effects of slanted pickup

[VanHalen2626]

Hey guys. hope everyone is doing well . i was just curious. im currently gathering parts for a guitar im building. I just ordered the 78' model from SD's custom shop and had f-spacing. I have a kramer baretta body from the early 80's (i think 83'?) with a slanted slot for the pick up. does ne 1 have ne idea what the affect would be on this pickup verses a straight?

 

[Christopher Caruana]

Re: effects of slanted pickup

I also have a kramer baretta, but its the 1985 reissue. Since your slot is slanted like mine, you dont need an f-spaced pickup because the slant is there to compensate for the extra space of the floyd and a normal spaced humbucker. I dont think there is any big effect on the sound with a straight v.s. slanted. Im pretty sure (someone correct me if im wrong) the slant is just so that the normal space pickup poll pieces will line up with the strings.

 

[VanHalen2626]

Re: effects of slanted pickup

yea thats what i had read b4 and i wasnt sure. cuz i already ordered it and its on the way. from a couple sources, the reasons for a slanted pickup vary. some say its for what u said. other say its for different sound and more high end. its already measured for the f-spacing but hopefully this won't cause to much of a problem. i contacted SD a couple of times. the first dude wasnt sure what the difference would be. the other guy said there would be more high end. but both said that the f-spacing wouldn't really make a difference regardless of the slant. i really hope it doesnt affect it haha.

 

[VanHalen2626]

Re: effects of slanted pickup

I also have a kramer baretta, but its the 1985 reissue. Since your slot is slanted like mine, you dont need an f-spaced pickup because the slant is there to compensate for the extra space of the floyd and a normal spaced humbucker. I dont think there is any big effect on the sound with a straight v.s. slanted. Im pretty sure (someone correct me if im wrong) the slant is just so that the normal space pickup poll pieces will line up with the strings.

btw, how does that reissue play compared to the old barettas? i hear its very nice

 

[Christopher Caruana]

Re: effects of slanted pickup

btw, how does that reissue play compared to the old barettas? i hear its very nice

ive never played a real vintage baretta, but my reissue plays like a dream! the neck is very thin, so it fits your hand just right (i have small hands). the only thing i dont like about it is that neck heal is shaped a little strange. It has shims at the end because gibson claims it "gives for a better angle for the floyd." so the floyd rose does not sit completely flush to the body, It hovers just over the surface so you can pull up on it just a little bit. But it is still bugs me when i don palm mutes, i cant push too hard or it will push the foyd down and the string go sharp. But over all it is a beautiful guitar. Best $1200 i ever spent!

 

[Christopher Caruana]

Re: effects of slanted pickup

but you should be fine with a slanted f-spaced pickup. It shouldnt make too much of i difference, and if it does then it wont be enough for you to hear anyways.

 

[VanHalen2626]

Re: effects of slanted pickup

haha wonderful man . now, the real thin neck. is that classified as slim taper? when the back is like...flat?

 

[Christopher Caruana]

Re: effects of slanted pickup

yes. gibson calls it a "K-speed slim taper" what ever that means.

 

[blueman335]

Re: effects of slanted pickup

Slanted which way? Hendrix's (upside down) slanted with the treble side away from the bridge, giving him more volume & mids, one reason Jimi never sounded tinny. Leo botched it when he had the bridge slant adding more treble & less volume to the high strings (and compounded the problem by not giving the bridge a tone control); looks nice & fits with the pickguard shape, but not a good idea tonally. A number of Strat players rarely if ever use their bridge SC because of that.

 

[Christopher Caruana]

Re: effects of slanted pickup

Slanted which way? Hendrix's (upside down) slanted with the treble side away from the bridge, giving him more volume & mids, one reason Jimi never sounded tinny. Leo botched it when he had the bridge slant adding more treble & less volume to the high strings (and compounded the problem by not giving the bridge a tone control); looks nice & fits with the pickguard shape, but not a good idea tonally. A number of Strat players rarely if ever use their bridge SC because of that.

kramer slants their humbuckers, EVH style. bass side away from the bridge.

 

[VanHalen2626]

Re: effects of slanted pickup

yes. gibson calls it a "K-speed slim taper" what ever that means.

sweeeeet. then i think i know what a slim C shape is. however that is called haha. i spent days looking up the word taper and trying to get links to relate it to the neck profile! of course, it kept taking me to potentiometer related sites or the actual guitars themselves haha.

 

[VanHalen2626]

Re: effects of slanted pickup

i have a picture of just the basic parts of it. i have all but the pickup so far but am going to take it all to be put together soon. i just gotta figure out how to put a picture up on this thing as my profile picture or w/e it is

 

[Christopher Caruana]

Re: effects of slanted pickup

sweeeeet. then i think i know what a slim C shape is. however that is called haha. i spent days looking up the word taper and trying to get links to relate it to the neck profile! of course, it kept taking me to potentiometer related sites or the actual guitars themselves haha.

go to "vinatgekramer.com" and go to their link on baretta history. It takes you through every baretta model made and gives details about them.

http://vintagekramer.com/baretta1.htm

 

[VanHalen2626]

Re: effects of slanted pickup

go to "vinatgekramer.com" and go to their link on baretta history. It takes you through every baretta model made and gives details about them.

http://vintagekramer.com/baretta1.htm

i have indeed . i had to do a lot of studying of the kramer guitars bc i was looking for the proper neck. for a time, i was looking for an original kramer neck and realized a lot of people had fakes on ebay or was trying to sell some cheap garbage. but i ended up just buying a banana neck from a random guy. its really a very nice neck and the size is so perfect. has a fast and smooth feel to it cuz its bare wood

 

[Shinobi]

Re: effects of slanted pickup

kramer slants their humbuckers, EVH style. bass side away from the bridge.

It was done that way because EVH liked the PAF sound but couldn't originally fit it in a Strat Body to align the poles over the strings...so he angled (slanted) it to fit properly...or at least that is what I read. Now EVH did use a Charvel...but at some point in time he went to the Kramer Factory in New Jersey and assembled the Kramer Banana Heads to be the Guitar he would endorse.

When Kramer got EVH's endorsement the Guitar was fashioned and supposed to be his 5150 Guitar...but the reality is that the Barettas are much different then what his 5150 Guitars would be (alder I think with maple non angle Hockey necks)..but the result of Kramer trying to make a Guitar that would suit a Guitar God.....resulted in a fantastic guitar that is now legendary...which is the vintage Kramer Baretta and why they did the RI.

We also know that EVH is and endorsement whore (lol) and only really supports himself and what he likes. The CC was supposed to be his Seymour Duncan pup...and he flaked on endorsing it as well. The end result after him going through Kramer, Ernie Ball, Peavey, and now his $25K Fender Frankensh!t. I have heard from many that it is a horrible guitar and that it just has his signature markings and a remake of the original...think about it he finally got people to pay $25K for a Guitar for him or to be like him.

The reality is the Warren DeMartini signature Charvels will probably be some of the nicest new Guitars available for shredders....or a Jackson V will aways do the trick too.

People know basically the following Guitars the best and you can almost tell the culture just by what guitars they released for Guitar Hero.

You have

Gibson LP & Explorer
Fender Strat
Kramer Barettas.

I love ESP and Charvel/Jackson too...but they didn't get a spot on one of the most popular games ever (or at least I haven't seen one).

You don't need an "F" spaced tremolo pup for a slant design...it was never intended to be that way. In fact even people with the standard pup alignment don't go with Trem Buckers.

 

[VanHalen2626]

Re: effects of slanted pickup

yea i found out about the slant thing reading. it sounded interesting about the poles n what not. but do u think there will be a drastic sound difference? it has f-spacing already but it will be angled also. would it be simply volume (which will hopefully be practically inaudible), or do u think it'll take off from the edgieness?

 

[uOpt]

Re: effects of slanted pickup

The sound difference is very small.

 

[Christopher Caruana]

Re: effects of slanted pickup

yea i found out about the slant thing reading. it sounded interesting about the poles n what not. but do u think there will be a drastic sound difference? it has f-spacing already but it will be angled also. would it be simply volume (which will hopefully be practically inaudible), or do u think it'll take off from the edgieness?

no, there shouldnt be any drastic change that you'll hear. The pole pieces may not line up 100% but you wont hear any real bad change to your over all sound. You'll be fine man

 

[super rad stuff]

Re: effects of slanted pickup

The sound difference is very small.

i wouldn't say it's minimal, but not too noticeable. since it's the bridge pickup, there's a big drop in energy and vibration in the strings the closer you actually get to the bridge. for example, pick right above the bridge pickup, and pick closer to the bridge on the high strings. it'll sound a little thinner, but not much. i think it'll be fine though, there are many shred style guitars with the bridge pickup slanted that way and they don't sound completely bad

 

[Shinobi]

Re: effects of slanted pickup

yea i found out about the slant thing reading. it sounded interesting about the poles n what not. but do u think there will be a drastic sound difference? it has f-spacing already but it will be angled also. would it be simply volume (which will hopefully be practically inaudible), or do u think it'll take off from the edgieness?

I have owned my Kramer Baretta purchased new in 1984 was a B-Day gift from my Grandfather after my Carvin was stolen.

I have had the following pups in it.

Schaller (Stock)
CC
DD
Schaller A8
C8.

Compared to other Guitars I have owned and played.

LP, SG, 59 Fender Strat, Carvin

The Kramer was not noticably louder until putting the A8 mags in.

I went over the T Bucker with my Luthier (ole school guy who was one of Randy Rhoads guitar techs back in da day). He told me that they are good pups for Floy'd guitars because they add back what some of the Floyd takes away...but with a slanted pup that it makes no difference because the poles don't line up in the first place.

Interesting apart from the LP I played (it was somebody elses and was like one of those $3K LP and a dream to play), my Kramer regardless of pup has always sounded the best.

So I woulnd't worry too much about the spacing on the pup...it was never designed with that in mind in the first place. What I find interesting about slant pups is that when you bend a string it moves it across one of the pole vs. away from it. I think this is more method to the madness...of course that madness could just be in my head.