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Post subject: Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Pickups
Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2008 5:47 pm
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I own an American Deluxe Strat with S1 and the SCN pups and I’ve enjoyed the last couple of years with it. My music tastes and abilities have turned toward SRV and Kenny Wayne Shepherd and the deep throated tones.
I’ve switched to 10 and 11 strings, used a tube screamer with tube amps and tried all kind of Line6 POD settings and can’t get the pickups to throw down with major feeling.
I’m very aware that tone is subjective, but I feel like there’s something missing. These pups leave out the drive I’m looking for. I’ve been researching different avenues and came across one that would eliminate replacing the SCN with maybe a custom shop Texas Special.
I’ve read in several different areas that replacing the volume pot with a 500K will give me “staggering” differences in my tone than with the current Fender setup.

Questions:
1. Does the Deluxe have 250K pots?
2. If so, what would a 500K do in your opinion?
3. Would the CS TX Spec make a big enough diff?


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Post subject: Re: Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Pickups
Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2008 6:33 pm
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[quote="GHawk01"]

The 500 ohm gives it more 'air'.

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Post subject: Re: Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Pickups
Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2008 7:25 pm
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zzdoc wrote:
GHawk01 wrote:

The 500 ohm gives it more 'air'.



More Air? - Volume, Tone, Room?


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Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2008 7:36 pm
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The deluxe has a S1 switch You could lose alot of tones by changing that pot. You could change the tone control pots to 250k, 500k or even 1000k. The higher numbers give a zingy icepick kind of sound. Personaly i think SCN's are wired too hot, slightly overwound. So maybe you need to look at pickup height for more output. You can raise those pickups quite near the string without the magnetics mucking up your sound. Also dont judge the pickups by POD settings. As good as pods are their not in the same league qualitywise as SCN's.

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Post subject:
Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2008 7:41 pm
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nikininja wrote:
Also dont judge the pickups by POD settings. As good as pods are their not in the same league qualitywise as SCN's.



Niki is too humble to tell you that he knows of what he speaks, and that he has SCN's in his '57Hotrod which he wisely, at least to the best of my knowledge, has yet to 'Frankenstein' like some of his other offspring.

P.S. Yep: 'air' and 'more room' are synonymous in my book. :wink:

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Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2008 7:43 pm
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I'm not touching the 'rod'. Its perfect the way it was made Doc. :wink: Thanks mate.

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Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2008 7:47 pm
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nikininja wrote:
I'm not touching the 'rod'. Its perfect the way it was made Doc. :wink: Thanks mate.


Well deserved :wink:

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Post subject:
Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 3:31 pm
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A strat, any strat is a good place to start working toward the SRV tone. To get even further, you need to find a bunch of amps such as Vibroverbs, Super Deluxes, Bassmans and a random JCM 800 & Dumble Super Overdrive. Following that is talent and feel; the stuff that comes out of your fingertips. Having spent what you have on the AD Strat, I'd say more than anything you really need to find those tens of thousands of dollars worth of amps and pedals not to mention alcoholism, heroin addiction, a failed marriage or two and by then you should have something approaching what it takes to get that legendary sound!!

Okay, it sounds like I was being a smarta$$ (I'm good at that!), but my real point is you can spend and spend and never get close enough to somebody else's tone to be happy with it. My point is this: I am in the ballpark with the AD strat, got my tube amps, and can get an occasional glimpse of that magical tone. I am good with that! I have my own sound to worry about, and persuing that makes me happier than sounding like someone else, or someone that a lot of other people are trying emulate.

Peace, Love and Rock & Roll!


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Post subject: SRV tone, pups, etc.
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 9:14 am
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A lot of SRV's tone has to do with the mojo of vintage single coil pups. Specifically they were 60s pups that were re-wound to be slightly hotter. This is what the Texas Specials emulate. There are other good options too, like CS Fat 50s, CS 69s, Lindy Fralins or Seymour Duncan Antiquity series. Either way, you will absolutely need a hot vintage pup to nail the tone and overall vibe. 250k pots will be ideal, a higher value will brighten your tone which is not usually necessary with single coils. If you do want to go higher CTS makes 300k pots. I would not go higher than that personally.
It is worth noting that if you have been playing SCNs you are probably used to hum-free operation. True singles are noisy and you will notice the difference. Honestly I feel that this just adds authenticity, but you could also shield the control and pup cavities with shilding paint (SRV did this and it helps a bit).


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 9:46 am
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What amp are you playing it on? Tube amps have very different tones to them. I can guarantee I can get any strat sound out of that deluxe you have, including some screaming, wailing srv tone - with the right amp.

More of your tone will come from a good tube amp that a pickup change. I'd look there first, or you'll be chasing tone and dropping money all over with that same amp. I can take pretty much any strat, even a decent squier, and get a very good srv tone just through the vintage channel of my rectoverb. A lot of that is in my hands, he had a very aggressive style, you can't sissy-pick that stuff. You have to know how to get that tone from your amp.


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 9:28 pm
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Everyone tends to forget that SRV used really heavy strings 12s or 13s tuned down. All that extra string size compared to 09s or 10s makes a world of difference. Heavier string guage gives more tone due to the fact that there is more metal to vibrate, and more signal (magnetically speaking) for the pickup to...pickup.
Yes, he had vintage amps, and perfect setups, and nice old Strats to play. Don't underestimate the depth of his sound coming from the source, a vibrating string, a really thick vibrating string.


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 9:44 pm
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[quote="paisley strat"].......not to mention the way he pulled on the neck of that guitar!!

The man was just an amazing combination of ingredients unique in his universe.

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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 10:16 pm
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Has anyone tried swaping the scns for some other pickup?


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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 9:33 am
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I go through a lot of pickups, what's the real question? And word to the tube amp talk!!!


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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 2:48 pm
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thornburg wrote:
I go through a lot of pickups, what's the real question? And word to the tube amp talk!!!


Anybody here sell pickups :!: ...Seems you have a ready customer :wink:

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