Pickup Brainiacs-I have a good one-ECP Bloomfield + ?

[SJ318]

Hello again, so soon,
Separate from my 339 recent post, I received a great Electric City Pup M.Bloomfield bridge pickup. The magnet was defective, sent it back, received it in perfect working order. It is a little hotter than advertised, from 7.7 to 8.1K. The pup is so bright, in a good way, that it is unmatchable with any spare Seth's or Jazzn's that I have in my spare box for a neck pup. The pup is a couple months old, and I'm broke right now, so need to use a spare.
It is SO BRIGHT, it sounds like an extra loud Strat s.coil bridge. So I am going to, for sure, see how that works out in the neck of my SG. Always wanted a brighter pup in the neck, the Jazz is great, but this might be even better. This pup has an A4 as part of the original build. All my spares have A4's because I dislike scooped A5's and A2's just don't sound right in "my" ears. Just me, I guess.
So what would be the better match as a bridge pup? Choices: Jazz neck A4 7.8K, Seth Lover bridge A4 8.2K, Antiquity bridge A4 8.6K. Checked output several times to be consistent. These pups are going in my SG RI tomorrow, for sure. Unless nobody answers, I might bump it once. Don't like to do that, feels like cheating, but I always like to hear your ideas and thoughts on the subject! (are thoughts the same as ideas?)
Equally good question, I have read that UOA5's smooth out scooped sounding pups, but are they similar in mid's to A4's?
Thanks a lot for reading, seriously,
SJB

 

[AlexR]

Re: Pickup Brainiacs-I have a good one-ECP Bloomfield + ?

PAF clones do well with UOA5. I have an UOA5(b)/A4 mag combo is a couple of guitars. There is a small tonal difference, but if your pickup is bright then this will help to tame it. Certainly accurate PAF clones will sound a bit more open and stinging than the more rounded symmetrically wound Duncans.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Pickup Brainiacs-I have a good one-ECP Bloomfield + ?

The Bloomfield style humbucker is designed to sound best in a Lester.

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Pickup Brainiacs-I have a good one-ECP Bloomfield + ?

So what would be the better match as a bridge pup?

I'd go for the A4 Antiquty first.

HTH,

 

[jeremy]

Re: Pickup Brainiacs-I have a good one-ECP Bloomfield + ?

me too, a4 antiquity

 

[SJ318]

Re: Pickup Brainiacs-I have a good one-ECP Bloomfield + ?

Antiquity A4 it is.
Any further thoughts on A4 compared with UOA5. I know the Lt. likes the UOA5, as do many here. When I first swapped mags to calm the lows and highs on my first Seth Lover (A2 not enough,A5 too scooped, although recommended by our Queen MJ.) I just naturally stayed away from any A5. Now it sounds like a cheap (and affordable) mag like the UOA5 might give a better overall oomph without being scooped. So as my search skills do suck even worse with the F'ed up half titles on the search page I tried yesterday, how about it: A4 vs. UOA5 for PAF type clones?
As always, I'd like to thank you for chiming in.
SJB

 

[SJ318]

Re: Pickup Brainiacs-I have a good one-ECP Bloomfield + ?

All I can say is WOW!!,
Antiquity bridge A4, Bloomfield E.CityPickups bridge A4(in neck position)in my SG R.I. vs. Seth L. A4 bridge, SH-2 std.A5(neck pos.) in my Les Paul '68 Custom. Playing was done on a Blues Jr., vol.-2, treb.-5, mid.-5, bass-0. no FX, very lightly with my nails, ala J.Beck, so the wood didn't really come into play, my control of picking strength is second nature to me, so both were played W/ equal string pressure.
The Sg bridge was similar in volume but a tad more "open", I believe this is the sound forum people call "airy". Put another way, the LP Custom bridge had a little more of a nasal sound to it. A tad like the middle of a half cocked wah (but VERY subtle). Good sound of course, but the Antiq. was much more to my tastes.
I liked the SG bridge more than the LP Custom. High strings had a little more sparkle, low strings a little less boomy. As both A4's were fully magnetized from the same batch, this proves the other things, such as winding, also make a big difference, even if the output and mag are the same.
The neck was no comparison, at least to me. The SG had more output (expected) but much more brightness and sparkle across the board, compared to the LP bridge. Bill (from ECP) might punch me if he heard I put a bridge pup of his in the neck, but on the other hand, he might just kiss me (on the cheek, of course) that I used a pup of his to get an absolutely wonderful sound, regardless of where I put it.
Good call on the Antiquity bridge choice, man, this SG is now my new stage guitar, it is beautiful. Duncan pups are just great, and I have had very, very good luck from E.C.Pups. Two of which are staying in my Stage strat, and my Telepartocaster. I hope I get at least a couple more chances on the big stage before my back makes it a no-go. I f'ing love my guitars.
The pickups in my SG sound so great to me, I wish I could have everyone play it, no sound clip or any of that, just hands on, in a empty garage somewhere. Well, that thread paid off. Guess I'm gonna take my SG to bed for a while and put my Strat back in the living room (show room) for a while.
Thanks as always,
SJB

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Pickup Brainiacs-I have a good one-ECP Bloomfield + ?

I'm happy it's working for you, Steve.

I'd like to mention Bill Megela, maker of the Electric City Pickups. He's not only an extraordinary p'up maker, he's also an outstanding vintage amp repair man, modder and dealer. I'd like to see him getting the recognition he deserves. Plus, he's a beautiful human being, and a darling to deal with to boot!

HTH,

 

[SJ318]

Re: Pickup Brainiacs-I have a good one-ECP Bloomfield + ?

Not to drag this out,
But what Pepe said about Bill is dead on. When I wanted to try his "Freedom" bridge out, he made sure I understood everything about this pup. We wound up talking for at least an hour. Got so off topic, half the conversation was not about pups. Called him by mistake an hour after he closed shop, and he said, "No big deal, what can I do for you?"
A stand up guy, I got 2 Freedom's from him and when the Bloomfield pup was just plain not right, I sent it back, it was a mag he bought in bulk of course, he charges his own I guess, on this one anyway, and it would not hold a charge. He checked his stock, could not find any that were like this, so it was a one of.
Anyway, he was supposed to write an intro for Premier Guitar, IIRC, on their recent "PAF" mag, but Bill thought he had a couple weeks, but they meant now, so he missed out. The point being, he was their first choice for an intro to the magazine.
Must thank Lt.K. for the referral. Bill is smart, a down to earth, boutique kind of PAF maker that sounds like close friend on the first call. His prices are way below what he could charge. Love the guy.
Been playing this SG for hours now, and I can't stop, it sounds exactly like what I hear in my head, ATS. (as they say)
SJB - he is the male M.J.

 

[bill m]

Re: Pickup Brainiacs-I have a good one-ECP Bloomfield + ?

You guys are too nice and Thank You very much!!!!

 

[Duffy1949]

Re: Pickup Brainiacs-I have a good one-ECP Bloomfield + ?

You guys are too nice and Thank You very much!!!!

Mike Bloomfield was a great player, along with Al Kooper (still playing). It is great to see that someone made a pickup for his name sake.

I'd sure like to buy a pickup to make me sound like Mike Bloomfield. Needless to say, a lot of other things went into his great sound.