Getting ready for a swap.

[Demanic]

I just recently acquired a set of Fuglybuckers from forum bro Orpheus. Well, I figure that I;m going to make them fit into my Shecter Blackjack, because it's one of the best sounding guitars that I own. It came stock with a 59/JB set that I did magnet swaps on. Polished A4 in the neck 59 and a roughcast UOA5 in the JB. I love the sounds that I get currently, so I figured that I would make a soundchek vid so that I will have something to compare the swapped set to.
And for anyone interested, here's that soundchek.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

You'll be amazed at the definition compared to a JB. Fuglies are pretty remarkable.

 

[Demanic]

Put them in today along with a fresh set of strings (Dunlop Heavy Core 10-48). I like them, but did have to adjust the eq of the distortion. That's what the knobs are for.
Might record a comparison clip here in a bit

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[Mincer]

They are not so 'fugly' in that guitar.

 

[Demanic]

They are not so 'fugly' in that guitar.

Form follows function. I read a thread about them when I first joined the forum. I was fascinated by the idea. My Blackjack is a set neck mahogany superstrat. String through body with a TOM bridge. It has plenty of natural sustain. The full neck pup, clean through an amp with some headroom, sounds like a dreadnought acoustic. The "2" setting is like a parlor acoustic. String separation that's unbelievable.
It's the only guitar that I now own, that has a lower wind A2 set of pickups. All the rest, except for my white strat, are firebreathers. JB, Crunchlab, Alt8, Distortion. Firebreathers.
But the magnet configuration must have something to do with the percieved power output of these A2 pickups. Kind of like Clint's double thick A2's.
Going to get up a clip in a few days.

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[Mincer]

See a lower wind A2 set is my thing. Look forward to the clip.

 

[Securb]

They are not so 'fugly' in that guitar.

No, they aren't. They look very sharp in that axe.

 

[Demanic]

Well, I've been spending time in the last few days to dial them in. I have made a sound clip. Just me going through the various positions on the 5 way. Totally clean into my Picovalve through my open back 1x12 with a C-Rex. The Picovalve has a JJ's 83MG in pos 1, a standard JJ's ECC83 in pos 2 and a JJ's 6CA7 power tube.
Here ya go. Nothing but guitar straight into tubes.

 

[Demanic]

So, no comments from LLL as yet.

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[Clint 55]

Sounds great! Thanks for the clean demo. That's quite a tone from the bridge pickup clean. I liked the other positions as well.

 

[Demanic]

I'll make one with some gain here in a bit.

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[DCikes88]

Nice cleans. I trust that bridge will scream nicely with some gain.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

IMO that's the perfect amount of tube gain for demoing pickups (though I wouldn't quite call it clean myself).
You can really hear the dynamic response, which wouldn't be as perceptible with more gain.
Yet there's enough drive to show off the string-to-string definition, which a pure clean couldn't highlight.
Thanks for the clip.

 

[Demanic]

The Picovalve has a single 6CA7 power tube and two 12ax7 pre tubes. The V1 is a medium gain 12ax7 from JJ's. I have the pre gain on the amp at about 2, the master is on 5 and its running on the 5w setting. If I play quietly, it's clean. As I start to dig in, it breaks up. But you're right, it is very responsive. Combined with the pickups, the sound is quite dynamic. To me, the neck pickup played clean makes the guitar sound very much to me like an acoustic dreadnought.
When I started playing on the bridge pickup in my clip, the tone reminded me very much of 70's Alex Lifeson sound.
Thanks for listening and for the feedback.

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[Demanic]

Nice cleans. I trust that bridge will scream nicely with some gain.

It's interesting, I wouldn't quite call it screaming. I have other hotter pickups that probably fit that better. With gain, it still retains string separation and clarity. It's brighter than I expected, but not screechy. And it doesn't seem unpleantly middy considering that it has 2 A2 magnets. It also doesn't have quite as much natural sustain as a hotter wound pickup. But that's fine, because if need be, I can activate the compressor.

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[Mincer]

What would you say the EQ is like on the FBs?

 

[Demanic]

It's kind of weird. The bass is rolled off under about 70hz to 80hz. And the treble is rolled off after ~8k to 9k. Everything in between has a slight bump, but flat across the spectrum. At least that's what it sounds like to my damaged ears.

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[Securb]

I love it there is just enough of grit, and the pickups sound incredibly balanced.

 

[Demanic]

Just played it through my SS rig: Randall RH200 into ported 2x12 cab with Texas Heat/Swamp Thang, Behrringer stereo 2x12 combo amp 60w per channel; Alesis Quadraverb in the loop of the Randall that allows the two amps to be left and right stereo.
It sounded massive. Had to dial back the tone knob on the guitar because the Fuglies are bright pickups. And I have started to notice that "bloom" quality that people associate with A2 magnets.
At some point, I suppose that I'll post a clip.


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[80's_Thrash_Metal]

I'll make one with some gain here in a bit.

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GAIN! PLEASE!...lots of gain