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Messages - gregr

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46
The Pickup Place / Re: Area Hot T/Minibucker Pairing
« on: May 12, 2023, 10:53:33 AM »
Thanks for the input. I trust what you’re saying, 100%.

I am able to get a good tone out of it but I have to turn up the bass farther than what I think is reasonable. I had to go back to the zinc saddles because the steel ones were too narrow. I ordered wider one. I didn’t notice they were also available in brass until it was too late to change the order. Drilling so the body is string-through is possible but pretty ambitious considering I don’t own a drill press. The body is thin like the Affinity series. The neck is pretty good, but my expectations were never that high. This is why I’m considering giving up and going with a Super D. It ought to compensate for the lack of resonance. I’m waiting to see what the owner thinks.

47
The Pickup Place / Re: Area Hot T/Minibucker Pairing
« on: May 11, 2023, 09:29:49 AM »
That has been my experience for sure though my Strat that has the Chopper is quite different, acoustically. I’m just trying to figure out what to expect if I change bridge pickups but still use a bridge minibucker in the neck. I like for each pickup to sound their best with the same amp settings, or close enough that I can shunt one with a resistor to get there when there is a large imbalance in brightness. I still very much expect a rail pickup to sound like a rail pickup, a single coil to sound like a single coil, etc.

Looking at the numbers the Chopper and Hot T should have a similar tonality. The Hot T has a lower output, but because it’s a single coil it is more in your face, enough so that it will still stand up to a beefy neck pickup. That said I don’t think I can ignore the sound of this guitar unless the Hot T is actually a very bright and strident pickup even though the specs suggest otherwise. It’s this talk about using a 500k tone control that has me wondering  what’s really going on. As I said earlier I have to roll a 250k tone control with an audio taper way back to keep it sounding even. And again, I prefer my pickups to be on the bright side, but this one is just over the top.

48
The Pickup Place / Re: Area Hot T/Minibucker Pairing
« on: May 10, 2023, 03:41:55 PM »
I still haven’t pulled the trigger on the minibucker. For now I decided to tackle the brightness of the Hot T   There was a problem with string definition so I adjusted it to be even and fairly close to the strings.  I’ve done some tweaking to the volume and tone controls and it’s growing on me. I like bright pickups and prefer to keep the tone control low and increase it to cut. The problem is the owner keeps everything on 10.

How loud and bright is the Chopper T relative to the Hot T?

I’m considering a Super Distortion T as well. Traditional Tele twang is not a necessity. Splitting a Minibucker may not be all that important either. A Super D should cover up the shortcomings of this bright Squier.

He also owns a Fender Ultra, though he’s complained about the tone of a traditional Tele bridge pickup. It might be the better candidate for the Hot T. The stock noiseless Fender pickups sound really good so the neck pickup will stay.

49
The Pickup Place / Area Hot T/Minibucker Pairing
« on: May 03, 2023, 09:38:05 PM »
I just dropped an Area Hot T into a Squier Telecaster and bought a pickguard to house a mini humbucker. I’m interested in getting the Vintage Minibucker Bridge so that I can split it. What am I to expect when comparing  levels and tonality?

The Area is quite bright despite the numbers. I find I have to turn the tone control down to about 100k in order to tame it. The volume is 250k. The bass side is up high with the treble side down a little bit to maintain balance and keep down the bite. I have enough experience with the Area pickups to know that they change their character and get quite aggressive when up high. In the case of the Area Hot T I need it up high in order to get any body out of it.

The the strings go through the back of the bridge, though I’ve replaced the zinc saddles with steel which made a marked difference.

I was initially thinking of using 500k volume and 250k tone but now I’m not sure what to do. I haven’t changed the original pots out yet.

Any thoughts/recommendations about the minibucker and pot values?

If it turns out that this specific guitar is drastically affecting the tone, I imagine this will also translate to the neck pickup in the same manner.

50
The Pickup Place / Re: Low output humbuckers for distorted tones
« on: April 28, 2023, 10:23:45 AM »
The JB has that hump in the midrange that the Customs don’t have. It also has more inductance, hence the higher output with all other things being equal. It is also more compressed.

Like with many others I found that the JB can make one guitar sound horrible and make another sound great.

On the Custom front I’ve always liked this demo. He doesn’t play the same thing with each pickup, but the unique character of each is still on display.

https://youtu.be/kLfRvjjAwf0

Of the bunch I think the original ceramic Custom sounds most like a PAF due to the top end. It has often been referred to as a PAF on steroids. I shy away from this pickup because of the ice-pick that it is known for having. Then again that was back when I didn’t make use of my volume and tone controls, always keeping them at 10. I didn’t know the extent to which volume affects tone either.

51
The Pickup Place / Re: Low output humbuckers for distorted tones
« on: April 27, 2023, 12:35:14 PM »
This is the Fred vs Custom Custom. I wasn’t able to find a comparison with a Mo’ Joe.

https://youtu.be/TNnBjTDBEpo

52
The Pickup Place / Re: Low output humbuckers for distorted tones
« on: April 27, 2023, 11:41:45 AM »
This is an interesting video comparing the DiMarzio 36th set vs the Duncan 59 set. They are very similar. The DiMarzio has a softer top end and a slightly thicker midrange.

https://youtu.be/mCBu9-Xce1w

53
The Pickup Place / Re: Low output humbuckers for distorted tones
« on: April 27, 2023, 10:31:52 AM »
For reference the Custom 5 is hotter and more scooped compared to the Custom Custom and very well may be the better choice between the two. Both sound more like a hot PAF than any DiMarzio I’ve ever heard.

I’m still interested in what is in the guitar now as a reference. Charvels often use the JB and I believe the Duncan Distortion. The Custom 5 and Custom Custom have less output than either.

54
The Pickup Place / Re: Low output humbuckers for distorted tones
« on: April 26, 2023, 10:41:13 PM »
I wouldn’t call A5 pickups low output. It’s a strong magnet.

Mid heavy guitar? You’re better off with a Seymour Duncan. A Custom Custom or Custom 5 would be the way to go with that guitar. A Custom Custom is the lower output model and has a more even EQ. It was EVH’s pickup on Fair Warning.

Quick question through. Does it have the stock pickup and is it a JB? That could explain the mids. It’s not my favorite pickup though it sounds and feels better with an A2 magnet.

55
The Pickup Place / Re: Low output humbuckers for distorted tones
« on: April 25, 2023, 03:36:07 PM »
If we’re talking medium output humbuckers at this point, there are a number of good pickups. If you’re after Joe’s tone then that pickup makes the most sense. I have an AT-1 and The Breed Neck that I’m running in the bridge. They are both noticeably hotter than PAF output and feel different under the fingers as well.

56
The Pickup Place / Re: Low output humbuckers for distorted tones
« on: April 21, 2023, 09:37:12 PM »
I’m a Marshall guy and have owned quite a few over the years. While I don’t have a Satch JVM, I have a standard JVM. Hard rock lead is what I mainly do and when I solo I use a healthy amount of gain.

My go-to bridge pickups are the Duncan Screamin’ Demon and Duncan 59 Bridge. I’m currently pairing the Demon with the Humbucker from Hell and normally pair the 59 Bridge with a 59 Neck though I also like the Duncan Alnico Pro. All of these pickups are bright, clear and dynamic. I don’t have any issues with the top end when playing with high gain.

Based on what I’ve heard I don’t find the Air Classics to have the same clarity as other vintage output pickups.

If I were to go with a lower output DiMarzio bridge pickup it would be the 36th. I once recommended the Transition Neck for the bridge position and was told that it sounded very good with high gain. Admittedly the recommendation was based on the specs back before DMZ did low and high mids. The thing with DiMarzio is that their numbers and descriptions are usually spot-on.

57
The Pickup Place / Re: Low output humbuckers for distorted tones
« on: April 21, 2023, 03:33:58 PM »
What is the amp and why are you looking for low output humbuckers? As a general rule these with have a bright and chimey top end.

One DiMarzio that breaks this rule is the Steve Morse Neck. It has a lot of inductance  giving it a very warm top end, but isn’t high in output. The pick attack has somewhat of a thuck sound. I have no idea whether it makes for a good bridge pickup. Check with DiMarzio.

One thing to be aware of is that a dark pickup will be bass heavy which can easily get muddy with a high gain amp if not addressed at the front end of the amp, either by way of an overdrive or an amp with pre-gain tone stack like the Mesa Mark series or one that aggressively tightens the bottom end at the front end..

58
The Pickup Place / Re: SSS Strat Pickup Combinations
« on: March 14, 2023, 10:05:51 PM »
I replaced the Satch Track with a Fast Track 1 that arrived in the mail yesterday. I decided to go with more of a single coil vibe than a humbucker vibe. While I still like the idea of flanking the Satch track with a Lace Sensor Silver I opted to keep things simple. Besides, I know the drop in output with the Silver would drive me crazy.

As most of you know already, the Fast Track 1 in the neck balances very well with the Chopper in the bridge. I was unsure about how the Injector Neck in the middle would fare, however. It’s a tad thin through the mids but it has no trouble keeping up with the Fast Track. Position 4 is surprisingly good even with the Injector dummy coil active, though it still sounds better without it. Position 2 with the white/green coil shunted on the Chopper with an RC network combined with the Injector without the dummy coil already sounds great. A 5WSS and this pickguard might well be finished.

I’m still debating the pots but what I have going on is pretty good. It has a 500k volume with a Kinman treble bleed, 250k tones with 22nF, one tone for the neck and the other for the middle and bridge. The Injector is loaded down with 510k. Thanks to the 500k volume the Fast Track has plenty of brightness on tap to cut so I’m able to keep the tone backed off. I’m probably going to use a linear taper for that one. I think I’ll disconnect the back tone control on position 4.

I’m really not a big fan of rail pickups in a Strat to be honest, but these DiMarzios allow me to get Stratty tones without requiring gobs of gain to crunch and sing.

59
The Pickup Place / Re: Satch Track vs Bluesbucker (bridge position)
« on: March 12, 2023, 08:19:57 PM »
I got this reply and an unexpected suggestion:
They can see you’re after a Satriani flavor which they have in a high output option which they believe will  provide you better split and parallel performance.

60
The Pickup Place / Re: Satch Track vs Bluesbucker (bridge position)
« on: March 09, 2023, 04:47:49 PM »
Also, if you’re interested in a Satch Track, I think you might be happier with a Pro Track. It has a similar vibe but is better suited for the bridge position.

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