A question for Languedoc owners! Neck PU cavity

[deadbearbobby]

Are languedoc's neck PU cavities open or closed... and are they built into the neck block? I own a Darrell cook and it's open, I believe. Also the neck is a dove-tail neck joint more like a traditional jazz box. I suspect this makes for far less sustain than an actual 'doc? Even compared to my old B. Transki hollow, which did have a closed neck pu cavity and was built into the neck block, the Cook fails to compare sustain wise even with a ross clone. Not hating the Cook, sounds epic for jazz... but nailing treys endless sustain has proven impossible...

[Helping Friendly]

Great question! I am also curious of this. I also wonder why he uses extra screws on the pickup rings just on the bass side. Is that just for extra support from pup to ring or is there more to it?

[trunkyfunk]

Read somewhere that there is a horizontal dovetail. Paul also reports that he has a proprietary neck stabilizing system. With his sunburst doc, trey talks about how he was messing with Carbon causing the neck to twist. Paul was able to replace the neck with his new technique. There is also a possibility that the horn and neck blocks are one big piece of wood. All of these will affect how the top plate vibrates....making the magnetic field of the PU vibrate less. But if there is a horizontal dovetail than I dont know exactly where it would lie. The neck of the guitar butts up to the neck pick up.

All is speculation and heresy, but some combination of factors are making such a thin top plate vibrate at a controlled rate. Transference of energy from the neck and bridge vibrate the top sheet, moving the pickups up and down. Dont think hes got a block under the neck PU. My guess, considering how similar the PU appear to sound in volume (and yes I have also heard Paul raps the bridge a couple more times to better mach volume output?).

Definitely an interesting topic. It is humorous to imagine Paul or any Doc owner sipping a cup of joe in the mourning and logging in to the forums, just to amuse themselves at non-Languedoc owners and their quest. the great mystery finding the tone of a languedoc. (minus the pedals and the amp) So if youre out there Paul, sipping your latte.....I hope its not too hot....and it would be nice to learn from a master and be able to incorporate some ideas into home builds.

[trunkyfunk]

For endless sustain....high gain ts9 to low gain ts9 to compressor. play with the volume and the tone. Some guitars necks have dead spots, but it seems the doc has zero. When trying to hit the forever note, avoid dead spots.

[trunkyfunk]

New set of strings is key as well.