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Epiphone Allen Woody Rumblekat Mod

Anyone else mod theirs?

  • Yes

    Votes: 18 58.1%

  • No

    Votes: 14 45.2%
  • Total voters
    31
H

HouseofElrond

Guest
Dec 21, 2017
4
24
#1
Very happy with the mods to my Rumblekat.
*Leveled the frets
*Installed CTS 500K pots with ceramic .047 cap
*New nut with narrower string spacing
*Sanded the back of the neck to comfotable profile and gun stock oil finished
*Installed Klein bass mini humbucker pickups
*Moved the neck pickup to the bridge position then and routed for the bridge pickup closer to the bridge.
*Made a tortoise pick guard to cover the neck hole.

This thing rocks!... literally!
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#3
Axstar said:
That is impressive work, and you've not scrimped on the costs there! I just went to the Klein website!

You might struggle to find others who have modded an Allen Woody that much. :bassist:
Click to expand...
Thanks... Yeah... I struggled with the cost of the Kleins. But I love the bass and the Kleins are in fact better. The slight "wooliness" of the Epiphone pickups is gone. Clean, warm, and punchy. Using La Bella flats.
 
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#4
Nice work!
I've only had my Rumblekat a week so it's still stock.
I've new strings (GHS Pressurewounds) on the way but so far I haven't found anything that NEEDS changing.
I may go with hipshot lollipop tuners (just because I love that style), and possibly change the volume/tone pots.
The only thing that had me hesitant about getting this was the hofner-style control plate, but at least the Rumblekat one is a lot simpler...still, I'd have been happier without any plate at all, just the control knobs sitting on the wood.
 
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#5
HouseofElrond said:
Very happy with the mods to my Rumblekat.
*Leveled the frets
*Installed CTS 500K pots with ceramic .047 cap
*New nut with narrower string spacing
*Sanded the back of the neck to comfotable profile and gun stock oil finished
*Installed Klein bass mini humbucker pickups
*Moved the neck pickup to the bridge position then and routed for the bridge pickup closer to the bridge.
*Made a tortoise pick guard to cover the neck hole.

This thing rocks!... literally!View attachment 2890905 View attachment 2890906 View attachment 2890907 View attachment 2890908
Click to expand...
Had one. Liked it and regret selling it. I replaced the tuners, installed flats and had the nut redone as part of a pro setup to improve (lower) the action. Sounded and played great.
 
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#6
HouseofElrond said:
Very happy with the mods to my Rumblekat.
*Leveled the frets
*Installed CTS 500K pots with ceramic .047 cap
*New nut with narrower string spacing
*Sanded the back of the neck to comfotable profile and gun stock oil finished
*Installed Klein bass mini humbucker pickups
*Moved the neck pickup to the bridge position then and routed for the bridge pickup closer to the bridge.
*Made a tortoise pick guard to cover the neck hole.
Click to expand...

Nice job on the pickguard.

The only mods I needed to make to my Rumblekat were to install Gotoh GB350 Res-O-Lite tuners, a Hipshot Supertone bridge and relocating the upper strap button to behind the neck joint.
 
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#9
Bought one...
mojomike001 said:
All those mods and you didn't change the most important thing (IMHO), the three-point bridge. The Hipshot replacement is transformational. It turns the Woody into a fine instrument. Fully adjustable saddles.

View attachment 2891249
Click to expand...
have one
mojomike001 said:
All those mods and you didn't change the most important thing (IMHO), the three-point bridge. The Hipshot replacement is transformational. It turns the Woody into a fine instrument. Fully adjustable saddles.

View attachment 2891249
Click to expand...
couldn't get the action low enough with it on mine.
 
#11
HouseofElrond said:
Very happy with the mods to my Rumblekat.
*Leveled the frets
*Installed CTS 500K pots with ceramic .047 cap
*New nut with narrower string spacing
*Sanded the back of the neck to comfotable profile and gun stock oil finished
*Installed Klein bass mini humbucker pickups
*Moved the neck pickup to the bridge position then and routed for the bridge pickup closer to the bridge.
*Made a tortoise pick guard to cover the neck hole.

This thing rocks!... literally!View attachment 2890905 View attachment 2890906 View attachment 2890907 View attachment 2890908
Click to expand...

Welcome to TalkBass!!!!

I don't own one, but that's some great looking work!
 
#12
I just got mine last week and it is an awesome bass!
I admire the time and effort invested, but IMHO few if any mods are really needed.
I would have also liked for the controls to just be on the body, without a plate (like my Gretsch HB), although a bit of an eye-sore, its not the end of the world.
I looked into getting a nut and maybe replace the tuners and bridge, but at the price I got it for and for how nicely it plays, I don't really see the need to.
 
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#13
I recently purchased a Rumblekat and to be honest it's a great instrument.
After looking at some of the mods that people have been doing i began to wonder about the merits of changing the bridge to a Hipshot, i know that it will enable more accurate setup over the original bridge but it also made me think about how other hollow body instrument bridges seem to have minimal points of contact with the top surface of the body.
I'm now questioning whether full contact bridges detrimentally affect the way that hollow bodies resonate or would this only really be a problem with acoustic instruments?
 
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#15
All that I've done so far is to fit a bone nut, replace the capacitator with a big old fashioned oil capacitator of the same value and I replaced the plastic knobs with gold colored metal knobs. Somewhere down the road I will probably go for the Ultralite Tuners. I don't have any problem with the 3 point bridge.
RK_knobs.jpg
 
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