Dark Sounding Tokai - Alnico II vs. Seth Lover and so on...

S

Squealer

New member
Hey,

i'm from germany and own a Gibson Les Paul Studio which i really love! I experimented with a bunch of different pu's include Sh-1, Pearly Gates, Sh-5, Sh-6, Sh-4, Haeussels (boutique from germany), Rockinger (also germany).
I think for the Gibson the Duncan aph II is perfect b/c the guitar has very much highs and a lot of attack. The pu is warm and spongy and i think this fits good together.

But i haven't found the right pu's for the Tokai. It's a 2006 Modell i guess, with Mahagony body, Maple 2 piece top, rosewood fingerboard...standard i guess. But i think it's very dark and dull sounding. It's a perfect guitar, perfect quality and everthing...but it's veeeery difficult to find the real pickup.

Now i have a Pearly Gates in the bridge and it's OK. I think the PG sounds "unreal" in this guitar. There are enough highs which i wonder about b/c of the dark guitar. The highs sound unreal...there are not too many highs but unreal sounding highs. Maybe a bit harsh.
Before that i hd the aph II in the bridge and i thought there weren't enough highs and a bit too muddy sounding.
In the neck i have a german Haeussel again. Sound too clean and accurate.

So guys, what would you say about my problem? Any pickup suggestions?

I think a low output pickup is better for me. Everythin over 10k is maybe too much i guess. But i don't really know.
I like an open (vintage) sound with much highs, but not harsh. I don't need that much bass!

I was wondering what the difference between the Seth Lover and the Alnico II Pro is. Maybe Seth would be my choice? Or SH-1?

I hope someone will take time to help me and understands my german-english :)

Have a nice day!
Dennis
 
Re: Dark Sounding Tokai - Alnico II vs. Seth Lover and so on...

The Seths would be a good choice, maybe a Pearly Gates set.

I would meter your pot values first and make sure they are all in the 450k - 550k range.
 
Re: Dark Sounding Tokai - Alnico II vs. Seth Lover and so on...

Hey,

i have a PG in the bridge right now and it's not what i'm looking for. Too much unreal and maybe also harsh sounding highs.

What about Burstbuckers #1 and #2?
 
Re: Dark Sounding Tokai - Alnico II vs. Seth Lover and so on...

BB1/2 will be similar in tone to the PG-not exact but similar- it has those sparkly crackly highs (personally, I like, but that's beside the point)

If the guitar is dark, and the PG is too much, I'd go with the Seth Lover or a Gibson 57 Classic. I've come to not care for the 59 all that much, but if the guitar is dark, and has healthy mids, the 59 may work great too.

PS- My Tokai was the same way, naturally very warm- I had 57 classics in it, and it was a good match.
 
Re: Dark Sounding Tokai - Alnico II vs. Seth Lover and so on...

the 59's are wax potted, right? maybe this is better for higher volumes and more distorted sound!?
 
Re: Dark Sounding Tokai - Alnico II vs. Seth Lover and so on...

Hi I am from germany, too my LP is a Orville - and maybe close to the tokai. I have a pair of 59ers in and it is very nice (the bridge is a really old one). I am thinking of testing a Seth neck/bridge set- someday or a WCR Fillmore bridge. I tested the WCR Goodwood bridge which is not suitable for me as it is too fat/juicy.

Meanwhile I set the 59 neck pup lower --a bit more at the thicker strings- and it sounds more crispy.
Honestly I cannot guess what 59ers A5 are not useful for! They are such versatile with a nice color and can bite through.

BTW am I right , the standard SH-55s are both with A2mag and the Ant PAF are with A2 mags ,too !?
 
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Re: Dark Sounding Tokai - Alnico II vs. Seth Lover and so on...

Hi Dennis, i own a tokai too. I'm currently changing my pots to CTS pots (bought from Rockinger). They were measuring between 420k and 488k. One became faulty and had to be removed. The output jack is a real PIA, noisy and cutting out.
Check out the www.tokaiforum.com - a lot of folks there
 
Re: Dark Sounding Tokai - Alnico II vs. Seth Lover and so on...

Hey,

i was also thinking 'bout getting CTS' from Rockinger.
My Output jack and the 3-way switch is already changed. Also from rockinger!

Can you tell a difference between the old pots and the new cts?

And what pu's are you playing?

Anyway, what's the difference between the 59', seth lover and pg?
 
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Re: Dark Sounding Tokai - Alnico II vs. Seth Lover and so on...

Dark LP and you need low output but, the APH's didnt quite have enough high.....


You ONLY choice is the jazz set! Jazz bridge and jazz neck.

I would stay away from seths in this case. They are very warm. The Seth is warmer than the APH.



I have a dark sounding 74 Ibanez LP and the jazz set fits the bill perfectly. Yes, I have tried EVERY Duncan in this guitar. The jazz set is a winner. In second place comes the Custom 5 bridge and the jazz neck.
 
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Re: Dark Sounding Tokai - Alnico II vs. Seth Lover and so on...

So, whats the tonal difference between the 59', seth lover, pg and antiquies?
 
Re: Dark Sounding Tokai - Alnico II vs. Seth Lover and so on...

nevermind...misunderstood.
 
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Re: Dark Sounding Tokai - Alnico II vs. Seth Lover and so on...

Regarding darkness of Tokai. What could be the cause of that? Could it be the tone and volume pots? I heard these pots on Tokai aren't of the highest quality and sometimes their resistance (or what is it?) is different from what it should be.
 
Re: Dark Sounding Tokai - Alnico II vs. Seth Lover and so on...

I'd first investigate the bridge section of the tokai. What kind of bridge is on there, specifically, how is it mounted? If it's a metric chinese crap TOM I would get a Gotoh TOM and a light (aluminium) tailpiece.

How does it sound acoustically compared to the studio?

Maybe it isn't dark, maybe it just lacks any form of sustain?
 
Re: Dark Sounding Tokai - Alnico II vs. Seth Lover and so on...

ATTN: POST RESURRECTION!!

@andrius: If you have a similar issue to an older thread and need help just post a new thread and link to the old one. Otherwise people might think it's a continuation and try to answer the original poster's question, or make comments about other posts in the thread, and the poster may not even be a member anymore, etc.
 
Re: Dark Sounding Tokai - Alnico II vs. Seth Lover and so on...

necropost2.jpg
 
Re: Dark Sounding Tokai - Alnico II vs. Seth Lover and so on...

Might try a Screaming Demon, but make sure your electronics are OK before you do anything else. You can also use a 1 Meg pot. ;)
 
Re: Dark Sounding Tokai - Alnico II vs. Seth Lover and so on...

Squealer said:
Hey,

i'm from germany and own a Gibson Les Paul Studio which i really love! I experimented with a bunch of different pu's include Sh-1, Pearly Gates, Sh-5, Sh-6, Sh-4, Haeussels (boutique from germany), Rockinger (also germany).
I think for the Gibson the Duncan aph II is perfect b/c the guitar has very much highs and a lot of attack. The pu is warm and spongy and i think this fits good together.

But i haven't found the right pu's for the Tokai. It's a 2006 Modell i guess, with Mahagony body, Maple 2 piece top, rosewood fingerboard...standard i guess. But i think it's very dark and dull sounding. It's a perfect guitar, perfect quality and everthing...but it's veeeery difficult to find the real pickup.

Now i have a Pearly Gates in the bridge and it's OK. I think the PG sounds "unreal" in this guitar. There are enough highs which i wonder about b/c of the dark guitar. The highs sound unreal...there are not too many highs but unreal sounding highs. Maybe a bit harsh.
Before that i hd the aph II in the bridge and i thought there weren't enough highs and a bit too muddy sounding.
In the neck i have a german Haeussel again. Sound too clean and accurate.

So guys, what would you say about my problem? Any pickup suggestions?

I think a low output pickup is better for me. Everythin over 10k is maybe too much i guess. But i don't really know.
I like an open (vintage) sound with much highs, but not harsh. I don't need that much bass!

I was wondering what the difference between the Seth Lover and the Alnico II Pro is. Maybe Seth would be my choice? Or SH-1?

I hope someone will take time to help me and understands my german-english :)

Have a nice day!
Dennis
Click to expand...

Sell the guitar and buy a Les Paul. Problem solved..:joke:
 
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