Muffled/Dark Tone

925SS

925SS

New member
I recently finished (kinda) my PRS style all maple body build.
Under the impression that maple is a very bright wood, I expected to be fighting to tone it down some...NOT THE CASE.
I have a set of MHD custom pups that I bought for my all mahogany LP.
For giggles, I tried them in the build, while the bridge does ok, the neck is very muffled/dark. I was shocked.
Why would an all maple body, with a very thin finish, & NO clearcoat on it yet, be muffled/dark sounding?
I have a set of DM 36th paf pups that I had hoped to use, but with the results I'm getting from the custom set, I'm not very hopefull.
I started with a .047 cap, expecting the guitar to be Bright, then after hearing it, moved to a .022, then to a .01.
Now I have totally disconnected the tone pot, & am running the pups wide open.
Still muffeled.
The neck is mahogany with a rswd fb, & i'm running EB 10-46 strings
I have a gibson 3 way toggle, switchcraft jack, & two no name 500k pots (the vol pot reads over 500k, & the tone around 480k on my meter)
I'll definatly be putting the customs back in the LP, & at this point, a different set of pups ain't in the budget.
I have a super distortion, & a few other no name pups to try, but was leaning more toward a paf type sound with this axe.
Does anybody have any idea how to brighten up a 36th set. I've read the set uses a degaussed A5, so I'm lost on what magnet would brighten the set up.

Any suggestions would be much appriciated.
 
Re: Muffled/Dark Tone

I know, I remember your build thread :fing2: A thicker finish will definitely brighten her up but I doubt that will be enough to match well with the dimarzios. And too much finish will definitely make it sound dead. So, while I do like thin finishes, i think the "as thin as possible" notion is a bunch of bs. Mind you, Paul Reed Smith's finishes aren't exactly thin or "sonically neutral".

The next step would be to try to find an articulate neck pickup. I'm thinking along the lines of hybrids, a demon, a distortion neck, a full shred neck, single coils might be quite the idea. Maybe even active pickups, when all hope is lost. If you don't have a budget right now, leave it for later. No need to worry, no need to hurry when you build a guitar for yourself. I'm sure you'll work it out one day.
 
Re: Muffled/Dark Tone

Rockstar216 said:
Oh you made a Jazz box no wonder. What would you like to hear from this guitar? What music are you using it for?
Click to expand...

Classic rock & blues mostly
I'm mostly a rythym player, but I dabble in lead work.
I'm not looking to copy anyone, or trying to nail any certain tone.
Just looking for a clear & artculate tone.
I'm not in a band, but do jam with friends thru the summer months
At the moment, i'm playing thru a line 6 pod xt into a heavily modded EVJ head & a 212 loaded with 70/80 speakers.
I have an old traynor ygm3 mark 3 that would probably do better with this guitar, it's very clean & bright, but it's just too loud for my application at the moment & heavier than hell to move around
 
Re: Muffled/Dark Tone

vinta9e said:
I know, I remember your build thread :fing2: A thicker finish will definitely brighten her up but single coils might be quite the idea. .
Click to expand...

I had planned on a heavier clear, that's why I kept the primer, & basecoat thin.
One thing I have been pondering has been a HB size P90, I have a mean 90 that's a bridge pup, & was considering a mag swap to A3, since the output is 8.9k.
I've also thought of picking up a used SD jazz, as they're regarded as a great neck pup for darker guitars, & putting the 90 in the bridge, or picking up a used 90 neck & going 90 in both holes.
I'm starting to lean toward the latter
 
Re: Muffled/Dark Tone

Not that this really addresses your problem but I had a Bugera V5 amp I could not get anything but dark sounds out of no matter what i tried, and this was with Strats and Teles with single coils. I finally gave up and sold the amp as i just couldnt stand the gloomy tone. I now have a Fender which sounds much brighter, despite that I've since switched to Epi HB style guitars. Weird how sometimes things seem to defy logic in how they sound..

I'm sure you'll be able to find a pickup combo that will work, but I'd look carefully before plunking down the cash.
 
Re: Muffled/Dark Tone

jake_xms3_punk said:
Which mag is in the neck pickup right now? How hot is it wound? Are these pickups dark in other guitars?
Click to expand...

I bought the pups for my all mahogany LP, & they did very well, which is why I put them back yesterday
The neck is 7.22k with an A5, uncovered.
The bridge, which as I thought worked pretty decent, is 12.4k A5 uncovered.
I have a super distortion i'll probably use in the bridge, still trying to come up with something for the neck.
I like the idea of a HB sized p90, so i'll be on the lookout for one, but i'm still open to suggestions
 
Re: Muffled/Dark Tone

So it wasn't dark in a mahogany lp?

if you already have a bridge mean 90 I would give that a go in the neck just to try it out. You could try swapping out one or both of the mags to A3s

I think the jazz is a good choice if you can find one used for cheap. nice & bright neck pickup which sounds great in my epi 335
 
Re: Muffled/Dark Tone

Wire in a 0.047 uf capacitor between the hot wire and the pickup selector of your neck pickup. If that doesn't filter out enough low end to clear up the tone try a few other values up to maybe a 0.01uf one.
 
Re: Muffled/Dark Tone

jake_xms3_punk said:
So it wasn't dark in a mahogany lp?

if you already have a bridge mean 90 I would give that a go in the neck just to try it out. You could try swapping out one or both of the mags to A3s

I think the jazz is a good choice if you can find one used for cheap. nice & bright neck pickup which sounds great in my epi 335
Click to expand...

I have an A3, so i'm gonna try the mean 90, but i'm gonna watch the classifieds here & there, & ebay for the jazz.
 
Re: Muffled/Dark Tone

LonePhantom said:
Wire in a 0.047 uf capacitor between the hot wire and the pickup selector of your neck pickup. If that doesn't filter out enough low end to clear up the tone try a few other values up to maybe a 0.01uf one.
Click to expand...

I started with a .047 on the tone pot, then moved to a .022, then a .01, then disconnected the tone pot altogether & ran wide open with not a lot of success.
 
Re: Muffled/Dark Tone

gibson175 said:
whats your amp?
Click to expand...

Right now i'm using a heavily modded epiphone valve jr head into a 212 loaded with celestion 70/80 spkrs.
When I got the evj, it was dark & a little flubby.
I went surfing & found a thread over at the MLPF about modding the head. I swapped out the OT, & changed a lot of the res, & cap values in the signal path.
It is a great little amp after you do some mods, cleans things up nicely. My other guitars sound very good thru this setup, this one is being persnickety.
 
Re: Muffled/Dark Tone

I concur. Maple being bright is a total myth IME. I think people say that just because it is hard, heavy, and – stupid as it may be – light in color. Every guitar I've played that was heavy on the maple has had a warm tone...sometimes nice, but often pure mud.

I'd try a single coil or a bright humbucker.
 
Re: Muffled/Dark Tone

ItsaBass said:
Maple being bright is a total myth IME.

I'd try a single coil or a bright humbucker.
Click to expand...
I'm starting to agree with you on this one.

I'm gonna give the mean 90 a shot, & if i'm not happy with that, i'll scrounge up a jazz off the bay, or classys, on one of the forums.
Thanks for the input
 
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