Post by NoFilterChuck on Jul 25, 2015 19:11:25 GMT -6
So, i took some sandpaper to that strat of mine and removed the lacquer from the neck and fretboard, and it feels waaaay better now. And now, i'm researching the whole 'replace the pickups to fix the hum'. Who's got suggestions for what to do?
Also, the whole Les paul push-pull pot thing is pulling at my brain, wondering if it's possible to put a bunch of single-coil sized humbuckers on this thing, and set up some push-push pots to allow for a bunch of different tone configurations. Who knows what's what or what to do?
now that I think about it, what would be absolutely bananas would be to use an Arduino and transistor switching system to be able to cycle thru all the possible pickup configurations with mini humbuckers in all three positions
Post by tonycamphd on Jul 25, 2015 20:01:51 GMT -6
i only ever found the single/double humbucker useful in the bridge position myself, the push/pull pots and adding toggles to the pickguard is a great idea for a tone chaser like you chuck, i bet you'd get some great shit that way!
that's not right, let me fix that....
that's still not right, let me fix that again.....
I like Bill Lawrence strat PUPs, myself. Sells under the Wilde name. Wildepickups.com. His noiseless strats still have the vintage quack. The Wilde site has a bunch of diagrams on different strat configurations. Also, on the Billlawrence.com site (different from the pickup site) are a set of really informative articles about pickup design, magnetism, capacitance, inductance and other useful electric guitar stuff. Well worth checking out!
You can get as elaborate as you like, but you may need to make your own schematic or a bunch of searching. The schematic I posted uses one push/pull pot.
Post by NoFilterChuck on Jul 26, 2015 9:55:15 GMT -6
Anyone wanna trade guitar lessons for sax/arranging lessons? (im a grammy nominated horn/string arranger) Cmon someone hook me up with those nashville type chops!!
Post by jimwilliams on Jul 26, 2015 14:49:39 GMT -6
I had a strat with FOUR humbucking pickups back in the late 1970's. There's a good reason most have two. It's usually what you end up with after trying 4 thousand pickup combinations.
I had a Gibson L6-s back then too. It had two humbuckers and that 6 way rotary switch. Series, parallel, singles, out of phase, all the combos. I added two more and used one for each pickup, all the possible pickup/coil combinations. That two pickup guitar had 230+ pickup combinations, some I probably never heard more than once. Then it had a variable "vari-tone" circuit with adjustable notch depth and a preamp too.
Now I mostly play Telecasters, 3 combos getter done.
Post by jimwilliams on Jul 27, 2015 9:20:00 GMT -6
I designed a small pcb for a hum-cancelling onboard guitar preamp back in the mid 1980's. It used a dual opamp, one for the preamp, the other was for the dummy coil installed someplace inside. It has a gain trimpot for the signal and a hum-null trimpot for the noise. I measured a -80 db null with the AP, it works very well live, no hum, all tone.
I offered the design to Fender 25 years ago but they were not interested.
Post by NoFilterChuck on Jul 27, 2015 21:16:34 GMT -6
Why would you ever want to be able to control the volume of the noise? I'm pretty sure all of us would opt for "no noise". hence the reason humbuckers are so successful, and not overly complicated via extra circuitry. I'm not hating on your idea, but the humbucker does what your thing does without the need for a PCB and op amps, so... *shrug*
Why would you ever want to be able to control the volume of the noise? I'm pretty sure all of us would opt for "no noise". hence the reason humbuckers are so successful, and not overly complicated via extra circuitry. I'm not hating on your idea, but the humbucker does what your thing does without the need for a PCB and op amps, so... *shrug*
Re-read, there is a gain trim for the signal and a hum-null trimpot for the noise. It's nulled out -80 db, better than many humbucker pickups. That means I can use original, "vintage" (hate that word, I'M VINTAGE!) Fender Telecaster pickups with all that worshipped tone and glory sans noise. The small pcb fits between the volume and tone pots under the metal plate. The battery sits below in that compartment. The dummy coils are fitted inside or under the strings.
Some of us like the sound of single coil Fender pickups, you know, Beck, Hendrix, Clapton, Gilmour, etc. Dual coil humbuckers can make you sound anonomous with their doubled fundemental. Single coil pickups allow more of your player personnality to come through.
popmann
RGO Senior Member Longwinded Waxer of Gear Poetic/He Who Is Obtuse/Resident Underachiever
If my choice was noiseless humbuckers in a strat or no strat, I'd pick none. They always sound like some combo of the worst sounding thin single coils and homogenizing humbuckers all rolled into one.
I don't have any issue with a humbucker. Like an actual humbucker....it's cool for heavy tones--gives it a much needed mid focus and stronger fundamental....
My 335 clone is the noisest guitar I own barre none. It's ALSO the only one with Humbuckers any more. Cavity not being shielded or poor wiring adds more noise than pickup choice. No way to shield a 335's cavity open to the air that I'm aware of....
I like the Deaf Eddie switch on strats (look him up on google), lots of extra pickup combinations, stock appearance.
If you need noiseless strat pickups I suppose I favor the old Lace Sensors. They sound different, but kind of special in a way. If you're looking for something different.
But the Deaf Eddie switch will give you some humbucker sounds with any pickups, including stock single coils. It's like you still have your regular strat, then flip the switch and go nuts.
Beg to differ on that one, Guitar. The Lace Sensors always sounded like dull, lifeless, compressed flat tone-sucking leeches to me. and there was a down-side too.
On the other hand, Fender's Sumarian Noiseless cobalts are REALLY nice.
Oh I agree. There was just something about that Blue one in the neck. It was so dark and compressed, I responded to it creatively. I bought one that I'm going to put into a tele I'm building from scratch. My friend in VA has the necks right now he's still sanding in the radius on the fretboards, several intense workdays still to go on that project. Started them in 2013.
I wouldn't want to use Lace Sensors if I only had one guitar, but as a second or third instrument I think it could be a useful tone. My favorite strat pickups though are the Fender Custom Shop sets, I have those in my #1 and #2.
Beg to differ on that one, Guitar. The Lace Sensors always sounded like dull, lifeless, compressed flat tone-sucking leeches to me. and there was a down-side too.
On the other hand, Fender's Sumarian Noiseless cobalts are REALLY nice.
I have a start plus from 89... its my baby...
it has gold lace sensors in it..
I have always loved them... never cared for the blue or the red...
