Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

[Lewguitar]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

Does that backplate really work? It's pretty darned expensive...

Yes...it works beautifully. Removes about 85% of hum.

Routing out your guitar and putting the loop under the pickguard works even better. Because the loop surrounds the three pickups in the same plane, from what I’ve read.

Sonny Landreth even had Ilitch rout out his 50’s Fender Strat, although I’ve also seen him using the backplate version in recent gear rundowns.

If I were building a Strat that’s what I’d do.

But most users seem to agree that the backplate removes about 85% of the hum, compared to the under the pickguard version and that’s still a HUGE reduction in hum.

The backplate is about $250 from Ilitch. Cheaper than three “noiseless” single coils that won’t get you all of the sound of a vintage Strat.

The Ilitch will, lets you keep your old Fender or Duncan single coils, and is the better deal, IMO, compared to buying three new noiseless pickups that won’t get you the completely “authentic” tone and feel of a vintage Strat.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

I'm not sure why the VV 54 Pro wasn't called an Area, since it's the same tech as the Areas which is nothing more than a VV that uses an Alnico 2, if I'm not mistaken.

so what are the virtual2's? i have a set that i was pretty happy with. not exactly vintage fender but good

 

[gregory]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

A discontinued item? No seriously, if the Areas (and Injectors) are different from the other virtual vintage designs in terms of the technology used then I'm sadly mistaken. The VV 54 Pro came out the same year as the Areas. I'm curious why they didn't call it an Area 54.

 

[freefrog]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

Does that backplate really work? It's pretty darned expensive...

For anyone wanting to try this system, it can be emulated with a few dollars of wire hand wound around 4 nails. A patient Google search should quickly reveal the recipe to follow to anyone interested.

And yes, putting it in a routed cavity under the pickguard will make it work better than in a backplate, by putting the noise cancelling coil around the pickups themselves, on the same planar level.

EDIT - what made me write that is my experience on stage: when I play next to the amp, the noise cancelling is way more "directional" with the backplate than with the ilitch air coil on the same plan than the pickups.

FWIW.

 

[freefrog]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

I'm surprised no one mentioned Kinman yet.

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/sho...single-coils&p=4163324&viewfull=1#post4163324

 

[PicoRiveraTele]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

Yes...it works beautifully. Removes about 85% of hum.

Routing out your guitar and putting the loop under the pickguard works even better. Because the loop surrounds the three pickups in the same plane, from what I’ve read.

Having them be in the same plane only helps reduce noise that it really close to the guitar, like from a cell phone in your pocket. Dimmer switches and major noise makers like that are usually far enough away that a back plate and the pickup with share the same orientation with respect to that noise source.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

Having them be in the same plane only helps reduce noise that it really close to the guitar, like from a cell phone in your pocket. Dimmer switches and major noise makers like that are usually far enough away that a back plate and the pickup with share the same orientation with respect to that noise source.

Maybe so. Bottom line is that the Ilitch system works and works well for drastically reducing the hum of vintage style Strat pickups and, I would assume, other single coils.

I bought myself the backplate version as an early Christmas gift.

Again, if you’re a player who has owned vintage Strats and who has to get 100% of that authentic tone (and feel!) in order to not worry that some part of that “authentic” tone and feel is “missing”, the Ilitch system costs about as much as a set of noiseless pickups and allows you to use your old, much loved pickups.

I use mine with a set of Duncan Surfers and a Fralin Steel Pole 43 bridge pickup. No RW/RP middle pickup, BTW. All three pickups matching polarity.

 

[jalguitarman]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

Maybe so. Bottom line is that the Ilitch system works and works well for drastically reducing the hum of vintage style Strat pickups and, I would assume, other single coils.

I bought myself the backplate version as an early Christmas gift.

Again, if you’re a player who has owned vintage Strats and who has to get 100% of that authentic tone (and feel!) in order to not worry that some part of that “authentic” tone and feel is “missing”, the Ilitch system costs about as much as a set of noiseless pickups and allows you to use your old, much loved pickups.

I use mine with a set of Duncan Surfers and a Fralin Steel Pole 43 bridge pickup. No RW/RP middle pickup, BTW. All three pickups matching polarity.

My guitar tech told me he has done the dummy coil thing with excellent results and no change in tone that he could hear. This sounds promising. I am guessing this is similar to what the Ilitch back plate is. I am considering having hime do it. I still have the Surfer neck pickup I bought from you a few tears ago, so Would just need the middle and the Hotter bridge surfer. I listened to a few demos of the Sheptone single coils which are supposed to be excellent and I think the surfer demos sound better. I had to check out demos for the whole Surfer set as I have only used the neck pick up. But yes it would be great if I could use the Surfers with little noise. I will tell you though, I personally have never heard a better noiseless set than the Mojotone quiet coil 58's. It seems that many of the noiseless strat pinups sound somewhat authentic, until you put overdrive on them then they seem lose that tone altogether. The Mojotones don't from the demos I have heard but they sound different than the surfers.

 

[freefrog]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

My guitar tech told me he has done the dummy coil thing with excellent results and no change in tone that he could hear. This sounds promising. I am guessing this is similar to what the Ilitch back plate is.

There's various useable ways to mount dummy coils.

One of my Strats still includes something like that: http://www.vintagekramer.com/Focus/classic-underthepickguard pickup.jpeg
It's an excellent way to give a second life to cheap single coils, once separate from their ceramic glued mags... but it doesn't leave intact the sound of single coils when wired in series.

As it has been said above, Ilitch style air coils can be built quickly and for cheap, then they can be put in a routing inside the guitar as well as in a backplate... but ideally, they need to be designed specifically for the single coils used - and all of these single coils need to have close DCR's and none has to be RWRP, unless a megaswtich is used.

Anyway : personally, I've kept several guitars with noiseless PU's albeit I've several other axes with real single coils + dummy coils or air coils. As a matter of fact, noiseless PU's remain more silent when heavily overdriven... and not only dummy coils or air coils are more directional, but they might act like radio "loop antennas", causing interferences.
I had to deal more than once here with "bzzzz" high pitched noises under the lights on stage, coming from my guitars fitted with dummy/air coils. It doesn't happen with noiseless models and that's why I still use these various solutions.

Now, it's just my experience and I'm just sharing it FWIW.

Do what you want and be happy.

Merry Xmas!

 

[jalguitarman]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

There's various useable ways to mount dummy coils.

One of my Strats still includes something like that: http://www.vintagekramer.com/Focus/classic-underthepickguard pickup.jpeg
It's an excellent way to give a second life to cheap single coils, once separate from their ceramic glued mags... but it doesn't leave intact the sound of single coils when wired in series.

As it has been said above, Ilitch style air coils can be built quickly and for cheap, then they can be put in a routing inside the guitar as well as in a backplate... but ideally, they need to be designed specifically for the single coils used - and all of these single coils need to have close DCR's and none has to be RWRP, unless a megaswtich is used.

Anyway : personally, I've kept several guitars with noiseless PU's albeit I've several other axes with real single coils + dummy coils or air coils. As a matter of fact, noiseless PU's remain more silent when heavily overdriven... and not only dummy coils or air coils are more directional, but they might act like radio "loop antennas", causing interferences.
I had to deal more than once here with "bzzzz" high pitched noises under the lights on stage, coming from my guitars fitted with dummy/air coils. It doesn't happen with noiseless models and that's why I still use these various solutions.

Now, it's just my experience and I'm just sharing it FWIW.

Do what you want and be happy.

Merry Xmas!

Thank you for sharing, I appreciate it. Merry Christmas to you too.

 

[stevie_bees]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

I use stk-4 in neck/middle and an stk-7 the bridge. I replaced a set of Surfers in my G&L Legacy with them. I didn’t do it because the noise of the Surfers were an issue, but because I fitted a Clapton mid-boost kit. I had the chance to play them through my Marshall JTM45, and my mates Deluxe Reverb, Vibrolux and Super Reverb. Plus I was able to compare to a refinished 61 Strat with original pickups. There is a difference but certainly not night and day difference, plus in a band mix it’s not going to be as obvious. It was a good day playing with/through that gear! [emoji41]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

Here’s what you get from Ilitch. The blue trim pots are used to dial in for the least hum. I’m very satisfied with improvements and use it with two Surfers and a Fralin SP43. I do not use a RW/RP middle pickup so all three are are the same magnetic polarity.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

And showing the white side of the backplate...

 

[jmcorey]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

so what are the virtual2's? i have a set that i was pretty happy with. not exactly vintage fender but good

Their website says this:

VirtuAL 2
Neck – Area 61
Middle – VV 54 Pro
Bridge – VV Heavy Blues 2