Z-coil pickup covers

[cbm]

I have a very pretty, used, Comanche showing up friday, and I thought I'd oder some black pickup covers to make it even more beautiful, but they don't seem to be available in the G&L online store any more. Anyone have any idea where I could pick up a set?

[NickHorne]

Please think very carefully before doing this!
It's unbelievably easy to rip the windings of Z-coils by moving the covers (necessitating a rewind, which is no simple task with their complicated construction, or a replacement which might well be cheaper...)
Somewhere here there is a thread which includes how both Will Ray and I destroyed Z-coils just like this, thinking the covers could be swapped like a strat.
The windings pretty much fill the cover, and the waxing makes them stick to it enough to tear the wire when you start to lift the cover off. If I ever unmount a Z-coil from a pickguard, I first tape the cover to the backplate nowadays.
Will's tech Mac Whiteside does describe a scary technique for getting around this, but I don't think it's relevant to anyone who doesn't have an endorser's hotline to G&L for spare parts!

Disappointing in a way, but I'd never swap my wonderful Z-coils for Fenders; I've found my favourite soulmate instrument.

And anyhow, your Comanche is pretty gorgeous just as she is now! I think the white looks cool. Lovely looking example of a fantastic guitar!

[cbm]

Thanks for the info. I assumed that it was an easy swap.

[john o]

that is a beautiful comanche, with copper swirl guard on transparent orange finish, unique!

[cbm]

Hijacking my own thread to say that while the z-coils do some things really well, they are also a little spikey. (and yes, I've read the Comanche for Dummies thread) I find that I often have to play more softly to avoid the giant attack transient the z-coils generate. Sometimes the snap on the beginnings of notes is a good thing, but it's not so good for smooth legato-style playing.

I replaced the bridge pickup with a Will Ray bridge, and I like the balance between pickups much better. G&L should really ship the Comanche this way.

I'm don't think that my Comanche is going to replace my Legacy Special as my number one, but I'm enjoying it.

[NickHorne]

I spend a lot of time with my Z-3's tone around 7, and the volume down similarly unless I want a boost. I find I can play around with amp drive usefully with the volume like this, and the tone with the volume back a bit is good. I just don't run it "all on ten", and I finds lots of good things.
Also I have dropped the pickups down somewhat, and more on the bass side. I like both the sound and the string balance like this; the exception being the Will Ray pup, which I also have (and love). That stays a bit closer and the bass-side tilt-down is less). The WR is my favourite back pup by a mile!

[cbm]

A couple more pictures, just for fun:

[Fumble fingers]

Hijacking my own thread to say that while the z-coils do some things really well, they are also a little spikey. (and yes, I've read the Comanche for Dummies thread) I find that I often have to play more softly to avoid the giant attack transient the z-coils generate. Sometimes the snap on the beginnings of notes is a good thing, but it's not so good for smooth legato-style playing.

I replaced the bridge pickup with a Will Ray bridge, and I like the balance between pickups much better. G&L should really ship the Comanche this way.

I'm don't think that my Comanche is going to replace my Legacy Special as my number one, but I'm enjoying it.

I'm the same way on my Comanche , love playing it but it doesn't fit into the music we play in the Band .... the WR pick up is a big improvement , the Comanche in my arsenal of amps sounds best with my Mesa Dual Rec and sounds the worse with my MK V ....

[yowhatsshakin]

I'm the same way on my Comanche , love playing it but it doesn't fit into the music we play in the Band .... the WR pick up is a big improvement , the Comanche in my arsenal of amps sounds best with my Mesa Dual Rec and sounds the worse with my MK V ....

That is quite interesting Eric! I'd expected you'd be able to dial in some good tone on the Mark V especially when you'd use the "Dual Rec" Channel (or whatever the folks in Pataluma called it)!

- Jos

[Arti]

Can't help with your technical question but, man that is an awesome looking guitar as is!

[Fumble fingers]

I'm the same way on my Comanche , love playing it but it doesn't fit into the music we play in the Band .... the WR pick up is a big improvement , the Comanche in my arsenal of amps sounds best with my Mesa Dual Rec and sounds the worse with my MK V ....

That is quite interesting Eric! I'd expected you'd be able to dial in some good tone on the Mark V especially when you'd use the "Dual Rec" Channel (or whatever the folks in Pataluma called it)!

- Jos

That Mk V is a hard amp to dial in and needs a different setting for each guitar .... probably much better for someone that has only amp or one guitar ( or someone that knows way more than me )..... I can get great sound out of it until I switch guitars , then the hunt is on all over again .... never owned a amp that the bass can just to turn blubbery so quick , twist of the dial and it's good again , but you need to know every setting with every guitar

[EmGeezer]

agree about keep current pick guard, lovely combination imo. But it is your guitar, and Halloween is coming up.

[Johnny cache]

I think NickHorne is right. IMHO I think it looks great as is, don't think black pup covers will improve it's looks, but that's just me.

[cbm]

agree about keep current pick guard, lovely combination imo. But it is your guitar, and Halloween is coming up.

The pickguard is going nowhere. I was just considering changing the white pickup covers, but got scared off when it was mentioned that removing them might break a pickup winding.

I'm still thinking of changing the knobs out though, maybe for something like these:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-Guitar-CTS-24 ... Sw4shX3Wqk

[cbm]

So… I changed out the knobs and switch tip for some Orange & Black ones from JAT, and I think it's a better look—

[FZTNT]

Beautiful guitar. Is that a dead straight whammy bar or just the angle of the shot?

Tom

[cbm]

Beautiful guitar. Is that a dead straight whammy bar or just the angle of the shot?

Just a funny angle.

[Fumble fingers]

Beautiful guitar. Is that a dead straight whammy bar or just the angle of the shot?

Tom

not quite dead straight , but close and quite a bit different than the normal ..... my 2000 Comanche has the same bar , the only G&L like his I have ever owned/seen till now

[cbm]

not quite dead straight , but close and quite a bit different than the normal ..... my 2000 Comanche has the same bar , the only G&L like his I have ever owned/seen till now

I was about to post that it was pretty much the same as the arm as on my old three-bolt Legacy Special, but I thought I'd better check, and I'm glad I did. They are a little different. It's hard to see in these pictures, but—


From this view, they look quite similar



But from this view you can see that the old arm has more twist to it. (the Legacy arm is in back)

At any rate, I hadn't noticed it before this discussion, and I've been going back and forth between the Legacy and the Comanche quite a bit.

[Fumble fingers]

that has more bend than mine , I'll have to post some pictures of mine ( I could do it real quick on FB ) ..... my Comanche's is almost but not quite dead straight