Experience with Minis?

[ThingFish]

Hello-

Anyone have direct experience with changing recent stock A2 Gibson minis for Antiquities or something else?

I have a LP Deluxe, and I really do like the bright but not brittle "hi-fi" tone of the minis, but relative to my LP with Burst Buckers, and my Casino which measures 8.8 and 7.6k, the Deluxe volume is noticeably lower.

The Deluxe minis measure like 6.3 and 5.5 which although balanced to each other, seems really underwound.

Also the taper to the roll off is strange relative to my other guitars (including a G&L "Strat", so the Deluxe is really the odd man out across many guitars). It just kind of falls off a cliff much lower than 6 on the knob.

I can't just plug in to my Twin and pedals and get the same relative breakup/vol/roll off without fiddling.

I don't want to lose the ability to play clean round melodic tones (think late Beatles) and whatever crunch I need a pedal can give me.

... so I'm definitely not looking for a mini that sounds like an X2N.

It seems to me an A2 bridge wound to about 8.5 and an A5 wound to 7.5 might fit the bill, but before I go on a mission, I thought I'd ask if anyone has been down this road.

Thanks!

 

[AlexR]

Vintage minis are just like that. They are clear and bright, that is their strength
There are hot minis, but if you're after the clarity the vintage minis give then you'll lose that a bit.
I mean it's pretty simple to add a boost if you need all of your guitars to be identical.
As to the roll-off, that is the pot taper. Don't like it, get a new pot.

 

[Mincer]

Welcome to the forum!

As far as pickups go, that's the way every mini I've ever heard sounds. The Antiquity II Minis are a bit more even, and might be exactly what you need. They are sort of expensive, so you might also contact the Custom Shop, let them know your concerns and have them build you something really special.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

I have the Ibanez Fireman with the DiMarzio PG-13 minis. They’re the only mini humbuckers I’ve ever tried, but I’m a really big fan. They’re extremely versatile and sound great for anything from clean to metal.

 

[Artie]

I don't have a lot of experience with mini's, but I do think they are the perfect Tele neck pup. I have the SM-3. Clean, with character.

 

[GuitarStv]

In the neck position a vintage wound firebird pickup sounds nicer than a mini-humbucker to me.

 

[GuitarDoc]

In the neck position a vintage wound firebird pickup sounds nicer than a mini-humbucker to me.

Isn't the Firebird pup a mini?

 

[GuitarStv]

Isn't the Firebird pup a mini?

Same size, but they are constructed and sound very differently. The firebird pickup sounds more like a beefy single coil, whereas the minihumbucker sounds more like a brighter full sized bucker.

 

[Benjy_26]

Isn't the Firebird pup a mini?

It's a type of mini. The Epiphone minis (what Gibson used in the LP Deluxe) are built like a PAF. Firebird minis use var magnets as the poles and have the wire wrapped around them, sort of like the Iommi 'bucker from the custom shop, but in a smaller package.

FWIW, I like em both, but tend to lean towards the Firebirds. They're cleaner and snappier, though both types are quieter than other pickups. If you want more output, Rio Grande makes beefed up versions of the Epi minis. I don't know how much of the original character is lost to gain the output, though. Personally, I'd get a clean boost pedal and use that to match levels when needed.

 

[jeremy]

firebird pups and lp deluxe minis are two very different beasts, though i really like em both. the antiquity II versions are fantastic, the fb pup is more aggressive while the mini is more balanced

 

[ThingFish]

Thanks Guys-

I'm going to spend some time with an MXR Timmy set to put the Deluxe in a sweeter spot relative to my other guitars and see what happens.

There are a lot of tones in this Deluxe, I see why Pete T recorded with them ( also on SJ 200 and Fender XII, etc)

What I was looking for was some overwhelming consensus on:

You have The Deluxe Issue, guys prefer mod(?).

I'm fine with "they are more subtle, turn up the Twin".

Even though DCR isn't everything, with stock 2021 Gibson minis, 5.5k on Neck seems low. Most vintage Epi minis are 7ish bridge, 6.xx neck from what I can put together.

I bought some magnets, bases and coils to try, but it looks like there's inherent trade offs and hard limits.

I kind of expect to arrive back at stock.

Regards