Which WCR

novosibir · Post by **novosibir** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 10:10 am

mayrandp wrote:I'm curious novosibir, does the sound of your Hamer is close to the Les Pauls that you have or is it a different beast?

To save me some translation work for explaining this (yes, I'm a German), just read some parts out of an email, I recently wrote to Jon Schaffer:

And yes, the Les Paul from you is a very pleasing baby! You literally can feel it by playing, that she's been played often, she's sounding absolutely free and dynamic, and after swapping in the upgrade kit from RS Guitarworks and the Darkburst Bridge & Crossroads Neck she still came some more alive

I've recently buyed a Historic R8 with a very nice flamed maple top, as I've been in a shop on a Saturday afternoon, actually just to buy some strings. Also an overwhelming guitar, which stands out of the average Historics, which sometimes even are really bad concerning their voice and dynamics. This R8 does have an amazingly nice, very woody or even bony tone and is very detailed in its sound - but she's one of those guitars, which simply can't go heavy. A guitar just for bluesy and all kind of the older 60' and early 70' stuff.

And my Hamer Archtop Custom is just in between the both, not as punchy or brillant, as the Les Paul from you, not as woody sounding and detailled, as the Historic - but she does have a very nice, wide and slightly furry midrange pronouncation, what the both other guitars don't have. So now for each 'paul-ish' demand I have 'the right guitar' around

Additional I can say, that the Hamer - altough not a Les Paul - is a very paul-ish sounding guitar and you must have a very good sounding and resonating Les Paul, to nail its sound. Especially the tighter lows and slightly enhanced mids make it to a guitar, which is great to play with much gain up into the heavy metal range. I won't miss it anymore and never would sell it. And its perfect workmanship might be a benchmark for the Gibson company

Larry

WCR · Post by **WCR** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 12:50 pm

gnugear wrote:Man, I'm on the fence ... I just can't decide between the Crossroads and the Darkburst

One more question ... can you get aged covers?

Then get the combo set

I can age you a set of covers, same price as the polished.
Larry, even though I have seen those axes before, they are still a great picture to look at now and then. Nice toyz........

Billy Batz · Post by **Billy Batz** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 12:58 pm

Im going to get teh CR neck. I just got the DB bridge since thats the pickup Im really worried about trying anyway but Im sold. I dont play much in the center or neck positions, middle sometimes with the neck rolled down, so it wasnt a crucial thing but if the CR neck sounds as much more open and clear as the DB bridge does Id prefer that too.

People have said its a good combo.

novosibir · Post by **novosibir** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 1:52 pm

WCR wrote:Larry, even though I have seen those axes before, they are still a great picture to look at now and then. Nice toyz........

Thanks Jim for your kind words

Billy Batz wrote:... but if the CR neck sounds as much more open and clear as the DB bridge does Id prefer that too.

People have said its a good combo.

No!

It's even a great combo - and very well balanced with de facto no loudness difference between the neck & bridge position, when the bridge PU is a tad closer to the strings than the neck PU

Shure, the Crossroads does have more shimmer & detail, compared to the DB, but also the DB is a very open sounding PU, just with this additional meat & punch, what's a good thing for playing leadlines, although it always keeps its accuracy for riffing.

Larry

mayrandp · Post by **mayrandp** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 2:28 pm

novosibir wrote:Additional I can say, that the Hamer - altough not a Les Paul - is a very paul-ish sounding guitar and you must have a very good sounding and resonating Les Paul, to nail its sound. Especially the tighter lows and slightly enhanced mids make it to a guitar, which is great to play with much gain up into the heavy metal range. I won't miss it anymore and never would sell it. And its perfect workmanship might be a benchmark for the Gibson company Larry

Thanks for the reply. I have Hamer Studio (GATSSO) and really like the neck, the feel, playability, the workmanship and the tone in general. In fact, I was looking for a Les Paul and didn't find one that I liked so I bought the Hamer because I when I tried it, it clicked right away. I didn't have the chance to compare my Hamer with good Les Pauls though. Most of the tones that I like are with Les Pauls so I wasn't sure if I missed something with my Hamer. I'm glad to see that I'm in the ballpark with it.

I'm planning to buy a set of WCR for that guitar but don't know which one to choose. The pickup position that is crucial for me is the bridge pickup. I tried the Seymour Duncan '59s (came stock with the guitar, too bright, not enough low mid chunk), DiMarzio Virtual Hot PAF (too concentrated in the mids) and right now I use a Gibson '57+ (good low mid chunk, maybe too much and the attack could be a little bit softer).

What I'm looking for is something that's not necessarily hot, but with a good low end chunk, a soft/compressed attack/feel and open sounding. I also want my neck pickup to balance well tonewise with my bridge pickup (ie, that I don't miss too much low end when I switch from the neck to the bridge pickup). I don't use much the two pickup together. I play mostly classic rock and blues and I also play in a jam band. My amp is a JTM45 clone. I really like Udo Pipper's tone on those YouTube clips (especially those with the 4x12). Beside that, I like Clapton's tone with John Mayall and Cream, Paul Kossoff, early ZZ Top and David Grissom.

What would you guys recommend?

5150loveeddie · Post by **5150loveeddie** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 12:25 pm

5150loveeddie wrote:
WCR wrote:
gnugear wrote: "On the magnet side of things. The weaker the mag, the rounder the top and bottom end, mids will stand out a little more, but also will be rounded off. Especially the upper-mids.
The stronger the mag, the tighter things become. You'll get more highs, and a bigger, but tighter low end. You'll get more , sharper articulation, especially in the mids and upper mids.
The mags I have , in order of strengths, are Alinico3,2,4,5, 8 and Ceramic 8. The 3 is the weakest, and although they are called Alnico3, they are not a true alnico. No cobalt. "
Ah ok I see now..........wow this is fucking crazy awesome pick up you have there Jim, that DB, just swap it with the A4 from the A2 and the A5 before that......shit they all sound great damn....

Jim I just ordered a Godwood, couldn't resist!!

Two more qts, is it possible to change the chassis of the pickup myseft, I like to butsher them?? Do you have shorter chassis where the screws goes, the lenght of those two legs that fit with the springs and screws??!! If so, can you use one for the Godwood instead of the "stock" one you have, need to have haft the lenght of those two legs if possible...

Godwood hey, like the name of that, my girlfriend call me that all the time!!

You people should get the set of mags with your PU, it is as sensitive as our amp tweaks we all do around here.......

Jim can you this out? thx man

WCR · Post by **WCR** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 3:04 pm

5150loveeddie wrote:
5150loveeddie wrote:
WCR wrote: Ah ok I see now..........wow this is fucking crazy awesome pick up you have there Jim, that DB, just swap it with the A4 from the A2 and the A5 before that......shit they all sound great damn....

Jim I just ordered a Godwood, couldn't resist!!

Two more qts, is it possible to change the chassis of the pickup myseft, I like to butsher them?? Do you have shorter chassis where the screws goes, the lenght of those two legs that fit with the springs and screws??!! If so, can you use one for the Godwood instead of the "stock" one you have, need to have haft the lenght of those two legs if possible...

Godwood hey, like the name of that, my girlfriend call me that all the time!!

You people should get the set of mags with your PU, it is as sensitive as our amp tweaks we all do around here.......

Jim can you this out? thx man

Ratz!! I already sent it out !!! Bummer. Anyhow, I do NOT have the shorter legged ones, but will whenever I can get my own chasis stamp built. Right now I am working on bobbin molds and a cover stamp. $$$$$$$$ lol
But you can do it yourself. The main concern is that you be sure to attach the chassis ground somehow to the new pup. Easy enough, you'll see what I mean.
There is also another way. A little tricky maybe, but I have done it a coupla times already. Works real good.
Bend the toes down very slightly.
Bend the legs OUT very slightly.
Cut the legs exactly in half.
Over-lap them to the inside (so the toe touches the bottom of the stump of the leg, or as close as you can.)
Once you see how they will fit, pull them back off.
Tin the 2 surfaces that will be touching each other.
Put the toes back on, and heat the joint. The toes will stick on like that.
You will also see why the slight bends are necessary. Because putting the toes on the inside of the legs moves the adjusting screw-hole over towards the center a little, and the bends assure you that the hole will line up right for the adjustment screws.

I also have short pole-piece screws. As for the lenght of the height adjustment screws, they can be snipped with your wire cutters. Pretty thin screws...the springs too, if you don't have shorter ones...

Yeah, Godwood. That's what they give you.... I heard you needed some help in that area, so you made the right choice..... lolol
HAVE a GREAT CHRISTMAS BRO !!!
And the same goes for ALL THE REST OF YOU GUYS !!!
Jim

5150loveeddie · Post by **5150loveeddie** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 10:47 pm

LOL, yeah, I should be fine

For your trick yeah I did that many times but it is not neat, remember last year? I want to keep the DB, love it, BUT if I go for the morningwood I could at least but the DB in a LP type guitar or something later so I will need to change the butchered chassis back to normal...

Thx for the help , you rock Jim, Merry Xmas and all the rest.....

WCR · Post by **WCR** » Tue Dec 25, 2007 5:53 pm

Ha, morning wood....mourningwood? Or the old standard, Morning Glory.......lol
I'll do a chassis like that this week and post pix. The last one I did came out pretty damn good.

5150loveeddie · Post by **5150loveeddie** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 12:01 am

That would be nice...

Need to know the orientation of the mags, you have written on them "N" for North correct, those that means we have to point North to sound our best..lol. In all seriousness just to make sure, the N points where? Bridge or neck? And polarity will do much? I know I will try it but quickly whats to expect?

WCR · Post by **WCR** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 11:48 am

N goes to the screws, unless you have a polarity problem..... lol
It makes no difference to the pickup itself, but DOES make a difference in how it acts when used in combo with another pickup. Are you familiar with the Peter Green effect?

5150loveeddie · Post by **5150loveeddie** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 1:58 pm

no but I know the Coriolis effects pretty good

...

WCR · Post by **WCR** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 3:31 pm

OK, say you have 2 humbuckers in phase. Sound just fine individually, and still normal in the middle position.
Flip the mag in just one pickup the other way. In other words, the edge of the magnet that is against all the scews, should be pulled and flipped to be against all the slugs. All of the screws are one polarity (north or south) and the slugs are all the opposite of that.
When in the middle position, both volumes on 10, it will sound thinner and nasally. Sounds REALLY cool in a dimed Marshall.... something you all seem to know about.....it "honks.'
I have about 1/2 my guitars like that. When you are in the middle position, have both volumes on 10. Then, back either one of the volumes down slowly. By the time you get to 8, it will be fat again. But between 8-10, there are a myriad of voices to be found using minute adjustments. And it will sound differently if you turn the OTHER volume down instead.
Or, instead of flipping a mag,you can also just swap the ground wire and the hot wire of that pickup if it is a 2 conductor + ground, but be sure the bare twisted wire is ALWAYS grounded..(chassis ground)
There. THAT will keep you busy and out of trouble awhile... oh, probably not but at least I tried....

out of focus · Post by **out of focus** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 10:28 pm

I gotta try that.. I just changed the mags to Alnico 2 in my Crossroads pickups. Great vintage sound. Thanks, Jim for the quick shipment on the magnets. Got them Christmas eve !!! Great pickups.

5150loveeddie · Post by **5150loveeddie** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 12:39 am

WCR wrote:OK, say you have 2 humbuckers in phase. Sound just fine individually, and still normal in the middle position.
Flip the mag in just one pickup the other way. In other words, the edge of the magnet that is against all the scews, should be pulled and flipped to be against all the slugs. All of the screws are one polarity (north or south) and the slugs are all the opposite of that.
When in the middle position, both volumes on 10, it will sound thinner and nasally. Sounds REALLY cool in a dimed Marshall.... something you all seem to know about.....it "honks.'
I have about 1/2 my guitars like that. When you are in the middle position, have both volumes on 10. Then, back either one of the volumes down slowly. By the time you get to 8, it will be fat again. But between 8-10, there are a myriad of voices to be found using minute adjustments. And it will sound differently if you turn the OTHER volume down instead.
Or, instead of flipping a mag,you can also just swap the ground wire and the hot wire of that pickup if it is a 2 conductor + ground, but be sure the bare twisted wire is ALWAYS grounded..(chassis ground)
There. THAT will keep you busy and out of trouble awhile... oh, probably not but at least I tried....

This is awesome info Jim, had no damn clue about that stuff before, never payed attention for it... I rarely used two PU guitars but sure will know what to try when it does...

thx dude for that PU crash course...