Metropoulos Forum

Interestingly, I was walking around Manhattan today and guitar center had one of Ed's kramer pacers w/ a banana headstock displayed in the window. What stuck me immediately was the pickup. Considering all the recent debate about mighty mite pickups recently in Ed's franky for VH1, it seems that Ed was using one in the pacers as well. Granted this is not the 5150 or 1984 pacer but still it got me thinking.

The pickup was black (diagonal placement) with the hex holes (like the mighty mite), it had long legs (bobbins very close to the strings) and what seemed to be dried wax around the edges. So I am thinking that it might be the Mighty Mite 1400 (~9k / lower output). I don't think MM1300 came in black only cream. Not sure about the DSD...

Just thought I would share.

Pictures?

eddie did not play a pacer, kramer made a model based on his called the baretta with a slanted single humbucker,these came with schaller pu's originally then duncan jb's after 1984. Kramer never used dimarzios or MM's in their stock guitars just schaller and duncans.

Just to clarify - was it a Pacer - meaning a normal Kramer guitar - or was it a red/white/black striped job that would likely be one of his myriad of backups?

Yup, it was one of ed's red, white and black stripped guitars but only a back up not a production model kramer. I will get back to you guys...

Marshall SL12301 wrote:eddie did not play a pacer, kramer made a model based on his called the baretta with a slanted single humbucker,these came with schaller pu's originally then duncan jb's after 1984. Kramer never used dimarzios or MM's in their stock guitars just schaller and duncans.

Sure he did , the purple one that he covered up with different colors electrical tape

I wouldn't read too much into it ... Ed used to put guitars together out of his less-desirable parts for donations (Hard Rock Cafe donations, etc).

There is a blue-stripped strat, that he built and gave away, that sports a Bill Lawrence XL-500 ... he has never been seen before or since with XL-500s.

hammered wrote:

Marshall SL12301 wrote:eddie did not play a pacer, kramer made a model based on his called the baretta with a slanted single humbucker,these came with schaller pu's originally then duncan jb's after 1984. Kramer never used dimarzios or MM's in their stock guitars just schaller and duncans.

Sure he did , the purple one that he covered up with different colors electrical tape

I forgot all about that kramer he played with his jam with holdsworth I remember he posed with a white pacer imperial(with a rockinger trem) but i dont recall him ever playing it live? nice guitar though

Mighty Mites have bondable wire and so no wax potting is really necessary.

Mighty Mites also have no bobbin holes in their bobbins.

I'll guess and say it's a DiMarzio Super Distortion.

If it's a "potted after the fact" DSD, then that sounds interesting. It might put that guitar in the category of "1 of 12" backups on tour in the 84-ish era. Nothing special about that guitar, of course, other than the idea that maybe he and his tech team were assembling these things on the fly, but raiding his parts stash to finish them off?

So the guitar is fairly meaningless, but might have a pickup he toured or recorded with prior.....that's would be kinda cool.

I give him two thumbs up for not using the Schallers, even in an endorsement deal, LOL! Even the purple pacer had the bridge pickup replaced. Though you have to wonder if the doubleneck remained stock in term of pickups.

Actually,

Those Schaller pups were as crunchy as all hell. I loved my Kramer with that it in it. No matter what pup I used, I kept going back to that stock Schaller. It was way better then that awful nasel sounding JB.

Marshall SL12301 wrote:

hammered wrote:

Marshall SL12301 wrote:eddie did not play a pacer, kramer made a model based on his called the baretta with a slanted single humbucker,these came with schaller pu's originally then duncan jb's after 1984. Kramer never used dimarzios or MM's in their stock guitars just schaller and duncans.

Sure he did , the purple one that he covered up with different colors electrical tape

I forgot all about that kramer he played with his jam with holdsworth I remember he posed with a white pacer imperial(with a rockinger trem) but i dont recall him ever playing it live? nice guitar though

He played it live with Allan Holdsworth and the purple pacer was said to have your current fave pickup for the VH1 tone , Seymour Duncan Custom

Star*Guitar wrote:Actually,

Those Schaller pups were as crunchy as all hell. I loved my Kramer with that it in it. No matter what pup I used, I kept going back to that stock Schaller. It was way better then that awful nasel sounding JB.

I've had the original Schaller "Golden 50's" pickup salvaged from my deceased Kramer Baretta(sad story) in my #1 for the last month and I am loving it too! Reverse zebra coils, 8.3K with A5 I believe, very nice...

I don't think everybody yanked out their stock pickups (like Schallers and Gotohs) in the 80s and stuck in JBs because the JBs sounded worse. JBs were superior in that era based on the tone guitarists were chasing and the prevalent amps that were being used.

30 years down the road, people are not chasing that tone anymore and the Schallers hold up pretty well in that regard. And to point, so do the Gotohs from that era (I still have a couple that I swap in and out from approx. 82-83 and they are very DSD in sound).

Pickups likes/dislikes are always subjective - so much comes into play - guitar wood & construction, signal chain, amp, etc. Whatever gives you a buzz is the best pickup!

Dang, I think I still have the Schaller from my old Pacer. Might have to put that in something....