More twangy alternative to Seth Lover neck?

Ok thanks guys. Just wanted some input before I crack this SL open again lol. I bought some UOA5 bars so I’ll try that first. If that doesn’t work I’ll have see if I have the motivation to try A3 or just give up and get an APH.:D
 
the wind is obviously different between a jazz/aph and a sl as youve seen. uoa5 in a sl is a great sound, still gonna be more paf than the jazz/aph
 
jeremy said:
the wind is obviously different between a jazz/aph and a sl as youve seen. uoa5 in a sl is a great sound, still gonna be more paf than the jazz/aph
Click to expand...

I hope so. I mean, if I try 3 different mags and I still don’t like it then maybe this pickup just isn’t for me haha. I’ll soon find out. Fingers crossed. :)
 
its quite possible this pup isnt for you lol. i love the seth lovers, especially the neck. have a set in one guitar, and two other neck pups in guitars, and a third waiting to be installed. great pups but not everyones flavor
 
Supernautilus said:
Ok thanks guys. Just wanted some input before I crack this SL open again lol. I bought some UOA5 bars so I’ll try that first. If that doesn’t work I’ll have see if I have the motivation to try A3 or just give up and get an APH.
Click to expand...

Get all the mags next time. You already have A2, A4, A5, and UOA5 so get A3, A6, and A9. A8 kind of sux but you could get 1 for good measure.

I hope so. I mean, if I try 3 different mags and I still don’t like it then maybe this pickup just isn’t for me haha. I’ll soon find out. Fingers crossed.
Click to expand...

If you remove the cover and put in a brighter mag, it kind of changes into a different pickup. Goes from warm, vintage, and chewy to kind of chirpy and stratty. With the cover removed and a A3 or UOA5 it's warm and chirpy. With A5 or A6 it actually gets kind of bouncy like a strat pup. Definitely nice pickup to have around even if you end up liking the A2P more.
 
Last edited:
Clint 55 said:
Get all the mags next time. You already have A2, A4, A5, and UOA5 so get A3, A6, and A9. A8 kind of sux but you could get 1 for good measure.



If you remove the cover and put in a brighter mag, it kind of changes into a different pickup. Goes from warm, vintage, and chewy to kind of chirpy and stratty. With the cover removed and a A3 or UOA5 it's warm and chirpy. With A5 or A6 it actually gets kind of bouncy like a strat pup. Definitely nice pickup to have around even if you end up liking the A2P more.
Click to expand...

Well I’ve already taken the cover off to change mags and I was mortified to discover the zebra bobbins underneath. ZEBRA LOL!!! I am anti-zebra so unfortunately I have to leave the cover on. ;)
 
I haven't read to many of the earlier posts in this thread because I'm a little late,

But have you considered picking closer to the bridge?
 
Chistopher said:
I haven't read to many of the earlier posts in this thread because I'm a little late,

But have you considered picking closer to the bridge?
Click to expand...

Yeah I’ve tried adjusting pup height as well as the screws. Hasn’t done much sadly. The SL is just too subdued to compete with the Jerry Donahue in the bridge. I’m hoping to give it some more beef with the right mag. We shall see lol.
 
Chistopher said:
I haven't read to many of the earlier posts in this thread because I'm a little late,

But have you considered picking closer to the bridge?
Click to expand...
Oh wait sorry I misread your question. I mean yeah I can do that I guess but I generally pick between the pups or closer to the neck ala Keef. That’s my playing style. I’m not particularly enthused about changing my right hand style just for one pickup lol.
 
Reading this thread, I wonder why nobody suggested to swap the tone control. If the current tone pot is 250kOhm, why not swap it for a 500kOhm (or 500 to 1mOhm for that matter)? I realize that this also has effect on the bridge single coil, but that can be solved easily by turning back the tone pot a little when playing the bridge pickup. Just a thought…
 
thats a valid point, though in practice i dont like messing with the tone like that. i want controls that work through out their range on both pups, not having to turn one when i switch pups to make it useable. that said, if this is a tele custom, there could be separate controls for neck and bridge?
 
LRS said:
Reading this thread, I wonder why nobody suggested to swap the tone control. If the current tone pot is 250kOhm, why not swap it for a 500kOhm (or 500 to 1mOhm for that matter)? I realize that this also has effect on the bridge single coil, but that can be solved easily by turning back the tone pot a little when playing the bridge pickup. Just a thought…
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion! Yes, like Jeremy said this guitar has separate volume and tone controls. The SL is currently using 500K pots and that seems to work well. Also, I have a tone bypass switch that brightens the sound a bit when in use.

I briefly considered trying 1 Meg pots but honestly I’ve had negligible success with them in the past. I tried that on another pickup once that was very dark and I found there to be some diminishing returns as far as brightness. It also make the pup sound…weird. I personally didn’t like it.

Besides it’s not just the highs that I’m having problems with. It’s the mids and upper mids that I’m not satisfied with in the SL. I’m hopeful the right mag will fix this. I haven’t given up yet! :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: LRS
gotcha. 500k with the sl is good. i tend not to like 1meg pots, seems to put the resonant peak in weird spots and darken the tone in a different way as you turn the volume down.

hope the uoa5 swap works!
 
UPDATE: I bought an APH lol :D

Overall, I liked what the UOA5 was doing. More mids and overall volume. The SL finally had some balls, which it was sorely lacking before. I was starting to hear a little of that bell-like wail when bending the high notes that I remember from the Jazz A2 that used to be in this slot. But in the end, it just wasn't getting the job done.

I think this wind is just not for me. Too delicate and whispery. The Seth seems like it's really for jazzbos and country players, not for classic rock or hard rock. That's just my opinion though. I understand lots of people love it. Maybe this isn't the right guitar for it either. Oh well. On the shelf it goes...

In any case, thanks for all the help guys. I really appreciate the assistance. :)
 
EPILOGUE: The APH is the special sauce! I seriously love this pickup. It's the sound I was looking for. It totally wails in this guitar. :)

BONUS: I had the idea to try one of those open humbucker covers to see how it would look, purely for aesthetics. I got it from Philly Luthier. I think it looks awesome and I just wanted to share a few pics because I love the way it looks. What do you guys think? :D
 

Attachments

  • photo108721.jpg
    photo108721.jpg
    42.3 KB · Views: 0
  • photo108722.jpg
    photo108722.jpg
    169.1 KB · Views: 0
  • photo108723.jpg
    photo108723.jpg
    33.6 KB · Views: 0
  • photo108724.jpg
    photo108724.jpg
    73.7 KB · Views: 0
Supernautilus said:
EPILOGUE: The APH is the special sauce! I seriously love this pickup. It's the sound I was looking for. It totally wails in this guitar. :)

BONUS: I had the idea to try one of those open humbucker covers to see how it would look, purely for aesthetics. I got it from Philly Luthier. I think it looks awesome and I just wanted to share a few pics because I love the way it looks. What do you guys think? :D
Click to expand...

It is my favorite neck pickup, too. Like jamming 2 sticks of butter into your guitar.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
Seth Lover vs.Whole Lotta' Humbucker pair
Replies
3
Views
163
marcello252
marcello252
S
Seth Love Neck pup Pairing Recommendations
Replies
3
Views
114
beaubrummels
beaubrummels
Chris EmCee
RTM neck pairing question
Replies
8
Views
105
Overlord
Overlord
Supernautilus
Jerry Donahue + APS-2
Replies
9
Views
230
Artie
Artie
S
Help ID this SD humbucker
2
Replies
22
Views
172
Sam SG
S
Back
Top