Saturday Night Special

[TroyBaer]

Re: Saturday Night Special

I'm noticing a trend with 70's throwbacks right now.

The show Vinyl, The movies The Nice Guys and Everybody Wants some...The cover art to the latest Shameless Season and now pickups that nail 70's tones.

I for one support this trend.

Pop culture is generally on a ~17-20 year cycle. This would be the second time around for the '70s, the previous time being in the early to mid '90s...

 

[Guitar Rod]

Re: Saturday Night Special

I'm not looking forward to the 2000s throwback. :grumble:

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Saturday Night Special

Not to continue to derail, but I wanted to add my .02. I take video demos with large doses of salt. Check out as many as I can and always wait for word of mouth from people I share taste with before I leap on any new pickups.. Too often demos online, especially youtube are usually played through heavy effects or played in a style either I personally don't care for or that isn't becoming of the pickup. Be like listening to a video of some kid trying to djent on a set of these. If it sounds good then I can add versatility to the pluses, but not the pickups forte... So, I wait for a good various sampling..

 

[Mincer]

Re: Saturday Night Special

I will say that the audio compression on YT really messes with the sound. Videos can only take you so far, but I bet videos are more used than high-quality sound clips. We live in a video world, I guess.

 

[Lorenzar]

Re: Saturday Night Special

After getting the '59/Custom combo for my down-tuned SG and the Slash set for my standard tuned Classic LP, I was still hesitating for my standard SG (standard tuning).

I was looking to get '59 in the neck and Custom 5 in the bridge, I'm now seriously consedering to wait for those Saturday Night Special, as the description sounds very appealing on paper.

I'm all about getting a neck pickup that clears up a lot the neck slot and for the bridge, I want something different and possibly hotter from the Slash on my LP but without getting "too far", espacially since I have a SH-6 Jackson loaded and plan some day to get an EMG or Blackout loaded Explorer to cover heavier chuga-chuga metal grounds.

The SG should be my in between guitar, between blues/classic rock/southern rock and hard rock/metal.

I'm very happy with the regular custom on my low tuned SG so I was looking to get the Custom 5 for the standard SG to have a less agressive version of it.

But now seriously considering Saturday Night Special set, or maybe even a Saturday Night Special in the neck and a Whole Lotta humbucker in the bridge.

What do you guys think ?

 

[darthphineas]

Re: Saturday Night Special

I'm all about getting a neck pickup that clears up a lot the neck slot

based on what you mentioned and considering Seymour's catalog, a Seth or a SNS in the neck of a LP would be good options.

I've had a lot of attempts at finding a neck humbucker to make my LPs less woofy and flabby and boomy. when I'm done evaluation a Seth Lover set in one of my test guitars, that's what I'm going to try in one of those Lesters. only other thing I've tried that'd come close to clearing up a neck slot in my Lesters would be one of ReWind Electric's Jimmy Page neck pickups.

 

[Lorenzar]

Re: Saturday Night Special

Oh I'm talking about the SG when I want to clear up the neck slot.

For the LP, I'm happy with the Slash neck. Just want a different type with the SG.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Saturday Night Special

After getting the '59/Custom combo for my down-tuned SG and the Slash set for my standard tuned Classic LP, I was still hesitating for my standard SG (standard tuning).

I was looking to get '59 in the neck and Custom 5 in the bridge, I'm now seriously consedering to wait for those Saturday Night Special, as the description sounds very appealing on paper.

I'm all about getting a neck pickup that clears up a lot the neck slot and for the bridge, I want something different and possibly hotter from the Slash on my LP but without getting "too far", espacially since I have a SH-6 Jackson loaded and plan some day to get an EMG or Blackout loaded Explorer to cover heavier chuga-chuga metal grounds.

The SG should be my in between guitar, between blues/classic rock/southern rock and hard rock/metal.

I'm very happy with the regular custom on my low tuned SG so I was looking to get the Custom 5 for the standard SG to have a less agressive version of it.

But now seriously considering Saturday Night Special set, or maybe even a Saturday Night Special in the neck and a Whole Lotta humbucker in the bridge.

What do you guys think ?

For a standard tuned SG, well, we hear what it sounds like- and it is pretty awesome. I'd certainly consider it.

 

[darthphineas]

Re: Saturday Night Special

hey Mincer, wanted to throw this one your way. seemed better to bump this thread, since the supporting posts are already in here. :bigthumb:

while working on an article about some Alnico 4 PAF humbuckers, I was going over my notes and referring to the published product information from each respective company. you know, facts and all that stuff. lol! anyway, it looks like the product description of the Saturday Night Special has changed.


when released, it was:

The Saturday Night Special Set is made in Santa Barbara, California on the same Leesona pickup-winding machine that made the original P.A.F.s in Kalamazoo. Comes standard with four-conductor wiring, maple spacer and short mounting legs​

now it is:

The Saturday Night Special Set is made in Santa Barbara, California. They come standard with four-conductor wiring, maple spacer and short mounting legs.​

That applies to the description for the bridge or the neck or the set.


I know there was a question in July about what was going on, as the neck SNS is not wound with Plain Enamel and why would they use the Leesona for that.. for example when it was posted here that "If memory serves, Duncan only claims to wind 42PE on the Leesona."

Then the answer I got from Duncan, referenced here is "We now use the Lessona with a number of wire types"



Did they stop making this set on the Leesona, as it was originally advertised?

 

[iamthesuck]

Re: Saturday Night Special

Pop culture is generally on a ~17-20 year cycle. This would be the second time around for the '70s, the previous time being in the early to mid '90s...

Hate to disagree and derail, but I think we're in the 80's pt 2, electric boogaloo

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Saturday Night Special

Did they stop making this set on the Leesona, as it was originally advertised?

As I told you before, knowing how cumbersome and time-consuming the setup of the Leesona is, I doubted the statement of using it with different types of wire.

Looks like they corrected the gaffe, while tacitly confirming the SNS set using poly wire (this can be easily seen by looking at the pictures provided) and wound on the other winding machines.

 

[darthphineas]

Re: Saturday Night Special

As I told you before, knowing how cumbersome and time-consuming the setup of the Leesona is, I doubted the statement of using it with different types of wire.

Looks like they corrected the gaffe, while tacitly confirming the SNS set using poly wire (this can be easily seen by looking at the pictures provided) and wound on the other winding machines.

I do remember your input earlier in the thread, both on 07-19-2016:

Well, the verbatim is quite clear: "The Saturday Night Special Set is made in Santa Barbara, California on the same Leesona pickup-winding machine that made the original P.A.F.s in Kalamazoo."

Arwin must be delighted!

I'm glad you also saw that. indications might lead some to consider that the description was altered.

Based on the skillset and the downtime necessary to setup the Leesona to accept another type of wire, and, considering they've at least a dozen automatic machines with memorized setups for any type of poly wire, I'd say NOT LIKELY.

HTH,

most definitely. my first thought was that it would seem odd to be going through that process on a 60+ year old machine. this video from Jon at ThroBak does show a Leesona with 3 stations...

but... given the # of models that the Duncan company already claims to be wound on the Leesona, it's interesting to ponder if it'd be warranted to pull 1/3 of that productivity for a different type of wire - provided all 3 stations are functional, of course. in this video, at the time it was shot on a tour of the Duncan company, it's only showing 2 stations working for whatever reason. starts at 5:56

https://youtu.be/iCqrGyEJFqc?t=5m56s

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: Saturday Night Special

I do remember your input earlier in the thread, both on 07-19-2016:




I'm glad you also saw that. indications might lead some to consider that the description was altered.




most definitely. my first thought was that it would seem odd to be going through that process on a 60+ year old machine. this video from Jon at ThroBak does show a Leesona with 3 stations...

but... given the # of models that the Duncan company already claims to be wound on the Leesona, it's interesting to ponder if it'd be warranted to pull 1/3 of that productivity for a different type of wire - provided all 3 stations are functional, of course. in this video, at the time it was shot on a tour of the Duncan company, it's only showing 2 stations working for whatever reason. starts at 5:56

https://youtu.be/iCqrGyEJFqc?t=5m56s

What a fantastic video!

I went through and watched the video on the slug winder too. That was really interesting as well. I try to take that stuff with a grain of salt though?

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Saturday Night Special

I try to take that stuff with a grain of salt though?

Meaning...?

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: Saturday Night Special

Meaning...?

Pretty much anything about 1 super secret thing being the key to XYZ. I'm prettt cynical thougg

 

[thanaton]

Re: Saturday Night Special

Around 4:25 in the video "due to how the travel of how the traverse works, makes the pickup have what I describe as a rounder tone, compared to the other machines we use."

The problem is that "round tone" can mean anything. Not only is there no science involved, but terms are used which are not falsifiable. To say you ought to take it with a grain of salt is an understatement. The video, and by extension ThroBak as a company, is as subject as anything ever has been. The difference is that they precede it with an impressive history lesson, which unfortunately, does nothing to change the subjective nature of their claims, in the end.

 

[darthphineas]

Re: Saturday Night Special

Around 4:25 in the video "due to how the travel of how the traverse works, makes the pickup have what I describe as a rounder tone, compared to the other machines we use."

The problem is that "round tone" can mean anything. Not only is there no science involved, but terms are used which are not falsifiable. To say you ought to take it with a grain of salt is an understatement. The video, and by extension ThroBak as a company, is as subject as anything ever has been. The difference is that they precede it with an impressive history lesson, which unfortunately, does nothing to change the subjective nature of their claims, in the end.

#1. Most talk that describes pickup voicing includes words that include round or soft or tight or rigid or open or congested or airy or compressed or edge or bite or growl or snarl or boomy or wooly or any other way that people try to describe what they are hearing.

#2. Evan, when he was still an active admin here, discussed some boundaries with regard to "slagging" other brands. Some might think that some of the comments made there about ThroBak could be in that territory.

 

[thanaton]

Re: Saturday Night Special

To say something sounds "round" is OK when it's one guitarist chatting with another, but when people are paying actual money for actual goods, the bar should be higher, because this what assures you that you're getting what you paid for. It's one thing if you say "it's more better", but it's another if it's coming from the company that is selling the thing.

I didn't choose to mention ThroBak out of thin air, someone posted their video.

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Saturday Night Special

To say something sounds "round" is OK

Of course it is. Specially when commenting a side-effect of the outcome of the product of the coils produced by one machine against three other different machines.

He could go all secretive with his tools of the trade, mind you. Somehow he chooses to open the doors of his workshop and share with all the internet to see and even sharing about some history notes and anecdotal data which, in fact, is pretty interesting for the geek inside some of us.

Then you take a dump on the poor guy, accusing him of fraud and deceit. You're NOT a nice person, thanaton. You're certainly NOT.

 

[thanaton]

Re: Saturday Night Special

When the benefits of your product are subjective, maybe even dubious, of course it helps to have an illustrious backstory. It facilitates interest. It's like talking about how your purified bottled water came from a particular hill side where water had been drawn by Druids thousands of years ago, was believed to cause spiritual visions, later a favorite of Lady Margaret Beaufort, known today for it's curious "round" taste. You want to try some of that water.