Epiphone Allen Woody Rumblekat Mod

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

Very smooth and light in weight.

 

Welcome to TalkBass!!!!

I don't own one, but that's some great looking work!

 

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.

 

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?

 

I modded mine.

Epi Allen Woody (Modded) by georgiagoodie posted Jun 12, 2014 at 6:43 PM

TV Jones Pups
Supertone Bridge (No problem with string height on mine)
Hofner knobs
Hipshot Ultralite Tuners

 

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.

 

@Grumble where did you get the knobs?
And why replace the capacitor?

 

Have 2, modded both. Babicz 3 point bridge and hipshot ultralights on both. Graphtech nut on the blue one and zero fret on the other. Seymour Duncan pups on the blue one.

 

I am still considering to rewire whole thing as vol/tone on both pickups and 3-way switch.
I already replaced bridge and strings.

 

Which duncans are those? How do they sound? I've swapped the bridge and tuners to hipshot on mine and have been looking for pup options.

 

The pups are SM1 and SM3. I followed the advice in this article.

SD Mini-Humbuckers and the Hofner Beatle Bass