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News & New Guys / Re: Unable to post attachment (Jpeg of just 11.7K)
« on: March 22, 2017, 04:53:49 AM »
This is a problem I also had and it seems to persist unfortunately.
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767
The Pickup Place / Re: Need a Dimarzio neck humbucker with bite under gain
« on: March 20, 2017, 08:52:17 AM »Just to be clear, you would leave the tone at 250k, but change the volume to 500k?
Yes - if you are only going to change one of the pots it should be the volume pot as it makes a bigger difference. The tone pot is only wired as a variable resistance, and a 250k tone pot on 10 is roughly the equivalent of a 500k tone pot on 8. To my (old) ears this difference is quite subtle.
Cheers Stephan
768
The Pickup Place / Re: Need a Dimarzio neck humbucker with bite under gain
« on: March 20, 2017, 05:06:42 AM »
Just checked the specs - the three controls are volume, tone (for both magnetic pickups) and a piezo volume control.
I second the recommendation to change to a 500k volume control. To make the bridge pickup see a 250k load, add a 470k resistor (or two 1 meg resistors in parallel for 500k) from the bridge pickup's hot connection to ground.
As regards neck pickups: this is generally difficult since string movement in the neck spot is huge and produces a lot of bass response. From the DiMarzio line up I had success with the Bluesbucker but I would only use it with 500k pots in the neck, otherwise it will be too dark. Seymour Duncan Full Shred neck is another good one. If you want to move away to a slightly more single coil tone you can use a Wide Range Humbucker in normal humbucker format (The Creamery and Catswhisker make them) or maybe a Zhangbucker Telebucker (that one has magnetic poles in the neckside coil like a strat pickup). The latter would benefit from a 250k pot.
Cheers Stephan
I second the recommendation to change to a 500k volume control. To make the bridge pickup see a 250k load, add a 470k resistor (or two 1 meg resistors in parallel for 500k) from the bridge pickup's hot connection to ground.
As regards neck pickups: this is generally difficult since string movement in the neck spot is huge and produces a lot of bass response. From the DiMarzio line up I had success with the Bluesbucker but I would only use it with 500k pots in the neck, otherwise it will be too dark. Seymour Duncan Full Shred neck is another good one. If you want to move away to a slightly more single coil tone you can use a Wide Range Humbucker in normal humbucker format (The Creamery and Catswhisker make them) or maybe a Zhangbucker Telebucker (that one has magnetic poles in the neckside coil like a strat pickup). The latter would benefit from a 250k pot.
Cheers Stephan
769
The Pickup Place / Re: Successful Strat extreme makeover
« on: March 20, 2017, 04:56:50 AM »
I use the Virtual Solo and the VV HB2 but not in the same guitar. In any case your description is spot on.
Now have some fun with that axe,
Stephan
Now have some fun with that axe,
Stephan
770
The Pickup Place / Re: Too boomy Evolution neck
« on: March 20, 2017, 04:55:16 AM »Depends on the humbucker itself. Sometimes you then have a severe imbalance of volume across the strings. In most cases IME, it's better to just remove all the screws instead
Indeed. With some pickups it worked well, with some the difference was only subtle and did not solve the issue.
Cheers Stephan
771
The Pickup Place / Re: Too boomy Evolution neck
« on: March 17, 2017, 05:18:38 AM »
What I did to some neck humbuckers to de-muddy them was to remove either the screws under the 6th and 5th strings on the neck side coil or to remove the screws under the bass strings from the neck side coil. This has worked well for several pickups. However, if the pickup is covered I found the effect to be minimal and not enough.
This is a trick that was posted here by RayBarbeeMusic before.
Good luck,
Stephan
This is a trick that was posted here by RayBarbeeMusic before.
Good luck,
Stephan
772
The Pickup Place / Re: Cruiser problem
« on: March 16, 2017, 05:05:59 AM »
What Lelik said - the Cruiser is low output even in series mode so making it even lower in output by splitting it seems not to be the best option. I would guess that the volume drop is normal even though I have not tried it myself.
The parallel mode has usually a bit more output than the single coil (split) mode but you have to check whether there are enough terminals on your switch to do it. Splitting can be done with a simple SPST (single pole, single throw) switch that has three terminals. For parallel wiring you need a DPDT (double pole, double throw) switch that has six terminals.
Cheers Stephan
The parallel mode has usually a bit more output than the single coil (split) mode but you have to check whether there are enough terminals on your switch to do it. Splitting can be done with a simple SPST (single pole, single throw) switch that has three terminals. For parallel wiring you need a DPDT (double pole, double throw) switch that has six terminals.
Cheers Stephan
773
The Pickup Place / Re: Neck Pickup for Modified Strat (HSS)
« on: March 10, 2017, 09:27:19 AM »
If the Virtual Solo was too midheavy for you I would consider either the Virtual Vintage Heavy Blues 2 or the Injector neck model. Both have enough output to keep up with a medium output humbucker at the bridge. And even though my memory of the HS-3 is faint now I would be willing to bet that either pickup I suggested would blow it away.
Cheers Stephan
Cheers Stephan
774
The Pickup Place / Re: Humbuckers for a mahogany ibby
« on: March 06, 2017, 07:22:11 AM »
No experience with the Transition set but I think buddroyce has written an excellent review about them in the "Everything you wanted to know" section.
Cheers Stephan
Cheers Stephan
775
The Pickup Place / Re: Tele wiring help!
« on: March 06, 2017, 07:17:38 AM »
Hi,
Cheers Stephan
I am putting together a HS tele and would like some input on the wiring.I have a Virtual Hot T myself and I can recommend it to anyone looking for a hotter sound from the bridge position that still sounds like a Tele. The humbucker would not be my preferred choice, though. I prefer a minihumbucker, firebird or strat style pickup. Nevertheless the Air Classic should balance well with the Virtual Hot T.
I ordered NOS Virtual Hot T for the bridge and an Air Classic for the neck.
I was planning on using a 500k audio for volume and a 250k audio for the "no load" tone control.
I may bypass the tone control completely for the neck HB.
My questions are;
Would this be the correct way to go?
Would you change pot values?No, they should be fine, definitely for the neck pickup. If the bridge pickup is too bright you can add a 470k resistor from the bridge pickup connection at the switch to ground, which makes the bridge pickup see a load closer to 250k.
What would be the proper tone cap to use?The one you like best. Caps are cheap, get a few different values and experiment. Standard for a tele would be 0.047uf, for a humbucker equipped guitar normally 0.022uf but for me these values are too dark, and I end up with something like 0.0022uf to 0.0047uf.
With these pickups would an added resistor be necessary?See above - only if the bridge pickup is too bright to you.
Would you bypass the tone on the HB?With a 250k no load pot that is not necessary as the tone pot is disconnected from the circuit when turned up.
Cheers Stephan
776
The Pickup Place / Re: DiMarzio pickup advice - Strat
« on: March 03, 2017, 11:23:57 AM »
Alternatively you could try the Area 61 in the neck position - that one would surely work well with 250k pots.
Cheers Stephan
Cheers Stephan
777
The Pickup Place / Re: DiMarzio pickup advice - Strat
« on: March 03, 2017, 11:22:27 AM »
Virtual Solo is an excellent choice for the bridge position if you want vintage look but a slightly hotter sound. While it still sounds like a strat bridge pickup it does not have any of the icepick you encounter so often with strat bridge pickups, and it balances well output and tone wise with an Area 58 or 67 in middle/neck.
Area 58 is my top choice for the middle position.
Both the Virtual Solo and Area 58 work well with 250k pots.
I have the HB2 in the neck position of another guitar but that one is HSS with 500k pots all around. It sounds absolutely ace in that set-up - fat yet bright and cutting at the same time. Whether it works with 250k pots I don't know since I have not tried. If the neck and neck/middle combo are too dark with the 250k pots you could use a 500k volume pot and add resistors to ground for the bridge and middle pickups. With two 1 meg ohm resistors in parallel (= 500k ohms) the bridge and middle pickup see a load closer to a 250k pot.
So yeah - definitely worth a try.
Cheers Stephan
Area 58 is my top choice for the middle position.
Both the Virtual Solo and Area 58 work well with 250k pots.
I have the HB2 in the neck position of another guitar but that one is HSS with 500k pots all around. It sounds absolutely ace in that set-up - fat yet bright and cutting at the same time. Whether it works with 250k pots I don't know since I have not tried. If the neck and neck/middle combo are too dark with the 250k pots you could use a 500k volume pot and add resistors to ground for the bridge and middle pickups. With two 1 meg ohm resistors in parallel (= 500k ohms) the bridge and middle pickup see a load closer to a 250k pot.
So yeah - definitely worth a try.
Cheers Stephan
778
The Pickup Place / Re: HFH/PafPro or BB/FRED
« on: March 03, 2017, 11:13:58 AM »
It was long ago that I had the PAF Pro and the Fred - even in the same guitar. I slightly preferred the PAF Pro but the Fred was fine, too.
Never played the HfH but I still enjoy my Bluesbucker.
Good that you found a winning combination.
Cheers Stephan
Never played the HfH but I still enjoy my Bluesbucker.
Good that you found a winning combination.
Cheers Stephan
779
Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: The AT-1
« on: March 02, 2017, 07:10:26 AM »
I have a covered AT-1 in an alder bodied telecaster with maple neck and a Pau Ferro board. The guitar is rather bright sounding acoustically and the AT-1 fills the low end and midrange nicely to balance the inherent brightness. I love it for crunch to high gain lead tones - never harsh, never muddy, never bloaty or tubby in the mids, just a sweet warm singing tone with enough bite. Since I have not tested this pickup in a different guitar (and I don't think I will because changing bridge pickups on that guitar is a genuine PITA - you have to take the bridge off ...) I cannot say whether the bite comes from the guitar or the pickups but I guess that the guitar contributes a lot.
The original wiring in the guitar offers split tones, and the AT-1 does that OK but I use the humbucking mode mostly and the split tone only for cleaner stuff.
The neck pickup is a Bluesbucker which is a nice match to the AT-1.
Cheers Stephan
The original wiring in the guitar offers split tones, and the AT-1 does that OK but I use the humbucking mode mostly and the split tone only for cleaner stuff.
The neck pickup is a Bluesbucker which is a nice match to the AT-1.
Cheers Stephan
780
The Pickup Place / Re: Stacked Humbucker to pair with Crunchlab
« on: March 02, 2017, 07:01:44 AM »
The Cruiser is indeed a low output pickup. I can imagine it being swamped by the Crunch Lab in the bridge at anything but high gain sounds.
All pickups you listed are louder than the Cruiser and should match better volume wise with the CL. The only one of those I played is the Chopper, and I used that one only in the bridge. It is basically a hot PAF in a single coil size so it should work as a neck pickup with a higher output pickup in the bridge. Personally I would go brighter than that and of the list you suggested try the Satch Track. The other two would probably be too dark for me but others have used and liked them in the neck.
Cheers Stephan
All pickups you listed are louder than the Cruiser and should match better volume wise with the CL. The only one of those I played is the Chopper, and I used that one only in the bridge. It is basically a hot PAF in a single coil size so it should work as a neck pickup with a higher output pickup in the bridge. Personally I would go brighter than that and of the list you suggested try the Satch Track. The other two would probably be too dark for me but others have used and liked them in the neck.
Cheers Stephan