Okay, as promised: One more quick video featuring the Hello Kitty Strat, this time with one of those new Duncan Synyster Gates Invader pickups. I’m told the ceramic-magnet Invader is literally the hottest possible non-active pickup. I’m inclined to believe it.
Take this one with a grain of salt. As much as I love trying to make a pink $99 guitar and a Lunchbox amp sound as heavy as possible, this pickup just might sound a wee bit heavier with a big-ass mahogany guitar and a big-ass tube-dude amp. But still.
FYI, here’s the earlier post I did using a Duncan Phat Cat pickup, plus the same built-in fuzz.
Behold, mortals:
Tech notes: Guitar tuned down to CGCFAD (low to high). Royer R-121 mic (still working after the Lunchbox fell on it).
13 replies on “Behold the Synyster Kitty!”
Dear me! That little kitty roars like a less-than-gruntled lion! And classic oops! moment… …glad to hear your mic survived.
CGCDFA really :what: ? not CGCFAD ?
D’oh.
Fixed it.
I didn’t think anyone actually read that far! 😉
That is just nasty , couldn’t have more fun doing almost anything could you ?
Sounds good man but wouldn’t it be better to do in-the-mix demos the next time? 😉
Bad Kitty!
Hey, I think I have a distant cousin to your blushing feline — the Squier Tom Delonge sig Strat (made in China, hard tail, rosewood fingerboard, too-skinny neck, one volume knob, one “designed by Duncan” Invader clone). It’s been a drop-D fave since I got it for $90 used.
And which I shall now call my Hello Tommy guitar.
Looking forward to the onboard distortion project.
Got a pic, so I can introduce the two beauties to each other? 🙂
Kitty, meet Tommy. Oh well, not an exact match. Standard output jack placement on the Tommy. Under the hood: rectangular pickup routing just big enough for the one humbucker and single vol pot. Might be room for a 9v batt and whatever distortion magic you and the Kitty have in store for us. Should be an interesting project.
Very cool. Joe (as always). But hey, it’s more what you did with it than what you did it with!
Just saw another one of those on CL yesterday, that was black and $120 bucks > almost in my price range too !
aaaahhhhh! that made me cringe when i saw it falling! Thats what happens when u get in that zone when playing, all bets r off and anything goes.
What did u think of the gates PU? I’m contemplating getting a charvel w/ a floyd and of course my head is beyond that and thinking about what kind of pickups to put in it already.
I hear you. I have broken SO much stuff over the years because I am such a clumsy oaf get so lost in playing.
The Synyster pickup is basically a classic Invader with new cosmetics, and obviously, a LOT of great heavy players have made it their tool of choice. It’s incredibly hot and loud for a passive pickup — it really slams the front end of your amp! I generally tend to gravitate toward vintage-output pickups, but I’m going to keep that Invader around, because it’s a great way to get the high-gain, high-octane sound without actually going active. I’d say it’s a great choice if you’ll mostly be playing crunchy-chunky stuff.
Kitty is good for sawing out a travel guitar that hides inside.