Artie's De-Mud Mod is Magic!!!! (a review)

[Benjy_26]

Hey all.


As some of you know, I've been trying out a 59n/JB combo in my '81 Hamer Special (looks exactly like the one on the far right of the pic).

For a while, I tried the 59n and JB and was rewarded with a decent, if not mind blowing tone. I really dug the high end presence of the 59 and the hollow woodiness in the mids, but the low end was just way too much and it got muddy very quickly, which made playing clean chords at volume a bit of a challenge. I eventually changed the JB for an old, unpotted Dimarzio Super D, but I kept the 59. I did flip the screw pole side towards the bridge for a bit more high end response and I radiused the poles and dropped the overall pickup height.

This helped a bit, but I wa still getting a bit too much boom. After posting these findings, Artie was kind enough to send me his de-mud mod. I installed it and tried it for a few practice sessions. Initial resuslts were good, but I really got to hear this set up at this weekend's gig.

The treble and mids are left untouched with this mod, but the low end seems to be rolled off quite a bit. This doesn't make the 59 sound smaller or thin by any means. It's almost like using the low cut button on a quality mixer. the bass is still there, but it seems that the frequencies that cross the line from "chunk" to "boom" are all gone.

I really recommend this mod to anyone who owns a 59 but is not happy with the low end.

 

[dani]

Re: Artie's De-Mud Mod is Magic!!!! (a review)

sounds like what good ol' doc artie prescribed. i actually do need artie's de-mud mod since i just got a schecter blackjack 007 with a jb/59 combo.

the 59's boomy low end is so painfully obvious especially with the jb in the bridge.

artie, if you are reading this, please send me the mod sheet ya?

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: Artie's De-Mud Mod is Magic!!!! (a review)

artie, if you are reading this, please send me the mod sheet ya?

+1

I have the '59/JB combo in my LP, and wouldn't mind checking out the de-mud mod myself.

- Keith

 

[Gr8Scott]

Re: Artie's De-Mud Mod is Magic!!!! (a review)

I searched the de-mud mod and I have one question regarding it. Has anyone tried this mod with a 1 meg pot or with modified values to their pot? It seems that if subtle is the case with the .01 uf cap and 500K resistor, maybe it would be cool to have a less than subtle effect at times.

I have a somewhat muddy strat that will receive this treatment btw.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Artie's De-Mud Mod is Magic!!!! (a review)

My neck pickup's volume pot measures in at about 650k. As far as the schematic, Artie posted it on my thread about the 59n/JB combo. I can't cut and paste the link (i'm on my smart phone right now), but if you do a search of threads I've started, it should be near the top of the results.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Artie's De-Mud Mod is Magic!!!! (a review)

The treble and mids are left untouched with this mod, but the low end seems to be rolled off quite a bit. This doesn't make the 59 sound smaller or thin by any means. It's almost like using the low cut button on a quality mixer. the bass is still there, but it seems that the frequencies that cross the line from "chunk" to "boom" are all gone. I really recommend this mod to anyone who owns a 59 but is not happy with the low end.

Then again, some of us like the 'boom' in a neck PU, that power that thumps your chest.

 

[Artie]

Re: Artie's De-Mud Mod is Magic!!!! (a review)

Always happy to post this pic:

There's nothing revolutionary here. In fact, I believe this is similar to what SD does with the Invader. When I first experimented with this, I used a 500k pot, wired as a rheostat. I dialed it to where it sounded best, which just happened to be full open. So I replaced the pot with a 500k resistor. You can play around with both the resistor and cap values to "tweek" the tone, but that combo worked great. It didn't change the overall personality of the pickup. Just dialed out a touch of mud.

If you place a switch across the cap/resistor, so that you can short them out, you can hear the subtle difference with the mod in or out.

Edit: One more thing - you can still split this just fine. Just be sure to short the white wire to ground. Leave everything else as it is, and it works just fine. Shorting the white wire to ground, effectively removes the cap and resistor from the circuit.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Artie's De-Mud Mod is Magic!!!! (a review)

Then again, some of us like the 'boom' in a neck PU, that power that thumps your chest.

You're one of those guys that enjoys reading his own posts, aren't you?

 

[XXL Blues]

Re: Artie's De-Mud Mod is Magic!!!! (a review)

Artietoo,

i've tryed this mod on my LP. I have a tone zone Bridge and an Evolution Neck PU.
I used a 560 resistor, baceuase electronic parts stores in europe dont's have some values and 560 was the closest option.
I find it opened up the guitar, but then again cut a lot of output and it's sounding thin.

Of course i want to demud the pickup, but i do not want to loose drive...


Do you have any sugestion?

Thank you and greetings from Portugal

 

[AlexR]

Re: Artie's De-Mud Mod is Magic!!!! (a review)

You might have to tweak the values then. It sounds like the components are cutting out the mud, but also the mojo too - I couldn't tell you what direction to go though.

And this is only on the neck pickup I'm assuming. You generally don't need one on the bridge.

 

[marcello252]

Re: Artie's De-Mud Mod is Magic!!!! (a review)

Why not trying with a simple capacitor in series with the neck pickup, in a 'strangle' jaguar switch way? working with the cap value you could find the right freq rolloff corner.

 

[Artie]

Re: Artie's De-Mud Mod is Magic!!!! (a review)

I used a 560 resistor . . .

560, or 560k? That would be a huge difference.

 

[ruger9]

Re: Artie's De-Mud Mod is Magic!!!! (a review)

OK, I know.... zombie thread....

I'm just curious.... does anyone know how Artie's mod compares to the "official" SD "Mod Squad" fix, which is simply a .047uf cap?
http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/tips-and-tricks/mod-squad-muddy-sounding-neck-pickup

I had something similar to Artie's mod on my neck pickup (I ended up with different values tho, to where my PAF almost sounded like a single coil, which is what I was trying to achieve at the time), but recently decided I wanted it to sound like a PAF again, and tried the .047... sounds like the same pickup just less bass.... seems to work well.

What does Artie's mod have, if anything, the .047 cap doesn't? (yes, I know- a resistor LOL. I'm talking TONALLY)

I can't try it myself right now, as I don't have the cap/res I need for Artie's, so I figured I'd ask here.... and maybe gain a little electronics knowledge in the process.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Artie's De-Mud Mod is Magic!!!! (a review)

I'm still preaching 59n with an A4 magnet, but this looks like it would work.

 

[Artie]

Re: Artie's De-Mud Mod is Magic!!!! (a review)

What does Artie's mod have, if anything, the .047 cap doesn't? (yes, I know- a resistor LOL. I'm talking TONALLY)

They're both HPF's. (High-pass filters.) The Duncan .047uf cap would be a steeper roll-off starting at a lower frequency. (Blue line.)
Mine would be a more gentle slope starting at a slightly higher frequency. (Red line.)

You can play around with different values, both caps and resistors, to get the tone you prefer. This would be a great place for one of those resistor/cap substitution boxes. Since their both in series, it doesn't matter where in line you place them. Between the red/white wires is just a convenient connection spot.

 

[ruger9]

Re: Artie's De-Mud Mod is Magic!!!! (a review)

Hey! It's the man himself!! Alright.... so, you're saying "between the red and white wires", which I also see in the illustrations of your mod... but Duncan's .047 is just placed on the hot lead, after the pickup... again, is there a difference here?

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Artie's De-Mud Mod is Magic!!!! (a review)

Hey! It's the man himself!! Alright.... so, you're saying "between the red and white wires", which I also see in the illustrations of your mod... but Duncan's .047 is just placed on the hot lead, after the pickup... again, is there a difference here?

View attachment 71749

Apparently you didn't read Artie's last post.

Since their ("they're") both in series, it doesn't matter where in line you place them. Between the red/white wires is just a convenient connection spot.

 

[ruger9]

Re: Artie's De-Mud Mod is Magic!!!! (a review)

Thanks, I did read that, it just didn't "register" the first time.

 

[Artie]

Re: Artie's De-Mud Mod is Magic!!!! (a review)

Since ("they're") their both in series, it doesn't matter where in line you place them.

I can't believe I used the wrong homophone there. And that's something I'm anal about. :smack:

Thanks for the correction Doc.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Artie's De-Mud Mod is Magic!!!! (a review)

I can't believe I used the wrong homophone there

Artie, I don't know that I'd ever use a homophone.