First post: Advice regarding SL and PG pickups

[BRHGM]

Re: First post: Advice regarding SL and PG pickups

My guess would be the pots and the cap. Seths aren't muddy and many people complain about he mid spike. They will not sound like a 59 or a Jazz. PGs are a little warm and have attitude. They don't get that clean rolled back sound like a JB. The pg/seth set is a good match for a vintage sound. It just isn't your sound. Why not a JB/Jazz or Custom/Jazz set for something different, but similar.

 

[Aceman]

Re: First post: Advice regarding SL and PG pickups

Holy sweet jee bus! That thing is solid?!?!?!?!?! Someone mailed something to the wrong place!!!!

But I never said what wood it would be, and I do not discount this possibility. Rare yes, but as likely as looking inside and finding formica table top.

I like the Custom suggestions honestly...

 

[Daka3]

Re: First post: Advice regarding SL and PG pickups

Holy sweet jee bus! That thing is solid?!?!?!?!?! Someone mailed something to the wrong place!!!!

But I never said what wood it would be, and I do not discount this possibility. Rare yes, but as likely as looking inside and finding formica table top.

I like the Custom suggestions honestly...

Yep, had me really surprised when I took off that pickguard. Just Home from a reheasal, heck, the SL/PG just Might grow on me yet. Great tones, just different from what I'm used to. I'll give 'em some more time.

 

[Daka3]

Re: First post: Advice regarding SL and PG pickups

Well I broke down and ordered a JB and a '59 today. Something spongy and undefined about those A2's just won't gel with me. OK, so now it's official: I'm an A5 dude! Thank you for all your help and suggestions, I'll soon be having a PG bridge and SL neck for sale for EU members, both nickel covered versions.

 

[Bludave]

Re: First post: Advice regarding SL and PG pickups

First I would check and replace the pots. A lot if Epi's come with 300k pots and that can make the guitar sound muddy

 

[Daka3]

Re: First post: Advice regarding SL and PG pickups

The pots are CTS units that have been measured to at least 500K, but thank you. I think I did the right thing here!

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: First post: Advice regarding SL and PG pickups

I'm a Johnny-come-lately on this thread, but if they sound great dimed but get muddy when the volume is rolled off, I was going to suggest 50's wiring. I also hate how the tone gets muddy when the vol is turned down and once I discovered 50's wiring, I do that to all my guitars now and am very happy.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: First post: Advice regarding SL and PG pickups

PS: you never stated what the values of your PIO caps are. That has a dramatic affect on tone. Might want to consider going to a smaller value cap.

 

[Daka3]

Re: First post: Advice regarding SL and PG pickups

.22 they are. 50's wiring didn't brighten them sufficiently for me, already tried that when installing them, but Thank you!

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: First post: Advice regarding SL and PG pickups

Your caps are .22??!! No wonder they sound muddy. You must mean .022.

 

[Daka3]

Re: First post: Advice regarding SL and PG pickups

Sure! My bad. They are .022

 

[Juanhanglo]

Re: First post: Advice regarding SL and PG pickups

If they only get muddy as you turn the volume down, perhaps a treble bleed isin order? Heck, it's like what, a bucks worth of parts?

 

[SJ318]

Re: First post: Advice regarding SL and PG pickups

Wait!!!
If it is not too late, I had that same problem. MJ said try an A5 in th Seth Lover and now I have 5 Seth Lover bridge pick ups in all my guitars. I even had MJ make a custom SL reverse zebra w/A5 mag. It went, I measured from a 7.6 to a 8.3 and the S.Lover screams, and nearly bites my head off in a good way.
Swapping mags is easy and yes to the 500K pots!!!
Sincerely,
Steve Buffington- I'll probably take som flak for that I don't care. Jazz SH 2 is great for clean high end neck, just sayin'

 

[Daka3]

Re: First post: Advice regarding SL and PG pickups

Too late, the JB/59 set is already on it's way! But for me, it's not only the difference in sound - I stand by what I've said earlier in this thread, the PG/SL set sounds great in some scenarios - but for me, it's the lack, or perceived lack, of response and dynamics. Too much and too soft compression in higher gain settings, not enough firmness in the bottom, not enough glass-like clarity in the top. I need the response I'm used to, and that's the JB/59 set - even though I dig the SL, especially for softer blues. The PG, while it sounds great for rock soloing, becomes too brittle in the long run for bridge position rhythm work to my ears. I look forward to get my 'oomph' and mids back with the JB, just as I look forward to the flexibility and clarity of the '59.

I guess vintage A2 PAF-style scenes just aren't that much of a thing for me after all.

 

[Aceman]

Re: First post: Advice regarding SL and PG pickups

I guess vintage A2 PAF-style scenes just aren't that much of a thing for me after all.

But now you know what they sound like through your particular gear, and you may recognize when someone is in a situation that does call for it!

That right there is some hard won personal knowledge - not able to be gained by just blindly following intarweb advice. For all the benefits there is to getting input from place like this - at some point - the guys who know thgis stuff well have played all this stuff to learn what they like, what they don't, and what each thing sounds like.

:clap:

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: First post: Advice regarding SL and PG pickups

That's right! There is no substitude for first hand knowledge from your own personal trial and error. The advice from others is a good place to start and is sometimes very necessary, but in the end you need to find out for yourself...tone is too subjective to be totally dependent on others' recommendations.

 

[Farkus]

Re: First post: Advice regarding SL and PG pickups

I would like to add that I wouldn't rule out not liking a magnet type because of a wind or two. It's all about the combo of the guitar itself, amp, playing style. For example, I wasn't very happy with the A5 PG (aka PG+) but generally like the a2 version. But, for the most part, I gravitate to a5 pickups. So, in other words, the magnet isn't the whole story.

 

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: First post: Advice regarding SL and PG pickups

Yeah I was gonna say, it sounds more like a problem with the pots than the actual pickups. The seth and pg not known for muddiness at ALL and with proper pots and electronics they shouldn't be, which leads me to believe there is something rotten in the state of Denmark. They're usually very flexible. Let us know what happens with the JB and the 59 after you have them in there, hopefully it will solve the problem.

 

[SJ318]

Re: First post: Advice regarding SL and PG pickups

Hi DAKA3,
That is what I was addressing. The A5 added all that hi end sparkle and tight low end w/out muddiness. And again, I would go with 500k pots in the volume and tone. I know I just repeated myself, but I don't think I got trough the first time. So I'm out, won't bug you again, I just need to put in my 3 cents, as I already put in my 2 cents. Welcome to forum-these guys are all geniuses.
Steve B.

 

[Daka3]

Re: First post: Advice regarding SL and PG pickups

Just to wrap this one up. I'm very thankful for all of you who took your time to help me out on this one. Simple truth is this: After installing my tried-and-true combo of 59n and JB, I now have my tone back, completely. Loads of punch, tightness and clarity all the way across the volume controls. Dirt adjustable from the volume controls, but without any sort of woolyness or top loss. This combo just works for my style, with my rig and for the way I control my sound on stage.

The A2 units - the SLn and PG - sounded great. It's important for me to stress this. Perhaps more organic and complex sounding than the A5 59n and JB, but to spongy and unresponsive for my needs, especially and most importantly when running on rolled-back volume controls. Beautiful pick-ups for the vintage PAF-sound aficionados, though.

I've learned some valuable lessons in this proces. The most important is probably this: Pick-ups are as much about feel and response as they are about sound. Thank you again.