Explorer84
Active member
Do you have it wired to the tone pot? If not, did it brighten up the pickup considerably?
Last edited:
SSL-5 bridge.
- Thread starter Explorer84
- Start date
Explorer84
Active member
I corrected the original question. I've been doing a lot of reading and it seems that one of the issues some people have/had with the SSL5 was it being a dark sounding pickup. Majority stated that removing the pickup from the tone pot resulted in a brighter sound. I was curious if anyone here has gone that route with the SSL5.
beaubrummels
Well-known member
That's the Gilmour pickup. I thought it was designed to not be on a tone control, e.g. standard strat wiring?
Explorer84
Active member
Yes, this is what I've read and my understanding. I guess I'll try reinstalling the pickup and bypass the tone control. There was too much contrast between the SSL5 and the Texas Specials for my taste. I've got to order a SSH pickguard for a Screamin Demon humbucker that I want to try if the SSL5 doesn't work out.
freefrog
Well-known member
The SSL5 has the inductance of a P90 (6.19H for 13k in my archives). Bypassing the tone pot makes its resonant peak higher but doesn't shift up the frequency of its resonance (stated at 4.9khz in the old Duncan tone chart and that I've measured at 4800hz on mine. To compare to the 10khz of a SSL1).
So it will always appear as high mid focused and lacking of treble compared to standard Strat PU's.
That said, in the 90's, I've recorded an original song for the wedding of my brother with a SSL5 played clean and it worked.
SIDE NOTE - A solution would be to put an inductive / resistive circuit in parallel from hot to ground with the SSL5, on a switch or a dedicated tone pot . It would need to measure 13k and an inductance of 4.5H. which would give 6.5k and 2.6H once the circuit in parallel with the pickup. Those are the values of the SSL1 and the tone would become similar, albeit with a less prominent resonant peak, not detrimental for a bridge pickup.
Where to find an inductor / choke of the proper value? There are mini audio transformers whose primary coil has the required inductance and can be paired with a series resistor, but they are not necessarily easy to find and their measured properties are sometimes not what the data sheets mention. So ordering such parts is always a shot in the dark.
A cheap and easy trick would be to order a cheapo P90 with ceramic magnets in the 13k range : products with such specs can be found on the web IME. Remove the magnets and put them on your fridge. Keep the coil with all its metallic part and put the pickup in the control cavity as a dummy coil. Should do the job. With the benefit that once in parallel with the SSL5, it will make it noiseless if this dummy coil is properly wired and placed.
That's not theory, BTW: I mount such things for decades. ;-)
FWIW.
So it will always appear as high mid focused and lacking of treble compared to standard Strat PU's.
That said, in the 90's, I've recorded an original song for the wedding of my brother with a SSL5 played clean and it worked.
SIDE NOTE - A solution would be to put an inductive / resistive circuit in parallel from hot to ground with the SSL5, on a switch or a dedicated tone pot . It would need to measure 13k and an inductance of 4.5H. which would give 6.5k and 2.6H once the circuit in parallel with the pickup. Those are the values of the SSL1 and the tone would become similar, albeit with a less prominent resonant peak, not detrimental for a bridge pickup.
Where to find an inductor / choke of the proper value? There are mini audio transformers whose primary coil has the required inductance and can be paired with a series resistor, but they are not necessarily easy to find and their measured properties are sometimes not what the data sheets mention. So ordering such parts is always a shot in the dark.
A cheap and easy trick would be to order a cheapo P90 with ceramic magnets in the 13k range : products with such specs can be found on the web IME. Remove the magnets and put them on your fridge. Keep the coil with all its metallic part and put the pickup in the control cavity as a dummy coil. Should do the job. With the benefit that once in parallel with the SSL5, it will make it noiseless if this dummy coil is properly wired and placed.
That's not theory, BTW: I mount such things for decades. ;-)
FWIW.
Explorer84
Active member
The SSL5 has the inductance of a P90 (6.19H for 13k in my archives). Bypassing the tone pot makes its resonant peak higher but doesn't shift up the frequency of its resonance (stated at 4.9khz in the old Duncan tone chart and that I've measured at 4800hz on mine. To compare to the 10khz of a SSL1).
So it will always appear as high mid focused and lacking of treble compared to standard Strat PU's.
That said, in the 90's, I've recorded an original song for the wedding of my brother with a SSL5 played clean and it worked.
SIDE NOTE - A solution would be to put an inductive / resistive circuit in parallel from hot to ground with the SSL5, on a switch or a dedicated tone pot . It would need to measure 13k and an inductance of 4.5H. which would give 6.5k and 2.6H once the circuit in parallel with the pickup. Those are the values of the SSL1 and the tone would become similar, albeit with a less prominent resonant peak, not detrimental for a bridge pickup.
Where to find an inductor / choke of the proper value? There are mini audio transformers whose primary coil has the required inductance and can be paired with a series resistor, but they are not necessarily easy to find and their measured properties are sometimes not what the data sheets mention. So ordering such parts is always a shot in the dark.
A cheap and easy trick would be to order a cheapo P90 with ceramic magnets in the 13k range : products with such specs can be found on the web IME. Remove the magnets and put them on your fridge. Keep the coil with all its metallic part and put the pickup in the control cavity as a dummy coil. Should do the job. With the benefit that once in parallel with the SSL5, it will make it noiseless if this dummy coil is properly wired and placed.
That's not theory, BTW: I mount such things for decades. ;-)
FWIW.
Interesting. Thank you.
Explorer84
Active member
I'll have to check it out.
