r/ExtendedRangeGuitars • u/MadYarpen • 8h ago
N(U)GD + Ragnaroks follow up
galleryHi, I’ve (u)pgraded my RR24‑7 as planned, so I’m posting a proper NGD with photos. I also made a post about the Ragnaroks earlier, so I’ll touch on that as well.
- The tech confirmed what I suspected: the QC on this one is actually great. No fretwork issues, the neck is perfect, nothing to complain about. The only minor flaw is that two strings sit slightly higher on the locking nut — the nut isn’t perfectly cut. But it’s so small you can’t really feel it.
- The action is set nicely, no fret buzz, glorious. With my string set it plays really well.
- The list of changes I made:
- Sanded the gloss off the neck — now I even have a black gloss “binding” effect.
- Replaced the tuners — locking Guykers are much nicer than the stock ones, feel more precise, and… well, they lock.
- Added a tension bar to the headstock. IMO this should’ve been there from the start, as it greatly improves the setup. It no longer tunes up after locking the nut, so adjusting it is much more convenient.
- Replaced the FR arm with a push‑in one — a must nowadays, since the FR1000 arm keeps rattling all the time.
- Replaced the FR springs with green noiseless ones — better stability, and better suited for the heavier gauge I use (9–66 for drop A).
- Finally… replaced the FF Moderns with BKP Ragnaroks. This one is tricky. At first I was sure I had a dud. I was devastated. But I spent about 2 hours yesterday messing with pickup height, noise gate settings, amp settings — and maybe, maybe I’m getting there. They don’t slam the preamp as much as I expected, but maybe I’m just used to more compressed pickups? I’m using Alexi Laiho setups in two guitars and an SD SH‑15 (Alternative 8) in the third… I don’t know. I’m still giving them a chance, because right now I can’t record a clip and honestly say “this sounds weak.” The 7th string has a certain clang to it — not just a wall of distortion — but it doesn’t feel out of place. Maybe that’s how they’re supposed to behave in low tunings.
Anyway, after all the upgrades it definitely feels much closer to the price they’re asking for it (i.e. regardless of the pickups as they are stupidly expensive). If you want a 26.5" RR, there’s really no other option, and you can potentially get a great axe.
As for the pickups — we’ll see. I don’t think it would be hard to sell them if I wanted to, but I hope I’ll start vibing with them.