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Post by backwardlefty on Aug 22, 2013 20:56:05 GMT -5
I got these Tex-Mex's in my MIM Strat. I flattened the stagger - not totally flat, but much flatter than stock - and lowered them very low - the neck was just peeking out of the pickguard. They had a very clear tone, but I felt like they weren't driving my amp as well as they should. The sound was clear but thin. I just got these pu's a few weeks ago, so I've still been tweaking them. I decided to try things a little differently than I have in the past. I decided to use my amp to assist in adjusting the pu heights. Here's what I mean: first, I set all the controls on the guitar on full, then I set the amp's tone controls all the way up (it's a DRRI, so there's only a Treble and Bass, and both are passive so full on, "10", is pure signal, no boost), then I set the amp's volume just to were the signal is solid but not overdriven. Under those circumstances, I then adjusted the bridge pickup very close to the strings - not quite touching, but almost - and backed off just until notes at the closest fret (in this case, the 21st) had normal sustain and clarity. From this point, I set the middle and neck to volume balance with the bridge. Once the pickups were set, I was then able to adjust the controls on the amp to my liking. It worked very well. The controls on the guitar seem more responsive now - I can use the tone to just take off a bit of edge, and the volume seems to keep a good, balanced signal throughout its sweep
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Post by newey on Aug 22, 2013 21:29:11 GMT -5
That sounds like a good technique. You're backing it down to the point where you avoid the dreaded "wolf tones".
I start to sound like a broken record sometimes around here. But I've always thought that too many guitarists ignore their pickup height adjustment. It's cost-free and easy to do, and can make a huge difference. It ought to be the first thing someone does if they're not satisfied with the sound of their guitar.
I wonder how many customers DiMarzio and Seymour Duncan would lose if people would just try playing around with the adjustments, before deciding that "the pickups suck" and that they need to send a chunk o' their next paycheck to Mr. Duncan.
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Post by ux4484 on Aug 23, 2013 1:40:14 GMT -5
I usually go the opposite, I start with them flush with the controls maxed out. I like using my bass amp because its not as flavored as any of my Mustang III's presets. No gain, mid settings on the amp's tone controls. I also start with the bridge (as it's the one I use the most) and raise it until I get a good output from all the strings, then I raise them and play bit by bit. Once it's where I think it's good, I bring up the gain on the amp and try again (more often than not, this results in lowering a bit). Wash, rinse, repeat. For full size humbuckers (except for my Dot) this has mostly resulted in them being flush or just slightly above the guard or pup ring. For single coils, it's been all over the place. The ones I spent the most time on we're the GFS "modern vintage" SC sized HB's in the Cortez Tele. The neck is 1/8 above flush, and the bridge is 1/4 above flush. Weird thing about the Blacktop Tele's HB's, even though they're supposed to be so "hot wound" their sweet spot was MUCH closer to the strings than the Dimarzio and Duncan that replaced them (same was true for my ''51). I spent three years fiddling with the Blacktop Strat's pups (I didn't want to go nutz on it, as it was a gift from the Mrs) before deciding the pups just weren't that great. I loved playing it, just not the way it sounded.
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Post by JohnH on Aug 23, 2013 2:50:57 GMT -5
I have Texas Specials in the neck and middle position of my Strat, and a Fender Hb at the bridge. Id guess that Tex Mex and Texas Sp's must be some kind of kissing cousins in the family of Fender?
The 'net wisdom for my Tx pickups seems to be to keep them relatively low, and that does seem to work well. With a bit of a push from my overdrive (a Boss OD3 currently), then I can easily imagine SRV sounding like himself, if he should come down from Texas Blues heaven and play my guitar.
The humbucker is kept as high as it can go, and its just right for a tonal and volumetric boost when changing up from a neck rythym sound
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Post by backwardlefty on Aug 29, 2013 19:46:32 GMT -5
I re-calculated my pole heights, and came up with a stagger calibrated for each individual pickup. The pickups are pretty low, not as low as they were before, but not high by any means. After I reset the stagger, I did exactly what ux4484 described. I raised them just to where they began to sound full and clear, and raising them higher only added a little volume but not really any thicker or clearer (I guess that's what they call the "sweet spot" lol). I think the calibrated stagger and ux4484's adjustment technique worked together very well. The guitar is very balanced within each individual pickup and switching through all three. All of the controls are much more functional now. The tone is excellent throughout the entire sweep of the volume, the master tone can now be kept close to full on with just the first bit of the taper used to cull highs to taste - or turned down further if in the mood for a "woman"-ish tone, and the blender can now be used to enhance rather than compensate. These are actually some pretty decent pickups for a hundred bones
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Post by ux4484 on Sept 7, 2013 5:10:27 GMT -5
Glad to be of service...
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