Are there any humbuckers that sound nice clean?
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swarfrat
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I'm tempted at times to throw a second GFS Memphis on my Zion (has one on the bridge), but ...it's routed for a single in the neck and this body has suffered enough since I got it as a teenager, and I now appreciate that it at least has vintage pedigree if not crazy vintage value.
Strat Avenger
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Just wire a 4-conductor humbucker in parallel instead of series, and it'll be "clean".
Re-Pete
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I have an old DiMarzio Super 2 which is very clean & trebly, so much so it's usually recommended for use as a neck pickup when using 500k pots. They still make the Super 2 so that may be a consideration.
I also have a guitar that's loaded with Bill Lawrence L500 pickups. 1 neck & 1 bridge.
One was from the late 1970s when Bill still ran the company & one is from his last company - Wilde. Gotta say, anyone asking whether the Wilde are the same quality as his old stuff, that they are eerily similar in many aspects. Though the Wilde pickup is the hotter one for the bridge position (it's an XL).
I must have accidentally wired the old one in a parallel setup as it sounds rather jangly - somewhere between a Gretsch Filtertron & Rickenbacker toaster pickup tonally - in sound when the tone is boosted.
To explain a bit here too. I'm running these pickups through an EMG bass guitar EQ system. And using an EMG ABC active blender control. I can add or subtract bass & treble (+ or - 10dB) and blend an infinite number of in between positions with this setup.
Blending with the series wired L500XL is great tonal shifting capabilities. Gotta commend the Bill Lawrence pickups for their ability to be put through an active boost circuitry without coming out the other end too buzzy. If these pickups were not flat or carried some microphonics into the signal chain, they'd be useless with this EQ system.
With this particular guitar the accidentally parallel wired L500 is a treat to work with the L500XL. If a setting sounds too trebly or bassy I can manipulate the EQ settings to suit. So I'd be hesitant to dive straight in and buy a pair of L500 from Wilde and wire one up in parallel, as with a standard switch setting, some amount of control of tone is lost. Also, the L500 in the neck position is noticeably weaker.
I'm guessing if you bought a more powerful variant of the L500 (like their XL) and wired it in parallel, you would barely notice a weakening of the signal when paired with a much less powerful PAF variant.
Hope some of this info helps.
I also have a guitar that's loaded with Bill Lawrence L500 pickups. 1 neck & 1 bridge.
One was from the late 1970s when Bill still ran the company & one is from his last company - Wilde. Gotta say, anyone asking whether the Wilde are the same quality as his old stuff, that they are eerily similar in many aspects. Though the Wilde pickup is the hotter one for the bridge position (it's an XL).
I must have accidentally wired the old one in a parallel setup as it sounds rather jangly - somewhere between a Gretsch Filtertron & Rickenbacker toaster pickup tonally - in sound when the tone is boosted.
To explain a bit here too. I'm running these pickups through an EMG bass guitar EQ system. And using an EMG ABC active blender control. I can add or subtract bass & treble (+ or - 10dB) and blend an infinite number of in between positions with this setup.
Blending with the series wired L500XL is great tonal shifting capabilities. Gotta commend the Bill Lawrence pickups for their ability to be put through an active boost circuitry without coming out the other end too buzzy. If these pickups were not flat or carried some microphonics into the signal chain, they'd be useless with this EQ system.
With this particular guitar the accidentally parallel wired L500 is a treat to work with the L500XL. If a setting sounds too trebly or bassy I can manipulate the EQ settings to suit. So I'd be hesitant to dive straight in and buy a pair of L500 from Wilde and wire one up in parallel, as with a standard switch setting, some amount of control of tone is lost. Also, the L500 in the neck position is noticeably weaker.
I'm guessing if you bought a more powerful variant of the L500 (like their XL) and wired it in parallel, you would barely notice a weakening of the signal when paired with a much less powerful PAF variant.
Hope some of this info helps.
Cagey
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Just as an aside, if anyone has ever thought they might like to try some of the "Wilde" Bill Lawrence parts wound by Becky this year, I'd order them now. Lead times on that stuff is outrageous. I've had a couple sets of MicroCoils on order since last year, and one of my customer's Strats is sitting here just rotting while waiting on a set that was ordered in November. I could have started a puppy mill and be selling cute little Golden Retrievers by now if I'd spent my money differently.
$1,500 each. What would be wrong with that?
I'm in the wrong business.
$1,500 each. What would be wrong with that?
I'm in the wrong business.
stratamania
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Those golden retrievers are cute.
Cagey
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stratamania said:
That's how they propagate the species. It's an evil plot. Damned things grow up into massive shitfactories with the appetites of teenagers but the minds of infants so you're paying huge bucks to become a babysitter for the next 12 years or so, while occasionally paying others to take on the same duty, assuming the stupid thing never actually catches a moving car from the leading edge of a tire.
Whew! I was gone for a while, but now I'm back. Yeah. Retrievers are great. Labs are better. Too much is just right, so... get a Siamese cat.
bagman67
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Yeah, I've lived with Siamese before. I really would have welcomed it if they would have learned to STFU. Mouthy cats. That said - much less work than a dog.
Guess what: I have a dog. My first since I was a tyke who was too young to look after a dog, so not my problem! Probably also my last, if I have anything to say about it (which, given that marriage is a compromise, etc., etc., I may very well not).
But anyway - hey, humbuckers, right? How 'bout 'em!
Guess what: I have a dog. My first since I was a tyke who was too young to look after a dog, so not my problem! Probably also my last, if I have anything to say about it (which, given that marriage is a compromise, etc., etc., I may very well not).
But anyway - hey, humbuckers, right? How 'bout 'em!
Cagey
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Hehe! Yeah, they're talkers. Annoying talkers, sometimes. Few things quite as annoying as a Siamese that isn't getting its way. Still... closest thing you can get to a dog without all the slobber and neediness involved. Although, to be fair, nothing loves you like a dog. They'll happily die for you if the situation requires it, while a cat will sit there and wait to make sure there won't be repercussions if it eats your carcass.
stratamania
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That's true, pets can be high maintenance and need a lot of time and care. Still cute nonetheless.
How about Dog Pickups, loads of models...
Golden Retrievers, for a 59 PAF tone.
The Daschund, mini humbuckers.
Poodles, for added warmth
Rottweilers for extra bite
Terriers for snap and quack
Mongrels, assorted set.
How about Dog Pickups, loads of models...
Golden Retrievers, for a 59 PAF tone.
The Daschund, mini humbuckers.
Poodles, for added warmth
Rottweilers for extra bite
Terriers for snap and quack
Mongrels, assorted set.
S
swarfrat
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Current cat was the "house" cat at the vet. Aside from sonr minor but annoying digestive issues, she's awesome. Not a talker unless you let her run out of something. Patient with our toddler to a fault. He's getting out of being mean to her (still got her claws), but she will escape from some torment and immediately wheel aroud to love on him some more. Camps out by his door at night.
Last one was a batchelors cat for most of her life. Never really adjusted well to anyone else. I miss her, but... had she not passed, she would've never survived living in the house with a toddler. There would've been a walk in the woods by now. A good girl but just too high strung.
Go get the vet cat. Well socialized and don't give a rip about other animals or sharing their space.
Last one was a batchelors cat for most of her life. Never really adjusted well to anyone else. I miss her, but... had she not passed, she would've never survived living in the house with a toddler. There would've been a walk in the woods by now. A good girl but just too high strung.
Go get the vet cat. Well socialized and don't give a rip about other animals or sharing their space.
Cagey
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A lot of cat digestive issues have to do with two things.
First, they ingest a helluva lotta hair. Not much you can do about that. They're quite fastidious in an effort to remain undetectable to their prey. It's an instinctive thing that even highly domesticated cats who don't need to hunt their food still do. They'll even go so far as to eat raw greens such as grass or whatever to force themselves to yak up the dreaded but unavoidable hairballs. But, there's no way to train the urge to lick their fur clean out of a cat.
Second, many cat owners have the idea that milk/cream is something cats need. Not true - quite the reverse. Mother's milk is good for infants of any mammalian species, but past infancy? Fuhgeddaboudit. They love the stuff, but it's not good for them. All you'll do is give them diarrhea and the urge to urk up whatever else you're feeding them.
First, they ingest a helluva lotta hair. Not much you can do about that. They're quite fastidious in an effort to remain undetectable to their prey. It's an instinctive thing that even highly domesticated cats who don't need to hunt their food still do. They'll even go so far as to eat raw greens such as grass or whatever to force themselves to yak up the dreaded but unavoidable hairballs. But, there's no way to train the urge to lick their fur clean out of a cat.
Second, many cat owners have the idea that milk/cream is something cats need. Not true - quite the reverse. Mother's milk is good for infants of any mammalian species, but past infancy? Fuhgeddaboudit. They love the stuff, but it's not good for them. All you'll do is give them diarrhea and the urge to urk up whatever else you're feeding them.
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swarfrat
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Continuing derailment: This one came with a warning from the vet. She has a sensitive tummy. But she pukes her expensive food just as much as the Purina almost as expensive food. If she weren't so incredibly good with the kid and so sweet, it'd be harder to put up with. Also... if your cat is prone to puking... do NOT make the junk storage room "her room". Had to go clean it out to make room for more junk, and ... ewwww found some we missed a *while* ago. Don't really smell it because... she's the stinkiest cat I've ever encountered. (Last one was NOTHING even close to this)
Which brings us back to clean humbuckers. Yeah, eww gross. But I'm digging my Memphis 2 on AC-30TB models. Enough that I'm about to overcome my fear of routing behind the pickguard in my classic Zion again.
Which brings us back to clean humbuckers. Yeah, eww gross. But I'm digging my Memphis 2 on AC-30TB models. Enough that I'm about to overcome my fear of routing behind the pickguard in my classic Zion again.
Cagey
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I have a set of those coming... someday. Getting anything out of that company anymore has become a real challenge. Be my first "Tele" style pickups. I have 4 Teles, but never put Tele pickups in any of them. This fifth one is sort of a knock-around that I use for testing/building/setup assistance, so it can stand some experimentation.
Strat Avenger
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Re-Pete said:
I don't think it's possible to "accidentally" wire a humbucker in parallel.
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