The Bee - Bridge & Pickup Matching??

[Velva]

This is kind of an old topic but may be worth working out a little...

It seems to me that when Ed had the Bee made he wanted to experiment and have a more complete guitar rather than a cobbled together B&W Franky (not that that is bad IMO).

I would guess that he tried a brass bridge on the Bee as those were in fashion at the time but I don't see any photographic evidence on the web? Anyone what kind of bridge he used before the floyd?

I think, but I'm not sure, he used fender vintage 6 point off with either a rewound paf (78), a duncan custom or the MM 1300 clear bobbins (but I think it is unlikely MM was used).

I believe when Ed got turned on to floyds, the Bee was the first guitar he tried it out on so it is likely that that guitar had a CC as the CC was developed to compensate for brightness of the floyd...

I think this makes sense but I may be full of shit too... can anyone set me straight or have a different idea?

[nondeplume]

I believe this picture is from the day he walked out of Charvel with it....looks like a brass bridge



Here as well, before a floyd, same bridge, could be brass.



If you can find some larger quality images of the VH II photo shoot for the album, it would still be in it's pre floyd state, but I think the pickup in those shots (looks like one of those Carvins), was just thrown in.

[Megaro]

Is that a Zebra style regular spaced pickup in the last photo ? I assume these had the pickup ring and were not directly mounted to the wood.

[Tone Slinger]

The pickup route is TOO close to the bridge (on the BEE). Regardless of the type of bridge OR the type of pickup, the (that) guitar just wouldn't have the 'resonant width' of a guitar that has the pickup a bit further away from the bridge.

[hammered]

I believe when Ed got turned on to floyds, the Bee was the first guitar he tried it out on so it is likely that that guitar had a CC as the CC was developed to compensate for brightness of the floyd...

I think this makes sense but I may be full of shit too... can anyone set me straight or have a different idea?

When he took that guitar on the road for the 79 tour he had what appeared to be a double creme Super Distortion in it and there tons of pictures of it floating around , wheather the pickup was modded or not is anyones guess but Ed said in interviews he had put a PAF magnet in the Super Distortion. When he took the Bee on the road for the WACF tour he had a Zebra bobbin pickup back in it

[prelle]

When he took that guitar on the road for the 79 tour he had what appeared to be a double creme Super Distortion in it and there tons of pictures of it floating around , wheather the pickup was modded or not is anyones guess but Ed said in interviews he had put a PAF magnet in the Super Distortion. When he took the Bee on the road for the WACF tour he had a Zebra bobbin pickup back in it

Did the Bee see much use after the first, European leg of the VHII tour? When I saw that tour in DC in '79, it was all Frankie with the Bee neck. The 2 WACF shows I saw were all Charvel Star with the Dano neck.

[garbeaj]

I believe the yellow and black Charvel/Ellsworth guitar had a standard Fender tremolo on it when it was handed to Ed and stayed with that bridge until the neck was swapped and the first Floyd Rose installed. It looks like he had a Mighty Mite tremolo arm with the brass tip cover on it, which is why it looks a little different from a standard Fender tremolo. I don't believe Eddie ever had any brass components on the "Bee".

The whole brass nut thing was just a phase for Ed. He had a brass nut on the original Frankenstein and he very briefly had the Mighty Mite brass saddle bridge on the Frankenstein only for the first album cover shoot. After that, the standard Fender tremolo remained on the Frankenstein until the neck swaps and Floyd Rose came much later on. Of course, the Ibanez "Shark" Destroyer had a brass nut. I don't believe he used brass on any other guitars besides the nut on the original Frankenstein Ellsworth neck and the Shark nut.

[garbeaj]

http://www.vhlinks.com/vbforums/threads ... preciation

[hammered]

When he took that guitar on the road for the 79 tour he had what appeared to be a double creme Super Distortion in it and there tons of pictures of it floating around , wheather the pickup was modded or not is anyones guess but Ed said in interviews he had put a PAF magnet in the Super Distortion. When he took the Bee on the road for the WACF tour he had a Zebra bobbin pickup back in it

Did the Bee see much use after the first, European leg of the VHII tour? When I saw that tour in DC in '79, it was all Frankie with the Bee neck. The 2 WACF shows I saw were all Charvel Star with the Dano neck.

There are pictures of it being used on the WACF tour but not many

[Velva]

I believe this picture is from the day he walked out of Charvel with it....looks like a brass bridge



Here as well, before a floyd, same bridge, could be brass.



If you can find some larger quality images of the VH II photo shoot for the album, it would still be in it's pre floyd state, but I think the pickup in those shots (looks like one of those Carvins), was just thrown in.

Yeah that sure looks like a brass bridge - probably a star guitar... I heard that Ed just didn't like the brass bridge because it wasn't toney (his word). I would guess that the fender vintage tremolo was on it at some point after the brass? It seems in the VH2 photos that it is a fender 6 point.

FWIW - I think you are right about the brass tremolo tip. I have seen photos of the B&W Franky with a brass tip on the tremolo just like the old brass tips on the brass stars guitar bridges. I recently put together a franky inspired guitar and used a tremolo off a 65 strat and I put a stars guitar brass tip on the tremolo arm and it screwed on perfectly.

[echoplexi1974]

On a side note concerning the bee, it's interesting he specified Dimarzio Super Distortions....

http://www.guitaraficionado.com/eddie-v ... llery.html

[garbeaj]

Actually, I don't know that he ever specified anything. The Grover Jackson era Charvel company produced those yellow and black striped guitars without his knowledge, consent or participation. There are receipts that the guitars were delivered, but I'm not sure there is any proof that he ordered the guitars himself or that he gave them any specifications for them.

[EJSLPlexi]

Actually, I don't know that he ever specified anything. The Grover Jackson era Charvel company produced those yellow and black striped guitars without his knowledge, consent or participation. There are receipts that the guitars were delivered, but I'm not sure there is any proof that he ordered the guitars himself or that he gave them any specifications for them.

I agree,
The only thing that is definite is eddie DID have/own the original sandoval bee and at least that other one that is going to auction.
Here is a vid clip of him playing the "other" bee to show he did own it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoLjLUV ... be&t=1m17s
So all i am saying is he DID have it in his possession but garbeaj is right there is not actual proof those were his spec's.
In GP he said he did NOT like a brass nut and the dimarzio was "too distorted" and he did not go for those.
So IF eddie did spec those other charvel Bee's, the dimarzio's would gave gotten a magnet swap by him and the bras nut would eventually be replaced.

[Santino]

Ed used a Super Distortion. Wanna know how I know? He said he didn't like them. That's the first clue. Then he's got them and or the Mighty Mite version in his main guitars at times. And the biggest clue, my ears. I've said for years I hear the SD. People buy him saying he likes low output pickups. I never did. Then the EBMM comes out. What's in there for a pickup? High output and closer to a SD than a classic low output type pickup. He may have tried to tame them a bit with different magnets. But he used them.

My EVH Stripe Series pickup is super hot. Very Super Distortion sounding. Too much treble and fizz. Perfect for classic VH.