It is currently Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:36 pm

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 17 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Go to page 1, 2  Next
Author Message
Post subject: Potentiometers for SCN Pickups
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 1:58 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 1:48 pm
Posts: 1
I recently had my custom made strat equipped with a trio of SCN pickups...this guitar has just one tone and one volume control and I'd need to know what kind of potentiometers are the most appropriated for these pickups.

Thanks a lot.

Julio Gondin
Professional Musician / Music Teacher
Brazil :)


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject:
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 2:18 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist
User avatar

Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2008 3:29 am
Posts: 14
Location: Rhodes, Greece
Hello Julio,

As SCN pickups are like humbuckers, what you have to use is Fender's 500Kohm pots with a o.22 capacitor. You can try other capacitors like 0.47 or smaller 0.1(this is extreme) depent on how much bass frequencies you want to go through your final signal. Also you can add a small passive compressor by putting a resistor between the two active legs of the volume pot. The resistor can be from 1Kohm min or bigger. It's always better to try different ones to find your own tone.

William Sats


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 2:29 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2007 7:02 am
Posts: 8609
Location: Vacaville, CA USA
willsats wrote:
Hello Julio,

As SCN pickups are like humbuckers, what you have to use is Fender's 500Kohm pots with a o.22 capacitor. You can try other capacitors like 0.47 or smaller 0.1(this is extreme) depent on how much bass frequencies you want to go through your final signal. Also you can add a small passive compressor by putting a resistor between the two active legs of the volume pot. The resistor can be from 1Kohm min or bigger. It's always better to try different ones to find your own tone.

William Sats


How do you figure that SCN's are like humbuckers?

_________________
Chet Feathers

Authorized TonePros Dealer
Authorized WD Music Products Dealer
F/A Official Southpaw Compliance Certification Tester http://faamps.com/

http://www.facebook.com/cafeathers


I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Potentiometers for SCN Pickups
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 2:31 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2007 7:02 am
Posts: 8609
Location: Vacaville, CA USA
Julio Gondin wrote:
I recently had my custom made strat equipped with a trio of SCN pickups...this guitar has just one tone and one volume control and I'd need to know what kind of potentiometers are the most appropriated for these pickups.

Thanks a lot.

Julio Gondin
Professional Musician / Music Teacher
Brazil :)


I have seen SCN's using 1 meg, 500k, and 250k pots. I recommend CTS Audio taper pots. If you are handy with a soldering iron experiment with the different pots and cap values.

_________________
Chet Feathers

Authorized TonePros Dealer
Authorized WD Music Products Dealer
F/A Official Southpaw Compliance Certification Tester http://faamps.com/

http://www.facebook.com/cafeathers


I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 3:11 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist
User avatar

Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2008 3:29 am
Posts: 14
Location: Rhodes, Greece
Well a humbucker has 2 seperate coils with 2 magnets where this increases the magnetic field and the total resistance.
A Samarium Cobalt are stronger magnets, so one a single coil if we put an SC we increase the speed of the electrons in the coil so the magnetic field too. What i'm trying to say is that SCN pickups by one way they simulate the humbuckers by increasing the magnetic field with a stronger manget (i'm not sure for this but i think the type they use is Samarium Cobalt 1:5 series).


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 3:16 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2007 7:02 am
Posts: 8609
Location: Vacaville, CA USA
willsats wrote:
Well a humbucker has 2 seperate coils with 2 magnets where this increases the magnetic field and the total resistance.
A Samarium Cobalt are stronger magnets, so one a single coil if we put an SC we increase the speed of the electrons in the coil so the magnetic field too. What i'm trying to say is that SCN pickups by one way they simulate the humbuckers by increasing the magnetic field with a stronger manget (i'm not sure for this but i think the type they use is Samarium Cobalt 1:5 series).


Interesting theory. I don't seem to remember it that way when I visited with Bill Lawrence. It is Bill's design that Fender uses.

_________________
Chet Feathers

Authorized TonePros Dealer
Authorized WD Music Products Dealer
F/A Official Southpaw Compliance Certification Tester http://faamps.com/

http://www.facebook.com/cafeathers


I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 3:23 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2007 7:02 am
Posts: 8609
Location: Vacaville, CA USA
From Bill's website:

http://www.billlawrence.com/Pages/SCNHistory.htm

_________________
Chet Feathers

Authorized TonePros Dealer
Authorized WD Music Products Dealer
F/A Official Southpaw Compliance Certification Tester http://faamps.com/

http://www.facebook.com/cafeathers


I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 6:24 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist
User avatar

Joined: Thu Aug 02, 2007 5:12 am
Posts: 31
Location: Kitchener Ontario Canada
Gentlemen, I am curious if you guys think the SCN pickups do a good job of replicating that classic Fender sound while being noiseless. I found they were very muted and somewhat muddy and certainly not a classic Fender sound. When the neck pickup died I had to decide between buying an overpriced stock one or trying a custom made set for slightly more money. I went with the custom set and can't believe the difference. This is the sound and tone I have always been after and definitely what I would expect a Strat to sound like.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 10:21 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur
User avatar

Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2008 10:04 pm
Posts: 145
Location: British Columbia
Hi

What brand of custom pick-ups did you use that sound so good?

Regards

_________________
2006 Custom Shop Stratocaster Pro CC
2007 Parker NiteFly M
2008 Art & Lutherie Ami Cedar
2010 Seagull Entourage Rustic CW QI
2008 Blues Jr. Texas Red Ltd edition


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 10:46 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 10:47 am
Posts: 15336
Location: In a galaxy far far away
SCN's seem overwound to me. Perhaps a few less winds would thin the sound out a little.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 11:00 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2007 7:02 am
Posts: 8609
Location: Vacaville, CA USA
nikininja wrote:
SCN's seem overwound to me. Perhaps a few less winds would thin the sound out a little.


I was just checking out pickup specs and the SCN's are wound slightly hotter.
I may give Becky a call and see if I can get some clarification on these pickups.

_________________
Chet Feathers

Authorized TonePros Dealer
Authorized WD Music Products Dealer
F/A Official Southpaw Compliance Certification Tester http://faamps.com/

http://www.facebook.com/cafeathers


I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 12:22 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist
User avatar

Joined: Thu Aug 02, 2007 5:12 am
Posts: 31
Location: Kitchener Ontario Canada
I had a local luthier here in Ontario make me a set. The SCN's are definitely supposed to be wound hotter but in their attempt to make them noiseless it seems to dilute the sound and detract from the classic sound most Strat players are looking for.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 4:36 pm
Offline
Amateur
Amateur
User avatar

Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2008 10:04 pm
Posts: 145
Location: British Columbia
I kinda felt they same way with the sound of the SCN pick ups they seem to sound "thin" & "muddy" to me, but I got a new Blues Jr amp and my Strat with SCN's in it sounds awesome, so I am happy for now :)

Regards.

_________________
2006 Custom Shop Stratocaster Pro CC
2007 Parker NiteFly M
2008 Art & Lutherie Ami Cedar
2010 Seagull Entourage Rustic CW QI
2008 Blues Jr. Texas Red Ltd edition


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 4:50 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 10:47 am
Posts: 15336
Location: In a galaxy far far away
I love my scn's but never play em with the guitars volume on 10. Even when i want a good deal of gain i dial in more than i want and lower the guitar volume. I could of deluded myself but i'm sure it helps em sound more 'airy'.

Chet, will bill lawrence make em underwound on a one off order?


Top
Profile
Post subject: Still not entirely 'Noiseless'
Posted: Fri May 07, 2010 7:48 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Fri May 07, 2010 7:25 am
Posts: 1
[quote :? ="willsats"]Hello Julio,

As SCN pickups are like humbuckers, what you have to use is Fender's 500Kohm pots with a o.22 capacitor. You can try other capacitors like 0.47 or smaller 0.1(this is extreme) depent on how much bass frequencies you want to go through your final signal. Also you can add a small passive compressor by putting a resistor between the two active legs of the volume pot. The resistor can be from 1Kohm min or bigger. It's always better to try different ones to find your own tone.

William Sats[/quote]

:? I recently installed SCN's in my G&L Legacy. I wanted more performance, which is what I got, but I also wanted them 'noiseless', and they are, in fact much quieter, but not 'noiseless'. The problem, at least from your perspective, is that I am very handy with a soldering gun, but I don't understand all the nuances of what I am installing. I initially installed the SCN's using the Legacy pot configuration, and that didn't work at all, and created a LOT of noise. I went back to Guitar Center where I had purchased the pickups, and told them I wanted to do a complete re-wire including new pots. I told them I wanted to wire it as a Standard Deluxe would be wired. The guitar tech advised me to replace everything with 250K pots, which include a 0.22 capacitor. I followed the included wiring diagram that came with the SCN's faithfully (Thank you for including it! One mistake though - there is an ommision of where to connect the lead wire from the input jack. Called Guitar Center tech, and he filled in the blank - it goes to the un-used lead on the volume pot) , and double-checked all my work. I used good-quality wire (22 guage from Radio Shack), and by most measures, I got what I wanted, great tone and quieter. However, I was expecting truly noiseless, as I use it for recording. It still emits a mild (alomst slight) buzz that I would describe as an attenuated 60 Hz buzz that is going through a high-pass filter. The frequency of the buzz does change with pickup selection change. Any ideas?


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 17 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Go to page 1, 2  Next

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: