It is currently Tue Mar 17, 2020 5:40 am

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 30 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Go to page 1, 2  Next
Author Message
Post subject: Help with EC strat pickups please!
Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 9:37 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2012 6:36 pm
Posts: 75
Hey all, here's my predicament. I picked up an Eric Clapton strat, new a few weeks ago. I love it, plays great. I love the bridge pickup, with OD & clean. I haven't really had to use the mid boost much at all. When I have it's only up to like 2, just to get me "over the top". Now the neck pickup sounds pretty dark, a little too dark. With OD it actually is surely too dark. The 2 & 4 positions sound ok clean, just a tad too dark. But with OD, the 2 & 4 position are much too dark. There is no glassy, stratty kind of thing happening. In fact I would describe the tone in the 2 & 4 as on the verge of dead. I wouldn't even think of using the mid boost in those positions, just goes to straight mud with zero cut. I really noticed it with my band again tonight...quite unusable in the 2 & 4. Now I can get a touch of sparkle with the TBX control, but I feel like I should get a strattier tone with the TBX in the detent or middle, off position. Btw I am using a 68 Super Reverb, and for drive I use a Catalinbread SFT. I also use an Analogman TS808 modded TS9 on some rhythm parts with the drive all the way down and the level almost all the way up for a nice gritty tone. This is where I would like my 2 & 4 positions to come through.
Now, obviously these are dark pups, but I'm wondering if height adjustments could at let substantially help with this dead tone on 2 & 4 positions? I hate to go and start hunting around for pickups or electronics replacements on this fiddle. And I definitely don't want it to be an overly bright strat. H ha I never thought I would have the problem of a strat that is too dark!


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: Help with EC strat pickups please!
Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 10:45 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
You might try dropping your neck and middle pickups down a skosh. As well, keep the mid-boost at minimum setting and let the TBX control do some of the heavy lifting. It's perfectly acceptable to crank it up -- that's what it's there for.

HTH

Arjay

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Help with EC strat pickups please!
Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 10:53 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2007 1:10 pm
Posts: 13467
Location: Palm Beach County FL
Bear in mind that the idea for the 25db midboost was Eric's desire to get the energy of a Les Paul humbucker out of this guitar. What you call 'dark' I call 'throaty'. The boost is not going to favor a 'glassy, stratty, tone' I had SCN's in a Strat with the Clapton circuit and the 'energy' was the same. What you're looking for has to be in a Strat with a vintage circuit and passive electronics.

_________________
"Another day in paradise!"


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Help with EC strat pickups please!
Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 2:52 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2012 6:36 pm
Posts: 75
Don't get me wrong, I like the mid boost and I like the tones. But I believe there is a compromise of both to be had here. And I like tis better than a typical strat, it's FAT! I think I'll try bringing the middle pickup down a touch and see what I get. Also, Arjay has a point, maybe that is why the TBX type control is there. We have a blizzard hitting so I'll be trying it out this weekend for sure...even if I have to use my generator to power the Super!


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Help with EC strat pickups please!
Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 3:46 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2007 1:10 pm
Posts: 13467
Location: Palm Beach County FL
Arjay's suggestion would address the phenomenon of damping. Now there's another thing that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, we have never explored here. The masterbuilt Clapton, aka 'as built for the artist', sports a conventional tone control, not a TBX. Apparently EC decided he did not want a TBX in his guitar. We've never explored the difference in tone between a TBX and non-TBX equipped Clapton Stratocaster fitted with VN pickups. There's a question to be asked.

_________________
"Another day in paradise!"


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Help with EC strat pickups please!
Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 4:12 pm
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2013 8:40 pm
Posts: 107
I do hope this thread continues. I have a 1990 American Strat Plus with the three gold lace sensors and have been toying with the idea of adding the Claption circuit to it. However, I do not want to loose the tones I get now.

I just picked up one of those cool little Super Champ X2 amps and it is like I have rediscovered my Strat so I don't want to lose that. If the Clapton circuit is that "dark", I might look for another Strat to add it to and leave the Plus alone.

Best, Harry


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Help with EC strat pickups please!
Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 7:15 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Thu Oct 11, 2007 3:31 pm
Posts: 2638
Location: Pacific North West, USA
Would be nice to know what kind of Clapton Strat you have? Does it have the Lace Sensor or the Fender Noiseless pickups? My 89 EC Strat goes from bright 50s sounding to fatter kind-of-like humbucker tones with the OD. A Gold Lace pickup with the OD off should be bright and glassy sounding... 1950's tone....

_________________
Xhefri's Guitars
www.xhefriguitars.com
Image


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Help with EC strat pickups please!
Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 8:15 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2009 7:27 pm
Posts: 3448
Location: Connecticut
I think the OP is not using that TBX to it's potential. I would never return to a conventional Tone pot since using TBX's in 3 of my 4 Srats.
Tonality and varying that parameter is what the TBX is about. Crank it all the way in both the Bass and Treble direction and play with the range from detent to max. I found that these TBX's take a while to figure out and to really listen for the right setting....
It's not going to sound like anything you are used to, I found that the TBX require a readjustments of all the settings..... BUT .... Once you figure where the sweet spots are ...

_________________
"C'est parti mon Kiki "


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Help with EC strat pickups please!
Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 9:27 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2007 1:10 pm
Posts: 13467
Location: Palm Beach County FL
If 'thenedster' is not familiar with Xhefri, Jeff is our Strat Plus guru. See www.xhefriguitars.com. "And now you know the rest of the story''.
Stay tuned. :wink:

_________________
"Another day in paradise!"


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Help with EC strat pickups please!
Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 5:43 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2009 7:27 pm
Posts: 3448
Location: Connecticut
^^ That will take up a couple hours of reading ......
The last time I visited I just got lost in the site ..... :)

Xhefri's site and Alain's Guitar Motel are two places to visit on this snowy morning.
grind fresh coffee beans, fire up a fresh pot ( of coffee ) and :shock: :) enjoy ...

_________________
"C'est parti mon Kiki "


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Help with EC strat pickups please!
Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 8:36 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 24, 2007 7:33 am
Posts: 8461
Location: Mars, the angry red planet.
The 25dB boost in most Strats tend to make whatever pickup sets within sound dark. This, coupled with all sorts of preamps makes it even worse as they magnify this condition all the more. Lowering the pickups will only serve to additionally 'mellow' them out. Raising them will only yield a more aggressive 'mud'. Even with the boost on '0", it is never truly off. To the argument of, "Well, Clapton sounds pretty good with it.", remember, he, himself goes through an entire sound board and so, all frequencies good, bad or indifferent are tweaked to taste and even at this, nowadays, he surely doesn't sound any where near as great as he did historically.

Based on your complaint, your best bet is to remove the boost circuit, replace it with a traditional Strat circuit and then, work with your other preamps (if you must) for your intended tonality. Expense wise, we're talking the marginal cost of two 250K pots and possibly a monaural output jack.

As always, this is merely IMO where YMMV.

_________________
You dig?


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Help with EC strat pickups please!
Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 9:58 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2007 1:10 pm
Posts: 13467
Location: Palm Beach County FL
Martian wrote:
......remember, he, himself goes through an entire sound board and so, all frequencies good, bad or indifferent are tweaked to taste and even at this, nowadays, he surely doesn't sound any where near as great as he did historically.

Two points here....First: I've always maintained that we've never been given to know what Claptons' EQ amp settings are, so there's a forever mystery. Second: I expect that Martian's use of the word 'historically' refers to the use of the old Strat which many people have expressed a preference for.

_________________
"Another day in paradise!"


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Help with EC strat pickups please!
Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 10:16 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Thu Oct 11, 2007 3:31 pm
Posts: 2638
Location: Pacific North West, USA
Martian wrote:
The 25dB boost in most Strats tend to make whatever pickup sets within sound dark. This, coupled with all sorts of preamps makes it even worse as they magnify this condition all the more. Lowering the pickups will only serve to additionally 'mellow' them out. Raising them will only yield a more aggressive 'mud'. Even with the boost on '0", it is never truly off. To the argument of, "Well, Clapton sounds pretty good with it.", remember, he, himself goes through an entire sound board and so, all frequencies good, bad or indifferent are tweaked to taste and even at this, nowadays, he surely doesn't sound any where near as great as he did historically.

Based on your complaint, your best bet is to remove the boost circuit, replace it with a traditional Strat circuit and then, work with your other preamps (if you must) for your intended tonality. Expense wise, we're talking the marginal cost of two 250K pots and possibly a monaural output jack.

As always, this is merely IMO where YMMV.

Hey Mr. Martin! Good to see your post. I always assumed the 25db on the Clapton was never totally out of the loop. But I can't help but to think if the pickups on this fellow's guitar are dark sounding, there is something else going on. My 89 Clapton Strat with the boost on 1, mine is bright sounding (like a 50 Strat should sound!) Just wonder if he has a low battery or some wires are touching under the pickguard, or ??? Mine sounds fatter (and darker) when the boost is applied. But then maybe he has some kind of weird thing going on running an active system through a series of pedals or boxes? With my active Gibson RD Custom with the active Moog board it gets really funk sounding when I run it through my BOSS ME-50. The circuitry just does not like interfacing with other circuitry. Makes the guitar kind of worthless unless one just uses a plain amp with no addition gadgets!

Image Image

_________________
Xhefri's Guitars
www.xhefriguitars.com
Image


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Help with EC strat pickups please!
Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 12:16 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 24, 2007 7:33 am
Posts: 8461
Location: Mars, the angry red planet.
ZZDoc wrote:
Martian wrote:
......remember, he, himself goes through an entire sound board and so, all frequencies good, bad or indifferent are tweaked to taste and even at this, nowadays, he surely doesn't sound any where near as great as he did historically.

Two points here....First: I've always maintained that we've never been given to know what Claptons' EQ amp settings are, so there's a forever mystery. Second: I expect that Martian's use of the word 'historically' refers to the use of the old Strat which many people have expressed a preference for.


I'm not just talking about his amp(s), I read an article a while back where they were interviewing his personal sound man. I forgot the guy's name but he said that Clapton wants a predetermined sound and it is his (the tech's) responsibility to get it regardless of whatever pickups, guitar, amp, etc. he (Clapton) is using.

By "historically" I'm not only to his old Strat(s) but even before that when he was more of a Gibson user.

_________________
You dig?


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Help with EC strat pickups please!
Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 12:28 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 24, 2007 7:33 am
Posts: 8461
Location: Mars, the angry red planet.
Xhefri wrote:
Martian wrote:
The 25dB boost in most Strats tend to make whatever pickup sets within sound dark. This, coupled with all sorts of preamps makes it even worse as they magnify this condition all the more. Lowering the pickups will only serve to additionally 'mellow' them out. Raising them will only yield a more aggressive 'mud'. Even with the boost on '0", it is never truly off. To the argument of, "Well, Clapton sounds pretty good with it.", remember, he, himself goes through an entire sound board and so, all frequencies good, bad or indifferent are tweaked to taste and even at this, nowadays, he surely doesn't sound any where near as great as he did historically.

Based on your complaint, your best bet is to remove the boost circuit, replace it with a traditional Strat circuit and then, work with your other preamps (if you must) for your intended tonality. Expense wise, we're talking the marginal cost of two 250K pots and possibly a monaural output jack.

As always, this is merely IMO where YMMV.

Hey Mr. Martin! Good to see your post. I always assumed the 25db on the Clapton was never totally out of the loop. But I can't help but to think if the pickups on this fellow's guitar are dark sounding, there is something else going on. My 89 Clapton Strat with the boost on 1, mine is bright sounding (like a 50 Strat should sound!) Just wonder if he has a low battery or some wires are touching under the pickguard, or ??? Mine sounds fatter (and darker) when the boost is applied. But then maybe he has some kind of weird thing going on running an active system through a series of pedals or boxes? With my active Gibson RD Custom with the active Moog board it gets really funk sounding when I run it through my BOSS ME-50. The circuitry just does not like interfacing with other circuitry. Makes the guitar kind of worthless unless one just uses a plain amp with no addition gadgets!


I thank you!

It's the old story here: Hand 10 people the identical guitar set through the identical rig with the identical settings and all 10 will sound different. The bottom line is, certain preamps simply don't do it for certain players. Of course, I mean absolutely NO disparagement to anyone but evidently, this particular preamp isn't for the OP. Truth be told, I can't get along with this particular preamp either. And under the heading of, "Practicing what I preach", when I had a Clapton Strat, I removed the preamp until I put it up for sale.

Obviously, many a player's mileage will and does vary on this one.

_________________
You dig?


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 30 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: