It is currently Mon Mar 16, 2020 2:14 pm

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 9 posts ] 
Author Message
Post subject: Vintage Noiseless pickup pot suggestion
Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 10:25 pm
Offline
Roadie
Roadie

Joined: Thu Jun 18, 2009 9:31 pm
Posts: 205
I have a Tokai Goldstar AST40 (basically a high quality '63 Fender copy) alder body etc. http://www.tokairegistry.com/images/cat ... ric_p3.jpg Stock pots I believe are 250k. Kinda hard to read since the solder globs cover up the numbers pretty good.

Anyhow...

I just picked up 1 Fender Vintage Noiseless pickup for the neck/or middle position. So I'm wondering if I swap the pickup in place of the old one, do I need to upgrade any other electrical stuff? If so what do you suggest?

I'm aiming for a hard-rock + blues sound out of this pickup. Still haven't decided if I'll put this in the neck or middle spot. Hmmm. what to do?


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject:
Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 4:50 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
I'd put it in the middle, especially if you play the in between positions a lot. Their high output pickups, if you put it in the neck it will exacerbate the perceived volume increase. In the bridge and it will be too shrill.

If you look along this forum section user Martian has sussed the pot requirements.

_________________
No no and no


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 9:57 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 24, 2007 7:33 am
Posts: 8461
Location: Mars, the angry red planet.
nikininja wrote:
I'd put it in the middle, especially if you play the in between positions a lot. Their high output pickups, if you put it in the neck it will exacerbate the perceived volume increase. In the bridge and it will be too shrill.

If you look along this forum section user Martian has sussed the pot requirements.


You rang?

Welcome!

Although they have a high ohms reading (typically 9.3K), the Vintage Noiseless (VN) are not high output pickups. They are essentially the same output as what you have in there now. With the exception of the pole piece spacing and the color of the hot lead wire, there is no difference between the neck/middle model and the bridge model.

IMO, the best place for a VN is in the neck position if you intend to play off it by itself. It emulates a late 60s type Strat pickup tonality and output. Meaning, it is of modest output and pretty void of any discernible midrange - Hendrix tone is achieved quite easily. In the middle, it can sound somewhat clanky but if all your going to do is use it to blend with one of the other pickups, it is an excellent choice. In the bridge, it is outright anemic and should be banned. As always, YMMV.

Your OEM 250K pots are fine.

_________________
You dig?


Top
Profile
Post subject: Vintage Noiseless pickup pot
Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 9:29 pm
Offline
Roadie
Roadie

Joined: Thu Jun 18, 2009 9:31 pm
Posts: 205
Thanks for the great advice and info! I'm glad to learn the pots won't have to get switched out.

I played my Tokai today and decided that my neck pickup is currently the weak link soundwise. My bridge and mid sound nice distorted together and I don't want to lose that for the time being. I also found this great Vintage Noiseless test on youtube and that was a definite reassurance...Neck it is! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rpgma01PghE

My stock bridge pickup sounds sweet on my amps clean, but not great with my distortion pedal. Eventually I'll want to replace the bridge assuming I don't lose such sweet cleans and it can sound killer distorted. Anyone have a hard rock Seymour Duncan suggestion for the bridge?

Thanks again guys!


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Vintage Noiseless pickup pot
Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 9:50 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 24, 2007 7:33 am
Posts: 8461
Location: Mars, the angry red planet.
warmachine wrote:
Thanks for the great advice and info! I'm glad to learn the pots won't have to get switched out...Neck it is!... Anyone have a hard rock Seymour Duncan suggestion for the bridge? Thanks again guys!


You're quite welcome.

Now, define your version of, "hard rock".

_________________
You dig?


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Vintage Noiseless pickup pot
Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 7:16 am
Offline
Roadie
Roadie

Joined: Thu Jun 18, 2009 9:31 pm
Posts: 205
Martian wrote:
warmachine wrote:
Thanks for the great advice and info! I'm glad to learn the pots won't have to get switched out...Neck it is!... Anyone have a hard rock Seymour Duncan suggestion for the bridge? Thanks again guys!


You're quite welcome.

Now, define your version of, "hard rock".


Found out about Rainbow and have been listening a lot to them. I heard Ritchie Blackmore's strat sound was more due to very high volume, which can't happen in my situation. Also listening to Deep Purple, Dio era sabbath, Velvet Revolver, Iron Maiden (metal I know).

As far as a bluesy rock:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKf7oYyw ... re=related

As far as a Strat hard rock sound I'm liking:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_-4BXng9Zw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OFSyBQZ3z8


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Vintage Noiseless pickup pot
Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 10:10 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 24, 2007 7:33 am
Posts: 8461
Location: Mars, the angry red planet.
warmachine wrote:
Martian wrote:
warmachine wrote:
Thanks for the great advice and info! I'm glad to learn the pots won't have to get switched out...Neck it is!... Anyone have a hard rock Seymour Duncan suggestion for the bridge? Thanks again guys!


You're quite welcome.

Now, define your version of, "hard rock".


Found out about Rainbow and have been listening a lot to them. I heard Ritchie Blackmore's strat sound was more due to very high volume, which can't happen in my situation. Also listening to Deep Purple, Dio era sabbath, Velvet Revolver, Iron Maiden (metal I know).

As far as a bluesy rock:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKf7oYyw ... re=related

As far as a Strat hard rock sound I'm liking:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_-4BXng9Zw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OFSyBQZ3z8


Well, well, well, Blackmore! I know a thing or two about getting that sound as he was and still is, my favorite guitarist and the reason why I gravitated towards Strats in the first place. As a matter of fact, I played in many a band which featured many Deep Purple and Rainbow tunes.

Sidestepping Blackmore's rig and pickup choice(s), after MUCH trial and error and with limited funds, I was able to virtually duplicate his sound with my Strat ultimately using a Seymour Duncan SSL-5 in the bridge and a Fender 57/62 pickup in the neck. (Note that Blackmore does not use the middle pickup at all). I had my Strat wired like a Tele and by coincidence, I never use(d) the middle pickup either. So in both our cases, the middle pickup merely plugged a hole in the pickguard. I used either a CBS Fender Super Reverb or a Pre-CBS Fender Twin Reverb, either of which I installed Celestion speakers (the blue label ones). Nowadays, with all the modeling amps out there, the choice of amps would certainly be far less an issue.

When we'd do Black Sabbath tunes, I'd just use either pickup, depending on the song, passage, etc. with the tone turned down on the guitar a bit. As to the other two, well, let's just say they are past my time period in musical tastes and so, I really can't help you much there.

_________________
You dig?


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Vintage Noiseless pickup pot
Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 2:31 pm
Offline
Roadie
Roadie

Joined: Thu Jun 18, 2009 9:31 pm
Posts: 205
Martian wrote:
warmachine wrote:
Martian wrote:
warmachine wrote:
Thanks for the great advice and info! I'm glad to learn the pots won't have to get switched out...Neck it is!... Anyone have a hard rock Seymour Duncan suggestion for the bridge? Thanks again guys!


...using a Seymour Duncan SSL-5 in the bridge and a Fender 57/62 pickup in the neck. (Note that Blackmore does not use the middle pickup at all). I had my Strat wired like a Tele and by coincidence, I never use(d) the middle pickup either. So in both our cases, the middle pickup merely plugged a hole in the pickguard. I used either a CBS Fender Super Reverb or a Pre-CBS Fender Twin Reverb, either of which I installed Celestion speakers (the blue label ones). Nowadays, with all the modeling amps out there, the choice of amps would certainly be far less an issue.


That's quite a sweet sounding setup! Yeah I can't afford anything similar to that. I have a solid-state 2x12 Crate GLX212 amp, Digitech Digiverb reverb pedal, Danelectro PB&J delay, Digitech Black 13 Scott Ian distortion pedal and a Digitech Screamin Blues overdrive.

Still was kind of torn up to whether I want to really go high output pickups, or stay in the blues rock area. I just picked up a wiring harness/pots off a 1962 Strat reissue, got the Vintage Noiseless for the neck, and I bought an Alnico V off a 2009 American Standard strat for the middle (payed only $18 for that so not much of a gamble) and for the time being I'll stick the stock Tokai pickup in the bridge.

Hope the Alnico V stands up to higher gain nicely. Can't be worse than the stock Tokai unit. What's the consensus on Alnico V's? Bad buy you think?


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 4:06 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 24, 2007 7:33 am
Posts: 8461
Location: Mars, the angry red planet.
Alnico V is what I still use to this day so you'll not hear any negatives from me. Incidentally, I've tried my Strats in Crate amps exactly like your's but I don't use any pedals, etc, never did. I'm sure you'll get some excellent tones.

_________________
You dig?


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 9 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


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: