1141

The Pickup Place / Re: AT-1+Cruisers in a Standard (MIM) Strat

« on: March 14, 2014, 06:05:34 AM »

1) What I found just testing with the Cruiser Bridge in the neck (along with the Fender single coil in the middle), a listening test to my ears showed the standard DiMarzio humbucker wiring (white+black connected, red=hot, green+bare to ground) sounds the best alone (switch pos. 5) and when combined with the single-coil middle p/u (switch pos 4).  Does this sound correct?

Yes, I believe series connection is the default standard for these pickups (as for most).

2) I am next going to install a Cruiser Neck in the middle pos, and the AT-1 in the bridge. For the AT-1 if I use the same switch wiring as is already there, I believe switch pos 1 is going to use the AT-1 both coils in series, switch pos 2 is going to use one of the AT-1 coils (split) in combination with the middle (Cruiser Neck) pickup. Will this be acceptable as I believe the Andy Timmons configuration for switch pos 2 has the AT-1 coils in series, and in combination with the Cruiser Bridge (middle pos.) p/u.  Can anyone comment on this?  I don't fully understand (yet) the switching and how to make it like the Timmons configuration (rather than the Fender configuration).

That is correct. Pos. 1 is humbucker in series, pos. 2 is humbucker split + middle pickup. I have no idea how AT's guitars are set up but if you want the humbucker in series also in pos. 2, you can just disconnect the black/white wires from the pickup from the switch but leave them soldered together and put some isolation tape around them. Try both and see what you prefer.

3. On the pots, check with a multimeter what value you have (you need to disconnect the switch before doing that, otherwise you will get the parallel value of pickup DC resistance and pot DC resistance). In general humbuckers are used with 500k log, and single coils with 250k log but that is just a rule of thumb. With a fairly powerful humbucker such as the AT-1 I would go with a 500k log volume pot and add a 470k resistor in parallel for the single coil positions so that they see a load of close to 250k.

4) With only the neck p/u replaced (Fender Single replaced with Cruiser Bridge), the Fender Single coil in the middle by comparison is slightly louder and with lots more treble. Does this sound normal?  I believe it will balance out once I put the other Cruiser (middle pos.) and AT-1 (bridge) in.

I don't know the stock pickups in your guitar so it's difficult to say whether this is normal or incorrect. But with all the pickups replaced at least the Cruisers should be in balance with each other. The AT-1 will have quite a bit more output. Many players like a higher output bridge humbucker in HSS, others want a humbucker that is closer in output to the single coils. It's personal preference.

Cheers Stephan

1142

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: The Air Norton

« on: March 12, 2014, 05:25:25 AM »

I flipped mine yesterday. I hear a difference but it is nothing drastic - which is good. I perceive it as a bit more open.

Cheers Stephan

1143

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: The Breed

« on: March 11, 2014, 04:08:34 AM »

The latter. You have answered the right question. Many thanks, this is really useful.

Cheers Stephan

1144

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: The Air Norton

« on: March 10, 2014, 12:32:02 PM »

Something that gets mentioned rarely or not enough for me; a major bonus to this pickup is the ability to be be flipped over (installed with the screw coil towards the bridge) this lightens the low mid honk  that some may find MUDDY and translates it more into the realm of smooth thickness. I prefer the  Air norton this way.

That sounds very interesting. I was thinking of doing this mainly to get a staggered polarity in order to fit a P-style megaswitch which will give me the PRS combinations with two humbuckers without hum.

Cheers Stephan

1145

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Area 58, 61 and 67 Strat Pickups

« on: March 10, 2014, 12:24:39 PM »

Hi,

Since I have not seen a thread on the Areas in this section I will start one. I have/had them in two strat style guitars (one ash body, one piece maple neck, the other alder body, maple neck w/ rosewood board, both vintage style vibratos). The first set I had was Area 61 bridge and Area 58 for the other two positions. I then acquired another set: 61 bridge and two 67s for the other two positions. I ended up in both guitars with 61-58-67 and later VV54-58-67 (going from bridge to neck) and the two 61s paired with a Kinman AVn-48b in a Telecaster.

Area 67: this is easily the brightest of the three. When used in the neck position it delivers the glassy clear shimmery strat tone - think Hendrix, Motown etc. When used with the right amp and pedals it can do Blackmore tones as well. I recommend a 250k pot with it - 500k makes it too bright IMHO. My preferred position for this pickup is at the neck. You can put it in the middle as well but I preferred the 58 there.

Area 58: this surprised me at first. In the neck position I did not really like it. I thought it was too thin, yet it was not clear enough. Some kind of neither fish nor meat situation. Surprisingly I liked it much better in the middle spot - both individually and in combination with the neck or the bridge pickup. Especially with the 61 in the bridge it offers a smoky quack that is very nice. The 61+67 combination was too thin and hollow for my ears.

Area 61: this is the highest output pickup of the three which makes it a natural candidate for the bridge position when combined with the other two but as I found out later it also works very well in the middle and neck spots together with a stronger pickup (e.g. a Tele bridge, P90 or a low output PAF-type humbucker). Even though I have not tried the 61 in the neck spot of the same guitar as I had the 58 it appears to me that the 61 is cleaner than the 58. 

Hope that helps,
Stephan

1146

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: Virtual Vintage '54 Pro

« on: March 10, 2014, 07:24:18 AM »

I would have thought the '54 would be the less bright if not the least compared to the other Dimarzio singlecoils...

Compared to Area 61 about the same brightness, only a bit less.
Compared to Area 67 definitely less bright. The Area 67 is by far the brightest of the Area series.
Compared to Area 58 less bright, but not by much. Different tonal colour. Does not have the smokiness of the Area 58 (but the Area 61 and 67 don't have that either).

Cheers Stephan 

1147

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: Virtual Vintage '54 Pro

« on: March 10, 2014, 07:20:47 AM »

'54 Pro in the bridge anyone?

Yes, me. I have it in two different strats, combined with an Area 58 in the middle and an Area 67 in the neck. The VV 54 Pro replaced Area 61s in both guitars (I needed those for another guitar in the neck and middle positions). It sounds great clean and overdriven. It is quite similar to the Area 61, maybe there is a little more roundness which is more than welcome in the bridge spot, and the attack seems to be a bit softer (the emphasis being on "a bit").

As for the rest my experience with this pickup matches that of Matt_B.

Cheers Stephan

1148

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: The Bluesbucker

« on: March 10, 2014, 07:15:47 AM »

Another Bluesbucker fan here.

I use it in the neck position of a bright Telecaster, together with a Chopper T at the bridge. I have a Megaswitch Type E which gives me full humbucker bridge, single coil bridge, both as single coils, single coil neck and full humbucker neck. I use a 500k log pot for volume and a 250k pot for tone. In the switch positions #2 and #4 a 470k resistor is added in parallel so the single coils "see" a load close to 250k.

The Bluesbucker shines both in humbucking and single coil mode. While to me it does not "exactly" sound like a P90, it really has that P90-like clarity on the low strings without being muddy. Yet it does not thin out on the higher strings but keeps a fat tone even in the upper registers of the fretboard. And the split tone is almost as loud as the humbucker tone - no significant drop in gain, which is definitely a plus. I don't know of any other humbucker who achieves this. Very very nice indeed.   

Cheers Stephan

1149

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: The Breed

« on: March 10, 2014, 07:01:53 AM »

Another Breed bridge player here.

I use it in a Korean made Brian Moore iM, which is a very very bright guitar. It came stock with a SD JB and Alnico II Pro Neck pickups which I first replaced with a Tone Zone in the bridge and an Air Norton in the neck. Later I replaced the Tone Zone with the Breed bridge. It gave the guitar a fat midrange coupled with a weighty low end and enough definition in the high end. In addition the Breed is not fizzy in this guitar, which came as a pleasant surprise since I had it in a strat before where it had a bit of that slight fizz on top of the notes. Not in this guitar. Its output was not much less compared to the Tone Zone. It cleans up well enough so the hot output is not a problem in any way.

I like it better than the Air Norton in the neck position so I hope that somebody is going to post something about the Breed neck when used in the neck position.

Cheers Stephan