Do you prefer balanced pickup volumes or not?

[zionstrat]

Re: Do you prefer balanced pickup volumes or not?

Mostly old or older style rock, blues, some country, and some hair metal, just for kicks.

The guitars that are currently getting played out are a bone stock (for now) Epi Nighthawk Custom RI, a MIJ 69 Thinline Tele with a Zhangbucker set (7k uncovered tele neck, 10k tele bridge), an Epi Sheraton (TV Jones TV'Tron and Classic Plus), an Epi Alleykat (SM-1n/Screamin Demon), and an old 70's strat body with a 90's Am Std neck loaded with an EMG DG-20 pickguard. I also occasionally pull out an '81 Hamer Special loaded with an Antiguity in the neck and a S Deco V in the bridge, but that guitar is getting old and I get antsy about people touching it.

My amps are a Rivera R100 Duo Twelve or a 67 Bassman head through a Marshall JCM 2x12 cab loaded with a 12L/V30 combo or a GT-8 modeling rig through a Crate Powerblock power amp. For practice, I'll run the GT8 through a SWR Strawberry Blonde or I'll replace the Bassman head with a 2w Vox Mini Night Train through the Marshall cab.

Thanks Benji! Rivera and a Nighthawk... Very cool. Im a tube and modeling guy and my big rig includes the Gt10 so we've got some common ground.

Thanks again for details.

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[Benjy_26]

Re: Do you prefer balanced pickup volumes or not?

Thanks Benji! Rivera and a Nighthawk... Very cool. Im a tube and modeling guy and my big rig includes the Gt10 so we've got some common ground.

Thanks again for details.

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No prob, man! I had always liked the looks of the hawk guitars, and when I found one on the cheap with a set neck, I had to jump on it. I currently have a SM1n and a Sentell middle pickup ready to go into it. I just need to decide on what I want for the bridge. I'm leaning towards the JB, for the better split tones, but I'm also considering getting a Shop Floor Custom Screamin Demon wound up on the slanted baseplate.

The GT series are GREAT if you need to cover a lot of musical territory. I haven't tried the -10 yet, but my -8 is convincing enough that my bandmates have a hard time telling what rig I'm playing when doing a blind test.

 

[zionstrat]

Re: Do you prefer balanced pickup volumes or not?

No prob, man! I had always liked the looks of the hawk guitars, and when I found one on the cheap with a set neck, I had to jump on it. I currently have a SM1n and a Sentell middle pickup ready to go into it. I just need to decide on what I want for the bridge. I'm leaning towards the JB, for the better split tones, but I'm also considering getting a Shop Floor Custom Screamin Demon wound up on the slanted baseplate.

The GT series are GREAT if you need to cover a lot of musical territory. I haven't tried the -10 yet, but my -8 is convincing enough that my bandmates have a hard time telling what rig I'm playing when doing a blind test.

Love JB splits. Have been planning a custom JB hybrid to keep the great 2 need position, but get a more classic bucker tone.

Last thing I needs another guitar, but your new slant pup might inspire a night hawk hunt.

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[Benjy_26]

Re: Do you prefer balanced pickup volumes or not?

Love JB splits. Have been planning a custom JB hybrid to keep the great 2 need position, but get a more classic bucker tone.

Last thing I needs another guitar, but your new slant pup might inspire a night hawk hunt.

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Man...I didn't need the 'hawk either, but I'm glad I got it. Even with the stock pickups, it sounds really, really good. The body is small and light, and the Gibson width neck and profile combined with the Fender scale give me lots of room for my mitts. Surprisingly, the notch positions are very, very strat like and I can coax some sounds that can pass for a tele with a bit of slap back delay and some tank reverb. There's really nothing wrong with it in stock form, but I'm sure new pickups will make this thing even better.

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: Do you prefer balanced pickup volumes or not?

Definitely like my p'ups to be similar to one another in volume so that I only get a change in tone by switching instead of a drop (or raise) in volume as well. If I need more for a lead boost, well, that's what pedals are for!

 

[Aceman]

Re: Do you prefer balanced pickup volumes or not?

I like Hot bridges and classic necks - so they kind of balance out anyway....

 

[BlueFrankie]

Re: Do you prefer balanced pickup volumes or not?

I've experimented a lot with this. I used to really like a boosted volume at the bridge. Since I got into pedals this is not essential anymore. What I prefer now is more gain from the bridge, but not necessarily more volume. I achieve this with a slightly overwound bridge and a classic wound neck and adjust for volume with pickup height. On a similar topic I am anal about string to string balance and have found that the unwound G needs to be set lower than any other pole.

 

[IMENATOR]

Re: Do you prefer balanced pickup volumes or not?

When using a single channel amp I crank the gain and use volume to go from clean to dirty, two volumes makes your life easier this way.

 

[Yngtchie Blacksteen]

Re: Do you prefer balanced pickup volumes or not?

Oh, it must be balanced. I tend to solo quite a bit, and I like to switch between the neck and bridge in particular for different tones. A bit like Yngwie, I guess you could say. That's why HSS guitars always felt weird to me, even though I can totally see the appeal of having that kind of tonal versatility.

I'd probably change my mind if I was a gigging musician, but I'm not.

 

[zionstrat]

Re: Do you prefer balanced pickup volumes or not?

I've experimented a lot with this. I used to really like a boosted volume at the bridge. Since I got into pedals this is not essential anymore. What I prefer now is more gain from the bridge, but not necessarily more volume. I achieve this with a slightly overwound bridge and a classic wound neck and adjust for volume with pickup height. On a similar topic I am anal about string to string balance and have found that the unwound G needs to be set lower than any other pole.

Blue, I also go with slightly overwound Bridges... To add body not vol.
And string to string is a definite requirement for me.


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[zionstrat]

Re: Do you prefer balanced pickup volumes or not?

When using a single channel amp I crank the gain and use volume to go from clean to dirty, two volumes makes your life easier this way.

I ride gain on some guitars...it's fun to clean up a crunched tone. But that mainly works on my treble bleeds guitars... Others get dark when vol goes down.

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[smitty302]

Re: Do you prefer balanced pickup volumes or not?

I use only duel humbucker guitar's and I prefer the bridge to be slightly louder. I use my neck for everything except soloing and I like it to have an extra boost. Especially when I'm tapping.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Do you prefer balanced pickup volumes or not?

I like balanced. I want throwing the switch to change the tone, not the volume.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Do you prefer balanced pickup volumes or not?

I want my pickups balanced output-wise, so both are useable for solos. For rhythm I sometimes lower the neck volume, and leave the bridge at '10', so I can flip the toggle and go from chords to solos instantly on stage.

 

[zionstrat]

Re: Do you prefer balanced pickup volumes or not?

Well this has been an interesting thread! This sample of SDUG clearly favors balanced, and if there is a louder pup, it seems that bridges are favored.

Guessing I see a lot more unbalanced mods, because those are the players that need my help.

So thanks again for useful feedback!

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[Boogie Bill]

Re: Do you prefer balanced pickup volumes or not?

I'm in the balanced camp as well. I play classic rock, blues, country, jazz, pop...but no real metal. (I'm old! )

I do not like HSS strats, preferring a more homogenous tone. (I don't believe in the concept of one guitar that can do it all. Been playing 50+ years; if it exists, I've never seen one.)

My G&L Legacys, et.al., (strat bodies) are set with the bridge pickup highest, with the middle and neck set incrementally lower to match the volume of the bridge. The G&Ls have Leo Fender's PTB tone controls, so I have control over treble and bass on all pickups. It's a very handy system.

I have 2HB guitars...Les Pauls and 335s from Gibson, and Ibanez Artstar AS-120TR, with VVTT controls. My Ibanez GR-520 Ghostriders and my G&L ASAT are master volume/master tone setups. Again, I try to set the pickups for equal volume with the volume pots on 10. Many players feel that the magic tones in these guitars with VVTT are found in the middle switch position by carefully adjusting and blending the volumes and tone controls.

The ASAT has a coil split activating both the '59N and the TB-4 pickups. I'll often play rhythm parts in single coil mode and then get a lead boost simply by switching to HB mode.

I would note that I also use a clean boost pedal; mostly I leave it always on to boost my single coil tones. Lately I'm leaving if off for the 2HB guitars, but it's there if I need it. The Mesa Mark V Series amps I'm using also have a SOLO BOOST control. It's a neat feature, boosting the VOLUME but leaving my gain structure intact.

I don't think there is a "best" way. Everybody does it differently. You have to find what works for you.

(Actually...my way IS best! LOL!)

Bill

 

[zionstrat]

Re: Do you prefer balanced pickup volumes or not?

Thanks, great summary and I love PTBs.

I'm in the balanced camp as well. I play classic rock, blues, country, jazz, pop...but no real metal. (I'm old! )

I do not like HSS strats, preferring a more homogenous tone. (I don't believe in the concept of one guitar that can do it all. Been playing 50+ years; if it exists, I've never seen one.)

My G&L Legacys, et.al., (strat bodies) are set with the bridge pickup highest, with the middle and neck set incrementally lower to match the volume of the bridge. The G&Ls have Leo Fender's PTB tone controls, so I have control over treble and bass on all pickups. It's a very handy system.

I have 2HB guitars...Les Pauls and 335s from Gibson, and Ibanez Artstar AS-120TR, with VVTT controls. My Ibanez GR-520 Ghostriders and my G&L ASAT are master volume/master tone setups. Again, I try to set the pickups for equal volume with the volume pots on 10. Many players feel that the magic tones in these guitars with VVTT are found in the middle switch position by carefully adjusting and blending the volumes and tone controls.

The ASAT has a coil split activating both the '59N and the TB-4 pickups. I'll often play rhythm parts in single coil mode and then get a lead boost simply by switching to HB mode.

I would note that I also use a clean boost pedal; mostly I leave it always on to boost my single coil tones. Lately I'm leaving if off for the 2HB guitars, but it's there if I need it. The Mesa Mark V Series amps I'm using also have a SOLO BOOST control. It's a neat feature, boosting the VOLUME but leaving my gain structure intact.

I don't think there is a "best" way. Everybody does it differently. You have to find what works for you.

(Actually...my way IS best! LOL!)

Bill

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