tsquare
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Post by tsquare on Oct 7, 2008 9:39:23 GMT -5
D2O,
I have been wondering those issues myself, it could be that is just the way the guitar is and enjoy it for what it is! If I wanted a Gretsch sound, then I should have bought a Gretsch, If I wanted a Strat sound, ........ you get the idea.
Ashcatlt,
I will check and see the wire situation and let you know but I won't be able to do it until Oct.16, tomarrow I have to go back to Philly for work the next 8 days and of course I don't take my guitar with me unless I know the plane is empty and it can ride in row 1!
ChrisK,
I have been thinking about the capacitor. Yes, you are right there are a lot of open strings with the muddy sound and you are correct the neck pickup is at the 24th fret. I will have to deal with this guitar when I get home, I have to pack and drive to Milwaukee to catch a flight to Philly, it is the work week again!
To everyone out there-be good and take care! Happy playing!
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Post by D2o on Oct 7, 2008 10:00:44 GMT -5
Sounds good, tsquare  - we look forward to learning more details. D2o |
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tsquare
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Post by tsquare on Oct 15, 2008 8:37:02 GMT -5
Hey everyone,
I'll be on my way to Wisconsin today and will start work on my Yamaha as soon as possible and let you know about the wire situation, really nice in Philly right now, will be in the 80's today and in Wisconsin, 50's what a change! Take care and I'll post when I have some answers.
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tsquare
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Post by tsquare on Oct 16, 2008 20:36:34 GMT -5
Hi everyone, I've been doing alot of reading on pickups lately and was kind of wondering what alot of you think about the Dimarizzo (sp.) "humbucker from hell", from what i've read, this humbucker seems to offer what I'm looking for, according to the web site, a clean, crisp and clarity. I think with my Seymore Duncan-HB at the bridge and the humbucker from hell in the neck soeems like a pretty good combination, plus they say it's designed for the neck position. Any opinions on this set-up? I would really like to know if this is a good set-up or am I wasting my money?
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Post by D2o on Oct 17, 2008 14:55:40 GMT -5
Hi everyone, I've been doing alot of reading on pickups lately and was kind of wondering what alot of you think about the Dimarizzo (sp.) "humbucker from hell", from what i've read, this humbucker seems to offer what I'm looking for, according to the web site, a clean, crisp and clarity. I think with my Seymore Duncan-HB at the bridge and the humbucker from hell in the neck soeems like a pretty good combination, plus they say it's designed for the neck position. Any opinions on this set-up? I would really like to know if this is a good set-up or am I wasting my money? tsquare, I don't have any knowledge of this pickup, but I checked it out "virtually" online. Everything DiMarzio writes seems to be everything you want. The price seems to be around $70. I think your best bet is to read the reviews at Harmony Central. H-C reviews aren't always useful, but - fortunately - there seems to be a few lucid reviews on this pickup. They describe the balance of low output and bright tone, etc. etc. etc., and generally seem to concur with what DiMarzio has claimed. I would say those reviews will undoubtedly be of greater value to you than anything else I could say, so have a read and see what you think. D2o |
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tsquare
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Post by tsquare on Oct 19, 2008 13:38:50 GMT -5
D2o,
I did read all the reviews at Harmony Central, very impressive but also very confusing! It did sound like that was the sound I was looking for and especially that p-u was designed for the neck. I think it will be worth it to purchase this p-u and use it in the neck position. I haven't had much time to work on my guitar because the pressure line on my power steering pump got a whole in it, what a pain to change! I don't mind planes but I hate working on cars.
I think if I can't get the sound I'm looking for that I may just sell the guitar and get the sound I want and tweak it from there. I don't think I can play good if the guitar doesn't sound good, I won't try as hard as I would with a sound I like.
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tsquare
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Post by tsquare on Oct 31, 2008 9:42:15 GMT -5
Happy Halloween guitar pluckers! I did purchase the Humbucker from Hell and installed it into the neck position and what a difference! Although I still have some tweaking to do, the sound is amazing and it is alot crisper! It fit like a glove and the soldering job took me about 5min. (alot of practice with airplanes). I'm happy with the sound and think it was a wise purchase and I learned alot about pick-ups along they way. Thanks to everyone who helped! I hope some day I will be able to offer someone some assistance with a pick-up! Take care!
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Post by D2o on Oct 31, 2008 10:01:31 GMT -5
BOOO! ... strange ... somehow I now have a picture of Bruce Willis saying "Yippy-kiyay-guitar-plucker!" in my head ... Cool! I didn't want to tell you to do it ... but I was thinking how perfectly suited the description was and that it was only $70 or so ... I'm glad you dove in and bought it.  And I'm glad it worked out for you. Glad you have some info to add to your arsenal. Thanks for reporting back to us on a good solution for this type of situation ... you have helped us too. We would be delighted if you came back - with questions or answers ... whatever. You are always welcome here. D2o |
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Post by andy on Nov 1, 2008 6:34:43 GMT -5
Excellent stuff! It just goes to show how much of a difference those little blocks under the strings can make. Most of all it's good that you're now happy with your guitar, without having to fork out for a whole new one. Now, all I need to do is find someone who needs a plane fixing- my soldering could do with some improvement! |
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tsquare
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Post by tsquare on Nov 2, 2008 9:25:44 GMT -5
What nice day here in Philly! Flew back yesterday for work but I did an aweful lot of guitar playing on my days off. That Humbucker from Hell is really nice. I actually enjoy playing it (guitar) now and there are few adjustments on this p-u that allowed me to "fine tune it" for the "distinction" I was looking for. The sound is kind of "jazzy" when play through my amp (fender DeVille), it's not as "warm or muddy" as the stock p-u. I played a few hollowbodies (Gretsch-Electromatic, Epiphone-Fat Kat[Ithink], Ibanez-don't know the model, and PRS semi hollowbody) and I'd have to say my sound is pretty compareable to those. When I select the middle position for both the bridge and neck the sound is great and the p-u really accent each other for a rock sound. Over all it was a good selection and I have no regrets.
Thanks to John at Heid Music in Appleton, Wi. John has helped me alot ( I'm sure he's glad it's fixed also!), I've been in there numerous times asking for advice. John played my guitar also and he was very impressed with the sound.
Anyway gotta run, broken planes require mechanics to fix them. Take care everyone, I will stay with this for the long run and maybe help someone else out!
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tsquare
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Post by tsquare on Nov 12, 2008 5:38:34 GMT -5
How is everyone? Doing good I hope! My Yamaha sounds great, I have a great time playing it now with that new pickup, Humbucker from Hell. Last week when I was home in Wisconsin, I spent a few hours and really dialed it in, adjusting pole height and overall humbucker height and I was able to produce a great sound that I'am very happy with. It may not be the right pickup for all but for me it was a great choice. Take care everyone.
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Post by D2o on Nov 12, 2008 9:35:57 GMT -5
Tsquare - excellent! The little details that you have now taken care of can make more of a difference than expected. Great work - keep on rockin' in the free world!  D2o |
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tsquare
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Post by tsquare on Nov 26, 2008 11:29:41 GMT -5
How is everyone? Doing great I hope. A very Happy Thanksgiving to all and make it a safe one!
I do have a new problem. A friend of mine at work in Philly gave me an Ibanez RG140 guitar. It's very beat up but gives me something to do when I'm off work in Philly. I have already sanded it down and the basswood has a very nice grain. I'm going to attempt to paint it a cherry/mahohany burst (in college it was either an artist or mechanic!). Some of the electronics are damaged really bad and need replacing. I cannot find any information on the value of the pots, are they 250 or 500 ohms? 1 of the pots should be a volume and the other should be a tone and pull duo sound, I believe. There are 3 pickups, the neck and middle are Super 7F and the bridge is a Super 70. I've been to all kinds of web sites looking for wiring diagrams, owners manuals, etc. and no luck or I'm not looking in the right places. Any help with this would be appreciated.
When this guitar is done, I will post a picture of it and when it's all done I'm going to donate it to a school music program so some kid can enjoy it! I have already refinished a Peavy t-140 bass and an Archer and donated them also, kids need a break once in a while and I'd like to help if I can.
One more thing, the pick-guard is horrible! I would like an aftermarket pickguard, perferably an american flag style with a bald eagle possibly, I think it would look good with a riddish background, anyway any suggestions where to get a pickguard? Thank you everyone!
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Post by D2o on Nov 26, 2008 12:23:01 GMT -5
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Post by ChrisK on Nov 26, 2008 18:15:13 GMT -5
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dotfret
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Post by dotfret on Dec 27, 2008 23:12:43 GMT -5
I have two Yamaha SG models, and I rate the Yamaha humbuckers very highly - as do most people that play them.
Let us examine the problem - you have this old Jazz style guitar that has been modified. The guitar was designed to give a rounded jazz tone, which maybe you would describe as muddy. I would guess that the previous owner was more into rock, and fitted the SD so that he could kick from a quiet rhythm setting to a much louder lead setting at the flick of a switch, with the volume knobs adjusted appropriately.
With its original pickups, the guitar would have sounded "warm and rounded", and you would be able to use the amp settings to make it bright and toppy. I would guess that with the SD fitted, if you adjust the amp to give you a toppy sound on the neck pickup, when you switch to the bridge pickup it sounds like a hooligan was let loose!
As I see it, you have to appreciate what the previous owner was trying to do before you can understand why the guitar is "that way".
If you like the Fender-style sound, it should be possible to coil-tap the Yamaha pickup and install pull switching on the volume knob to give a single coil tone.
In your position, I would go back to the guy you bought it from and see if I could get the original Yamaha pickup. Then I would coil-tap the pickups and fit switched volume controls so that I could use it with a toppy sound, or the design sound.
There is a lot to think about, especially if you like the Fender sound more than the "muddy" jazz sound. But that Yamaha is a well-constructed, and undervalued guitar. You have bought well, even if it does not suit your style. If I had that guitar, I would not sell it, only to buy a cheap Fender clone.
35 years ago you could buy second hand instruments cheaply, the only guitars attracting special interest were pre-CBS strats and 50s Les Pauls. Nowadays people pay stupid money for old guitars, and there is interest in 70s models which is putting premium values on some strange things. Yamaha is a marque which does not lose value, even the cheap models sell well (a lot of the undistinguished models still fetch the original sale price or more).
That guitar is a good investment, it is worth restoring it to original, and making non-cosmetic changes that would be acceptable to both a player and a collector - and make it sound like you want it to sound.
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- we look forward to learning more details.
