One of those semi-stupid questions - my turn

[jackson1]

Let's say i had a 24 fret Soloist routed for 2-hum (well, i bought one used, but it's hasn't arrived yet) - and it needs some good pickups. Note: the neck pu is gonna be a true single coil.

I'll probably put in a Duncan Custom or Distortion in the bridge, but the neck position is open for single coil suggestions. And here's the "stupid" part: i want to aim for a SRV sound as close i can get with this guitar. Can you come up with some good suggestions and advise? I need some quack [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img] Is it possible?

Do you think the Duncan APS-1 Alnico II ProTM for Strat® has a too low output, to be useable working alongside with the Custom/Distortion in the bridge?

[JACKSONFREAK]

Re: One of those semi-stupid questions - my turn

If you want SRV tone out of the neck pup. Do a Fender Texas Specail. Thats what he used in his Strats.
Or a SD Alnico II maybe.
Gil

[jackson1]

Re: One of those semi-stupid questions - my turn

The experience i have with splitting a humbucker is less than good. I never heard a good, open, genuine single coil sound from a split hum. Do you agree or have i just not been lucky? [img]graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]

Lots of good suggestions though, thanks. I wonder if i could put in a 5-way switch instead of using the original 3-way....(at least i think it is 3-way).

As far as the looks when putting in a single coil in a hum cavity, i don't agree. Well OK, i've never seen this done in real life (anyone have pics?), but i messed around in Photoshop and made this picture. The design i pretty close to the actual guitar. I don't think it looks that bad:

[edit: i forgot to mention that a special ring would be used for the neck pu, with a special cut for a single coil, so no gaping hole would be visible]



[ May 29, 2003, 01:12 AM: Message edited by: jackson1 ]

[toejam]

Re: One of those semi-stupid questions - my turn

You could always get a DiMarzio Humbucker From Hell for the neck (single coil sound in standard humbucker housing). As far as the bridge pup with coil splitting, a hotter humbucker will give a better single coil tone when split, like an X2N, for example. I put an X2N in my Model 5A with a push/pull coil tap, and it got a very good single coil sound.

A super five-way switch would be a good option, too, like my Double Fat Strat. Position 1 is full bridge humbucker, 2 is inner coils of both pups, 3 is both humbuckers, 4 is top coil of neck pup, 5 is full neck humbucker. You could also wire it for outer coils or one outer/one inner, whatever way you want it split. My Ibanez 7-string also has the five-way with two humbuckers, but I think position 4 has the neck coils wired in series or parallel, IIRC.

[jgcable]

Re: One of those semi-stupid questions - my turn

The reason I mentioned this is because I have an Ibanez RG7621 that has 2 humbuckers and a 5 pos switch. That guitar sounds like anything from a full shred machine to a telecaster/stratocaster. This is achieved by autocoil taps on the 5 pos switch. If you want pickups that sound great when coil tapped just look for guitars that use auto-coil taps. For instance: Ibanez, they use Tone Zones, Evolutions, PAF Pros, Nortons, Air Nortons, Freds, Blaze, Breeds. All these pickups sound GREAT when tapped. The Dimarzio Dual Sound is basically a super distortion that is set up to coil tap. EMG's would be a great choice because the 89 (I think) is coil tappable. Carvin pickups sound fantastic when coil tapped. The problem with them is that they have 2 mounting screws on one side and 1 on the other and they have 2 poles per coil per string so they don't look like normal humbuckers.

[Twisteramps]

Re: One of those semi-stupid questions - my turn

One thing that will keep you from a 'real' SRV/Strat tone is the fact that a soloist is 24 frets - the pickups are going to be in the wrong spots.

Pete

[jgcable]

Re: One of those semi-stupid questions - my turn

A single Texas Special in the neck will not give you the SRV tone. This is because the SRV signature tone is a combo of the neck and middle pickups or the bridge alone or the bridge and middle (positions 1,2 and 4 on a strat 5 way switch).
Put a 4 wire humbucker in the neck (if it is already routed for 1 it will look much better)
Put a 4 wire humbucker in the bridge.
I would suggest a Norton in the bridge and a PAF Pro in the neck.
You need to wire the guitar with an auto-coil tap so that when you switch your pickup selector you will get:
Pos. 1 full bridge humbucker
Pos. 2 Outside coil only on the bridge humbucker and inside coil on the neck
Pos. 3 full neck humbucker
OPTION FOR Pos. 3 full humbucker neck and coil tapped bridge. This sounds like a hot Nashvill tele.
Auto coil taps are really easy to hook up. Basically what happens is the switch automatically seperates the wires in your humbucker that connect the 2 seperate coils together and it turns into a single coil.
You need a 3PDT switch but they are really easy to get.
Another solution and using 2 humbuckers is to wire the 2 humbuckers normally to the 3 pos. switch that is on your soloist. Now, install a mini toggle on/off coil tap switch and connect it to the neck pickup coils. When you are in the middle position (both pickups on) you flip the coil tap and it shuts off one of the coils on your neck pickup and POOF!! Instant SRV. Well almost.. It is pretty darn close.
The simplest way to do it with your soloist is to put a single coil in the neck and a humbucker in the bridge but a single coil in a humbucker sized route doesn't look to good. In the middle position is should sound sort of like SRV.
What I would do is set up auto coil taps that would turn the outside coil on the bridge on and the inside coil of your neck pickup on automatically. This is really close to the SRV tone. Good luck!!

[Black Mariah]

Re: One of those semi-stupid questions - my turn

The important thing here is the fact that SRV used an old-ass beat to s**t bolt-on Strat with three single coils and you just CAN NOT get the same tone from a brand new, neckthru, H/S Soloist. That signature SRV sound is a neck/middle pickup combo, wired out of phase with massive strings. You'll go insane trying to get that tone from a Soloist. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[Chuckracer]

Re: One of those semi-stupid questions - my turn

Add in what Pete said, and you are both WAY right. I've been thinking it all along reading this thread, but hesitated saying it.

[jackson1]

Re: One of those semi-stupid questions - my turn

Yeah, maybe i should let it go. That's what i meant with the "stupid" part in the header, but i just couldn't resist asking. I would just love to have that sound available in the Soloist, but you guys are probably right - it's a long shot.

Thanks for the many ideas, jgcable.
The idea about the Humbucker from Hell in the neck also sounds interesting. Probably not SRV sounding, but everything i read about this pickup is good. Very versatile in the neck pos apparently and with a very radical frequency design. Well, i'll keep diggin' and maybe i WILL try a true single coil in the neck just to get it checked out.

It's a pain in the neck [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] that you often have to BUY your way through the pickup jungle, to find the ones you like. It takes years and money.

[jgcable]

Re: One of those semi-stupid questions - my turn

If you have anymore questions just ask. Pickups and wiring is my speciality. I have had no problem getting almost any sound out of an electric guitar. All is takes is the correct pickup combo and wiring. Pete is right (as always), pickup location is very important to get the SRV tone but you can get it on a soloist. The inside coil position of the bridge position and the outside coil position of the neck position is close enough on a soloist to do the SRV thing. Nothing will subsitute a real Fender with Texas Specials but it would be pretty darn close with the correct pickups.
Most people don't know this but most humbuckers can be installed in either direction without any noticable change in tone. There are some humbuckers that have to be installed "in phase"(in one direction only). I once installed one and wired it so that 1 coil was autotapped out of phase (like the middle single coil on a strat) and the other humbucker was tapped in phase. That created a noise cancelling (humbucker) that sounded exactly like a strat. I did it on a Flying V. I have also custom made my own stacked single coil pickups using elcheapo squire singles except I would wire the bottom coil out of phase. The pickups had very low output but sounded very similar to a piezo. I installed one in a Peavey Vandenberg and it really did go from scream to "acoustic sounding" with a flip of the toggle switch. Research pickups before you run out and buy a set. They are as important as the guitar is. Maybe even more. A soloist with crappy pickups sounds crappy. A cheapo import with great pickups sounds pretty darn good.

[jackson1]

Re: One of those semi-stupid questions - my turn

I found out that the guitar in question has what i believe to be a 5-way multipole switch. Can you confirm this? Look:



It also has 3 pots (preferably 2 vol + 1 tone). I'm installing 2 DiMarzio 4-wire hums in it and thought why not get as many sounds as possible.

So, with the 5-way multipole switch and if possible, two push-pull volume pots, could you show me a schematic that make use of all these posibilities?

I have seen some, but none of them used the option of two volume pots with push-pull....