I've read so many posts!!!...still not sure where to go on my semi hollow

[Mincer]

Re: I've read so many posts!!!...still not sure where to go on my semi hollow

I love Seths in any semi- or full hollowbody. Those Eastmans are nice guitars...easily the best budget 335 clones out there. Certainly worth upgrading the pickups (Higher end Eastmans use Duncans, btw).

 

[BigDaddyB]

Re: I've read so many posts!!!...still not sure where to go on my semi hollow

Thanks for all the great responses, this seems like a really excellent forum! Really helpful.

 

[BanditPanda]

Re: I've read so many posts!!!...still not sure where to go on my semi hollow

I have recently basically gone thru the same experience you are now in. I had SD Antiquities in my Ibanez AS73 ( semi hollow body ES335 clone ).
I took them out and put them in my Les Paul.( the stock 490's weren't doing " it " for me.) Now the Ants were a big improvement over the stock pups in the LP but I gotta tell ya those Ants in a semi hollow body guitar were seriously killer !! Now I most certainly understand the raves about Ants in LP's but they freaking shine in a semi hollow body guitar. I ordered myself a set of Pearly Gates for the LP and the Ants are going back into the Ibanez pronto.!
I believe they can do everything you want and them some. Of course with the DR your gonna need a coupla Amps In A Box to get what you want.
I'm telling ya you CANNOT go wrong with the SD Antiquities. If anybody ever has been disappointed by those pups I'd like to hear from them.
Yes they cost a bit more. Buy from an authourized dealer who has a good return policy if there is the remotest chance of you not being able to bond with the Ants and trust me that'll be on you not the Ants. lol
BP.

 

[gregory]

Re: I've read so many posts!!!...still not sure where to go on my semi hollow

Look into a Tech 21 British or Liverpool if you want something chimey. Feed it with your TS clone and a don't be surprised if you grin involuntarily.

I wouldn't mess around with pickups until after you find something to re-voice your DR preamp.

 

[BanditPanda]

Re: I've read so many posts!!!...still not sure where to go on my semi hollow

No Greg he doesn't want chimey he said he wants......I like a dirty ol British blues thing for sure (Alvin Lee, Clapton w/ cream, etc.). .....

 

[gregory]

Re: I've read so many posts!!!...still not sure where to go on my semi hollow

Ok, no chimey, lol.

 

[Joey Voltage]

Re: I've read so many posts!!!...still not sure where to go on my semi hollow

I honestly think the cheap tweaks might help a lot in this situation, as there are some simple things that can even be done to passively sculpt the lowend and midrange of the pickup, but I understand that not everybody would feel comfortable or confident breaking into their amp, guitar or other gear to make adjustments like that.

 

[blueman335]

Re: I've read so many posts!!!...still not sure where to go on my semi hollow

Now I most certainly understand the raves about Ants in LP's... I'm telling ya you CANNOT go wrong with the SD Antiquities. If anybody ever has been disappointed by those pups I'd like to hear from them.

Well, as an owner of both I can say this: I have a few sets of Seths, all in guitars, no mag swaps needed, they all sound great. I pulled my one Ant set and it's sitting in a box. I just don't care for the degaussed A2's. At full strength they're low output magnets with a soft high end. Degaussing doesn't help with this. Others have commented on it here too. I haven't seen a lot in the way of 'raves' for Ant's. I've seen them recommended a number of times by people who've never owned one, assuming that "They must be even better than Seth's" On the other hand, I've seen a lot of posts from members recommending & raving about Seth's, from people who actually own them. Some of the players who's opinions I respect the most here, including some of the moderators and Duncan employees, have talked highly about Seth's, and not much about Ant's. If you had to choose between the two, I think it's a much safer bet that someone would be thrilled with Seth's.

 

[gregory]

Re: I've read so many posts!!!...still not sure where to go on my semi hollow

...and neither are going to solve the OP's problem.

 

[Joey Voltage]

Re: I've read so many posts!!!...still not sure where to go on my semi hollow

Cheapest fix:Tonestack lift on amp.
Method: lift ground from mid pot of amp
Cost: 0$ and time
Pros: will really punch up the mid band on amp, reversible of can be fitted on switch
Cons: will make eq of amp prettt much useless and will require you touch the amp

Next cheapest: eq the current pick up
Method: use a capacitor from the volume pot to selector switch to create first order highpass filter to shave off boomy frequencies, use additional capacitor to shunt the pickup effectively shifting resonance frequency
Cost: 1$ and some time
Pros: easy reversible and you don't have to mess with anything high voltage
Cons: you still have to get to the controls in guitar

Cheapest after: mod ts9 variant
Method: adjust frequency shaping of clipping stage
Cost: 1$ and time
Pros: easy way to shape sound, reversible, no high voltage exposure
Cons: you may have to make adjustments to get what you need

Next after that: mod tonestack of current amp
Method: reduce insertion loss at midband by adjusting mid control value and mid cap, increase treble range into lower frequencies by adjusting treb cap
Cost: 5$ and time
Pros: will beef up midband , and make amp thicker, reversible
Cons: potential exposure to high voltage

Next: buy new pickup
Method: buy new pickup
Cost: 60-150$ Time
Pros: you have many options
Cons: you have many options, and it's not always evident what your getting or whether it will work for the situation until you actually try it.

Next: buy a new amp
Method: search music stores to try many different amps
Cost: 450 - 4000$ time
Pros: you hopefully get what you want or need
Cons: probably not at the price you were hoping for.

 

[gregory]

Re: I've read so many posts!!!...still not sure where to go on my semi hollow

You forgot the $75-$250 option of getting another pedal.

You're hard-pressed to turn DR voicing into BM voicing with a change in pickup or magnet.

Like you, I would feel most inclined to make mods to the amp (and make them switchable).

 

[Despair]

Re: I've read so many posts!!!...still not sure where to go on my semi hollow

You forgot the $75-$250 option of getting another pedal.

You're hard-pressed to turn DR voicing into BM voicing with a change in pickup or magnet.

Like you, I would feel most inclined to make mods to the amp (and make them switchable).

The Joyo British Sound is usually less than $40. It's very similar to the Tech 21 British except without the cabinet simulator out.

I'd attack speaker before modding the preamp. Though switching from a fixed midrange resistor to a potentiometer is an obvious fix. But arguably defeats the purpose of a vintage reissue.

 

[Joey Voltage]

Re: I've read so many posts!!!...still not sure where to go on my semi hollow

You forgot the $75-$250 option of getting another pedal.

You're hard-pressed to turn DR voicing into BM voicing with a change in pickup or magnet.

Like you, I would feel most inclined to make mods to the amp (and make them switchable).

How could I forget:

Method: parametric eq
Difficulty: easy
Cost: 50-300$
Pros: can radically change the sound of anything
Cons: active and may be a noise source

 

[Joey Voltage]

Re: I've read so many posts!!!...still not sure where to go on my semi hollow

The Joyo British Sound is usually less than $40. It's very similar to the Tech 21 British except without the cabinet simulator out.

I'd attack speaker before modding the preamp. Though switching from a fixed midrange resistor to a potentiometer is an obvious fix. But arguably defeats the purpose of a vintage reissue.

Yeah but the speaker change is also much more money, especially if you want something good. plus changing the speakers also goes against the purpose of a vintage reissue as well to some. Changing the speaker is also not going to fix the inherent 23db mid range loss of the tone stack immediately after the first preamp stage in that amp.

 

[gregory]

Re: I've read so many posts!!!...still not sure where to go on my semi hollow

Like pickups, speakers are window dressing compared to preamplifiers; power stages can be too, unless you're talking radical changes in topology and/or NFB or are pushing them well into clipping.

 

[Despair]

Re: I've read so many posts!!!...still not sure where to go on my semi hollow

Yeah but the speaker change is also much more money, especially if you want something good. plus changing the speakers also goes against the purpose of a vintage reissue as well to some. Changing the speaker is also not going to fix the inherent 23db mid range loss of the tone stack immediately after the first preamp stage in that amp.

Far more nondestructively reversible. No solder traces. As long as you aren't a brute with the screwdriver and don't chew up the baffle.

A JTM-45 has a fair amount of mid-scoop as well. Preamp is same as Bassman [parts tolerances aside], differences are the output tube, rectifier, output transformer and speaker. Though yes, the Bassman's mids can be turned up above 2 (and the JTM-45, too)...

But don't discount the mid-scoop of Jensen speakers compared to Celestions. And it's a far easier change for those inexperienced with high voltage electronics work to make. Just check speaker depths before spending money...

I agree your solutions are cheaper, but that's only true if you are doing the work yourself. If tools are needed, or there's a disinterest in electrocuting yourself and/or gaining an education about high voltage tube electronics, reading a circuit diagram, etc...

I'm just trying to offer a range of options, depending on budget/needs/interests.

 

[Joey Voltage]

Re: I've read so many posts!!!...still not sure where to go on my semi hollow

Even then, all butt loads of -fb is going to do for you is flatten the speakers response at the cost of potential instability and gain.

 

[Joey Voltage]

Re: I've read so many posts!!!...still not sure where to go on my semi hollow

Far more nondestructively reversible. No solder traces. As long as you aren't a brute with the screwdriver and don't chew up the baffle.

A JTM-45 has a fair amount of mid-scoop as well. Preamp is same as Bassman [parts tolerances aside], differences are the output tube, rectifier, output transformer and speaker. Though yes, the Bassman's mids can be turned up above 2 (and the JTM-45, too)...

But don't discount the mid-scoop of Jensen speakers compared to Celestions. And it's a far easier change for those inexperienced with high voltage electronics work to make. Just check speaker depths before spending money...

I agree your solutions are cheaper, but that's only true if you are doing the work yourself. If tools are needed, or there's a disinterest in electrocuting yourself and/or gaining an education about high voltage tube electronics, reading a circuit diagram, etc...

I'm just trying to offer a range of options, depending on budget/needs/interests.

Yeah but both bassman and jtm 45 only have a -10db loss at a different center frequency, and tapped from a different place, so it's quite a bit different and noticeable than most bf derivatives.

 

[gregory]

Re: I've read so many posts!!!...still not sure where to go on my semi hollow

Where the tone stack occurs relative to the gain staging/buffering is pretty darn important.

 

[Joey Voltage]

Re: I've read so many posts!!!...still not sure where to go on my semi hollow

Where the tone stack occurs relative to the gain staging/buffering is pretty darn important.

It Sho' do! Especially if it's driven by a cf and that cf is allowed to hit cut-off during any portion of the cycle. You get all sorts of interesting operational and frequency dependent effects then.