Help me choose...

[dr.barlo]

Hi all,

I am trying to figure out the guitar I should use for a project. Some of the songs are from Robben Ford, some from the ABB / Gov't Mule, some from ZZ Top, and some from Blackberry Smoke... The other guitar player is using a strat and is hell of a player! He is using the strat very efficiently. Anyways, I guess I'd be the one that would have to deal with the thick lead stuff in some of the songs, e.g. Soulshine. Yet at the same time, in this project I am also a bit into ambient rhythm stuff, delay, chorus, vibe and all that **** you know... Hence, in that regard a strat, I feel, fits better.

So far, I was using my white strat (JD Tele lead in the bridge, Fralin Vintage Hot neck and middle) with a very nice NOS GE (OC 45) FuzzFace clone... And the only problem I have (not that serious) is the hum!

TO sum up, I am sort of happy with this strat of mine. Still cannot stop thinking...

The problems (not very serious, I have to say) I have are:

1. Hum;

2. The bridge is a tele lead pickup. Very cool! Yet, becomes a bit skinny under gain. This is ok, because it is supposed to be a bit skinny. Afterall it is tele lead pickup. Still when playing ZZ Top tunes, I feel like I need a bit more muscle. (BTW the amp is a hot rodded 1987-2204 JCM800 #34 clone).

The stuff I love about this setup:

1. Versatility! It's crazy!

2. I've put a switch and can mix the neck and the bridge. The tone is great. Moreover, the bridge middle tone is also very nice. So is the neck middle tone... Very sparkly clean... I am using the neck middle tone a lot with the fuzz to play "thick" lead parts, such as the one in Soulshine... To "emulate" LP-neck kinda tones.

Now, I am thinking that I can switch guitars, or change the pickups... Clearly, not doing anything and continuing to play with this setup is an option that I am thinking about... The other two are, pickup change, or another guitar...

Pickup change:

I have a BG1400 tele lead and Little 59 that I can use on this guitar. Also, I have a 9.00K Alan Hamel STD-B (Broadcaster alnico 3) and Ron Ellis 10.00K Broadcaster that I can try on this guitar. It'd make the bridge (I think) just a bit thicker. JD is great tele pickup BTW. But then, I'd not touch the neck.

While I foresee that changing the bridge to one of these Broadcaster pickups may do exactly what I want, I think the only stuff that this could not solve is the hum. On the other hand, if I were to change the pickups to BG1400 and Lil59, that I am afraid that I might change the tone of the guitar too mcuh you know. Losing the clarity that this guitar has in the second and forth positions (and the bridge neck position) is one thing I would regret. And also afterall I have HB equipped guitars. But then again, I can split or run these pickups (BG1400 and Lil59) in paralel mode (bought a 4PDT switch, very cool... switching 2 pickups simultaneously from series to paralel with the help of one flip of a mini toggle switch)...

Ideas ideas ideas...

:banghead:

Another option is to use my PRS McCarty, which has a Brobucker tb in the bridge and PGb (8.05K) in the neck. Then I can do the splitting and all, yet the board will have to be modified significantly. I am not a big fan of fuzz with humbucking guitars.

Guys, appreciate your feedback... BTW I know that this is all about tastes and there is not a single correct answer. This is rather for sort of getting ideas and all...

Thanks in advance...

B

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Help me choose...

BTW here is the guitar and how it sounds (the other guitar player is on the slide)... and my solo is sort at the end of the song...

B

 

[LReese]

Re: Help me choose...

Not sure how much you want to dink with wiring because it will take some experimentation - Perhaps a superswitch with one of the Broadcaster pickups and use a resistor/capacitor to thin out the pickup so it sounds similar to your present ones when combining, yet when using bridge only you get the full pickup (no r/c).

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Help me choose...

Thanks for chiming in... I don't think that I would have to do much about the wiring if I were to change the bridge from JD to one of them Broadcasters. Because afterall the JD is also a Broadcaster pickup (mine is ~7.80K) with a2 rods... the others I am talking about are a bit thicker (~9.00K and 10.00K) but have alnico 3 rods.

You see?

Frankly speaking, I think that'd be the route I am seriously thinking right now. So, if I were to lose some of the clarity and sparkle from the bridge middle position and bridge neck position, then I think I could try your suggestion. Cool suggestion actually! Thanks!

I am foreseeing/hoping that it would not come to this.

B :beerchug:

 

[LReese]

Re: Help me choose...

On second thought - I think you could find an appropriate mini potentiomenter and variable cap so there's no component swapping. Wiring the superswitch is not that big of a deal when you understand how it works. Biggest problem I have is seeing what I'm doing! LOL.

You're right though - might not be that big of a difference.

 

[Frankly]

Re: Help me choose...

Frankly speaking, I think that'd be the route I am seriously thinking right now.

B :beerchug:

Frank Lee did not say a thing. He kind of agrees with you, though; change to the slightly more manly bridge pickup. Your bridge/middle and bridge/neck will probably get better, and you can roll back the tone on the bridge to get some fatness.

Also, Frank F. Lee's hat is off to you. He has never seen a band that was so security conscious that it dug a moat for protection. You, IFLHO, are one happening, happening dude.

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Help me choose...



Thanks...

B

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Help me choose...

Update:

I did the swap... It took a bit longer than I was expecting. The tele lead pickup I have swapped the JD with is a Hamel STD-B. In fact, it was a Hamel STD-B (Broadcaster) 9.00K alnico 3 #43 pickup. Some time ago, like 2 years and all, it simply died. Just shorted... I was really bummed. Big time, because I loved it! Then, Ron Ellis (who was running the sales of Alan Hamel way back when I was getting them Hamels) saw my post on the tele forum asking for advice, and sent me a PM and offered to rewind it for free. Very cool you know! Very cool. So this pickup has a story! And the result I feel is great! Ron Ellis can wind!

Anyways, the ground on the bridge was wrong. Meaning that I had to flip the ground and hot of the other two strat pickups... And being a lazy bum I decided to install a third wire for the ground of the tele lead. But when I was doing it, the baseplate became loose. So, I had to do the wax potting of the baseplate...

:banghead:

Anyways... The results are stunning. I love alnico 3's in tele lead pickups. Don't get me wrong, JD is hell of a pickup. Yet, it is as if somebody lifted the thick curtain in front of the grill cloth of the amp when it comes to the swap from the JD to this Hamel/Ellis STD-B. I was sorta expecting that, because I had the same reaction (both against a JD and Fralin Blues Sp. Tele lead) when I did the swap with a Hamel STD-A (his Blackguard tele lead). The good thing is that I did not lose the highs and clarity and quack of the bridge/middle and bridge/neck positions. And when I roll back the tone knob from 10 to 5-6, fatness is there along with great harmonics and all...

To sum up, I am very happy with the swap.

B

 

[jeremy]

Re: Help me choose...

nice! glad it worked out

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Help me choose...

Thanks Jeremy.

B :beerchug:

 

[Aceman]

Re: Help me choose...

Cool jams Doc!

I'd not use a strat - sorry, just my opinion

I'd also get a beefy hum bucker. A2P if sticking with a Strat

Finally - was that Lucid's wedding?

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Help me choose...

Cool jams Doc!

I'd not use a strat - sorry, just my opinion

I'd also get a beefy hum bucker. A2P if sticking with a Strat

Finally - was that Lucid's wedding?

Thanks!

The whole wedding dance thing was funny! To tell the truth, I don't remember much anyways... On that day, I had my share of whiskey ...



B