ToneFiddler
New member
ah, i see. thanks for the clarification
Seymour Duncan Psyclone - Filtertron in HB size
- Thread starter PFDarkside
- Start date
Securb
One of Jerry's Kids
Yes, I know that. The pickup in the neck of my Tele is a TV Jones Classic+ bridge pickup. Tonally it is close enough for what I wanted to dial in. Like I said "Malcolm-type rhythms" I am not trying to tone clone the guy. If I were in an AC/DC tribute band I might rethink my choices.
Scheckenbacker
New member
Hey all, new guy here on the SD Forums. Thought I'd chime in because I just got a 90s Ibanez Talman with HB Psyclones. I'm loving them so far. Only downside is the single vol & tone pot. Anyone else using a 25.5" scale solid body with Psyclones? How do y'all like to set yours up?
Ascension
Well-known member
Am intrigued by the Psyclones. Was looking hard at a set to go in my Carvin AE 185 but they are just a little wider than a normal bucker and would not fit without cutting that spruce top. I went with a set of Saturday Night Specials instead and like them but would have really liked to try the bucker sized Psyclones. Watching this tread.
JOLLY
Super Simonologist
Welcome to the forum!!
There isn't a lot of info on these pickups on this forum, so we'd love it if you can go deeper on your impressions. You comments on this can help a lot of people. How do they compare to other pickups you had in the guitar?
Scheckenbacker
New member
As of right now, I'm quite fond of the bridge pickup, though the neck pickup isn't anything to scoff at. I'm adjusting to a lot though with this guitar, since I've been playing a Jazzmaster almost exclusively for the past few years. The only thing that isn't foreign with the Talman is the offset body shape. Otherwise, it's got the Psyclones, a Strat style bridge, and a different neck feel.
So far, what I love most about the Psyclones is how different yet 100% useable each pickup can sound depending on where you pick. Pick towards the neck and it gets rounder on any pickup setting, but move back towards the bridge and you get into excellent twangy, Gretschy Filtertron territory, even with a solid ash body and 25.5" scale. The neck is wonderfully clear as opposed to some PAFs I've played. However, it lacks just a bit of that juicy character you get with a good PAF in the upper registers.
The middle setting is...not as different from the neck as I'd hoped. I mean, it isn't exactly the same but I was expecting a bit more of the cluck and hollowness you usually get with parallel wiring. It honestly sounds like a real blend of the neck and bridge. Then again, maybe it's supposed to sound like that? It's less inspiring than I'd hoped, but I haven't played with pickup heights yet either, so maybe things will change. The other downside to the Talman is one vol & tone pot, so I can't play with the pickup balance. Alas. My laments really shouldn't reflect a disappointment with the sound. It just isn't what I expected. Once I get accustomed to it, I'll probably learn to use and enjoy that sound for what it is rather than what I thought it would be.
But the bridge pickup. The bridge pickup! Love it. Absolutely love it. It's so stinking versatile that I could see myself owning a guitar with nothing but that and be perfectly content. It's got a fantastic grit that's ready when you dig in when it's wide open, but cleans up so well when you roll back the volume. It twangs, it rocks, it barks, it sings. I love a good low output PAF but this seems to offer so much more. I will happily recommend this pickup for anyone looking to get something a little bit different from the usual humbucker offerings. It's a good one.
These are my early impressions of the HB Psyclones. For context, my signal chain currently is Ego > Jackson Audio Prism > SD Forza > Tumnus > Donner Yellow Fall > ARP87 > Fathom > Supro Saturn MKII combo (24w, 6v6, 1x12", P12Q). I play alt-country/indie rock/funk/P&W/classic rock, nothing too high gain.
Hope this was useful! Open to further questions.
Edit 1/8/22: One variable I plan to try out to clear things up is some cobalt strings. I've never used cobalts before but I think it would be worth it in this case. My Saturn has so much low end and low-mids that I think they really muddy up these pickups. I also have a J Rockett Rockaway Archer coming in to try to clear things up a bit too.
Edit 1/9/22: Forget the cobalt strings. I plugged in a GE-7, lowered it slightly at 200Hz, and bumped up the 1.6 and 3.2kHz sliders a bit and, to use the cliche, it was like taking a blanket off of my amp. The neck pickup sounds glorious after this adjustment. If you've never played a Supro, they can sound really congested with HBs, especially at lower volumes. The guitar sounds alive now, and I'm looking forward to that Rockaway even more. Highly recommend these pickups!
Edit 2/28/22: +1 for EB cobalt strings. Liking those so far. Didn't gel with the Rockaway though. That got traded away for a Barbershop which I've quickly fallen in love with. GE-7 has been the best thing for the Psyclones and my amp. The settings from my previous post also seem to work well with the AC30 setting on a Strymon Iridium. Still loving these pickups.
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PFDarkside
of the Forum
A set in a Warmoth Mooncaster would be interesting.
I thought about building a Mooncaster...
PFDarkside
of the Forum
OT, but how would you configure it? I was thinking traditional Gibson style, 2H and TOM but with the nut width, profile and frets I like.
Scheckenbacker
New member
Mooncaster w/ Psyclones, fat neck, Gibson scale, and Jazzmaster trem...mmmm I like the sound of that.
Now I gotta think about it. I didn't get further than browsing the bodies.
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