Brighter than a JB? Saving a Dark/Mid-Scooped Guitar...

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Brighter than a JB? Saving a Dark/Mid-Scooped Guitar...

Put a RCA5 in the Seth. I did and it works, very we'll, more output and highs, tighter low end. Just ordered another in double white for my HSS Strat.
Or - turn the C/Hybrid 180 degrees so the very strong slugs are closest the bridge, lower the screws. The slug is so strong on the Hybrid it really boosts the high end when closer to the bridge.
My 2 cents
Steve Buffington

Agree with the slug coil next to the bridge. Also put in an A8 mag to give more highs, more mids, amd more output.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Brighter than a JB? Saving a Dark/Mid-Scooped Guitar...

As much as I dislike ceramic mags, it may be what you need. So my first thought after reading your post was for a Custom in the bridge.

After thinking about what you said you want, my second thought was to turn up the treble on your amp. But since most players aren't willing to touch the knobs on their sacred amps, my next thought was to put an EQ in your effects loop.

Then after reading all of the posts in this thread, I realized that the problem isn't with your pickups at all. And it may or may not be with your amp. It possibly is with your EQ. But for sure the problem IS with your guitar. You can't get blood from a turnip no matter how hard you squeeze it. And you're not going to get the tone you want from your guitar no matter how many pups you try in it. You can probably get pretty close with a Custom if you are willing to accept "almost what you want". But to get exactly what you want you need a different guitar... (AND turn the knobs on your amp).

 

[freefrog]

Re: Brighter than a JB? Saving a Dark/Mid-Scooped Guitar...

But I have a dilemma with one guitar in particular, my 2014 Electra Omega. It's a LP shaped guitar with some minor differences, most importantly, the bridge pickup sits further away from the bridge than a LP, which I think attributes to the darkness. It's also a mid-scooped sounding guitar, which is weird that it's dark/scooped because it has an ebony fretboard and mahogany body with maple cap, like a LP Custom.

Hello,

The bridge PU far from the bridge necessarily sounds rounder but doesn"t explain the whole issue. I've worked on a 70 SG whose sound was still plenty bright, even with a (T-top) PU far from the bridge.

The scale of your guitar might contribute to your feeling. Listen here if you want to hear how a Strat style long scale gives more harmonics than a shorter LP style scale : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OViGeYENJA

The woods in your guitar don't warranty a bright tone. I've worked once on a "Custom" LP shaped guitar with mahogany body, maple cap, ebony fretboard... it was also "naturally" dark, bassy and dull. It ended with a light tailpiece and steel saddles, but also a pair of FilterTron style TV Jones Classic's requested by the owner, who is happy with this set (not that I recommend you a FilterTron instead of a JB, of course... but a TV Jones Classic set close to the strings is able to sound as loud as a standard P.A.F. replica and some other TV Jones models might have some interest for you).

I've never played an Electra Omega but seeing their street prices, I think that I'd personally check your tailpiece and/or bridge and possibly try different ones : a light aluminium tailpiece might help to brighten your guitar and sometimes, dullness is partly due to a bridge with unprecisely notched saddles dampening the vibrations (or saddles made of a too soft alloy). I've more than once obtained brighter tones, less "comb filtered" (less mid scooped) sustain and more precise attack from mid priced Gibson copies thx to such parts. YMMV.

Regarding the PU's: +1 about most advices above, like those regarding ceramic mags.

There's also artificial ways to increase the harmonic richness of any pickup and brightness of most guitars without loosing too much output level, like a properly tuned LRC filter ( two Q filters in parallel, without cap and tamed by a 24k resistor should do the job).

FWIW (= my two cents). Good luck!