New Guitar: Another Bent Pipes Pacer

Saw this one online for a fair price, and as I’m a big fan of this graphic I went for it. It’s very similar to my other “Bent Pipes” graphic pacer, except this one is an early Pacer Special model - single humbucker, and the input jack on the face of the body. This one is also equipped with a Rockinger tremolo, which was an early locking bridge design originally marketed as the “EVH Tremolo,” which he used for a while. Apparently it didn’t stay in tune that well, which led to the creation of the double locking Floyd Rose which is still common equipment even on modern guitars. Personally, I don’t mind the Rockinger but I’m not a heavy whammy bar user, and I’m glad this one wasn’t too heavily modified.

It has been modified though, mainly the Rockinger locking nut is gone, along with the original brass string trees. Instead, three roller string trees are installed, one using the screw hole from the rockinger’s locking nut. I may return this to stock at some point, but I will say these trees do keep it in tune very nicely and the strings feel very nice and slinky without the lock (as compared to my other Rockinger-equipped Pacer). It also has lost its original Schaller humbucker at some point, replaced with a Seymour Duncan JB.