar later, and apart from the nut slots being cut for 10s as you know, adjustment of the truss rod should bring the neck to about where it would be with 10s.
In short: after a Plek process, you are no more "stuck" in any way than you would be with a standard fret dress. In fact, you'd be better off starting with the Plek process even if you intend to use different strings later.
Buzz is very subjective. I didn't see any mention his tech adjusting the truss rod, at a bare minimum, or done properly, a full set up to dial in the guitar for 9s. Assuming neither of those happened, I fully expect the guitar more buzz a whole lot acoustically, and I wouldn't at all be surprised if he hears it in his amp.
Thanks, Craig.
Dave
Thu May 23, 2013 9:10 am
Craig wrote:HowlinWolf wrote:Ok I have a couple more questions regarding this Jerry Cantrell USA Rampage. I was looking through the guitars on the G&L site just now, all very beautiful and amazing it seems, and when I clicked on the Rampage to look at the specs again, it says the neck radius is 12" and not 13.75" as I think it did before on that site: NECK PROFILE: G&L custom profile with 12" radius and 1 3/4" nut-width. Other websites selling the Rampage still list it as 13.75". And by 'custom profile' does that mean it's no longer a No. 4 neck as I believe it was previously. So is this just a mistake or are they making the newer necks differently?
And regarding the Plek dressed frets, I read that you're stuck with the string gauge used when the neck goes through that process. This guitar came in 10s and I switched to 9s. Is that the reason for the buzz in the lower strings, from frets 1 to about 5? When I got this guitar second-hand the high E broke quickly thereafter and I switched to a new set of 9s. Come to think about it I don't think there was buzzing before I changed the strings. And regarding the buzz, I can hear it acoustically on the guitar but through the amp I don't really hear it. Is that still considered a buzz? I mean I'm mildly annoyed by it, so I am hoping that reverting back to the .010 gauge strings will fix the issue. And I tried raising the action to eliminate the buzz to no avail.
I sent your questions to Dave McLaren and here is his response:The Tribute Series Rampage is 13.75" but shortly a revised version will be coming with the Kahler Hybrid tremolo. This will have 12" radius which is consistent with the USA Rampage and Superhawk.
You could say that a custom profile makes it no longer a #4 neck exactly, but it's based on the #4 with minor proprietary (unlisted) differences. Referencing #4 tells G&L fans a lot about what this neck is like.
The comments the customer found on the internet about the Plek are wrong. The optimization of the Plek is based on a particular amount of relief. It doesn't really care what strings are on it when it takes its measurements, it's looking at curvature of the fingerboard and makes recommendations to the operator to optimize the fret height. The customer can put 9's on the guitar later, and apart from the nut slots being cut for 10s as you know, adjustment of the truss rod should bring the neck to about where it would be with 10s.
In short: after a Plek process, you are no more "stuck" in any way than you would be with a standard fret dress. In fact, you'd be better off starting with the Plek process even if you intend to use different strings later.
Buzz is very subjective. I didn't see any mention his tech adjusting the truss rod, at a bare minimum, or done properly, a full set up to dial in the guitar for 9s. Assuming neither of those happened, I fully expect the guitar more buzz a whole lot acoustically, and I wouldn't at all be surprised if he hears it in his amp.
Thanks, Craig.
Dave
BTW, I'm still waiting to hear back from the factory about the factory setup, so please continue to stay tuned.
Thu May 23, 2013 9:30 am
Thu May 23, 2013 9:01 pm
Craig wrote:
BTW, I'm still waiting to hear back from the factory about the factory setup, so please continue to stay tuned.
Thu May 23, 2013 9:57 pm
HowlinWolf wrote:[
Thank you so much for that Craig, Dave's response was very informative and I've learned something new. I have a few more follow up questions if you don't mind asking him on my behalf, if you do mind then hopefully someone here has the answers, so here goes:
1) Has the USA Jerry Cantrell Rampage always been 12" radius for the neck? Mine is dated May 2011. I always thought it was 13.75" neck radius for both the tribute and USA. And many, or maybe all sites online that sell the USA Rampage list it as 13.75".
2) This guitar comes with a Floyd Rose nut. Is the nut slot cut with the Plek machine as well? By 'nut slot' I mean the slot where the nut sits, not the string slots of the nut.
3) Underneath the Floyd Rose nut is 2 half shims for the bass side of the strings. These seem to be factory shims, but then again it could be from the previous owner. So are these factory shims and why are they there? Regarding nut clearance, is it solely to eliminate buzzing on open strings?
Thanks Craig, Dave, and anyone else who might enlighten me with their wisdom.
Fri May 24, 2013 1:44 am
Craig wrote:Craig wrote:
BTW, I'm still waiting to hear back from the factory about the factory setup, so please continue to stay tuned.
I have now heard back from the factory. The neck setup for the Jerry Cantrell Rampage is the same as the Legacy, S-500,
and Comanche models. I have updated the post: Current Factory setup for G&L guitars with vibrato bridges to reflect this.
Hope this helps.
Thu May 30, 2013 9:52 am
Craig wrote:HowlinWolf wrote:Ok I have a couple more questions regarding this Jerry Cantrell USA Rampage. I was looking through the guitars on the G&L site just now, all very beautiful and amazing it seems, and when I clicked on the Rampage to look at the specs again, it says the neck radius is 12" and not 13.75" as I think it did before on that site: NECK PROFILE: G&L custom profile with 12" radius and 1 3/4" nut-width. Other websites selling the Rampage still list it as 13.75". And by 'custom profile' does that mean it's no longer a No. 4 neck as I believe it was previously. So is this just a mistake or are they making the newer necks differently?
And regarding the Plek dressed frets, I read that you're stuck with the string gauge used when the neck goes through that process. This guitar came in 10s and I switched to 9s. Is that the reason for the buzz in the lower strings, from frets 1 to about 5? When I got this guitar second-hand the high E broke quickly thereafter and I switched to a new set of 9s. Come to think about it I don't think there was buzzing before I changed the strings. And regarding the buzz, I can hear it acoustically on the guitar but through the amp I don't really hear it. Is that still considered a buzz? I mean I'm mildly annoyed by it, so I am hoping that reverting back to the .010 gauge strings will fix the issue. And I tried raising the action to eliminate the buzz to no avail.
I sent your questions to Dave McLaren and here is his response:The Tribute Series Rampage is 13.75" but shortly a revised version will be coming with the Kahler Hybrid tremolo. This will have 12" radius which is consistent with the USA Rampage and Superhawk.
You could say that a custom profile makes it no longer a #4 neck exactly, but it's based on the #4 with minor proprietary (unlisted) differences. Referencing #4 tells G&L fans a lot about what this neck is like.
The comments the customer found on the internet about the Plek are wrong. The optimization of the Plek is based on a particular amount of relief. It doesn't really care what strings are on it when it takes its measurements, it's looking at curvature of the fingerboard and makes recommendations to the operator to optimize the fret height. The customer can put 9's on the guitar later, and apart from the nut slots being cut for 10s as you know, adjustment of the truss rod should bring the neck to about where it would be with 10s.
In short: after a Plek process, you are no more "stuck" in any way than you would be with a standard fret dress. In fact, you'd be better off starting with the Plek process even if you intend to use different strings later.
Buzz is very subjective. I didn't see any mention his tech adjusting the truss rod, at a bare minimum, or done properly, a full set up to dial in the guitar for 9s. Assuming neither of those happened, I fully expect the guitar more buzz a whole lot acoustically, and I wouldn't at all be surprised if he hears it in his amp.
Thanks, Craig.
Dave
BTW, I'm still waiting to hear back from the factory about the factory setup, so please continue to stay tuned.
Thu May 30, 2013 1:28 pm
Craig wrote:Craig wrote:HowlinWolf wrote:Ok I have a couple more questions regarding this Jerry Cantrell USA Rampage. I was looking through the guitars on the G&L site just now, all very beautiful and amazing it seems, and when I clicked on the Rampage to look at the specs again, it says the neck radius is 12" and not 13.75" as I think it did before on that site: NECK PROFILE: G&L custom profile with 12" radius and 1 3/4" nut-width. Other websites selling the Rampage still list it as 13.75". And by 'custom profile' does that mean it's no longer a No. 4 neck as I believe it was previously. So is this just a mistake or are they making the newer necks differently?
And regarding the Plek dressed frets, I read that you're stuck with the string gauge used when the neck goes through that process. This guitar came in 10s and I switched to 9s. Is that the reason for the buzz in the lower strings, from frets 1 to about 5? When I got this guitar second-hand the high E broke quickly thereafter and I switched to a new set of 9s. Come to think about it I don't think there was buzzing before I changed the strings. And regarding the buzz, I can hear it acoustically on the guitar but through the amp I don't really hear it. Is that still considered a buzz? I mean I'm mildly annoyed by it, so I am hoping that reverting back to the .010 gauge strings will fix the issue. And I tried raising the action to eliminate the buzz to no avail.
I sent your questions to Dave McLaren and here is his response:The Tribute Series Rampage is 13.75" but shortly a revised version will be coming with the Kahler Hybrid tremolo. This will have 12" radius which is consistent with the USA Rampage and Superhawk.
You could say that a custom profile makes it no longer a #4 neck exactly, but it's based on the #4 with minor proprietary (unlisted) differences. Referencing #4 tells G&L fans a lot about what this neck is like.
The comments the customer found on the internet about the Plek are wrong. The optimization of the Plek is based on a particular amount of relief. It doesn't really care what strings are on it when it takes its measurements, it's looking at curvature of the fingerboard and makes recommendations to the operator to optimize the fret height. The customer can put 9's on the guitar later, and apart from the nut slots being cut for 10s as you know, adjustment of the truss rod should bring the neck to about where it would be with 10s.
In short: after a Plek process, you are no more "stuck" in any way than you would be with a standard fret dress. In fact, you'd be better off starting with the Plek process even if you intend to use different strings later.
Buzz is very subjective. I didn't see any mention his tech adjusting the truss rod, at a bare minimum, or done properly, a full set up to dial in the guitar for 9s. Assuming neither of those happened, I fully expect the guitar more buzz a whole lot acoustically, and I wouldn't at all be surprised if he hears it in his amp.
Thanks, Craig.
Dave
BTW, I'm still waiting to hear back from the factory about the factory setup, so please continue to stay tuned.
As can sometimes happen, specifications can change. In this case, the US Jerry Cantrell Signature models have been changed to a 14" radius neck.
See this post for details: viewtopic.php?p=55540#p55540. Also, the G&L website spec pages have been updated to reflect this.
Thu May 30, 2013 8:17 pm
HowlinWolf wrote:[
Thanks Craig for the update. To make everything 'clearer than mud', I have one final question regarding the neck radii of these guitars.
In the reply that you linked to, Dave says:
"There was some back and forth about the radius and it ended up 12" on the site. 14" is what is on the US versions so now the Superhawk/SuperhawkDeluxe/Rampage US all show 14" just like the certificates being issued."
So my question is are there any Rampages out there or will there be any Superhawks with 12" neck radius? Or was the initial change to a 14" from a 13.75" and the 12" is just a listing mistake. The flatter 13.75", 14" radius neck and 1 3/4" nut width is what sets these guitars apart from the other G&Ls in my opinion(And of course with the Rampage the Kahler tremolo). In the case of the Superhawk which I want to get, it has Seymour Duncan 59' and JB humbuckers with a saddle lock bridge. You can get that same pickup combo with 12" radius necks in the Asat Deluxe, F100, Invader XL and Legacy 2HB. Most of them even with the same bridge. So I'm happy that the Superhawk has a 14" radius neck instead of a 12". Really that is what distinguishes it from an Asat Deluxe or Legacy 2HB apart from the body shape and finish options. It even has the same body shape as an F100! So the flatter neck makes this guitar, and the Rampage, more of a shred guitar which is cool. I only wish the Superhawk had the option of a Kahler or even a dual fulcrum vibrato bridge.
Sat Jun 01, 2013 7:42 am
Craig wrote:This will probably keep it somewhat "muddied" , but here it goes:
The original US Rampages and Superhawks came with a 1 3/4" width nut and 12" radius necks. See Production List of G&L Instruments (USA), Gallery Album: 1984 - 1985 Memorabilia and What are the specifications of the original G&L Rampage?. Now look at the 1988-89 Gallery Album and you will see some changes. Nine years after the Rampage was discontinued, the Custom Creations Rampage came out with a limited production run of 70 instruments. This had a #4 neck (1 3/4" nut width and 12" radius). See Custom Creations 2000 Rampage vs original Rampage.
Now to the present: the 13.75" radius neck and the 14" radius neck are essentially one and the same, and they are now referring to it as a 14" radius. This is the only
radius available on the US Jerry Cantrell models.
Also, the current Rampage Jerry Cantrell Signature, Tribute Rampage Jerry Cantrell Signature, and Superhawk Jerry Cantrell Signature models all have a
Soft Maple body. I suspect that the upcoming Tribute Superhawk Jerry Cantrell will too, but until the full specs have been released that is just speculation.
No other current standard production models have this body wood type.
I'm sure I have missed other Rampage and Superhawk posts located on the G&LDP and G&L Knowledgebase, so you might want to do some searching of these, as well.
Hope this helps.
Sun Jun 02, 2013 9:48 pm
HowlinWolf wrote:And also, I was browsing through this board the other day and came across a thread where this guy wanted more info on his newly acquired Invader and you got Dave to give out some background info on it based on its serial number. I didn't know that was possible! If you really don't mind, cause I'm really curious about where my Rampage has been before I got it, could you do the same with this? That would be greatly appreciated, the serial no. is CLF 60302. Believe the neck or body says May 2011. Thank you!
Mon Jun 03, 2013 7:40 am
Craig wrote:Are you sure about the serial number? Is it CLF60302 or is it CLF060302? Is the serial number a water slide decal on the back of the neck or
is it on a metal plate which is screwed into the back of the neck?
Mon Jun 03, 2013 9:22 am
yowhatsshakin wrote:Craig wrote:Are you sure about the serial number? Is it CLF60302 or is it CLF060302? Is the serial number a water slide decal on the back of the neck or
is it on a metal plate which is screwed into the back of the neck?
The first 'plated' S/N was CLF061000, so CLF60302 should be water slide and have been produced in the months before February 2011.
- Jos
Mon Jun 03, 2013 3:34 pm
Craig wrote:yowhatsshakin wrote:Craig wrote:Are you sure about the serial number? Is it CLF60302 or is it CLF060302? Is the serial number a water slide decal on the back of the neck or
is it on a metal plate which is screwed into the back of the neck?
The first 'plated' S/N was CLF061000, so CLF60302 should be water slide and have been produced in the months before February 2011.
- Jos
You are correct.
I was focused on the build date and not paying closer attention to the serial number.
Mon Jun 03, 2013 7:56 pm
HowlinWolf wrote:Yes Craig I am sure about the serial number! I only peeked under the neck once when I first got this and it was stamped xx(can't remember) May 2011 on either the neck or body, had only one stamp, so it's interesting that 'before Feb 2011' is mentioned. Water silde SN. Regarding pictures, I might post them one day but I've been hesitant because with the Rampage, the only option is between three colors. Some peeps have posted pictures of the tribute Rampage in ivory which is nearly identical to what mine is except for the color of the tremolo and no 'tribute series' below the G&L logo at the headstock. Unlike say a Legacy or an Invader which comes in a myriad of colors and different spec options, I feel that once you've seen an ivory Rampage you've seen all the rest of the ivory Rampages. In any case the little picture in my signature is my Rampage so there is your proof, for now at least!
And in the other thread that I mentioned, this guy got an Invader XL which he thought was built for a member of some band and based on the serial number you sent to Dave he came back with where the guitar was shipped to and when. That is what I'd like to know about my Rampage, where it was shipped to cause it might be an indicator of where it has been previously. And when is good to know too, as is just about any other info Dave can provide!
Tue Jun 04, 2013 3:08 pm
Craig wrote:I just emailed Dave to see if he can get the details on your guitar.
Stay tuned.
Mon Jun 10, 2013 5:14 pm
HowlinWolf wrote:Craig wrote:I just emailed Dave to see if he can get the details on your guitar.
Stay tuned.
Sweet, thanks Craig! Can't wait to hear back from Dave...
CLF60302 Rampage JC Ivory/Ebony completed 5/19/11. Looks like we shipped it on 5/23/11 to Musician's Friend.
Tue Jun 11, 2013 5:09 pm
Craig wrote:Here's Dave's info:CLF60302 Rampage JC Ivory/Ebony completed 5/19/11. Looks like we shipped it on 5/23/11 to Musician's Friend.
Tue Jun 11, 2013 8:33 pm
HowlinWolf wrote:Craig wrote:Here's Dave's info:CLF60302 Rampage JC Ivory/Ebony completed 5/19/11. Looks like we shipped it on 5/23/11 to Musician's Friend.
Nice, I even know the guitar's 'birthday' now! So the previous owner probably bought it off MF, whereas I bought it off GuitarCenter.com, that's nice to know... Thanks Craig!
Wed Jun 12, 2013 2:29 pm
louis cyfer wrote:HowlinWolf wrote:Craig wrote:Here's Dave's info:CLF60302 Rampage JC Ivory/Ebony completed 5/19/11. Looks like we shipped it on 5/23/11 to Musician's Friend.
Nice, I even know the guitar's 'birthday' now! So the previous owner probably bought it off MF, whereas I bought it off GuitarCenter.com, that's nice to know... Thanks Craig!
mf and guitar center are the same company.