Thanks for the Advice.

G

Guzziac

New member
Though not new to Elictrics by any means I have just of late found this forum and have enjoyed reading thru some of the helpful info that can be found. Lot's of good advice.
Just receintly I replaced the stock PU's in my G-400 Eppi SG copywith the Jazz/JB set. I have fiddled with it for a couple of weeks and had just about given up on getting a sound from the JB that I thought complimented the great tones that the Jazz was giving.
In reading the thread on how much PU height changed tone, Already knew it had a dramatic effect, I saw some stuff on lowering the body and raising the screws giving more of a single coil /P90 quality to the tones.
Well I put it to the test tonight and your right on the mark. I lowered the body and raised the screws somewhat like a stagered Fender PU and what a differance. I still may try a 59B in place of the JB, but still the effect of moving the adjustments this way are not to be denied. I would have to say this is the first time that I have been really close to getting what I want from a HB set-up. I have for years been a Fender then G&L king of guy. In the last year I've been searching for a HB sound that I liked. I put the Seth set in my Ibanez ARC-300 and they made a super sounding git out of it. SO I thought I'd try the Jazz/JB set for the SG. BYW I play thru a Allen Encore that I built from kit and it is a great tube amp, very versital.
Thanks to all for the advice.
Guzziac
 
Re: Thanks for the Advice.

Try a different magnet in your JB. The A2 JB is getting fans, as is the A8 JB. Both those soften the spike and add warmth.
 
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Re: Thanks for the Advice.

cool! ... glad it is workin for ya ....

you might like phat cats too .. P90 goodness in a double coil humbucker package

would kill in an SG clone, i bet

cheers
t4d
 
Re: Thanks for the Advice.

tone4days said:
you might like phat cats too .. P90 goodness in a double coil humbucker package, would kill in an SG clone, i bet
Click to expand...

I have a Phat CatN in a couple Epi SG's, with an HB bridge. Gives nice tones if you swap the magnets; the twin A2's make it very dark in a mahogany body. To brighten it & open up the tone so it really sounds like a single coil, I've used these in the neck position:

A5/A2 - brighter than stock, but still retains some warmth
A5/A3 - very bright, chimey, and open
A5/A4 - higher output, with mid-range punch, and enough treble to cut thru.

These combos also work well in neck P-90's.
 
Re: Thanks for the Advice.

listen to blueman, he knows what he's talking about:D
i use an a2 JB btw, you may want to check it out. totally gets rid of that honky hi-mid harshness and replaces it with fatter, fuller-bodied mids.
 
Re: Thanks for the Advice.

Sounds like I need to get an A2 magnet for the JB. They are not bad from John at Wymore. You got the idea, highs too spikey is a good description for whats going on. I should get the 59b in this week so I will try it out first. I will probably order the magnet anyway.
Blueman, What would you recommend to have on hand for swaps? I say this since they are not expensive and the shipping will probably be the same for a few as for one.
Guzziac
 
Re: Thanks for the Advice.

First rule, work with what you have. Try some different pots & magnets. That usually gives me the tone I want. If not, step two is swap the PU(s) with a spare you have. Step three is actually buying a new PU. See that it's way down the list.

What has happened many, many times, is that players try to short cut this and skip steps 1 & 2, and dive into a new PU, based on recommendations (that are usually confused and contradictory). They think any new PU should sound "perfect" in their guitar and they refuse to touch a screwdriver or a soldering iron. But because wood is a complex organic material and notoriously inconsistent, PU's rarely sound the same, one guitar to the next. So they immediately drop $100 on another PU, which it turns out they don't like any better, then desparately buy yet another PU. Some guys have $500 into this, and still don't have the tones they want. The sad thing is $10 of pots and magnets could have probably given them excellent tones.

The magnets that come stock in a PU are only a suggestion from the manufacturer. There are 5 common alnicos, with different EQ's and outputs. If you've only tried one, you don't know what that PU's capable of. The best advice: listen for characteristics you do & don't like, and choose a few magnets based on that. Where do you want the EQ to go? A PU in the hand is better than two in the mail.
 
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Re: Thanks for the Advice.

I too have learned a ton about my guitar set ups from the guys on this forum. I am pretty well versed in amplifiers but to be honest, I never really did any experimentation with my guitars. I was reasonably happy with the setups on most of my guitars...at least i thought I was. It never occured to me that string types would have an impact on tone; I learned that here and tried it myself. I always bought steel strings and never ventured into the nickel territory. After following a thread here on bright guitars, I tried nickel strings in my ear splitter...incredible. A guitar that I thought was decent but not anything to write home about suddenly was more balanced than my best guitar. This has started a chain of events that won't be ending for a while. As I glean more information from you guys, my guitars and playing improves. I read the magnet swap threads with great interest but I'm not at the point that I feel a need to adjust anything...as my ear improves, I'm sure I will go there. This forum has tons of great advice and, I for one, appreciate the opinions as well.

I just felt like tipping my hat to the fine people that contribute thier hard earned knowledge so that I don't have to drop more coin on a direction that I'm not sure I wish to go in. Salute!

Jerry
 
Re: Thanks for the Advice.

glassman said:
I read the magnet swap threads with great interest but I'm not at the point that I feel a need to adjust anything...as my ear improves, I'm sure I will go there.
Click to expand...

If you've had a guitar for a while, you may have gotten used to it's sound, good or otherwise. It's usually on new guitars and PU's, that we're more critical and have higher expectations. That's where magnet swaps are most common. But listen to your old guitars, and see if they have the best possible tones. Does playing them inspire you?
 
Re: Thanks for the Advice.

blueman335 said:
If you've had a guitar for a while, you may have gotten used to it's sound, good or otherwise. It's usually on new guitars and PU's, that we're more critical and have higher expectations. That's where magnet swaps are most common. But listen to your old guitars, and see if they have the best possible tones. Does playing them inspire you?
Click to expand...

It does, definitely...but I think that as my ears mature, so will my expectations. That's where your experience and knowledge really comes in handy.
 
Re: Thanks for the Advice.

You said it. After making the adjustments I could not put it down. Big differance, for sure.

You still didn't answer my inquiry on what magnets to purchase in order to have a good chance at getting the right one in my PU. I know you suggested an A2, but what others should I keep on hand if I'm going to work with this magnet swap thing?

Thanks.

Guzziac
 
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