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Virtual Vintage '54 Pro

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Schneidas:
May I present this little gem to you?

Seriously, I feel pretty strongly that this is one of the best noiseless singlecoils for the neck position of a Strat.
For some reason, I kept overlooking this pickup on my search through the noiseless singecoil isle.
Maybe it's the name: '54 to me implies a bright sound and general 50's music which I'm not too fond of.

Anyway, the VV '54 Pro is everything I want from a neck pickup. It has a perfect balance of warmth and brightness, meaning it's warm - yet it still has an edge.
It's a really expressive pickup. There's tons of different voicings depending of how and where you hit the note. It's very woody and a little airy, yet still has a hint of glass in it's sound especially with the right picking technique.The attack is wonderfully juicy & slightly compressed.
Where the Area '61 pickup left me with a relatively bland taste - the '54 Pro was like a big juicy medium rare steak.
The '54 Pro is perfect for any kind of Blues and Rock. I wouldn't recommend it for Malmsteen type of Shred though. You might need something a little tougher there with a sharper Alnico5 attack.
But it's perfect for any kind of overdriven Hendrix, SRV or Rory Gallagher...

Requirements:
It works perfectly with 250k volume and tone controls - but the one thing it wants is to be put really close to the strings (which is not a problem, due to the softer Alnico2 magnetic field). Close to the strings - it shines. Back it up too far, and all those qualities start diminishing instantly.

Now I need an equally great bridge pickup!
'54 Pro in the bridge anyone?

Matt_B:
I'll be installing a VV 54 Pro in the bridge position of my Strat very soon so I'll post my review of it after that's done and I've played it for a little while.

Matt_B:
I've had the VV 54 Pro in my Strat (ash body, maple neck, 250K pots with a 330 picofarad treble bleed) for about 5 days now and here are my thoughts so far.

When played clean through a Fender Twin (or the Axe-FX's simulation of it), this pickups sound bright and clear, like a good Strat should, but it doesn't sound too thin. The bass and mids are there but they're not overpowering. When this pickup is combined with an Area 67 (in the middle position), it has that classic glassy Strat tone with just a little more oomph but not too much. ;)

When played with slightly distorted sound (the Axe-FX model of a Marshall Plexi), the Strat characteristics come shining through. It's got that standard vintage Strat tone but again, it's not too thin nor is it too thick.

Finally, when the pedal is put to the metal and it's played through an Ibanez Tube Screamer and Mesa Triaxis (again, the Axe-FX's version of both), the pickup really screams. Please note that I'm using the Tube Screamer sim to not only boost the signal into the Triaxis but I'm also using it to shave off some of the high end as well as add a little midrange (3 dB at 638 Hz) to thicken things up.

Overall, I'm very happy with this pickup so far and I'd recommend it for anyone who wants classic Strat tones with a little more oomph. It's a great alternative to the Area 58 or Area 61.

wxs3:

--- Quote from: Matt_B on December 15, 2009, 07:36:41 AM ---I've had the VV 54 Pro in my Strat (ash body, maple neck, 250K pots with a 330 picofarad treble bleed) for about 5 days now and here are my thoughts so far.

When played clean through a Fender Twin (or the Axe-FX's simulation of it), this pickups sound bright and clear, like a good Strat should, but it doesn't sound too thin. The bass and mids are there but they're not overpowering. When this pickup is combined with an Area 67 (in the middle position), it has that classic glassy Strat tone with just a little more oomph but not too much. ;)

When played with slightly distorted sound (the Axe-FX model of a Marshall Plexi), the Strat characteristics come shining through. It's got that standard vintage Strat tone but again, it's not too thin nor is it too thick.

Finally, when the pedal is put to the metal and it's played through an Ibanez Tube Screamer and Mesa Triaxis (again, the Axe-FX's version of both), the pickup really screams. Please note that I'm using the Tube Screamer sim to not only boost the signal into the Triaxis but I'm also using it to shave off some of the high end as well as add a little midrange (3 dB at 638 Hz) to thicken things up.

Overall, I'm very happy with this pickup so far and I'd recommend it for anyone who wants classic Strat tones with a little more oomph. It's a great alternative to the Area 58 or Area 61.

--- End quote ---

To add to Matt_B, I also have a 54 pro in the bridge of my strat along with 2 Area 61's neck and middle.  Under gain (I use a boss gt-8, plexi amp model, with a tube screamer) this pup is just incredible!  I first listened to the VV 54 (the original) and was suggested to check it out by James Byrd.  James used the original 54 on Flying beyond the 9 and his tone was great.  The 54 pro is just as good and mixes well with the Area 61s.  This strat does almost every thing in the texas blues/rock to 80's rock/metal.  I really like this combo of the Area 61s and 54 pro, it has me rethinking about replacing my Hs4/HS3 pickups in my other strat with a full set of 54pros.

oilpit:
Will the '54 Pro do Andy Timmons style lead sounds?
Fat, juicy and bubbly?

Or does it fart out under high gain?

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