Did SRV actually use...

[dr.barlo]

Re: Did SRV actually use...

Guys, don't forget the wood! The guy tried dozens of strats before getting that 63 (59) from a shop in Austin.

I'd say the pickups that get closest to his tone in my 3-c alder body thick rosewood neck strat (take a wild guess about the color of my pickguard :burnout: ) has been van zandt vintage + neck and middle and van zandt blues bridge. But the same pickups were clearly inferior (to get the SRV tone) in comparison with the duncan-surfers in my ash body maple neck strat.

Another small note: I think he played fender texas specials for a short time before his death. (I think Fender gave him some SRV strats that he used on stage to substitute #1 which he obviously did not want to fall apart.)

Fender tx sp's ain't bad pickups but I do not hear that uppermids spike present in them tx specials. I think fender's fat 50's are far better SRV-tone pickups. But that's just me.

B

 

[Breogan]

Re: Did SRV actually use...

According to Cesar Diaz, who worked as SRV's amp tech, Stevie used vintage Strat pickups with about 6K DC Resistance in his #1 Strat which was a '63 Strat alot like mine.

The three pickups in my old '63 Strat all measure about 6.2K out of the guitar.

The pickups in my '63 are black bobbin pickups.

The Antiquity Surfer neck pickup measures about 6.4K, BTW.

The SSL-1 neck pickup I just unpacked and measured was 6.6K.

According to Cesar Diaz, SRV prefered lower output vintage Strat pickups closer to 6K.

I can get excellant SRV, Hendrix, Buddy Guy, Mark Knopfler, etc. Strat tone with the SSL-1 or Surfers...even though they are slightly stronger than what SRV or Hendrix used.

SRV's huge tone came from huge strings, high action, strong hands and tons of talent and soul.

Lew

That 2K theory didn't sound so right...

 

[Dankerella]

Re: Did SRV actually use...

Worry about playing, not about gear......Ed

Impossible...at least the gear part.

My brother has an SRV strat that sounds pretty good. Made me feel like a baby Stevie for a second, which wasn't such a bad thing. Of course to get it to really look like his, I'd have to start smashing it against the wall, which wouldn't go over too well.

 

[Imp]

Re: Did SRV actually use...

Food for thought... I bet SRV could have played thru EVH rig and still
sounded like SRV?? On the other side of the coin I would bet EVH could
play thru SRV's rig and still sound like EVH ? Those guy's got it in there
Hands IMHO. One night at a open jam I was listing to a guy play, And
I was telling my buddy THAT's The SOUND I WANT !! The Odd thing was
he was playing my Guitar into My Amp !! Go figure? :laugh2:

:laugh2: maybe you need to record yourself playing and have a listen - i know i can't remember which notes i hit in a jam afterwards, you might pleasantly surprise yourself with your own sound! :burnout:

tom

 

[Guitar Toad]

Re: Did SRV actually use...

So, SRV never never ever ever used Seymour Duncan pickups? Surely he played 'em or tried em.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Did SRV actually use...

So, SRV never never ever ever used Seymour Duncan pickups? Surely he played 'em or tried em.

I never heard that SRV used anything except Fender pickups and for a while he played Tokai Strat copies, and from what I have heard they were stock except for a re-fret.

 

[Guitar Toad]

Re: Did SRV actually use...

Did Seymour ever meet SRV?

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Did SRV actually use...

Did Seymour ever meet SRV?

I don't know...I seem to recall a pic or 2 of the two of them together but Im not 100% sure...

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Did SRV actually use...

The SRV/Mayer/KWS strat tone is my favorite. When you start hearing certain strat pickups, you realize that just subtle differences in construction can make it sound like the 50's, early 60's, late 60's, etc. I recently went on a pickup quest to see how close I could get to that tone with my alder sunburst/rosewood strat, and stumbled on my favorite 3 sets. First, I used the Fender Fat 50's for years, and thought that was it. The neck has a great character! Then, I tried the Surfer set, which just about nails the SRV sound, and I still think it's in the top 3 of the best strat pickups ever made. Normally, I hate to break away from Duncans, since I love almost all of them but.....I finally found the strat set that nails the SRV tone to a friggin T. Chubtone 63's. They're custom wound by a new boutique pickup maker, Mike Gray. The neck pickup is to die for, and the set sounds great. However, I decided to get even more anal, and sent him back the bridge to be rewound hotter, yet still sound vintage. He took it as a personal challenge, and went so far as to send me TWO new strat bridge prototypes. They should be here tomorrow, and I'll get to see which one sounds better, the 43 gauge wire and the 42.5 gauge wire, wound till he can't fit any more wraps. The guy really knows what he's doing, and this strat is gonna sound like SRV's dream. I do know one thing, SRV would NEVER have put Texas Specials in his guitar. He was probably pounding on the coffin lid, when Fender did it! hahahaha

 

[xnfx]

Re: Did SRV actually use...

When people say he used high action, how high are we talking?

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Did SRV actually use...

The Antiquity Surfers are wound in a pretty wide range. I have one that is 6.1K (rare...I've only found one!) on up to 6.46K. IMO, those in the lower range sound more like SRV and have the clearer tone. The 6.26K Surfer in the neck position of my Tele Custom is my favorite Surfer pickup I own, but I haven't installed the 6.1K Surfer in anything yet.

But if a guy isn't detuning to E flat and isn't using huge strings like SRV (and finally: isn't SRV!) you're not really going to nail that tone regardless of what pickup or amp or wood or guitar you choose.

Still: I think alnico 5 Strat pickups closer to a 6K DC Resistance than 6.5K and higher resistance get closest to the SRV tone and vibe. Most guys don't want a Strat pickup like that though...even if they're after a SRV tone, they like the fatter tone of 6.4K or higher.

When all is said and done it's the player...not the pickup.

Lew

 

[Skarekrough]

Re: Did SRV actually use...

Another small note: I think he played fender texas specials for a short time before his death. (I think Fender gave him some SRV strats that he used on stage to substitute #1 which he obviously did not want to fall apart.)

Fender tx sp's ain't bad pickups but I do not hear that uppermids spike present in them tx specials. I think fender's fat 50's are far better SRV-tone pickups. But that's just me.
B

Taken from stevieray.com:

Work on the SRV Strat began in the late 1980's with a plan to release a standard SRV Strat in 1989 plus a limited edition of 500 Custom Shop Artist SRV guitars. Something (perhaps Stevie's recording and touring schedule) delayed the release, and Stevie was presented with three prototypes of the guitar in June 1990, backstage before his Tonight Show performance. Stevie wanted the guitar to have his "SRV" stickers on the pickguard, but guitar tech Rene Martinez was out of them at the moment. They had the Tonight Show art staff apply white Letraset stickers to the pickguard, which Rene ultimately switched onto Number One.

As you know, Stevie died about 10 weeks later, and the SRV Strat was shelved until 1991. Jimmie allegedly nixed the idea of the limited edition guitars and focused instead on the goal of making the SRV guitar affordable to any kid (or big kid) who wants one. This jives with the fact that the Tex-Mex Strat that Jimmie endorses is one of the more affordable Strats.

I don't think the Texas Specials came out until the SRV Strat was reelased to the public. If he ever played them then they might hvae been in the prototype of the SRV Strat. Certainly they weren't ever put into #1.

 

[Jeffrec]

Re: Did SRV actually use...

So, SRV never never ever ever used Seymour Duncan pickups? Surely he played 'em or tried em.

Everything I've ever read (quotes from Jimmy Vaughn and Chris Duarte) is that Stevie never tried the Texas Specials. Chris Duarte tried them and said SRV wouldn't have liked them.

Bottom line is that SRV sounds like SRV, no matter what he plays. His sound was hot not necessarily due to the pups, but his hands and the extensive rig he used.

 

[Guitar Toad]

Re: Did SRV actually use...

Everything I've ever read (quotes from Jimmy Vaughn and Chris Duarte) is that Stevie never tried the Texas Specials. Chris Duarte tried them and said SRV wouldn't have liked them.

Bottom line is that SRV sounds like SRV, no matter what he plays. His sound was hot not necessarily due to the pups, but his hands and the extensive rig he used.

The moral to the story is...

A. Keep changing pups, guitars and equipment until you find the combination that suits your fancy.

B. Don't worry so much about the hardware. Just play your guts out.

C. Both A&B

D. 20% A and 80% B

 

[Jeffrec]

Re: Did SRV actually use...

The moral to the story is...

A. Keep changing pups, guitars and equipment until you find the combination that suits your fancy.

B. Don't worry so much about the hardware. Just play your guts out.

C. Both A&B

D. 20% A and 80% B

I would go with B, with C as an alternate :laugh2:


Nice thread btw.

 

[Guitar Toad]

Re: Did SRV actually use...

I would go with B, with C as an alternate :laugh2:


Nice thread btw.

Yes, it is. You guys filled in the details and answers to questions with great info and motivation to play hard. :=)!

 

[Guitar Toad]

Re: Did SRV actually use...

For what it's worth, I tuned down a half step today on the JV strat. What a difference that made! It sounds like a completely different guitar. More bass-y, less twang yet strat brightness was retained. I did bring out more of an SRV-like flavor even with 9's. But, I sure don't play like the master from Texas.

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Did SRV actually use...

Taken from stevieray.com:



I don't think the Texas Specials came out until the SRV Strat was reelased to the public. If he ever played them then they might hvae been in the prototype of the SRV Strat. Certainly they weren't ever put into #1.

Love your avatar!

Anyway, right that's what I am saying. For sure tx sps were never used on #1, but technically SRV did play with tx sp's (on them prototypes) for not more than 2 months before he died.

B

 

[Skarekrough]

Re: Did SRV actually use...

Love your avatar!

Anyway, right that's what I am saying. For sure tx sps were never used on #1, but technically SRV did play with tx sp's (on them prototypes) for not more than 2 months before he died.

B

It is possible that Texas Specials, or some prototype that became Texas Specials were on there. I don't have a "release date" for the Texas Specials either as an aftermarket product or as a feature on a newly introduced instrument.

Considering that point in time I would be more inclined to believe that fender just went and put American Standard pickups in there. At that point in time they were really only offering two different flavors of pickups; Lace Sensors and American Standards.

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Did SRV actually use...

It is possible that Texas Specials, or some prototype that became Texas Specials were on there. I don't have a "release date" for the Texas Specials either as an aftermarket product or as a feature on a newly introduced instrument.

Considering that point in time I would be more inclined to believe that fender just went and put American Standard pickups in there. At that point in time they were really only offering two different flavors of pickups; Lace Sensors and American Standards.

I think your presumption is not accurate. Here check this out:

http://www.awpi.com/SRV/AOL/950906.html

More specifically somebody asks Rene Martinez:

Question: Did SRV use "Texas Specials" pickups?

ReneM1234: Yes, BUT only for a very very short time.

Peace.

B