1111

The Pickup Place / Re: HSS configuration. what works best for you?

« on: October 01, 2014, 11:26:10 AM »

I have a lot of guitars with that setup and a lot of combinations of pickups in them. 

The one that never fails to bring a smile to my face and make me really not want to put it down is AT-1 bridge with Injector neck in middle and neck, 500k pots, .0022uf tone cap, 20 pole 5 way so the AT-1 goes into parallel mode when in combination with the middle pup.  Fantastic sounds in every position, and the strat "quack" is all there in 2/4.  Very Texas except on the bridge only setting, when it is super fat/articulate.  Sort of like Scott Henderson's tone in the Face First/Reality Check Tribal Tech era.

That's a good one. I have a very similar one, except I use a Bare Knuckle Holydiver in the bridge (their take on the JB) and a VV Heavy Blues 2 in the neck. 500k pots, .0033uf tone cap. My favorite sounds are bridge only and neck only but all tones are highly useable. 

Cheers Stephan

1112

The Pickup Place / Re: HSS configuration. what works best for you?

« on: September 26, 2014, 02:30:14 PM »

Have not played a Norton but when I think of girth in DiMarzio terms I think of Breed bridge, Tone Zone or AT-1, or Super Distortion.

Cheers Stephan

1113

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Virtual Vintage Heavy Blues 2 (DP 409)

« on: September 17, 2014, 11:50:47 AM »

Surprised that there is no thread on that one - given it was introduced in 2006.

I put it in the neck position of a maple neck/maple board/ash body partscaster strat. Middle pickup is the Injector neck (which was in the neck position before), bridge pickup is a Bareknuckle Holydiver (the closest DiMarzio would probably the AT-1). In #2, the bridge pickup goes to parallel. 500k pots, tone cap is currently a 0.0033uf Orange Drop (subject to change).

Since there is already a detailed thread on the Injector neck I will focus on the difference between that and the HB2.

Output is roughly the same - 170mV vs. 160mV does not matter much really. The balance with the bridge pickup is fine since I like the bridge humbucker to have a bit more output in a HSS set up.
 
The tone charts (B/M/T) are similar: IN 6/6.5/7, HB2 6/7/6.5, and in that case I would agree that the pickups do not sound vastly different from each other. What is noticeable though is that the HB2 has a bit less highs than the IN and significantly more midrange content. I really like this for overdriven solo tones as it makes the guitar sing better and provides for a good tonal balance with the bridge pickup. It does work well for clean tones, too, provided you can accept that it is warmer than a typical low output vintage strat type pickup - these are really bright, and the HB2 won't give you that sound. The Area 67 would be a better choice in that case. 

Now - how does it quack together with the IN in the middle? It does quack well but it's a middier quack, not that super hollow clucky quack of low output singles. Again if you want that, get two Area 67s or an Area 67 for the neck and an Area 58 for the middle.

I have not yet tested the HB2 together with the bridge pickup since the wiring set up in that guitar currently does not provide for that combination. But since I got a spare tone pot that's doing nothing at the moment I may wire it up as a blend control so I can give you an idea of how that works.

Cheers Stephan

1114

The Pickup Place / Re: Pickups that have left you less than impressed?

« on: July 24, 2014, 10:55:18 AM »

Pearly Gates - A PAF with laryngitis.  Way too bright and the bass was farty.

Fully agree with the too bright comment, disagree slightly with the farty comment. Bass on mine was non-existent so I gladly add that one to my list.

Here is my list:

- EMG 81/S/S: they replaced a set of Lawrence OBL pickups and managed to make the guitar sound even thinner. And the added hiss from the active electronics was just unbearable on high gain settings.

- Duncan JB: tried to like it but it's not my thing. To my ears it was worst of both worlds - it did not have the open sound of a lower output pickup but at the same time it did not have the punch of a higher output pickup either.

- Duncan Vintage stacks: sounded nothing like true single coils to me.

- Duncan Alnico II Pro Neck humbucker: what a muddy mess.

- Duncan P-90 Hot neck: too muddy in the lows for a single coil pickup and felt weird to play. 

- PRS Dragon II: they sounded small, thin and brittle, and I tried them in two different guitars with the same results. I have absolutely no idea why any manufacturer would use them stock in any model. 

- PRS #7 Bass: what a muddy mess. See comment to Dragon II. PRS have better options in their pickup line than these.

- Lindy Fralin PAF humbucker set and Blues Specials strat set. Not that these are bad pickups but they do not live up anywhere near to the massive hype they are getting.

- TV Jones Magnatron set: Had them in a custom built hollowbody guitar which started out with a set of TV Jones Classics, the goal being to get the Gretsch sound. Turned out that it sounded more like a 335 which was not what I was going for with this guitar. Thought I could get the twang with the Magnatrons but all I got was a bright, brittle and harsh tone on both pickups which made the guitar feel very stiff and completely unmusical.

I am sure there are more but these just came to mind.

Cheers Stephan

1115

The mini bar (off topic & misc) / Re: Just waht IS the Relationshio between Seymour Duncan and Larry Dimarzio?

« on: July 21, 2014, 08:54:16 AM »

At least Larry didn't rip off someone else's signature to sell something then not give them credit (royalties) on it when he copyrighted double cream.  That actually WAS the DiMarzio look for years when the Super D came out. 

One may question whether a thing like double cream coils is copyrightable in the first place but it is certainly not Larry's fault that it is, and I would not blame him for that. 

1116

Guitar Lounge / Re: Tuning problems with Les Pauls

« on: July 09, 2014, 11:33:15 AM »

Many thanks for these detailed comments.

90% of general tuning issues people bring me and blame on nuts, bad trems, cheap tuners, etc, are due to loose parts.  Mostly the nut around the peg and the screws that hold the pegs tight.   

I check the tuner nuts with each string change.

You mentioned you have a bone nut.  Bone is fine for acoustics where you aren't bending strings all the time, or (maybe) straighter string pull guitars like a Tele or a strat if you can tolerate either using lube (yuck) or some minor tuning issues.  On electrics, I don't recommend, nor do I personally use, anything but graphtech, and only use bone after a discussion of the above with a customer and at their request even knowing the potential issues.  A properly cut graphtech nut will never need lube, and will stay in tune as well as any other guitar when used on a LP. 

OK, understood. I guess the Tusq XL would work. Does it make sense to go with pre-slotted nuts?

Another issue you have with a tune-o and stoptail type guitar is sharp down angle after the bridge over a sharp metal saddle.  Most people see the screws on the tailpiece and assume "hey it's a screw, lets screw it all the way in!"  but that is not necessary and can lead to  tuning issues, collapsing bridges, etc.  It only needs to be down far enough to create enough down pressure over the saddle.  Also, the string going over that sharp, pointed metal saddle and being bent so it slides a bit can be an issue.  Again, graphtech saddles are the cure for that, and I find they sound very nice on a tune-o type bridge. 

That would be the string saver saddles, right?

If your bridge is loose on the posts and can slide a bit, that can also create tuning issues (as well as intonation issues as it moves around over time).  Tonepros bridges are the cure for that.  I don't think they do anything for "sustain & tone" as they claim, but they DO keep parts from sliding around and from falling off during string changes, and from having to re-do your action height after string changes.   A fairly cheap investment, or get a tap & drill and some set screws and make your own.

OK, understood.

A final issue is string stretching.  Few people seem to stretch their strings out enough.  I grab them at the 12th, yank them up and down, back and forth, then re-tune, and when they no longer go out of tune, they are stretched. 

That's exactly what I do.

So that pinpoints the problems to nut, saddles and bridge movements. I will see which guitar will become the guinea pig to try the suggestions.

Once again, many thanks!

Stephan

1117

Center Stage / Re: my new dimarzio samples

« on: July 04, 2014, 05:27:13 AM »

Great tone and playing gain! Keep it up please!

1118

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: DP240 Vintage Mini Humbucker

« on: July 03, 2014, 10:55:33 AM »

I posted this in the forum and post it again here in the relevant thread. It's a great demo of the Di Marzio Minihumbucker by Jim Soloway:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpmYODAarXc

Not sure whether it's the exact same pickup since the description says it's a prototype but anyway - enjoy.

Cheers, Stephan

1119

Guitar Lounge / Re: Tuning problems with Les Pauls

« on: June 30, 2014, 04:00:35 AM »

How steep an angle are your strings coming up from the tailpiece to the bridge saddles at?

I checked that the strings do not touch the edge of the bridge. The tailpiece is quite high.

Do you topwrap your strings?

No I don't. Would that help?

What is the nut made out of, and did you use the correct sized files when you filed the nut slots?

The nut is made of bone. I have a nut file set which I use for this purpose so I would answer yes.

Are the nut slots shaped correctly?

When I file the grooves I make sure that the highest point is at the edge to the fretboard and that there is only a gentle slope to the headstock. The groove bottom is round. The groove's depth is not more than half the string diameter.

How are you winding your strings around the tuning posts?

Locking tuners: I pull the string through with some slack, lock the tuner, tune to pitch, cut the excess string off. In most cases there is a half to a full winding on the post.

Other tuners: I cut the string at about an inch past the tuner hole, put the string through the hole, put one winding above the string and all the others below. Normally there are three to four windings on the post.

One local luthier does a knot because he thinks the strings stay in tune better that way. I disagree, and it's a pain in the ... to change strings afterwards. 

But honestly I don't think it's the way how the strings are wound - otherwise I would have the same problems with strats and teles and I don't.

Are you bridge saddles and bridge stable?

There may be a problem. The tune-o-matics I have are the old style which are screwed directly into the wood without the bushings.

Cheers Stephan

1120

Guitar Lounge / Re: Tuning problems with Les Pauls

« on: June 16, 2014, 07:10:29 AM »

Thanks for the replies so far.

And just to clarify: I was not referring to Gibson with my post - none of my guitars are Gibsons.

Cheers Stephan

1121

Guitar Lounge / Tuning problems with Les Pauls

« on: June 11, 2014, 07:17:17 AM »

Hi,

I always wondered why my strats and teles seem to stay way better in tune than Les Paul type guitars. I could play either strat or tele throughout a 4 session gig with only checking the tuning and maybe a couple small retunes whereas I can take a Les Paul at home at it will go out of tune almost instantly and constantly. The G string is the worst offender - hit it hard and it'll be sharp. Bend it and it returns. Hit it again - sharp again. Retune it, bend it - flat. I filed the nut groove and that helps for maybe a few weeks, then the problem returns. No way that I would ever take it to a gig that way.

Is it the angle where the strings go over the nut? Is it the tune-o-matic bridge (does it matter whether the posts are screwed directly into the body or sit in inserts)?

What can be done to cure this? Or is this endemic to Les Pauls? I remember seeing a Whitesnake show where Doug Aldrich used at least 4 different Les Pauls and changed instruments after each song - is that tuning problem related?

Thanks, Stephan

1122

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: DiMarzio Injectors (Paul Gilbert Signature Singles)

« on: June 10, 2014, 02:59:32 AM »

Yesterday I set up my better maple neck strat with the Injector neck in the neck and a Bare Knuckle Holydiver (their take on the JB) - very simple set up, one 500k volume, one 500k push-pull pot, 3-way tele selector that selects bridge - both  - neck. Bridge pickup can be split with the push-pull. I preferred H-S this time since I tend to hit the middle pickup all the time.

That Injector neck sounds incredible - clear, stratty, but punchy at the same time. It can easily keep up with the Holydiver, and both pickups together sound great as well. I can imagine that an AT-1 in the bridge and an Injector neck will make a great combination.

I will change the wiring to a 5-way super switch to do bridge series, bridge parallel, both parallel, bridge split in parallel with neck split, neck for more versatility.

Cheers Stephan

EDITED for typos

1123

Center Stage / Re: my new dimarzio samples

« on: May 30, 2014, 05:28:07 AM »

Nice fat tone again. Thanks for posting!

1124

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: DLX Plus

« on: May 13, 2014, 02:45:00 AM »

Added the resistor trick for the parallel mode - takes off the excess brightness and makes it way more useable. Great mod.

Cheers Stephan

1125

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: DP240 Vintage Mini Humbucker

« on: May 13, 2014, 02:41:53 AM »

Yesterday I changed the volume pot to 1 meg log. This still increased the articulation in the DP240. I wired a 560k resistor to ground from the bridge pickup lug at the 3-way toggle so the load on the bridge pickup is roughly 500k.

Cheers Stephan