All This Pickup Talk...

The man, the band, and everything else

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stef
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Re: All This Pickup Talk...

Post by stef » Tue Feb 26, 2013 2:13 pm

I have one - but would like hear your opinion?

EJSLPlexi
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Re: All This Pickup Talk...

Post by EJSLPlexi » Tue Feb 26, 2013 9:17 pm

I have been using one for a while and it is a real good pu ,it takes the standard PAF tone and boost's the output and punch.
so essentially it is a PAF with more heat,muscle. lot of guys like it for the VH tone but lately i am looking to dial mine in a little closer than what i get with a SH5 custom. It would work best with the MOD5 circuit(like the DSD does)
but not real great for a standard 12000 .

dirtycooter
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Re: All This Pickup Talk...

Post by dirtycooter » Wed Feb 27, 2013 1:35 am

I have to admit as satisfied as I am with just a dsd or a 59 this particular mag and wire sparks my interest deeply.
Is there an "in between" of the above two?? I am told this is it.
Balls and clarityvwoth the right EQ curve. Its all that matters. Balls can be the circuit or from the pickup though I found.
Always lookin for more juice though. Like Tyrone Biggums lookin for some crack(Chappell Show) :lol:

matttornado
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Re: All This Pickup Talk...

Post by matttornado » Wed Feb 27, 2013 9:42 am

A SD JB into a cranked plexi nails the VH 1tone to a T. When I play along to the CD, it sounds identical. Especially when playing loud. :thumbsup:

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Tone Slinger
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Re: All This Pickup Talk...

Post by Tone Slinger » Wed Feb 27, 2013 10:04 am

In theory,a JB WOULD be a great VH1 type pu(though it aint what Ed used). A VERY bright,cutting strat (Franky) into a very bright/warm plexi needs a hot, fat, warm,middy pu.
Rip Ben Wise (StuntDouble) & Mark Abrahamian (Rockstah)

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Tone Slinger
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Re: All This Pickup Talk...

Post by Tone Slinger » Wed Feb 27, 2013 10:21 am

Whats cool with a SH-5 is that you can swap the ceramic for a A2 and have a 'CustomCustom'. If you find the Sh-5 TOO piercing or hard, then the A2 will make it warmer and browner, but, at a slight loss of tight clarity. VERY guitar/amp dependant choices.
Rip Ben Wise (StuntDouble) & Mark Abrahamian (Rockstah)

EJSLPlexi
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Re: All This Pickup Talk...

Post by EJSLPlexi » Wed Feb 27, 2013 10:45 am

Jose Flanders wrote:No question in my mind with all that "clank", hardness and "fire" to the VH1 tone that he's sportin' a ceramic magnet.
But how hot? ~8K? with MXR 6B? ~9K with MXR 6B? ~14K straight in? :what:
Could be this:
1) DSD-style (~14K ceramic) in B/W Strat
2) PAF-style (~8K whatever magnet) in Destroyer w/ MXR 6-band frown added to match the strat tone and output
unfortunately No one will ever know exactly what he had in the strat.
Since the destroyer was stock and those two sounded similar on the record i can only assume he used a 9K ceramic which would be a good match in the strat to go with the destroyers super 70 with A8 magnets.
IMHO i am against the 13.6K MM 1300 or DSD theory because of the way his strat had those dynamics.
to me everytime a pu is wound above 10K it loses the dynamics and little nuances only under 10K pu's get.
A perfect example of what i am talkin about is when ralle posted clips of both the 1400 and 1300 here.
http://forum.metroamp.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=37837" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
when you listen to both you can hear where the 1300 loses some of the cool aspects of the VH I tone the 1400 keeps.
the only other real clue is MA's comment about how in the studio eddies tone was "VERY TREBLY" to the point it would take off someones head, a 1400 has a lot of treble so does the super 2.
eddie at the time was obviously into "CUT" he even used the MXR phase 90 for a treble boost he said
Last edited by EJSLPlexi on Wed Feb 27, 2013 10:49 am, edited 2 times in total.

EJSLPlexi
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Re: All This Pickup Talk...

Post by EJSLPlexi » Wed Feb 27, 2013 12:15 pm

Jose Flanders wrote:Tone Slinger's theory thread is a fun read too:

http://forum.metroamp.com/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=40502" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
you know the way eddie put down dimarzio back then it would not be a total shock to find out he did use it on the first record. He seemed to really want to throw others off the trail back then and what better way than to say negative things about the very same thing you used. His quote about them was they are real distorted and he liked a clean sound with sustain?
well IMO that first record strat tone is pretty damn "distorted" when compared to the next release. :scratch:

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Re: All This Pickup Talk...

Post by ErickC » Wed Feb 27, 2013 12:28 pm

Over the past week or so I've been compiling a list (excel file) of all the "Brown Sound/EVH" type pups using the Seymour Duncan's as benchmarks (sh-5, sh-11, '78, IM-1) and the DiMarzio SD, there arent many that, spec for spec, match them but there are some that do, and come cheaper. Building techniques vary, as well as wire gauge and the lack of overall shared specs, so ive only been comparing them using the DC resistance and magnet type. If anyone is interested i can email the file and perhaps help add more info to it and use it as some EVH database :P

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Tone Slinger
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Re: All This Pickup Talk...

Post by Tone Slinger » Wed Feb 27, 2013 2:09 pm

Cool idea, I totally agree about Jose's 'Ed pu guideline'. Alnico 2 is indeed an almost 'magical' magnet,in how natural and musical it is. My current 'Magic pu' (if there is such a thing) would be to get the warm, browness of my 'Custom Custom' along with a hair more detail and clarity you get from a ceramic pu. I put an a5 in my 'Custom Custom' hoping to attain this. It failed :o .It got 'sharper/detail' but It lost the warmth. I quickly put the A2 bar back in.
I'm thinking that A5 is maybe an even brighter attribute than even ceramic, SO, if one was to use thinner wire than a 'Custom Custom' (CC has 43 awg wound to 14k) wound to more output (say 16k with 44awg) then some brightness would be rolled of of an a5, allowing the warm mids (A2 'CC' attribute) to return,BUT,have a touch more clarity, via the a5 magnet ?

This would be a Duncan JB. I havent used one since my Baretta was stolen years ago. Still, the Baretta was poplar body with rosewood fingerboard and Floyd Rose (sort of 'center field' sounding). I'm thinking JB/6 screw tremelo, maple neck,hard ash body would = something very close to perfect for me.
Rip Ben Wise (StuntDouble) & Mark Abrahamian (Rockstah)

EJSLPlexi
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Re: All This Pickup Talk...

Post by EJSLPlexi » Wed Feb 27, 2013 5:22 pm

Tone Slinger wrote:Cool idea, I totally agree about Jose's 'Ed pu guideline'. Alnico 2 is indeed an almost 'magical' magnet,in how natural and musical it is. My current 'Magic pu' (if there is such a thing) would be to get the warm, browness of my 'Custom Custom' along with a hair more detail and clarity you get from a ceramic pu. I put an a5 in my 'Custom Custom' hoping to attain this. It failed :o .It got 'sharper/detail' but It lost the warmth. I quickly put the A2 bar back in.
You MAY like a unoriented alnico 5 in the Custom-custom then.
it keeps basic tone of the stock A2 but adds some alnico 5 clarity, many love this mod for their Custom-custom when goin for what you said. The Unoriented alnico 5 is a cross between a A2 and A5 in tone

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Tone Slinger
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Re: All This Pickup Talk...

Post by Tone Slinger » Wed Feb 27, 2013 6:18 pm

Cool idea, where do you get an unoriented alnico 5 bar ?
Rip Ben Wise (StuntDouble) & Mark Abrahamian (Rockstah)

EJSLPlexi
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Re: All This Pickup Talk...

Post by EJSLPlexi » Wed Feb 27, 2013 10:07 pm

I get mine here, http://www.ebay.com/itm/Alnico-5-un-ori ... 4abf515922" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

dirtycooter
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Re: All This Pickup Talk...

Post by dirtycooter » Thu Feb 28, 2013 7:09 am

Well I seen a sweet assszzz gadget made for quick pickup testing. Was in the back of GW or GP magazine in the little classified ads.
this thing suction cups to the face of your guitar on two studs-has a mounting bracket with adjustable height so it holds the pickup inverted over top of the strings and has its own input jack. Makes swappin and checkin out new pickups fast without even disconnecting whats already in the guitar. Its called some funky name. But allows quick testing of any pickup.

fhn_lopes
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Re: All This Pickup Talk...

Post by fhn_lopes » Thu Feb 28, 2013 7:58 am

Did anyone tried the hated gibson 500T? ITs ceramic, 15k ish and supposed to be a PAF-like tone...

I just got a LP Classic that is on its way home (my first LP, so excited :rock: ) and been thinking to stick the 500T in my strat and put the VHII in the Lester...
76' JMP 50w w/ 71' metro board
93' Fernandes SSS strat
93' Fender Japan HSS Strat
4x12 w/ 2x 25w rola creambacks /2x 25w m75 Scumbacks

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