Forum design vote #6 (Choose wisely)

[DarkMatter]

Re: Forum design vote #6 (Choose wisely)

Having feedback from the Custom Shop is a great idea at this point. I'll prepare an email tomorrow. What questions do you all have? I was going to ask about general feasibility and potential price differences. What else?

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: Forum design vote #6 (Choose wisely)

Well, I think this goes without saying but in case it falls off through the cracks, any caveats, warnings and limitations we should expect. Flexibility with each design as in ability for them to actually shape the tone as intended with as little "interference" as possible. We do want the design with the best chances of hitting the intended mark after all.

Also, right now it isn't "almost" a tie, it IS a tie, one vote over or bellow doesn't make a lick of difference. I was also thinking if, like the previous Vitange Hot/Moderate Modern, we'd be able to somehow combine the two but I just can't find it. A lot want the hybrid for the neck and it would never make a good set with a zebro bridge, the other way around (to which I'd be more accepting myself) would alienate just as many people.

Asking how dead-set we are on either choice would be beneficial by making a 2nd poll with multiple choices, put them both there and ask which ones (as in, either or both) would we be willing to get, that would gauge interest that translates to actual "sales". A lot of people might prefer one design without being against the other.
I do think however that it'd be a good idea to delay that until after we've had feedback from the CS.

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: Forum design vote #6 (Choose wisely)

Definitely ask the Custom Shop for pros and cons for the design. One vote should not decide one over the other - and I voted for the Zebro.

One thing I would've done though with this poll is make the voting transparent - so we know who voted for what. That will make sure no votes come from multi-accounts made just to inflate votes. I would like to think this forum is better than that, but what has happened before in one of the Ultimate Axe competition was people begging for votes through PMs, and multi accounts to try and engineer an outcome. Maybe a response from the custom shop, some info, and then a re-vote through a transparent poll?

 

[DreX]

Re: Forum design vote #6 (Choose wisely)

I'd like to see who votes for what so that we can see if they actually bought the pickup they had voted for a month or two down the road.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Forum design vote #6 (Choose wisely)

The way I think about the whole thing, this is not about making something different; it's about making something good. Tone is the aim here.

But even accepting the "more different" reasoning for voting one way or the other, the hybrid is actually the "more different" option IMO. It would be far different than any neck humbucker Duncan makes or has ever made, both tonally and techincally (having heavily mismatched coils, and in the neck position). We know what hybrids are like; the tone is somewhat predictable, and extremely desirable IMO. I think a lot of people would love this pickup, and it would add a significantly different flavor to a lot of axes out there.

The Zebro, on the other hand is only different in that it will use trimmed-down bobbins instead of full-length bobbins. We have no actual knowledge of what advantage this could possibly offer. It's nothing but a possibly meaningless technical spec for the Custom Shop to be held to. It seems like it's trying to be different just for the sake of being different, not for any specific tonal reason...and even then, it's not really that different anyhow. It's just an adjustable version of a Mustang bass pickup. How different could that really sound than other options out there? And if it does sound that different, will it really be in a good way? I certainly am no fan of hum-canceling singles, and I know I am not the only one. How many people would actually want one of these things for any reason other than just screwing around? I.e. who will buy it because they think it will actually give them something tonally that they can't get now?

The hybrid would also sell better to the general public IMO, and would make the '59/C into a factory set. It has far better chance to make it as a potential addition to the standard catalog (which would be a first for a forum-designed pickup). I would take far more pride in having something that we designed actually accepted into the standard Duncan catalog than I would be to have designed some one-run-and-done pickup that ends up in only a dozen guitars throughout history.

Also, the hybrid option includes a possibly awesome bridge pickup that is different than the current '59/C: a slightly thinned-out, scrappier '59/C Hybrid. Yummy.

The hybrid also retains the stock "sleeper" look. That matters to me, and maybe to others too. I'd probably never use something that looked like the Zebro in any of my current guitars.

Not only does the hybrid fill a much larger hole in SD's catalog in terms of TONE (which is what it's all about), but it would benefit them more in the business sense, as they could probably sell loads of the things to "regular" (i.e. non-Forum) customers. I.e., we could give something back to the company for dealing with our idiotic asses at all.

Well said.

 

[DreX]

Re: Forum design vote #6 (Choose wisely)

Having feedback from the Custom Shop is a great idea at this point. I'll prepare an email tomorrow. What questions do you all have? I was going to ask about general feasibility and potential price differences. What else?

I'd be curious to know how much different this will sound compared to the StrBro 90, since to a large extent the Zebro seems to be a StraBro 90 sawn in half and offset with itself. The thing about the StraBro 90 is that it has a much lower resonant peak than an actual P-90, it's a seriously dark pickup. If they say it will be largely the same with respect to tone, or wind count and what not, I'll have less faith in the design. I'd probably buy a couple anyway and try parallel wiring, but I prefer variable splitting since you can get a good "in between" sound, and that's not possible with series vs parallel wiring.

 

[SJ318]

Re: Forum design vote #6 (Choose wisely)

I must say this. About the Zebro-
People say "turn the offset pickup around if you don't like the tone. That is impossible. The 3 high on the bass side and 3 low on the high strings would be the same if you turned it around. No amount of turning or "flipping" that 3 up/3 down will ever change it to 3 down on the low strings and 3 up on the high strings.
People keep saying that. It is not a Rubic's Cube. Keep that in mind when you vote. I am not pushing anyone one way or the other, just saying, the picture shown of the offset 3/3 will always look that way if think it will change by flipping. It won't.
Thank you.
SJB

 

[Gibson 1964]

Re: Forum design vote #6 (Choose wisely)

I thought that was in reference to 3 screws and 3 slugs... Which I personally would not think would look great. (like the strabro90) I think the point was you could adjust some tonality that way. Personally I am hoping cosmetically it would look like a Fralin p-92

 

[DarkMatter]

Re: Forum design vote #6 (Choose wisely)

I've sent communication to the Custom Shop.

The open vote was something I had thought about for later when I would ask who will buy this. I don't think voter fraud is an issue here as it's still so close, but we can redo this vote and make it public after we get some more information... just in case.

 

[Maggot]

Re: Forum design vote #6 (Choose wisely)

I'd say the Zebro because, a nice P-90-sounding humbucker is something I could really use. I don't care about neck buckers all that much. Going GFS for the neck on my next setup because I barely use it.

That said, a slightly lower output, rangier, still mismatched Custom/Hybrid would appeal to me. Maybe in A2, A3, or A4. It could help fill in the mid-output lineup.

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: Forum design vote #6 (Choose wisely)

The way I think about the whole thing, this is not about making something different; it's about making something good. Tone is the aim here.

I would REALLY like to be with you on this man but I can't, just can't and the reason is that no-one that is saying this actually bothered with the FuglyBucker BECAUSE of its' looks.

I've been playing my FB-equipped guitar again yesterday and was, again, floored by how great it sounds with 'em, yet, I am only one out of five or six people that think so because most chose to steer clear of 'em, not because of how they sounded (which is freakin' brilliant) but of how they look.

If we go the ZeBro way I fully expect there'll be lobbying for their look to be somehow covered so that they appear more like a typical humbucker. My money is on literal covering as in, metal covers (which I never use).
Don't be surprised either if some will suggest them being normal HB covers with dummy screws for the three unused holes...

 

[Maggot]

Re: Forum design vote #6 (Choose wisely)

I don't think the Fuglybucker is fugly. I think it didn't sell because crispness and clarity don't always work as a pickup selling point.

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: Forum design vote #6 (Choose wisely)

Yes except it was the very first decision we made and at the time most people were on board with it.
Plus, I cannot stress enough how great the neck pickup sounds (I love it split) and how well the bridge works for both mid-output usages as well as high-output ones provided the amp can compensate for the lower output of the pickup itself.

I loved the pickups I originally had on that guitar (a Suhr Doug Aldrich in the neck and a Tom Anderson H3 in the bridge) and still I feel the FuglyBuckers are an even better match for her. I honestly love 'em in her!

 

[Maggot]

Re: Forum design vote #6 (Choose wisely)

I'm primarily a rock Strat player. I use DiMarzio Areas all the time. A really nice offset P-90 would be awesome for my humbucker guitar. The great thing about noiseless singles is that you may not like any of them, but each one is a little different. A lot of them will stand on their own if you're not chasing a stereotyped tone. Vintage Rails, Areas, Injectors, P-92s, G&L Z-Coils, various Bill Lawrence designs, etc. = cool. Zebro would be awesome and could look super cool too. There's a lot of room for a nice humbucker-sized noiseless P-90. The Fralins have a real Fralin flavor, so a Duncan alternative would be nice. Why not encourage the Custom Shop to go to work on something where options are really lacking in the market.

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: Forum design vote #6 (Choose wisely)

Well the zebro is in the lead. Cool beans. It looks like even if we have to do a second poll asking if either party would buy the pickup they didn't vote for, we'd probably still pick the zebro. Schweet

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Forum design vote #6 (Choose wisely)

Well the zebro is in the lead. Cool beans.

A one vote lead out of 67 is pretty weak...

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: Forum design vote #6 (Choose wisely)

When I posted there were less votes for the hybrid.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Forum design vote #6 (Choose wisely)

Gotcha.. apparently its see sawing a bit... when I went to work this morning hybrids had the lead by 1 vote...

 

[VHTJay]

Re: Forum design vote #6 (Choose wisely)

Dead tie. Holy moly.

 

[jake_xms3_punk]

Re: Forum design vote #6 (Choose wisely)

Ooo I am still yet to vote. Anybody want to pay me to sway the vote either way? Na honestly i don't mind which one wins hence the as of yet no vote