Lil 59 in strat - sounds aweful

[dtdantanna]

Hi All,
-Lil 59 in Neck
-Duckbucker in middle
-JB Jr Bridge

Wired as specified by Seymour, according to Everything Axe wiring.

All pickups sound Great! except the Lil 59 in the neck! it is the neck config of the pup, and it sounds really dark and muddy, and is overdriving the amp, even when clean. Tried adjusting the height around, with no luck.

any thoughts?????

-Tanna

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Lil 59 in strat - sounds aweful

Lower the pickup as low as possible, raise the polepieces, and raise the bridge and mid unit to match the output. If that fails, lower the gain on the amp, or just get another Duckbucker for the neck.

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: Lil 59 in strat - sounds aweful

Is the lil59 a neck model? You may want to swap the lil59 neck for a jb jr neck. Or if the lil59 is a bridge model put it in the bridge with a jb jr neck.

 

[baritone]

Re: Lil 59 in strat - sounds aweful

Lower the pickup as low as possible, raise the polepieces, and raise the bridge and mid unit to match the output. If that fails, lower the gain on the amp, or just get another Duckbucker for the neck.

That's how I have mine, and it sounds great.

 

[dtdantanna]

Re: Lil 59 in strat - sounds aweful

Thanks guys. It is a
- lil59 neck config in the neck
- Duckbucker neck in the mid
- JB Jr Bridge in the bridge

I'll try to lower the lil59 and raise the pole pieces to see if I can make that work.

Thanks again,
-Tanna

 

[frankfalbo]

Re: Lil 59 in strat - sounds aweful

Don't be afraid to try it wired in parallel! The Duckbuckers/Vintage Rails are wired in parallel, so your neck/mid position should have some nice quack that way. The Cool Rails is recommended for series wiring, but lots of guys have discovered a more DB/VR type tone from the Cool Rails by wiring it in parallel. I've never heard the lil 59 in parallel, but I imagine you'd like it based on what you're telling us.

 

[MoodyBlue]

Re: Lil 59 in strat - sounds aweful

Yeah... what Frank said. I actually use a Br Lil59 in my mid and can switch it from series to parallel with the s1 switch. Even it sounds a lil dark in series. Give that parallel wiring a try. If you want to use it still in series, consider getting a tone pot that pulls completely out of the circuit (been a while since I've done any wiring and forget what they're called) ie. 0 ohms will help brighten it up and if I remember right they're all of about 12 bucks.

Jim:cool2:

 

[Folo]

Re: Lil 59 in strat - sounds aweful

I was less than impressed with my lil '59 neck until height and pole pieces were adjusted. It can be a fickle pickup, but once it's dialed in, it has a real nice and distinctive sound.