Help....Finding the ultimate blues humbucker...

[Micha]

Hello,

First of all, thanks to everyone who helped me choosing my bridge pickup (TB-14 Custom 5).

some informations about my guitar:

My guitar is a guitar with:
- mahogany Onduras body (the thickness is between an SG and a Les paul)
- maple Top
- Set One piece maple Neck
- Rio Rosewood fingerboard with "rosewood headstock top"
It's a guitar with a very warm sound, but not very medium sounding like some les paul, She sound very warm with very defined highs, very very balanced. The attack of my guitar is very great , thanks to the maple neck.


The particularity of this Guitar is the dimension:
It's a Les Paul type guitar , but with fender tremolo spacing. That's why i bought à TB-14 and not a SH-14.



But here I am, in front of another problem.
I use since 10 years, in the neck position of Many guitars, a pickup that is not designed for this position ... "the PATB-3-Blues Saraceno Parallel axis Trembucker."

It's simple, i LOVE this pickup, even if not designed for Neck. The problem Is that his look is awful.
I know, this is not a big problem in itself, but my cutom guitar is a unique instrument and I would like to have a pickup that really go well with.

In addition, due to the spacing of the strings that do not fall in front of the parallel axes (in neck position) this is not the best option.

I wish I had exactly the same sound that PATB-3 but with an "normal" humbucker look and made for the neck position.

I really like the tonal particularities's of the blues PATB-3 trembucker, he's still defined and controllable. In addition, I notice more and more that I am a fan of alnico 5 pickups. It's the magnet That matches really good with my playing style and feeling.
Warm, punch, harmonics, deep sound too ... but very smooth in the neck position.
I thought the 59 do the thing for me, but i'm not sure.
the alnico pro II Slash could be an other option.....
I love the pearly gates but in my guitar ?

the other very important thing is that i really like the DC resistance (9,8K) of the PATB-3 . And in the neck position, it's reallly great for fast bluesy metal solos. It's simply perfect.

The resonnant peak of 6 KHz is also perfect.
The EQ: Bass: 6 ---- middle: 3 ----Treble: 6 ---- might be a bit different,

......Maybe Bass: 5 ---- middle: 3 ----Treble: 6 ----
Bass: 5 ---- middle: 4 ----Treble: 7 ----
Bass: 5 ---- middle: 4 ----Treble: 6 ---- ..... or something.

a little more open sounding, but really a little bit.

That's what i'm searching for : a big blues Humbucker with more punch as traditionnal vintage humbucker, but not harsh or agressiveor something. Punchy and smooth, with singing warm highs.
Could you help me ?

Is it possible to make a PATB-3 style Pup with the design of a traditionnal humbucker???

Thanks to your help.



Thanks for your time .


Micha

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Help....Finding the ultimate blues humbucker...

Is it possible to make a PATB-3 style Pup with the design of a traditionnal humbucker???

To make a long story short, no.

 

[Despair]

Re: Help....Finding the ultimate blues humbucker...

To make a long story short, no.

No disagreement, but if you ask MJ to do a non-Parallel Axis version of the PATB-3, she'll come as close as is possible. But there will be differences in feel and sustain due to different design of the pickup.

If you care more about function than form, might contact Seymour Duncan and see if you can get a PASH-3 [Parallel Axis Blues Saraceno in neck/SH spacing].

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Help....Finding the ultimate blues humbucker...

No disagreement, but if you ask MJ to do a non-Parallel Axis version of the PATB-3, she'll come as close as is possible. But there will be differences in feel and sustain due to different design of the pickup.

If you care more about function than form, might contact Seymour Duncan and see if you can get a PASH-3 [Parallel Axis Blues Saraceno in neck/SH spacing].

It'll be easier to just tell her what you need in a conventional hb and let her to work her magic.

Behaviour-wise, you can't get a conventional design to mimic a parallel-axis, as the projection of the magnetic field and even the geometry of the magnetic field is completely different.

HTH,

 

[Micha]

Re: Help....Finding the ultimate blues humbucker...

Who is MJ?
I can' t join nobody at Seymour...

Is there a pickup that sounds like the PATB-3?

In your opinion, wich current humbucker sound closest to the Saraceno ?

This is not so much the magnetic field that is important but rather the sound. I know that the two are related, but i would like to have just the perfect blues pickup, but with a little more power than the pickup current.

I'm open to any suggestions on Pickup. I 'just want a bluesy pickup.

 

[Micha]

Re: Help....Finding the ultimate blues humbucker...

up

 

[blueman335]

Re: Help....Finding the ultimate blues humbucker...

I 'just want a bluesy pickup.

Micha, let me tell you how I see this. As someone who has seen hundreds of blues bands over the years, and has hundreds of blues CD's, 'bluesy' covers a lot of ground, lots of styles of blues. It's been played on every kind of guitar, with every kind of PU. Blues is more of a feeling than a specific tone. What percentage of bluesplayers do you think use PATB-3's? Like just about none. I think you're too hung up on specs, and need to focus on the sound. You can't predict that from a chart. You don't want to be like a guy with a white coat in a lab full of test tubes; that's not what playing blues is about. No matter what PU you buy or have made for you, you don't know what it'll sound like in your guitar. You can have the 'perfect' PU on paper, and not be thrilled with the sound when it's in your guitar.

The approach we use here is to get a good quality PU whose specs are in the ballpark of what you want, see what it sounds like in your guitar, then adjust the set-up, mags, pots, etc to dial it in. I don't see any other way to do it. You want a custom made PU design? Of all the millions of blues players in the world creating all this great music, none of them have the right PU for you? Do you see something fundamentally wrong with that? Have you tried a '59 in the neck slot? That would be the place to start since you're an A5 fan. Odds are there's an existing PU that will sound like what you want.

 

[allstarrme]

Re: Help....Finding the ultimate blues humbucker...

maybe a brobucker in the neck? I'm sure MJ could make whatever you want in the SD custom shop.
I was thinking about getting a PATB-3 in regular spacing as a neck pickup, but i'll probably just hold out for a Parallel axis distortion neck from the custom shop.

 

[Jeff5]

Re: Help....Finding the ultimate blues humbucker...

The short answer Micha is probably not, it's not possible as the PATB-3 is pretty unique due to it's design. I almost stopped reading when you said you loved the pick up in the neck. My advice, leave it alone and forget about the looks.

 

[Micha]

Re: Help....Finding the ultimate blues humbucker...

I think we misunderstood.
If it is possible to produce a three-Neck PATB, I would make it.
I don 't like the look, it is true, it is not very "vintage." That he's the sound Provides is great, but not "perfect". It is almost perfect, just a little too spongy bass.
I am looking for a sound that is closest to this PATB-3. Precisely because of the way I play, and you rightly pointed out, the feeling is most important. Blues is more an attitude, a feeling, than a sound.

i had tested the 59 some time ago, i found it sounds good, but i missed something special, i do not know how i can describe this.
The pearly gates is a very good pickup but i think it's a little too aggressive for (aggressive is not the best word for it) for typical blues.
I've tested the screaming demon in an alder guitar over 2 years before i replace it. That's not the kind of sound i 'm searching for (to harsch , not warm enough).

-59- one of the best option for the moment
-pearly gates, sounds very "crazy good" (i get it in my alder guitar), aim for blues?
-screamin 'demon-definitly not
-Alnico-II Pro APH-1? - Sounds interesting
-alnico II pro-Slash APH-2? - Sounds interesting too?
(seems like the alnico II sounds very smooth and warm ...)
-Jazz-never tested, but i do not "feel" it .....


There are no wide choice of neck pickups at seymour in the regular catalog.
There is more choice by the bridge humbucker.

 

[Micha]

Re: Help....Finding the ultimate blues humbucker...

i ' ve never heard about the "brobucker".
it has 10K output (excellent) and a alnico 5 magnet (excellent too)
What is his EQ ? i don't find this info ...

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Help....Finding the ultimate blues humbucker...

Contact the custom shop, and tell them that you want a HB in PAF looks which sounds like a PATB-3. Ask for a reverse polarity with respect to a regular bridge HB (such as C5). I would not specify eqs and or resistance values and **** of that sort... Let them do their thing.

Waht you want is something tangible. So it is possible. You want the result you get by putting a PATB-3 into the neck slot, but with PAF sorta looks. MJ, head of custom shop, will do her thing and it'll be a bit more pricey, but worth it.

B

 

[hamerfan]

Re: Help....Finding the ultimate blues humbucker...

i ' ve never heard about the "brobucker".
it has 10K output (excellent) and a alnico 5 magnet (excellent too)
What is his EQ ? i don't find this info ...

Thats a horrible idea to use a brobucker in the neck. Due to his bigger bobbin dimensions it needs more wire - hence reads more ohms - to get the same amount of windings on the pickup. A brobucker in the neck is pure mud.
Listen to what dr. Barlo said. He is a long time poster with alot of experience. He brought me into modding my ants - my best set now.

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Help....Finding the ultimate blues humbucker...



Thanks.

It's all tastes you know. It's not like there is one absolute answer to fit all situations.

That said, I completely agree with you. And I am a crazy fan of brobuckers, have 3 of them. Love them! And using them in the neck slot is, definitely, something I'd recommend... But still its tastes.

B

 

[Micha]

Re: Help....Finding the ultimate blues humbucker...

It's just for the moment, the brobucker has some specs i want.
-10K output
-aged alnico five magnets (aged will probably say its "warmer")

If it sounds more like a best PAF, this could be what I'm looking.

I do not know if it sounds "muddy". The saraceno sounds a bit muddy too, but it suits me quite well.

 

[Micha]

Re: Help....Finding the ultimate blues humbucker...

Thanks.

It's all tastes you know. It's not like there is one absolute answer to fit all situations.

That said, I completely agree with you. And I am a crazy fan of brobuckers, have 3 of them. Love them! And using them in the neck slot is, definitely, something I'd recommend... But still its tastes.

B

Mr. Barlo:

how the Brobucker sounds in neck position, compared to other seymour you've tried?

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Help....Finding the ultimate blues humbucker...

Well..



I haven't tried it in the neck. So I do not know.

I am not somebody who is against experimentation and all.. In fact, one of my favorite neck PAF clones is a cool PGb, measuring 7.95K. I have two others one at 8.00K and the other at 8.05K... All of them are for neck positions. I kinda love it. Its clear and all, has them highs... It is just that I am lowering the pickup, and increasing its screws a bit more than usual...

But in the case of a Brobucker... it is a 10K PAF kinda wind. SO I would say that, in the neck position I'd expect it to sound not good at all.

B

 

[Micha]

Re: Help....Finding the ultimate blues humbucker...

Well..



I haven't tried it in the neck. So I do not know.

I am not somebody who is against experimentation and all.. In fact, one of my favorite neck PAF clones is a cool PGb, measuring 7.95K. I have two others one at 8.00K and the other at 8.05K... All of them are for neck positions. I kinda love it. Its clear and all, has them highs... It is just that I am lowering the pickup, and increasing its screws a bit more than usual...

But in the case of a Brobucker... it is a 10K PAF kinda wind. SO I would say that, in the neck position I'd expect it to sound not good at all.

B

the PATB-3has 10K and sounds incredible in the neck position.

 

[elelpe]

Re: Help....Finding the ultimate blues humbucker...

Have you tried Screamin' Demon in the neck position? It's my favorite pickup in neck position (in my alder body - maple/rosewood neck guitar), followed by Pearly Gates Plus (bridge model, a bit hotter than regular PG, with A5 magnet). Both are great for bluesy stuffs.

 

[Micha]

Re: Help....Finding the ultimate blues humbucker...

Have you tried Screamin' Demon in the neck position? It's my favorite pickup in neck position (in my alder body - maple/rosewood neck guitar), followed by Pearly Gates Plus (bridge model, a bit hotter than regular PG, with A5 magnet). Both are great for bluesy stuffs.

Yes i did. I hate the screamin' demon, He's too harsh.