New member with a pickup selection problem

[masta kink]

Hello all you pickup lovers. First post on this forum, and I need some advice. My very first guitar needs some electrical love. It is an Ovation Ultra GS solid body circa 1982 (yes, an Ovation solid body. They don't even acknowledge making them any more). It came with a single no-name bridge-mounted humbucker wired to a volume control. Period. No tone control, no neck pickup, nothing. Now, I love this guitar. I learned on it, and I love the way it plays. But it sounds pitifully thin compared to my SD-equipped Schecter 7-string. I play jazz(?) and such using mostly touch-guitar style (tapped) technique with some finger picking, no effects save reverb, no distortion. Any suggestions on a bridge pickup that might give the Big O a big, fat, clean, bassier sound without having to cut her up and put in a neck pickup? Any help is greatly appreciated...

 

[jeremy]

Re: New member with a pickup selection problem

welcome to the forum!!

you are never gonna get a bridge pup to sound like a neck pup, but an alnico II pro might be something to checck out. go listen to the sound samples off the main site and see what sounds good

 

[SABOTAGE]

Re: New member with a pickup selection problem

Any suggestions on a bridge pickup that might give the Big O a big, fat, clean, bassier sound without having to cut her up and put in a neck pickup? Any help is greatly appreciated...

Hmmmmmm? there is really NO pup that will mimic a neck tone but you could try a DARK bridge pup like a air zone or a Breed bridge model for the "big ole fat,clean,bassier sound"?
a invader is dark but very hot.
i think a PRS santana model may be dark enough?

or you can try using a 250K pot with any of these?

 

[masta kink]

Re: New member with a pickup selection problem

Thanks for the suggestions. I imagine that as old and cheap as the original pickup is, any new pickup is going to perk up the tone drastically. Just don't want it too hot, though. I never could find out who made the originals for Ovation back then. Just checked out the alnico sound. Pretty sweet...

 

[masta kink]

Re: New member with a pickup selection problem

Hey Sabotage; forgive my ignorance, but please explain the 250k volume pot idea. What might that do?

 

[SABOTAGE]

Re: New member with a pickup selection problem

Hey Sabotage; forgive my ignorance, but please explain the 250k volume pot idea. What might that do?

when you use a 250K in place of the 500K(which is most common on humbucker equiped guitars) it makes the tone darker(less trebley) and also cuts the output very slighty,not a real lot but somewhat.
Most guys dont know it but the JB model by duncan was actually made with a 250K pot in mind

I will tell ya if the stock dimarzio air zone was not dark enough for ya it would be with a 250K :laugh2:

 

[Artie]

Re: New member with a pickup selection problem

Hey masta; welcome to the forum also.

If you get a chance, it would be cool if you could post a couple pics of that guitar. It sounds interesting. If you want, you can email them to me, and I'll host them.

Artie

 

[masta kink]

Re: New member with a pickup selection problem

ArtieToo - Cool, thanks for the offer. I have some decent shots of it on my machine at home. It's just a basic black, strat-shaped body. No pick guard. One knob (volume). Non-locking tremolo bridge. Still has the serial number stickers on the back of the neck! Just a very sleek, shiny, no-nonsense-looking guitar as it hung on the pawn shop wall lo those many years ago... That guitar literally went halfway around the world with me and back (without a case of any kind!), and it plays as smooth today as it ever did. She deserves a decent pickup. Plus, you never really get over your first love, huh?