Can I raise a practical question at this point?

[Bennyboy-UK]

Ello -

Not sure what this switch does - is it a passive EQ thingy, or some kind of coiltap? Playtesting Austins old one - it makes a small difference - but not too sure whats going on when its in either position!

I'm new to this model - so if you can help - it would be much appreciated!

Cheers,

Benner

[e-isle rock]

It is a mid/thick switch. It brings in a capacitor when it is on and adds more mid range and

thickens up the tone as I understand it. Seems to me from what I've read most people don't seem

to like it. I have a mini switch on my Centaura as well but someone modded my guitar for the EMG

preamp which I don't use either. I have never heard the sound of the stock mini switch so I can't

comment on personal experience on how they sound, only what I've read. Here's some info on the guitar that might help just scroll down a little ways:

http://www.vintageguitar.com/features/bran...ls.asp?AID=1082

[Bennyboy-UK]

Spot on! Thanks so much for the steer! Trying to work out which sound is 'normal' setting was a bit of a challenge!

Thanks again,

Ben.

[e-isle rock]

Your very welcome!

Can't help you with which way is on and which is off.

Which pickups are in your Centuara?

I've been struggling with this for a while now.

[BubbaVO]

I never found the mini switch to have much of an impact. I wonder if dropping in a capacitor with a .001 value would have had a more of a pleasing tone.

[Bennyboy-UK]

Pickups are 2x PA stacks and a PATB-1 in the bridge position - the general sounds out of this thing are great!

[e-isle rock]

Cool. Been thinking about that combo for my guitar. Does the neck pickup have a good

clean/blues sound?

[Bennyboy-UK]

Although it brought me out in a cold sweat to try it - the clean sound is actually pretty damn good.

As a comparison to my maple Cali - I would say that all round it his a bit more mid - my maple Cali having a bit more grunt at the very top and bottom - both great in their own way.

With a spot of OD the neck and middle stacked single coils are very respectable

- fairly fat Strattish sounds - but not too stratty if that makes sense - but enough 'Strat' to be more definately in the strat ball park - but with more grunt than your common or garden Stratalike guitar - like a ballsey noiseless Strat -

It sounds great across the board actually!

B

[Ethan]

NO, WE'RE NOT GONNA DO 'UCKING STONE-ENGE!!

[Jem]

I must admit that i would have thought with all that maple and the PATB's that that Cent would have come with the boost circuit that was on the Vintage S. I'm sure i've seen a few Centuara's with it on ?

[atquinn]

...I'm sure i've seen a few Centuara's with it on ?

Yup. Not sure when the change-over happened exactly. The switch made a nice clean/distortion switch for me. The singlcoils sounded "spankier" in one position which was nice for clean stuff and "duller" in the other position, which was horrible for clean stuff, but nice for distorted leads. The switch didn't seem to have much of an affect on the humbucker.

-Austin

[Bennyboy-UK]

Yeah - so far it doesn't seem to do a huge amount - and to be fair I'm probably riding that bridge humbucker for 90% of the time with too much gain anyway!

I may use the green channel on proper clean to do some more testing at some point -

Boost would actually be pretty cool - but the guitar is soooooo immaculate - I don't think I could bring my self to consider any sort of mod.

Cheers for your help all!

Ben.

[e-isle rock]

The only Cent I've ever seen with that preamp is the one I have. However, it was modded for it.

It was sold to me as being stock with the preamp but after receiving it I could tell it wasn't from

the factory though whoever did it did do a pretty good job. The holes drilled in the control cavity

plate were not burnished nearly as well as a Vintage S I had. And the battery was a dead giveaway.

There is no way Hamer would have an active preamp with the battery just dangling around freely

in the cavity with a piece of foam wrapped around it taped with blue painter's masking tape. Unlike

my old Vintage S that did have the preamp stock, there was no cutout in the wood for the battery.

Also, the frequency values were not silkscreened (or however they do it) on the cover under the holes.

Anyways, I took the preamp out. Am in the market for a control cavity cover that is stock and

not drilled for a preamp. I will trade someone covers to if they want to have the preamp for there

guitar. I don't have the preamp anymore just the cover. The holes are drilled pretty well and lined up

perfectly for the EMG HEQ-E pre or the orignal Copeland TC300.

I think I will go with the parallel axis pups. Had them in a guitar a while ago and liked them in that

ax. But it was an all maple guitar as opposed to the Centaura.