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Jupiter - First Contact! (Warning: 6-string Content)

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  • Jupiter - First Contact! (Warning: 6-string Content)

    As I recently posted, it seems SD quietly released a 6-string production version of the Wes Hauch "Jupiter" humbucker set this month.

    Well, I'm proud to say that I am the first to get my hands on them!

    Let me tell you...these things are sexy! Truly a "Dimebucker" set for the new millennium!



    Bridge DCR: 15.6K

    Neck DCR: 8.6K


    Both pickups appear to have Ceramic mags and use 57mm long rails, which means they can easily be used in any 6-string application, even slanted!

    The rails themselves have a very slight top radius of approx. 18", protruding ever-so-slightly above the bobbin tops toward the center.

    As you can see in the pictures below, these also use an entirely new, totally flat baseplate that appears to be powder-coated brass (or a similar golden alloy judging by what I can see in the mounting threads).

    The best part of this package is the undeniably sexy matte black bobbins and the subdued, offset modern SD logo like that used on the AHB-3 Mick Thompson "EMTY" Blackouts and OEM Hyperion sets! I genuinely think SD should move to this type of logo on all of their pickups!




    As for a review of their tone, I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait a bit longer!

    I have a plan for these...they are going in a custom Fender "Meteora" style guitar, which I find incredibly fitting based on name alone, but they are sure to be absolute monsters!

    My custom body gets here in a couple weeks and then it's off to paint. I'm thinking a bright, lime-green metalflake to really set off the swoopy lines and highlight the new pickups!

    We'll see if my curiosity can hold that long (I doubt it, ha ha!)

    Last edited by Masta' C; 07-09-2020, 06:39 PM.

  • #2
    Re: Jupiter - First Contact! (Warning: 6-string Content)

    Well, they are pretty, indeed. I wonder why that style of pickup isn't more common. Tradition? Or does the dual rails do something weird to the sound that most players don't like?
    Administrator of the SDUGF

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    • #3
      Re: Jupiter - First Contact! (Warning: 6-string Content)

      Heads up, this "brief" reply ended up a bit longer than I expected, ha ha!

      Ok, here it goes...

      Tradition is the #1 reason why non-standard looking pickups like these will never sell well, even if the updated designs are often superior in many ways. That, along with the fact that they often command a premium due to using unique components not shared with other products in most manufacturers' line-ups. The Jupiters are a prime example of this with custom bobbins and baseplates, resulting in a street price just $30 less than typical Custom Shop prices for what are being billed as "production" units!

      Fishman introduced "open coil" versions of their Fluence pickups, EMG invested heavily into the marketing of their Retro-Actives, and LACE actually offered "Deceptor" covers for their very unique Alumitones, because they all wanted to capture lost business from the incredible number of closet traditionalists in the market who simply can't get over their guitar looking anything other than stock or "vintage correct"!

      This is partly why the forum's "Fuglybucker" was such a disputed design...it wasn't traditional in any sense, even for a Parallel Axis humbucker, and people got downright mad over it! Yet, from a technical perspective, we ended up with one of the most unique pickups to ever leave MJ's workbench!

      Some of the coolest and most innovative pickup designs came out in the '70s and '80s, but "standard" pickups still dominated in terms of retail sales and longevity. Even Carvin's 12-pole pickups, well-regarded for 30+ years and arguably fairly traditional compared to pickups like these Jupiters, but still not quite on par with the O.G. '50s "humbucker" layout visually, remained somewhat "niche" outside of dedicated Carvin players and have never sold for much as "standard" pickups from SD, Gibson, DiMarzio, etc., even new. This phenomenon is also why Railhammer pickups, even with some incredible artist endorsements under their belts, will never fully be able to compete with the likes of SD, DiMarzio, Gibson, etc.

      Bill Lawrence pioneered the twin-blade humbucker in his original L-90 model (an incredible pickup that his wife continues to make to this day!) and later L-500 models, which were followed by incredibly successful designs from Joe Barden, EMG, and so many others. SD's own "Dimebucker" is essentially a Bill Lawrence 500XL clone for all intents and purposes and, while often overlooked, it still continues to blow away players who are willing to take a risk on the non-standard aesthetic.

      What's interesting about the thin steel blade-poles like the ones in the Jupiter, 500XL, Dimebucker, etc. is that the blade "sees" a very narrow area of the string length-wise compared to regular poles and slugs, which adds clarity, but it also manages to capture the string's full vibrational signal width-wise, which results in a fuller, punchier sounding pickup with a broad response and no signal drop, even when attacking the strings hard or bending like mad. Heck, you just have to look at the playing style of Dimebag Darrell to see how effective the rail design can be!

      But the benefits to the twin-blade premise aren't limited to metal players abusing their locking trems. The majority of pickups which have used these twin-blade designs are not fire-breathing monsters by a long shot and offer a great blend of vintage character with improved response and articulation.
      Last edited by Masta' C; 07-09-2020, 11:49 PM.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Jupiter - First Contact! (Warning: 6-string Content)

        Is that neck bucker also a rail pickup?

        That being said: How's the tone of these babies?!

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Jupiter - First Contact! (Warning: 6-string Content)

          Originally posted by Masta' C View Post
          Heads up, this "brief" reply ended up a bit longer than I expected, ha ha!

          Ok, here it goes...

          Tradition is the #1 reason why non-standard looking pickups like these will never sell well, even if the updated designs are often superior in many ways. That, along with the fact that they often command a premium due to using unique components not shared with other products in most manufacturers' line-ups. The Jupiters are a prime example of this with custom bobbins and baseplates, resulting in a street price just $30 less than typical Custom Shop prices for what are being billed as "production" units!

          Fishman introduced "open coil" versions of their Fluence pickups, EMG invested heavily into the marketing of their Retro-Actives, and LACE actually offered "Deceptor" covers for their very unique Alumitones, because they all wanted to capture lost business from the incredible number of closet traditionalists in the market who simply can't get over their guitar looking anything other than stock or "vintage correct"!

          This is partly why the forum's "Fuglybucker" was such a disputed design...it wasn't traditional in any sense, even for a Parallel Axis humbucker, and people got downright mad over it! Yet, from a technical perspective, we ended up with one of the most unique pickups to ever leave MJ's workbench!

          Some of the coolest and most innovative pickup designs came out in the '70s and '80s, but "standard" pickups still dominated in terms of retail sales and longevity. Even Carvin's 12-pole pickups, well-regarded for 30+ years and arguably fairly traditional compared to pickups like these Jupiters, but still not quite on par with the O.G. '50s "humbucker" layout visually, remained somewhat "niche" outside of dedicated Carvin players and have never sold for much as "standard" pickups from SD, Gibson, DiMarzio, etc., even new. This phenomenon is also why Railhammer pickups, even with some incredible artist endorsements under their belts, will never fully be able to compete with the likes of SD, DiMarzio, Gibson, etc.

          Bill Lawrence pioneered the twin-blade humbucker in his original L-90 model (an incredible pickup that his wife continues to make to this day!) and later L-500 models, which were followed by incredibly successful designs from Joe Barden, EMG, and so many others. SD's own "Dimebucker" is essentially a Bill Lawrence 500XL clone for all intents and purposes and, while often overlooked, it still continues to blow away players who are willing to take a risk on the non-standard aesthetic.

          What's interesting about the thin steel blade-poles like the ones in the Jupiter, 500XL, Dimebucker, etc. is that the blade "sees" a very narrow area of the string length-wise compared to regular poles and slugs, which adds clarity, but it also manages to capture the string's full vibrational signal width-wise, which results in a fuller, punchier sounding pickup with a broad response and no signal drop, even when attacking the strings hard or bending like mad. Heck, you just have to look at the playing style of Dimebag Darrell to see how effective the rail design can be!

          But the benefits to the twin-blade premise aren't limited to metal players abusing their locking trems. The majority of pickups which have used these twin-blade designs are not fire-breathing monsters by a long shot and offer a great blend of vintage character with improved response and articulation.
          Tradition seems to kill innovation time and time again. While I don't know if the tone of these particular pickups are for me, I wonder how more traditionally-voiced pickups could look and act if we weren't driven by tradition, even though tradition sells.
          Administrator of the SDUGF

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Jupiter - First Contact! (Warning: 6-string Content)

            Nothing wrong with flat bottomed pickups, especially Bill Lawrence or Bill Lawrence shaped. I have yet to try a Dimebucker, probably because I'm so familiar with Bill Lawrence stuff. I've got boxes of new ones laying around..... I mean, my Vintage Icon V6M24 sounds awesome with Lawrences installed....

            aka Chris Pile, formerly of Six String Fever

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Jupiter - First Contact! (Warning: 6-string Content)

              Originally posted by orpheo View Post
              Is that neck bucker also a rail pickup?

              That being said: How's the tone of these babies?!
              Yes, the neck pickup is a matching rail pickup! 'Bout time, am I right?

              It may be a few more weeks before I can test them out. I sort of jumped on them out of sheer excitement, LOL! But, I have plans.

              I may even pick up another bridge to try in another guitar while I wait for my Meteora body to get here


              Originally posted by Mincer View Post
              Tradition seems to kill innovation time and time again. While I don't know if the tone of these particular pickups are for me, I wonder how more traditionally-voiced pickups could look and act if we weren't driven by tradition, even though tradition sells.
              #truth

              This is why Kinmans will always sell over Zexcoils and why really cool designs like the older Bill Lawrence/Gibson stuff never took off. If it doesn't "look" traditional, people naturally dismiss it and even "successful" designs never really cause sweeping change. This industry is so weird. Everybody wants cutting edge electronics when it comes to software, pedals and processors, but we shun putting anything remotely "advanced" in our actual guitars because it doesn't look like something Hendrix would've played!


              Originally posted by ICTGoober View Post
              Nothing wrong with flat bottomed pickups, especially Bill Lawrence or Bill Lawrence shaped. I have yet to try a Dimebucker, probably because I'm so familiar with Bill Lawrence stuff. I've got boxes of new ones laying around..... I mean, my Vintage Icon V6M24 sounds awesome with Lawrences installed....

              https://imgur.com/aLZp4Id
              I've seen those...cool guitars and great color choice! I've come to the conclusion that a Wilkinson trem is my perfect setup. I have too many guitars with Floyds and a couple with fixed bridges, but I seem to grab the one with a 2-point Wilky more than any of them! And Bill Lawrence pickups...it just so happens that my Wilky guitar has those, as well! Albeit, an L-90 straight from Bill & Becky. The Meteora these Jupiters are destined for is getting a Wilky, also!

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Jupiter - First Contact! (Warning: 6-string Content)

                Ironically, given the discussion so far, I am a total sucker for rail pickups! I currently have them in the neck of two of my guitars and i am considering switching out to a rail in the bridge of one of them and the neck of my third. I also like the looks of the Parallel Axis and considered a set when I knew nothing about them just because they looked different.

                This is ironic because i have pretty traditional tastes otherwise. My favorite cars are period-correct '50s kustoms, all three of my guitars are black and I like hollowbodies. I'd love a nice ES-350 with rail pickups in it!

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Jupiter - First Contact! (Warning: 6-string Content)

                  Originally posted by Masta' C View Post
                  But the benefits to the twin-blade premise aren't limited to metal players abusing their locking trems. The majority of pickups which have used these twin-blade designs are not fire-breathing monsters by a long shot and offer a great blend of vintage character with improved response and articulation.
                  Three words: Nokie Edwards set.

                  (My next custom shop purchase.)

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Jupiter - First Contact! (Warning: 6-string Content)

                    Originally posted by beaubrummels View Post
                    Three words: Nokie Edwards set.

                    (My next custom shop purchase.)
                    Man, that would be awesome!

                    To be fair, I have ZERO experience with those. I know the dual-rail bridge was allegedly similar to the "El Diablo" in spec, ~20K, A2 blade mags, etc., but I have never seen one in the wild.

                    Using the magnets on their sides as the "rails" is truly a unique thing SD does and does right!

                    I remember seeing a modified version that came in some of the Nokie Edwards signature guitars...a Strat/Tele hybrid with one blade coil! It was actually called the "StraTele" set:

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Jupiter - First Contact! (Warning: 6-string Content)

                      Interested in the neck model for use in the bridge position. Where did you get yours?
                      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: Jupiter - First Contact! (Warning: 6-string Content)

                        Does anyone know of PAF-output-level rail pickups? They all seem to have a pretty bright quality to them. I would need one warmer set and one scooped set, if that is possible with rails.
                        Administrator of the SDUGF

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Jupiter - First Contact! (Warning: 6-string Content)

                          Originally posted by Mincer View Post
                          Does anyone know of PAF-output-level rail pickups? They all seem to have a pretty bright quality to them. I would need one warmer set and one scooped set, if that is possible with rails.
                          It sounds like the neck model of this particular pickup set (in the OP) is pretty close. Maybe get the neck model and do mag swaps, to kill the high ceramic-induced output. That's exactly why I'm interested myself. A5 for your scooped one, A2 for the warm one. My wheels are spinning on the following: two neck models, stock ceramic in the bridge position, A2 swapped into the neck pickup.
                          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


                          • #14
                            Re: Jupiter - First Contact! (Warning: 6-string Content)

                            Originally posted by ItsaBass View Post
                            It sounds like the neck model of this particular pickup set (in the OP) is pretty close. Maybe get the neck model and do mag swaps, to kill the high ceramic-induced output. That's exactly why I'm interested myself. A5 for your scooped one, A2 for the warm one. My wheels are spinning on the following: two neck models, stock ceramic in the bridge position, A2 swapped into the neck pickup.
                            Great, now I have spinning wheels, too.
                            Administrator of the SDUGF

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Jupiter - First Contact! (Warning: 6-string Content)

                              Indeed, it's about time that a dual-rail NECK pickup was offered! And it's likely that it would work very well in the bridge, also! I like ItsaBass' idea of mag-swapping the neck and the spacing of the rails is the same as the bridge.

                              As for other lower-output Twin Blades, there's the original Lawrence L-90 design, which is arguably the *first* twin-blade pickup, created during Bill Lawrence's prime. The 4.0 Henry model is still offered by his wife and daughter now (www.wildepickups.com) and is equivalent to the original "L-90" of the '70s. Bill's intention with the L-90 was actually to recreate the best parts of "PAF" style pickups with greater clarity and range. Today, you can get it in underwound (2.0H and 2.8H) versions, but 4.0H is ultimately the sweet spot. The '70s "XL" model is equivalent to the 6.0H model offered on their site and the 8.0H model, which came out much later, is on par with something like a JB or Distortion output-wise.

                              The original L-500 pickups were clear and punchy, but also not over-the-top at all in terms of output. You can still get the "R" model, which is the lowest. There's also an "L" model, which is a littler hotter. When you get into the "XL" range, which is what you see most often and what were copied by the non-Bill Lawrence owned "Bill Lawrence USA" and the Dimebucker, then you start to get into truly high output territory. Rumor has it that Bill actually wound an "XXL" model for Dimebag, also!

                              Joe Barden offered the "HB" and later the "HB Two/Tone", which is worth a look if you're seeking moderate output and a little more classic tone.

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