elderik
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Post by elderik on Aug 30, 2011 23:21:20 GMT -5
Trying to determine best replacement PUP set for my Strat.
I play Texas blues and classic rock and funk. Must be passive.
I have a Y2K American Std Strat w/ Maple fretboard that I love dearly. I played it to death for 10 years with a Hotrails in the bridge and the stock pups in in Mid & Neck. Eventually, I had to have the frets refurbished, replaced the bridge assembly and all the pots and switching which were getting noisy. Completely gutted it. kept only the tuners.
I decided to try the "Jeff Beck Noiseless" for a little hotter sound, with the tone set to the "EJ Tone" with mid pup untouched. However, it seems a bit too hot - where are the bell clear strat sounds when I want it? I seem to use only the 3rd and fourth position now instead of all 5. Should I go to the Fender Noiseless regular set? What about this Cobalt thing? I like the noiseless/passive configuration, but not sure what set to try. I play classic electric & blues ala Hendrix/Beck/SRV but want the classic strat beach sounds too.- is that possible. My stock pups did a fair job, but surely I can do better with less hum.
You opinions welcome
Thanks from Dallas!
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Post by 4real on Aug 31, 2011 2:25:26 GMT -5
I have JB noiseless fenders in the neck and middle positions of my mahogany strat... guitarnuts2.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=music&action=display&thread=5413The bridge PUP is a SD JB HB with a unique rotary switching thing...along with all the other switching hidden in it. Besides having a bit of a JB fetish there, I really like them myself but each to their own. I don't find them 'too hot' personally, they are not thin but they don't overdrive the amp particularly. They are dead quiet and have a nice stratty tone, not as thin and spiky as a true single coil true, but that is not the sound I am after. I actually play very clean and now use this guitar for a jazz fingerstyle thing with a very knophler-ish tone, primarily N+M, sometimes N alone or N+B split about 3/4. In fact, I find it a little overly bright on full volume (500k pots) so turn it down a tad and even roll off some highs with the tone controls as a rule. The pups have a bit more body, but they are very identifiably strat like to my ears and I love 'em personally. If you tried them with standard strat 250k pots, you may well have loaded them down a little too much and not got the full highs that they are capable of. There are a bunch of good noiseless pups about, lawrence (bill and becky) are supposed to be good, kinnman are amazing if you have the cash and know what you are after...there are many others and more budget ones are emerging I've seen. The colbot mags are in the side generally and draw the magnetic field into a more single coil shape and magnetically isolate them a bit, not sure how the latest versions are, but at least on mine which are the previous model. Certainly you can do 'surf stuff' but nothing really sounds quite like an authentic SC, nor are most designed to (kinnman are an exception I believe with the Marvin 'shadows' sigs). It may not be possible to 'have it all' but you can get very versatile. higher pot values will prevent loading, 1M will go super bright, but if you were to put on a treble bleed circuit, you could simply turn down the volume a touch and bleed out some bass for that thinner sound if that is what you are after. hope that helps, feel free to ask any questions... |
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Post by roadtonever on Aug 31, 2011 7:12:31 GMT -5
I hear good things about Fender SCNs, you can get them cheap on eBay. Also, like 4real mentioned, there's Bill Lawrence who makes a fine humcancelling Strat style pickup.
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Post by 4real on Aug 31, 2011 7:26:42 GMT -5
If interested, you could find some new from the parting out fender store, "STRATosphere" that's whre I got mine.
On the SCN, yes, I forgot my neck tele pickup is an SCN and sounds great, not sure what the strat versions are...
but everything is a matter of taste. Certainly though, check the pots you used to check these pups, they are HB's after all and these can change things substantially...not everything is 'plug and play'.
Beware of 'stats' like resistance readings...these things have two coils and a lot of windings, the intention is that only the top coil is doing most fo the string sensing, the lower the noise cancelling...so that is not any kind of guage as to how they might sound.
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Post by thetragichero on Aug 31, 2011 9:17:56 GMT -5
gold lace sensors
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Post by morbe on Jul 23, 2012 19:49:57 GMT -5
I got a Mexican Standard strat of Craigslist and played it out. I Upgraded the pickups to fender Vintage Noiseless pickups. The kit was online for 60$ I think. They're stock pickups in the American Deluxe Strat. So I was able to wire the guitar as a Deluxe. Going from the junk Mexican pickups to these really waked my guitar up!!!! I love them!!!!
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Post by 4real on Jul 23, 2012 21:28:35 GMT -5
I got a Mexican Standard strat of Craigslist and played it out. I Upgraded the pickups to fender Vintage Noiseless pickups. The kit was online for 60$ I think. They're stock pickups in the American Deluxe Strat. So I was able to wire the guitar as a Deluxe. Going from the junk Mexican pickups to these really waked my guitar up!!!! I love them!!!! Well done. there is some 'controversy' of a sort about them as in 'they don't sound exactly like a single coil, blah, blah' but I think they sound great. I have the Jeff Beck hotter versions of the older style. They are certainly quiet! congrats on getting a good price on them... |
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Post by morbe on Jul 24, 2012 6:33:05 GMT -5
Well done. there is some 'controversy' of a sort about them as in 'they don't sound exactly like a single coil, blah, blah' but I think they sound great. I have the Jeff Beck hotter versions of the older style. They are certainly quiet! congrats on getting a good price on them... I guess you could debate all day long about what my new pick ups sound like but at the end of the day they are better than the stock mexi pick ups. I now have a definitive tone change as Imove through the selector switch. as for the price I will search the ends of the internet untill I find a price I like. |
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Post by Yew on Jul 25, 2012 11:24:06 GMT -5
Could you try moving the pickups down, to get a lower output? Maybe worth a try before an upgrade.
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elderik
Rookie Solder Flinger
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Post by elderik on Aug 8, 2012 6:32:29 GMT -5
update - I lowered the pups (Fender JB Noiseless) down about as far as I could go and it helped but still not as much variety in the 5 positions as the stock had. I will try the 500K or 1M Pots as suggested - which might take carwe of it knowing what I know now. Otherwise I am intrigued by reviews of Lindy Fralin as a true SC or Dimarzio Area noiseless set - any feedback on those?  |
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cheezor
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Post by cheezor on Aug 8, 2012 15:37:37 GMT -5
+1 on the Gold Sensors. I love them. I really liked the Lace Holy Grail too, but I haven't had much experience with that one since I don't own any. |
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mp70
Apprentice Shielder
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Post by mp70 on Aug 30, 2012 9:46:03 GMT -5
I am hearing good things about the L-45S from Bill Lawrence.. I will be using this pickup on my next build in the middle position..
I also hear decent things about Joe Barden S-Deluxe's.. but they are pricey..
YMMV..
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elderik
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Post by elderik on Dec 27, 2012 3:02:40 GMT -5
Updated:
I finally got around to putting this project on the agenda before the year ends.
I am putting in a set of DM Area's on my AS Strat - I tried Fender Noiseless Hot but hated em as compressed and no sparkle. I have acquired a set of DP-58, 67 (Not RWRP), 61, and also Virtual Solo to choose from on my bench. Do you have to use a RWRP in the middle to split coils on 2 & 4? Or does the split method even matter for these pups and just run them full on? I have reada both opinions. I am looking at the thread about changing the polarity of the 67.
I have the V Solo as a possible alternative to the 61 for more versatility on the bridge, which also has some great reviews, in which case splitting might be a must for any authentic quack on position 2.
I am also toying with the fender TBX tone and a 1M Blender pot for the Neck/Bridge. Any thoughts appreciated
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Post by JohnH on Dec 27, 2012 3:52:14 GMT -5
I don't know about those pickups, but just thought I'd chip in on neck/bridge blending. I have a recent American Special Strat, with Texas specials of 6.4k at N and M, and an 8.4k Fender humbucker for B. Its a recent aquisistion and like it a lot so far - but its not noiseless.
So for blending to get N and B parallel mixtures, I first wired in a 100k log pot between N and B hots, which mixes N in when B is selected, and vice versa. It works very well, but it was essential to have a no-load conversion on it, so it cuts out at 10. I think an optimum value would be 250k, with no-load, to get smooth transition plus complete dissconnect. I'd recommend that in place of a very high value pot like 1M, if you want to get the in-between sounds.
I'm also finding that the most interesting transition is from full B to B+N, with my pickups, so I'm going to have the blender only active in setting 1, ie usually B
John
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elderik
Rookie Solder Flinger
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Post by elderik on Jan 2, 2013 17:55:05 GMT -5
Thanks for the input. The main question I am now chasing with is pup order for a vintage/Hendrix strat: Area58(n) +67(M) + 61(B) or swap to AREA 67(N) and 58(M). I am reading good reviews on both
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Post by 4real on Jan 2, 2013 18:13:16 GMT -5
With the JB hot noiseless...did you use 500K pots...it might be that you are just loadign these things too much. All the same, they are obviously a more 'modern sound' and don't pretend to be vintage...if youwant that, lower powered is best.
I don't know about these DM 'area' pickups...
Rather than the hype, perhaps detirmine actually what you want. There will be compromises and no, you can not 'have it all'..
If you want silly good quality noiseless and 'authentic' strat sounds...look at Kinman and save up, a lot. And, even then, be absolutely sure of the kinds of sounds you are after. If you want that 'sparkle' then you do not want to go with 'hot' pickups now do you!
And, pay special attention to the wiring...my JB and HB wired strat has 500k pots to allow them to open up and heavily advise that. Want bit your head off treble, well perhaps even a 1M pot...leave out teh treble bleed and you will be able to take that 'edge off' with the volume control down a touch. I use this technique in my tele. On taht guitar also, I use an SCn fender deluxe tele neck pickup and is dead quiet and a supurb vintage sound. I sense that a lot of people don't 'like' noiseless pickups because they have just not wired them in correctly...and a lot of players go for 'hot' pups and then wonder why they dont sound 'classic'....it is not because they can't, but the mojo is not just in the pickups at all!
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