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Pickup Replacement - Advice?

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  • #1

    Pickup Replacement - Advice?

    Currently have a Samick Ultramatic (pic is in the sig), with two "Duncan Designed" Humbuckers.

    I get amazing tone, really warm sounds, but i just cant cut through in band practices and gigs, and end up having to just remedy this with the "Turn it up to 11" (i hope you all get me ).

    What do you think is my best solution to this problem? I was thinking that maybe the answer would be to replace the neck with a Custom-3 P90 for a bit more edge, but then maybe that would just mean that i wouldnt be able to reproduce a very wide amount of tones ( humbucker on bridge toning down that treble, singlecoil on neck brightening what's meant to be soft and mellow).

    I'm not completely sure what i'm talking about here, so hopefuly you guys can help me out...
    _____________________________________________
    :: Samick Ultramatic UM4 (PRS Custom 22 Copy) :: 2x Seymour "Duncan Designed" HH-4 :: D'Addario XL .09-.42 :: 1981 Sunburst Epiphone Sheraton VSB :: 2002 Martin Guitars Custom Shop 000-28 :: Vox AD30VT Valvetronix Combo ::
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Pickup Replacement - Advice?

    Crank your mids up if you need to cut....The guitar is all about mids...If you scoop your mids back too much,you won't cut..Try that first before you spend your money...Sounds like you like your pickups...Tweak your controls on your amp and effects...Seriously...

    John
    Amps: 66 Fender BF Pro Reverb Combo,1973 50 Watt Marshall Head,Marshall 4x12 A/V Cab,Vox ToneLab LE,Vox VTH Valvetronix 120 Head,Vox AD 2x12 Cab,Roland Cube 20X

    Guitars: Several Stratocasters,2 Fender Telecasters,Gibson SG Standard,Tokai Love Rock Les Paul,Dean Acoustic.

    Pickups: SD SSL2,SSL5,Twangbanger,Antiquity Surfers,59N,Seth Lover N/B,Dimarzio Fred,Dimarzio VPAF N,Fender Fat 50s,Fralin SP43 Bridge,Brobucker,Antiquity Texas Hot.

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Pickup Replacement - Advice?

      Originally posted by STRATDELUXER97
      Crank your mids up if you need to cut....The guitar is all about mids...If you scoop your mids back too much,you won't cut..Try that first before you spend your money...Sounds like you like your pickups...Tweak your controls on your amp and effects...Seriously...

      John
      +1
      Carvin SC90 (Jazz neck, CC bridge)
      Fender Aerodyne Telecaster (stock pups: tele bridge and p-90 neck)
      Ampeg Reverberocket combo

      http://emayhem.com/toptenidols
      http://emayhem.com/the_fords
      (note: these songs were not recorded using the gear mentioned above...)

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Pickup Replacement - Advice?

        This i've done, spent nearly a whole 4 hour band practice trying to get the right sound. I've got my mids and treble cranked up, but still having trouble getting a sharp tone.
        _____________________________________________
        :: Samick Ultramatic UM4 (PRS Custom 22 Copy) :: 2x Seymour "Duncan Designed" HH-4 :: D'Addario XL .09-.42 :: 1981 Sunburst Epiphone Sheraton VSB :: 2002 Martin Guitars Custom Shop 000-28 :: Vox AD30VT Valvetronix Combo ::

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Pickup Replacement - Advice?

          If you need to go brighter, my choice would be a PGn and a C5 at the bridge with a pair of push/pull pots for coil taps.

          BTW, killer guitar!
          Ain't nothin' but a G thang, baby.

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Pickup Replacement - Advice?

            Originally posted by Communist Monk
            This i've done, spent nearly a whole 4 hour band practice trying to get the right sound. I've got my mids and treble cranked up, but still having trouble getting a sharp tone.
            I've been there. There was one point where during each practice I'd rush over to my amp and tweak it a little bit after every song or during every break in a song to see if I could get a more cutting tone. After a while the band got a little tired of that, as you could imagine. Plus I couldn't really concentrate on the song because I was too preoccupied with my tone to pay full attention to the notes.

            The answer for me was changing my amp. I used to have a Line 6 AX2 (one of their first models) that was a great sounding amp when I was the only guitarist in the band, but when I played with another guitarist I found I got lost. Once I switched to a tube amp, I had no more problems. This may or may not be what's plaguing you, but that was my experience.
            Carvin SC90 (Jazz neck, CC bridge)
            Fender Aerodyne Telecaster (stock pups: tele bridge and p-90 neck)
            Ampeg Reverberocket combo

            http://emayhem.com/toptenidols
            http://emayhem.com/the_fords
            (note: these songs were not recorded using the gear mentioned above...)

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Pickup Replacement - Advice?

              you can only do so much with pickups if the problem you are trying to fix is volume ... if you like the overall tone of your guitar, you need to find a way to make it louder .. like a more powerful amp

              good luck
              t4d
              gear list in profile

              "no seymour - no tone ... know seymour - know tone!"

              Is it not the glory of the people of America that, whilst they have paid a decent regard to the opinions of former times and other nations, they have not suffered a blind veneration for antiquity, for custom, or for names, to overrule the suggestions of their own good sense, the knowledge of their own situation, and the lessons of their own experience?" - James Madison - Federalist #14

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Pickup Replacement - Advice?

                Originally posted by Benjy_26
                BTW, killer guitar!
                Cheers.

                The amp is brand new, basically the best amp iI could afford (Though actually It was paid for by parent for getting good exam results). The amp isnt the problem, the other people in the band play on 15Watt combos and 30Watt combos as well (we're all skint, though the singer currently has an original 1960s Burns London Split-Sonic that his Uncle lent him!).

                Its not volume thats the problem, I can drown anyone out if I want to, but then they just moan (similarly if i break into an imprompetu improvised slow tremolo solo. Mhm. The problem is getting the edge. The irritating thing is that at similar volumes my guitars sound just doesnt cut through the medley .

                Can someone clear up exactly what benjy means by this: "push/pull pots for coil taps"? Cheers (bit new to guitar electronics).
                Last edited by Communist Monk; 08-27-2004, 12:26 PM.
                _____________________________________________
                :: Samick Ultramatic UM4 (PRS Custom 22 Copy) :: 2x Seymour "Duncan Designed" HH-4 :: D'Addario XL .09-.42 :: 1981 Sunburst Epiphone Sheraton VSB :: 2002 Martin Guitars Custom Shop 000-28 :: Vox AD30VT Valvetronix Combo ::

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Pickup Replacement - Advice?

                  Originally posted by Communist Monk
                  Cheers.
                  Can someone clear up exactly what benjy means by this: "push/pull pots for coil taps"? Cheers (bit new to guitar electronics).
                  Your Valvetronix should be a great amp to work with, so that's not your problem unless you're using some scooped patch with too much gain.

                  The push/pull coil tap thing refers to the ability to turn a humbucker into a single coil by pulling up on your volume (or tone) knob. Doing this brightens up and thins out your sound a little bit to make it more distinct and crisp.
                  Carvin SC90 (Jazz neck, CC bridge)
                  Fender Aerodyne Telecaster (stock pups: tele bridge and p-90 neck)
                  Ampeg Reverberocket combo

                  http://emayhem.com/toptenidols
                  http://emayhem.com/the_fords
                  (note: these songs were not recorded using the gear mentioned above...)

                  Comment

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