NPD Fralin Metal SHO

Securb

Securb

One of Jerry's Kids
I just got my Fralin Metal SHO (super high output) set in the mail today. Double black with, double black screws. The working name is Metal SHO (Super High Output). The nice thing is they push the limits of output but still use A6 magnets so they shall be warm as hell. The are designed to be a set with the neck having punch but having the ability to clean up nicely. I will be popping these in my B. C. Rich mahogany Mockingbird. I have to rip out the active harness and rebuild from scratch so please be patient for me to post first impressions.

Bridge 13.5K
Neck 6.5K

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Re: NPD Fralin Metal SHO

Oooooooooooo! Can't wait to hear what you think of these. They look killer and should fit right into a mockingbird! I have a mockingbird with DiMarzio Titans. KILLER SET for a guitar like that!
 
Re: NPD Fralin Metal SHO

ExplorersRock said:
Oooooooooooo! Can't wait to hear what you think of these. They look killer and should fit right into a mockingbird! I have a mockingbird with DiMarzio Titans. KILLER SET for a guitar like that!
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Yeah, I am excited. I gutted the Mockingbird last night. Was yours active or passive before you put in the Titans?
 
Re: NPD Fralin Metal SHO

I am getting excited myself pots and caps should be here Monday. There are a few things in looking at these pickups that I am digging. Most noticeable is the bobbins are much taller that typical PAF bobbins.
 
Re: NPD Fralin Metal SHO

Securb said:
Yeah, I am excited. I gutted the Mockingbird last night. Was yours active or passive before you put in the Titans?
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Passive. It came with a set of Duncan Designed HBs. Good pickups, actually. Much better than I had anticipated. But I heard good things about the Titans and had never owned a set of DiMarzios before. So it was time, and boy am I glad! THEY KICK ASS! When I was at NAMM last week, the lady at the DiMarzio booth said they are selling the Titans as fast as they can make 'em!
 
Re: NPD Fralin Metal SHO

First impressions is the pickups are super clear, warm and airy. They are very responsive with great note separation. I haven't played them through a beefy amp yet. Once I play ithrough the Marshall I will have a better feel for how they are EQed. They sounds like a Fralin but on steroids.

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Re: NPD Fralin Metal SHO

HKZSquared said:
Love that mockingbird!
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Matzanias said:
Great guitar.
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Thanks a lot. I have been getting a lot of compliments on this axe, most of them start with "when I was younger...". The Fralins fit with this axe perfectly, lots of grind and great low and mids. I am still playing around with settings but out of the box I am getting a great Iommi tone. One thing I will say about this guitar is B. C. Rich uses absolute garbage for electronics. The guitar plays great and the craftsmanship is awesome, the tone on this guitar was horrible. Everything inside had to be junked including the toggle and input jack. I knew I was replacing the pickups when I bought this guitar but I didn't expect this.

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Re: NPD Fralin Metal SHO

I have to record something CTN has been after me to get done. Maybe I will kill two birds with one stone and use this guitar.
 
Re: NPD Fralin Metal SHO

6.5K on the neck is interesting, it's a ceramic pickup, right? HFH territory?

Edit: I see, A6, duh. Still interesting.
 
Re: NPD Fralin Metal SHO

Securb said:
I have to record something CTN has been after me to get done. Maybe I will kill two birds with one stone and use this guitar.
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I assume no pun intended with the mockingbird... ;) If you get a chance to record with it I would be very interested to hear these pickups. No worries if you can't though!
 
Re: NPD Fralin Metal SHO

I'd love to hear those. I have a couple Zhangbuckers that were made with lower winds and A6s, but they were aimed for the bridge. The 8k is as high as I'd think anybody would want to wind. The 7.4k has the bizarre quality of being both light and dark at the same time, like a rain cloud on a sunny day. I wonder if these are the similar. With the 13.5k 43 AWG, you might not have to whack the strings as hard for output.
 
Re: NPD Fralin Metal SHO

scarr said:
the bizarre quality of being both light and dark at the same time, like a rain cloud on a sunny day. I wonder if these are the similar.
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That is a great description, they do have that incredibly balanced quality. You can read my full review on my blog if you would like.

Lindy Fralin is known as a pickup guru. People flock to him for historic repairs and his unique spin traditional tone. Lindy Fralin’s pickups evoke certain words when described. Terms resembling clarity, musical, articulate and balance are typical descriptors. With the release of Fralin’s new Metal SHO (Super High Output) pickups, words akin to grind, crushing, and searing will need to be added to that lexicon.
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http://www.tmrzoo.com/2015/64824/gu...in-metal-sho-pickup-set-myriad-metal-settings
 
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