Bill Steer's Pickups??

Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

YO!!!

HERE YOU GO DAAAAAAWG!!!!
carcass-14.jpg
He of course HAS to be picking RIGHT OVER the freaking pickup I'm talking about!!!

:smash:

[EDIT] PS - This is from Last Thursday (September 26th 2013)
 
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Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

Scott Olson said:
I'll ask the Artist Relations boys if they know what he is using.
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:headbang:

That's what I'm talking about!!!

Another main reason why I think he probably doesn't care is that he states that he has never owned a cd player and (in a youtube interview) he doesn't own a computer.

I genuinely believe he is the type to work with what he has, so he either took the cover off a stock pickup and that was his big mod OR he bought the guitar used and left it alone.

From what I heard last thursday it is a 59ish flavor when he was chugging alone. The razor sharp ultra fast attack just wasn't there. I'm being vague because on this site...I'm pretty sure you guys know what I mean. I am not saying I can hear a '59 in a live band situation through a PA and distortion...what I'm saying is that the overall sonic feeling was a lower output pickup with the amp doing the work.

The really funny thing about this whoooooooole thing is that I really didn't even want to know that badly until there was ZERO information on it. :lmao:
 
Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

Once again, this is what I love about this forum. I've never heard of Bill Steers, Carcass, Firebird, etc. So, I did a YouTube search for Bill Steers. Whats popping up sounds like a mix of Mountain, (think Leslie West), Cream, and a bit 'o Small Faces. Am I listening to the right band? I love this.

Edit: Carcass sounds completely different than Firebird. Is this the same guy?
 
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Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

Yes ArtieToo, it's the same guy! It's heart warming to see that the band and guitarist that I've loved since high school is finally getting his just rewards.
Bill Steer is all the things people have said about him on this thread and more.

I asked Bill briefly about his gear at the two Hollywood shows, his guitars mainly and yes, the bridge pickup on his 1978 wine red Les Paul is indeed the original Gibson pickup without the cover so that would make it a '78 T-Top humbucker. He told me that aside from his love of the original 5150/6505 and the new 5150lll amps, his guitars are always stock for the most part and he's not a big gear head. If he doesn't like the way a guitar sounds, he moves on. When he is using his Fernandes or ESP guitars he said he goes with the JB/59 combo.

He also said that his old Ibanez guitars had the stock pickups in it as well and came with the Ibanez F3 pickup in the bridge position.
 
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Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

I asked the A&R guys and they had no idea. Doesn't mean he is not playing an SD though since many ESP's come with our pickups.
 
Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

That was very cool of you, Scott! Even though you weren't able to get an answer, it's this kind of thing that makes this the best forum, and Duncan the greatest company, out there. :beerchug:
 
Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

w00t! A philosophy I wish I stuck to more often... "If he doesn't like the way a guitar sounds, he moves on."
 
Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

Cool thread, nice to see the people at SD are keeping an eye out for their customers.

A 70's LPC into a 5150 is a combination I've wanted to try ever since I bought Opeth's My Arms, Your Hearse. Beautiful, thick, yet restrained rhythm tone.
 
Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

ArtieToo said:
..Carcass sounds completely different than Firebird. Is this the same guy?
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Same guy!!!

Darth Nihilus said:
...and yes, the bridge pickup on his 1978 wine red Les Paul is indeed the original Gibson pickup without the cover so that would make it a '78 T-Top humbucker...
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YESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!

Who called it!??!


SAY MAH NAAAAAAAAAAAME!!!!!!


Darth, thank you man!!!

And To the kat from Duncan...thank you for looking out man. That was a totally rad contribution to the cause.


Holy $h!t folks...I can sleep tonight!!! :D
 
Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

Judging by the T-tops that are on ebay, they average in around 7.75k

The closest thing I've found here is the '59 or the Jazz.

I think a slightly overwound Pearly Gates would nail it.

I'd love to hear from The Duncan People though because I was at a barbecue in August and there was this kat there who SWORE by the old T-top pickups.

If you guys could let us know, that would be sick.


~LD
 
Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

T-Tops had AV mags right? Probably a 59 would be the closest thing, or a WLH (Jimmy used a T-Top for a while).
 
Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

Lucy Diamond said:
Same guy!!!




YESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!

Who called it!??!


SAY MAH NAAAAAAAAAAAME!!!!!!


Darth, thank you man!!!

And To the kat from Duncan...thank you for looking out man. That was a totally rad contribution to the cause.


Holy $h!t folks...I can sleep tonight!!! :D
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My pleasure Sir! I'm just happy to see more Bill Steer fans other than myself!
 
Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

Dude I think I read -on this forum actually -that in the early carcass days he used the JB. he probably still uses them... but I don't know. That's a beautiful guitar...
 
Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

Just came across this thread while checking out what Carcass were up to.

For anyone interested, I am able to confirm 100% Bill's white Esp Eclipse he used on the 2008/2009 run had stock JB SH2 in the bridge and a Jazz SH4N in the neck. There was also a push/pull coil tap wired into the bridge p/u.
 
Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

I would tend to agree, BUT... T-Tops are un-potted so I think that it would be difficult for someone using high gain amps to use a T-Top without a bunch of microphonics.
I have had experience with this. I owned a '74 SG Standard with T-Tops. They sounded amazing, but along with volume and gain came the squeal. I don't think noise gates take of microphonic squeal. I had a discussion on this forum about replacement pickups for T-Tops and it was suggested the Jazz pickups were in the neighborhood; and personally, the Jazz neck is my favorite.
I ended up selling the guitar anyway, so....
Lucy Diamond said:
Same guy!!!




YESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!

Who called it!??!


SAY MAH NAAAAAAAAAAAME!!!!!!


Darth, thank you man!!!

And To the kat from Duncan...thank you for looking out man. That was a totally rad contribution to the cause.


Holy $h!t folks...I can sleep tonight!!! :D
Click to expand...
 
Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

I don't have anything to contribute as to what pickups he actually uses, but even back in my teens while listening to Carcass, I always love Bill's tone.
It seemed to have less gain, relative to the thrash bands of the day like Exodus, Kreator etc., and if you think about what he was trying to accomplish, bright, low output pickups would make the most sense. He obviously was aware of the articulation loss and mud that comes with B standard tuning, so a Jazz or a '59 type of pickup would've fit the bill (no pun)
Back then, not too many publications took the time to interview grindcore bands about tone, which was unfortunate.
 
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