banner

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

WRHB?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • WRHB?

    I've got a Tele Custom which currently has a Brandonwound WRHB in the neck. While it's better than the stock Fender RI pickup, I still find it to be extremely loud and kind of boomy and mucky on the low strings. I've got the pickup low as can go and I'm still struggling with it.

    I'm curious how the SD Custom Shop WRHB compares. I know they use Alnico5 poles whereas Brandonwound uses a combo of A2 and FeCrCo.
    -
    My Rolling Stones tribute band: The Main Street Exiles

    At the battle of the bands, the loser is always the audience. -Demitri Martin

  • #2
    Re: WRHB?

    The originals aren't highly esteemed so it becomes a question of if you want something which is period correct and faithful to the original design? Or something that is a higher performance replacement which may not be period correct and not faithful to the original design? So you either pay more for a boutique reproduction or change pickguards and use a standard production lower-cost humbucker in its place? Because something like a Seth Lover might be more economical and higher performance.
    Last edited by idsnowdog; 05-24-2020, 01:03 PM.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: WRHB?

      To me, they are sort of like lipstick pickups...enough time has gone by, so people generally forgot how they sounded, and people are more in love with the looks and 'rarity' of them than having a tone that can't be reproduced any other way. But lots of guitar parts have been sold because of 'tradition' more than function or sound.
      Administrator of the SDUGF

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: WRHB?

        Originally posted by Mincer View Post
        To me, they are sort of like lipstick pickups...enough time has gone by, so people generally forgot how they sounded, and people are more in love with the looks and 'rarity' of them than having a tone that can't be reproduced any other way. But lots of guitar parts have been sold because of 'tradition' more than function or sound.
        I agree that WRHBs are definitely their own sound. I really like them for a few things, but not enough to buy a guitar for a set of them.
        Originally posted by crusty philtrum
        And that's probably because most people with electric guitars seem more interested in their own performance rather than the effect on the listener ... in fact i don't think many people who own electric guitars even give a poop about the effect on a listener. Which is why many people play electric guitars but very very few of them are actually musicians.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: WRHB?

          The originals are weak; that is the key to their tone. The magnets used in them are weaker than A3. If you want authenticity of tone, gotta weaken the A5s quite a lot. If you just want "a" tone, anything will do.
          Originally posted by LesStrat
          Yogi Berra was correct.
          Originally posted by JOLLY
          I do a few chord things, some crappy lead stuff, and then some rhythm stuff.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: WRHB?

            I think most people who buy WRHB (and Lipsticks, too) are into the looks more than anything. I suppose you can get the look with any wind you want, if you want to custom order it.
            Administrator of the SDUGF

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: WRHB?

              Originally posted by Mincer View Post
              I think most people who buy WRHB (and Lipsticks, too) are into the looks more than anything. I suppose you can get the look with any wind you want, if you want to custom order it.
              Is there a custom shop option to put a standard humbucker on a WRHB baseplate with a cosmetic cover? I would think there would be a market for that. For instance, a Pearly Gates guts on a WRHB baseplate with a faux cover to make it fit and look the same without actually having the adjustable poles. The cover could just be stamped or engraved to look like it has screws.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: WRHB?

                Anyone with actual experience with the SDCS pickup care to chime in?
                -
                My Rolling Stones tribute band: The Main Street Exiles

                At the battle of the bands, the loser is always the audience. -Demitri Martin

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: WRHB?

                  Originally posted by idsnowdog View Post
                  Is there a custom shop option to put a standard humbucker on a WRHB baseplate with a cosmetic cover? I would think there would be a market for that. For instance, a Pearly Gates guts on a WRHB baseplate with a faux cover to make it fit and look the same without actually having the adjustable poles. The cover could just be stamped or engraved to look like it has screws.
                  I would think they totally could do this. And I agree there would be a market for it. Just like having a lipstick pickup with a better, hotter wind.
                  Administrator of the SDUGF

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: WRHB?

                    The Fender and Squier RI pickups are exactly that, a regular humbucker under wide range covers, they just fill the gaps with felt and wax, I was just toying around and found I could install another humbucker I had sitting around onto the WR baseplate, the mounting hole spacing for the bobbins was the same but there is a gap between the bobbins, the only difference is the RI's have 2 bobbins with screw poles with 3 of each turned upside down. Have you looked at what pots are in the guitar? I removed the reissues and installed some mojotones I found on Reverb and they are def brighter and hotter.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: WRHB?

                      Originally posted by Powdered Toast Man View Post
                      Anyone with actual experience with the SDCS pickup care to chime in?
                      Sorry, but no. What I was alluding to was that I haven't done so because the magnets are spec'd as being too powerful to nail the classic WRHB tone...the use of which which would be my only reason for wanting to install a WRHB. I have considered ordering one and demagnetizing the poles, but have not yet done so.
                      Originally posted by LesStrat
                      Yogi Berra was correct.
                      Originally posted by JOLLY
                      I do a few chord things, some crappy lead stuff, and then some rhythm stuff.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: WRHB?

                        Originally posted by Mincer View Post
                        I would think they totally could do this. And I agree there would be a market for it. Just like having a lipstick pickup with a better, hotter wind.
                        The limiting factor for the lipstick tube is that it needs to fit in the case. The problem with that is the magnet ends up taking up too much space and there isn't much room for the coil. However, if you used a smaller more powerful magnet like neodymium you could wrap more turns of thinner gauge wire on a smaller magnet and still fit inside the case. But the tonal result may not be faithfull to the originals.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: WRHB?

                          Originally posted by idsnowdog View Post
                          The limiting factor for the lipstick tube is that it needs to fit in the case. The problem with that is the magnet ends up taking up too much space and there isn't much room for the coil. However, if you used a smaller more powerful magnet like neodymium you could wrap more turns of thinner gauge wire on a smaller magnet and still fit inside the case. But the tonal result may not be faithfull to the originals.
                          No, it wouldn't be exact. But I bet it could be wound to be something other than that weak thin bright lipstick tone with a neo magnet.
                          Administrator of the SDUGF

                          Comment

                          Working...
                          X