Vowel-y Cocked Wah sounding humbuckers

[ebagjones]

Hello! Seen some posts in the past where people were discussing this, but I really love that singing almost cocked wah sounding tone my FS-1 gets for lead work in the bridge of a strat. I’m heard players get something similar (and of course fatter) out of humbuckers but I’m not sure what they’ve used. Most of the posts I’ve seen are quite old, but the general consensus seems to point toward the following pups.

SD Antiquity
Dimarzio PAF Pro
SD Seth Lover
Dimarzio Tone Zone
SD Custom Custom
Dimarzio FRED

I’d like to hear some opinions on these from folks that have played them if you would be so kind - also open to other suggestions that satisfy this need. Thanks!

 

[Securb]

Re: Vowel-y Cocked Wah sounding humbuckers

The Fralin High Output are very "vowely" IMO. This is straight into a JCM 2000 with no pedals.

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: Vowel-y Cocked Wah sounding humbuckers

The Tone Zone definitely has a vocal quality to it. In this clip (https://soundclick.com/r/s884z1) I'm mangling a Tone Zone from 0:36 - 1:08, then switch to Tone Zone/Evo Neck for the remainder of the lead (still keeping a fair amount of the Tone Zone vocal character).

I don't hear the same from the Seth Lover at all though. The Seth is clear and articulate . . . not really with that samemiddy/vocal quality. The slide/leads in this tune are a Seth Lover (admittedly with the tone up a little too bright):https://soundclick.com/r/s8afrm




My experience is that you're more likely to get that vocal kind of quality from higher output pickups.

 

[ibanezrocks]

Re: Vowel-y Cocked Wah sounding humbuckers

Definitely not the Seth Lover. Not really the Custom Custom either. I've had both of those pickups and they just don't do that cocked wah sound at all.

No idea about the antiquities but I doubt it.

It's really a Dimarzio sound. It's not all they do, but a good chunk of their lineup will do it. Tone zone, Evolution, PAF Pro, Fred, etc.

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[ebagjones]

Re: Vowel-y Cocked Wah sounding humbuckers

Thanks everyone. Sounds like I need to dump the Duncans off my list and add that Fralin High Output. I kind of wondered if that was a Dimarzio thing because the FS-1 does it better than any other single coil I’ve played. I was wanting to avoid too much output so maybe the FRED or PAF Pro would be a good option.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Vowel-y Cocked Wah sounding humbuckers

Yeah, I don't think either of the Duncans are EQ'd so severely to get that kind of sound.

 

[BeKindRewind]

Re: Vowel-y Cocked Wah sounding humbuckers

Jazz bridge maybe ? I find the Jazz in the neck gives a bit of the tone you're speaking of, so maybe the bridge version might too. Out of the ones you listed though none of those speak to me as having that tone

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[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Vowel-y Cocked Wah sounding humbuckers

Yah, that vowel tone is almost a DiMarzio hallmark. Duncans tend to be much more evenly voiced in the mids, although the JB can be a bit nasal sounding in certain specific guitars.

 

[oilpit]

Re: Vowel-y Cocked Wah sounding humbuckers

Duncans tend to be much more evenly voiced in the mids, although the JB can be a bit nasal sounding in certain specific guitars.

If Dimarzio's are a Crybaby set all the way open, the JB is a Vox wah 75% closed.

They both give that vowelly/midrange/vocal sound, the Duncan is just like 300hz higher

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Vowel-y Cocked Wah sounding humbuckers

What I like to do is use a smaller value capacitor in my tone control. Try a .02-.01 or .0047. It takes the top end off and gives that resonant hump. Sounds very similar to a cocked wah.

But I use a cocked wah when I really want that tone.


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[freefrog]

Re: Vowel-y Cocked Wah sounding humbuckers

What I like to do is use a smaller value capacitor in my tone control. Try a .02-.01 or .0047. It takes the top end off and gives that resonant hump. Sounds very similar to a cocked wah.

+1 about small capacitance bumping the mids (even if it's a solution that I've repetitively evoked online without any echo. Hence the interest to see it evoked by you, a pickup maker; another builder that I know personally still uses this trick as well, as did Dan Torres in his mid cut/"boost" control).

Among the pickups mentioned by the OP, I see two kinds of vowel-y transducers:

1-unpotted P.A.F. clones, which are vocal because of their construction;

2-high gain models, which are vocal mostly because of their high inductance.

The FS1 is a high DCR/inductance single coil, if memory serves me. So the answer appears to be in other high gain pickups...

Good luck in your tone quest, ebagiones.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Vowel-y Cocked Wah sounding humbuckers

Any of the DiMarzios with Dual Resonance technology (we just call mis-matched coils "hybrids" around here) will get you that sound to a degree...TZ, Norton (and their "Air" varieties), Fred, Steve's Special, Evo/Evo2, Crunch Lab, etc.

Some have had luck adjusting the poles of one coil significantly higher or lower relative to the other coil (typically the stud coil, since it is not adjustable), so that the pickup "sees" a stronger signal on one side. If you have dual rows of adjustable poles, you could try raising the poles on 3 strings for one coil and then the other 3 strings on the second coil. The result of these is more subtle than with the hybrid/dual resonance effect, but it's easy to try if you already have a humbucker in the guitar.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Vowel-y Cocked Wah sounding humbuckers

the dimarzio dual resonance is two coils, different wire but same # of turns, to be specific. which does seem to contribute to the vowely sound

 

[Archer250]

Re: Vowel-y Cocked Wah sounding humbuckers

I've always felt like this could be replicated using amp settings that push the mids more

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[GuitarStv]

Re: Vowel-y Cocked Wah sounding humbuckers

The Tone Zone definitely has a vocal quality to it. In this clip (https://soundclick.com/r/s884z1) I'm mangling a Tone Zone from 0:36 - 1:08, then switch to Tone Zone/Evo Neck for the remainder of the lead (still keeping a fair amount of the Tone Zone vocal character).

I don't hear the same from the Seth Lover at all though. The Seth is clear and articulate . . . not really with that samemiddy/vocal quality. The slide/leads in this tune are a Seth Lover (admittedly with the tone up a little too bright):https://soundclick.com/r/s8afrm




My experience is that you're more likely to get that vocal kind of quality from higher output pickups.

Whoop. Posted the wrong song in the first link (what was posted is actually a Seth Lover as well). Should be this one with the Tone Zone at the mentioned times: https://soundclick.com/r/s88eoi

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Vowel-y Cocked Wah sounding humbuckers

the dimarzio dual resonance is two coils, different wire but same # of turns, to be specific. which does seem to contribute to the vowely sound

You learn something every day. I never realized those all had the same turn count on both coils.
I knew they used different gauges but always figured they'd have more turns of the thinner wire.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Vowel-y Cocked Wah sounding humbuckers

They have "substantially the same number of turns" per the patent, but that doesn't mean they're exact, just that they're in the ballpark. DiMarzio built flexibility into their patent wording on purpose.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Vowel-y Cocked Wah sounding humbuckers

I’ve never heard a pickup by itself get a cocked wah tone. That to me has always required some kind of tone circuit. But the closest bridge Duncan’s that have a mid bump to work with in that direction I’ve played are Seth, A2P, Brobucker and a JB/A2. A Custom/Custom also but not so much. With an RCA2, yes.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Vowel-y Cocked Wah sounding humbuckers

They have "substantially the same number of turns" per the patent, but that doesn't mean they're exact, just that they're in the ballpark. DiMarzio built flexibility into their patent wording on purpose.

the old pups with the patent had the same # of turns from what ive heard over the years, not sure about the new ones. that language was put in so other companies couldnt try and skirt the patent by leaving off or adding a few turns here or there.

using a .01 cap on a tone control can be a cool way to get some of that vocal awww type tone

 

[MakerDP]

Re: Vowel-y Cocked Wah sounding humbuckers

Why not just use one of these and then you can turn it on and off at-will...

https://www.modkitsdiy.com/pedal/tea-philter