Played the re-issue EVH frankenstrat last night at GC (duncan related)

[roadstar II]

The first thing that floored me with suprise was the duncan
it is VERY,very low output, even more so than the EVH or 78 custom shop pup
it reminded me of a P-90 without the hum!
sounded like a tele on steriods or something? picture the tone of a tele and add some bucker fatness to it that is the tone of the duncan
the guitar played extremely well with a real real low action and had a loose feel
the neck is not all that thin from front to back like say a old charvel or ibanez
felt like a good strat neck to me.
back to the pup i guess it is a "broken" or a only sort of working custom shop 78?
it is NOT a 100% working custom-custom which i thought it may have been:grumble:

 

[Agustaburn]

Re: Played the re-issue EVH frankenstrat last night at GC (duncan related)

I believe the pu was built in fenders custom shop.

 

[roadstar II]

Re: Played the re-issue EVH frankenstrat last night at GC (duncan related)

I believe the pu was built in fenders custom shop.

NOPE, seymour did the bridge bucker and the switch (in the middle pup slot) and the single coil in the front:beerchug:

 

[ErikH]

Re: Played the re-issue EVH frankenstrat last night at GC (duncan related)

Assuming you mean the $25,000 replica, of course it's not a CC or even a cooler '78. It's a copy of the pickup that was in that guitar, which was a Gibson PAF from a Gibby 335 and one coil rewound by Seymour (I think it was one coil). The CC was used in his 5150 Kramer much later on.

The pickup in the replica was made by Seymour. The pickup in the Charvel Art Series guitars was made in the Fender Custom Shop.

 

[roadstar II]

Re: Played the re-issue EVH frankenstrat last night at GC (duncan related)

Assuming you mean the $25,000 replica, of course it's not a CC or even a cooler '78. It's a copy of the pickup that was in that guitar, which was a Gibson PAF from a Gibby 335 and one coil rewound by Seymour (I think it was one coil). The CC was used in his 5150 Kramer much later on.

The pickup in the replica was made by Seymour. The pickup in the Charvel Art Series guitars was made in the Fender Custom Shop.

Yeah it was the 25K one
GC got one in and of course it was in the glass showcase
but i know the sales man there and he let me try it out while he was there
I was told( by a very reliable person) that it was originally it was the 78 you can buy from the custom shop BUT eddies has been damaged:beerchug:
this explains its unusal under regular paf output and tone
it almost sounds like a single coil but fatter

 

[big_black]

Re: Played the re-issue EVH frankenstrat last night at GC (duncan related)

The first thing that floored me with suprise was the duncan
it is VERY,very low output, even more so than the EVH or 78 custom shop pup
it reminded me of a P-90 without the hum!
sounded like a tele on steriods or something? picture the tone of a tele and add some bucker fatness to it that is the tone of the duncan
the guitar played extremely well with a real real low action and had a loose feel
the neck is not all that thin from front to back like say a old charvel or ibanez
felt like a good strat neck to me.
back to the pup i guess it is a "broken" or a only sort of working custom shop 78?
it is NOT a 100% working custom-custom which i thought it may have been:grumble:

I was reading an article a number of years ago in some guitar mag, some article about the Frankenstein. The pickup was indeed a BROKEN PAF. Some of the coil windings are damaged and the output was compared to a P-90...very low.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Played the re-issue EVH frankenstrat last night at GC (duncan related)

Real lesson here - play it like you mean it. Don't worry about the gear. ed didn't.

 

[roadstar II]

Re: Played the re-issue EVH frankenstrat last night at GC (duncan related)

I was reading an article a number of years ago in some guitar mag, some article about the Frankenstein. The pickup was indeed a BROKEN PAF. Some of the coil windings are damaged and the output was compared to a P-90...very low.

IMHO the pup sounded very unique and unless seymour and ed agree to sell the "broken paf" through the custom shop no one will get that pups tone
to be honest it works for ed but not something i could use really
my old gibson T-top(7.3K) that i tried a alnico II in comes real close to the EVH broken paf pup tone
but i actually like the stock custom shop 78 or the CC a lot more:beerchug:
aint life a biatch!
i wanted the exact pup as ed's for years and after hearing/playing it myself i prefer what i already have and would not buy the broke eddie paf!

 

[revolution]

Re: Played the re-issue EVH frankenstrat last night at GC (duncan related)

hmmmm....I guess that explains the whole "whenever I plug a Mexican Tele or Strat into a dist pedal into a Marshall it seems to nail the VH vibe"...but then I think "nooooo that's just my imagination...I want to BELIEVE I can get the EVH sound with a cheap Fender but it's all in my head". D-A-M-N.....maybe it isn't.

 

[Majestic]

Re: Played the re-issue EVH frankenstrat last night at GC (duncan related)

Real lesson here - play it like you mean it.

Perfect.

And as Joe Satriani said, "Best right-hand in the business, and tone for days".

 

[rumbleinbriton]

Re: Played the re-issue EVH frankenstrat last night at GC (duncan related)

It's a copy of the pickup that was in that guitar, which was a Gibson PAF from a Gibby 335 and one coil rewound by Seymour (I think it was one coil).

So the actual pickup in the Frankie circa '78 was essentially an asymmetrically wound pickup?

Is the Custom shop EVH78 also asymmetrically wound?

(and apparently DiMarzio owns some kind of trademark on "asymetrically wound pickup" and so Duncan can't really advertise it as such?)

 

[pstarove]

Re: Played the re-issue EVH frankenstrat last night at GC (duncan related)

So the actual pickup in the Frankie circa '78 was essentially an asymmetrically wound pickup?

Is the Custom shop EVH78 also asymmetrically wound?

(and apparently DiMarzio owns some kind of trademark on "asymetrically wound pickup" and so Duncan can't really advertise it as such?)

Yes, asimmetrically wound, but IMHO a coil with shorted out windings has an unpredictable behavior due to that sometimes the coil shorts out and sometimes not due to vibration. It was my experience with a broken HotRails.

Dimarzio owns a trademark on unevenly wound coils using DIFFERENT gauge wire with the same number of turns. If someone winds an "unbucker" with different number of turns using the same wire (like the Pearly Gates or the Burstbuckers), Dimarzio can't do anything about that.

 

[KeyOfG]

Re: Played the re-issue EVH frankenstrat last night at GC (duncan related)

(and apparently DiMarzio owns some kind of trademark on "asymetrically wound pickup" and so Duncan can't really advertise it as such?)

Well Duncan doesn't want to advertise it as anything more than an excellent pickup that they've offered to wind for a while now. If someone wants one they ask for it, if not they get something else that they like. Can't really blame them, Duncan that is. Plus, I'm sure you'll get a much better (or technical) response than this, but what I've gathered just by reading a few threads is that: DiMarzio does own a patent for a specific asymmetrical wound pickup, that is with 1 bobbin wound with a certain gauge wire, and the other bobbin wound with a different gauge wire. ie: 42 & 43 used together.

Whatever.

It's beyond me why DiMarzio wants to 'own' the patents that they do. It's obvious that each company appeals to many people across the globe. If one person wants A, and another person wants B they will both gravitate to what they want. Simple.

The 2 patents that I'm aware of are kinda silly to begin with. But that's business.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Played the re-issue EVH frankenstrat last night at GC (duncan related)

ermm..

If you want that "brown sound" off VH-1..at least the majority of the album...

then you best be buying one of these...

 

[rumbleinbriton]

Re: Played the re-issue EVH frankenstrat last night at GC (duncan related)

Yes, asimmetrically wound, but IMHO a coil with shorted out windings has an unpredictable behavior due to that sometimes the coil shorts out and sometimes not due to vibration.

So let me see if I have this straight.. both the real Frankie pickup as well as the custom shop evh78 both have asymetrical wiring?

But the real Frankie pup (from an old 335) also may have had a shorted-out coil???

 

[Mephis]

Re: Played the re-issue EVH frankenstrat last night at GC (duncan related)

Does the customshop offer this pickup?

This sounds like a very interesting pickup. Wonder how different it would be from having a pearly gates neck in the bridge. I tried it once and it had a ton of early VH vibe, but the leads didn't jump out and scream as much as I wanted, more like a mellow singing voice.

 

[revolution]

Re: Played the re-issue EVH frankenstrat last night at GC (duncan related)

ermm..

If you want that "brown sound" off VH-1..at least the majority of the album...

then you best be buying one of these...

I am TOTALLY with you on that Jeff B!

 

[cbope]

Re: Played the re-issue EVH frankenstrat last night at GC (duncan related)

Does the customshop offer this pickup?

I believe I read somewhere (probably H-C) a few months ago that the custom shop will not make these for customers. Something about an exclusive agreement between Fender and SD and the ONLY way to get the pickup is to buy the $25k Frankie replica. I doubt any of these pups will turn up on eBay anytime soon...

Frankly, (no pun intended) I'm not really interested in a broken pup anyway. Ed's tone is in his hands. I know I'll never have his tone, no matter what pup I choose to use.

 

[jmh151]

Re: Played the re-issue EVH frankenstrat last night at GC (duncan related)

This is all ridiculous. You want instant EVH tone? Buy an Ernie Ball Axis. He designed the guitar, Dimarzio helped him design the pickups, and I can say that this guitars nails EVH better than anything else will.

 

[pstarove]

Re: Played the re-issue EVH frankenstrat last night at GC (duncan related)

This is all ridiculous. You want instant EVH tone? Buy an Ernie Ball Axis. He designed the guitar, Dimarzio helped him design the pickups, and I can say that this guitars nails EVH better than anything else will.

This is only true if you want to nail his early 90's tone. EVH later tones are very different from the tones from his earlier albums. If you want his earlier tones, better build yourself a Frankenstrat spending around $1000 total: body $300 neck $200, Floyd Rose $200, tuners $50, EVH pickup $160. Oh, I forgot to add paint and electrical tape