Bonamassa set ROCKS and question

tonaholic

New member
First off, thanks you all for helping me get these things installed. It was the first pup swap I did without a tech. Quite the learning experience and it wouldn't have been something I would have done if my tech hasn't done the SD Liberator install for me.

So, these pickups are a bit like some of the antiquities I've played but more like I wanted the ants to feel in a Les Paul. The bass is less squishy and they're definitely a bit hotter. Like the ants, very "hollow". When I read that phrase, I was trying to figure out what the heck everyone was trying to convey so I'll try to explain it: transparent and alive. The pickups seem to be brining out the sound of the wood in the guitar and the glass in the tubes much more than the 59s. It seems to be coming from a mix of the overwound design yet lower output aged mags and wire aging that creates this dynamic compression that is extremely articulate and musical while smoothing the pick attack, like a compressed sound, yet is much more dynamic and open to response than the 59 set that was just in my guitar

One of the cool aesthetic details is the "Bonamassa" label where the Patent Applied For label used to be. #style

One thing that surprised me was that the neck pickup is much hotter than I was guessing based on reviews unless I installed them wrong? On the label, after the serial number, there is an "n" and a "b". The Duncan rep I called for clarification today said that the one that is marked by marker is the one that the pickup is: so if the "n" had a dash through it, the pickup is an "n" can you guys confirm? Here's a pic to show what I'm trying to convey:

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Re: Bonamassa set ROCKS and question

The "N"-marked pup is the neck pup. The one with a line through the "B" is the bridge pup.

You can easily double check if you have a multimeter...the one that has the highest resistance is the bridge pup.
 
Re: Bonamassa set ROCKS and question

The increase in volume with the neck pick up is probably just due to pick up height. Try lowering it a bit and it should help.
 
Re: Bonamassa set ROCKS and question

Thanks guys, so I had installed them properly and adjusted the height for balance and proper output. I find both pickups sound like they are wound hotter than the 59 set but are much more dynamic, open, microphonic and have less overall volume because of the weaker magnets. It's a killer and very interesting dynamic and I have to adjust the amps differently for these than the 59 with less preamp gain for a clean sound. Love the way these push an amp like a plexi or AC30 :)
 
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