Erupt-bucker?

Pic: Gibson / Kramer

There's always a gainful return with any Van Halen associations - amplifiers, pedals & guitars, obviously. Looks like Kramer (to a larger extent, Gibson) would want a share of the proverbial Eddie pie. They are working closely with VH's ex-tech, Jim DeCola to manifest brown sounding humbuckers, to put it loosely. The way I see it, bearing the Kramer name is an easy excuse for a VH association as the late man himself embraced Kramer along the way. It's like, Eddie did some Kramer time back then & we should know better because we are Kramer. It's a semi-perilous endeavour because VH never sought after Kramer's expertise back then for his pickup needs, he tinkered & it paid off. 

Anyway, EVH has good pickups to deliver the brown sound. My rather recent experience with the '78 Eruption (Striped Series) can attest to that. Also, Seymour Duncan did well with the '78 humbuckers. Gentle reminder - these are the various manufacturer's interpretation of what makes a good VH-like tone. To say one manufacturer stands out above all else in this engagement is a little myopic.

DiMarzio: The Tone Zone (DP-155)

Good day, folks. The pickup you see here is DiMarzio's The Tone Zone (DP155). It's my first DiMarzio, my first branded replacement pickup as well. It was chosen to uplift my Ibanez RG when I was still a newbie in guitardom. The tone coming from my RG needed a boost in the bottom end spectrum. The default tone was sharp sounding so those bottom end chugging did not sound thumping enough no matter how I tweaked the amp & pedals. 

Back then, the gullible me was enticed into purchase by DiMarzio ads in magazines, this one here being one of many. Back in 1991, Mr. Big released Lean Into It & I find Paul Gilbert's lead tones impressive; lots of clarity & a punchy bottom end. No Tone Zone was found at Swee Lee back then, it was a very new release & a lack of online exposure at this point in time meant stores were next to clueless when you mention it. A guitar repair store proximate to Hard Rock cafe (it had since relocated) had an incoming DiMarzio shipment with this pickup so I bought one without too much consideration. It was an impulse buy.

Coming back to the pickup concerned, this is its EQ specification; it's a bottom end thumper but rather reserved when it comes to top end responses. After hearing it in a few guitars, I have the following opinion:

• The TZ performs well in warm-sounding guitars. By this I refer to the instrument's body wood. It just sounds more appealing in mahogany. I played an RG3120 with the TZ on board & it simply sounds superb. Also, I've ever fitted one into a Les Paul before & it sounded outstanding as well. 
• It's got nothing to do with the bridge type. Some players I talked to said the TZ fared better in guitars with Floyd Rose bridges or its equivalent. The one in the Les Paul mentioned previously certainly wasn't equipped with such a bridge & I came across two good-sounding Ibanez S-Series fixed bridge guitars with the TZ as default pickups. So the bridge type is independent of the TZ tone performance.
• The TZ thrives on overdrive. Yup, it's overdrive, not distortion. I'm saying this in context of course. The overdrive here is used to push your already distorted amp's front end & not as a primary drive source. 
• It's meant for the bridge position. Ok this will irk the ones who swear by the TZ in the neck as a positive outcome of a non-conventional embrace. If you are looking for that smooth bottom end in the neck position without muddy-ing out, I feel the Air Norton does a better job. 

So did the TZ I bought for my RG work? No. In fact, I hated my guitar after the make-over. It sounded bad compounded by the fact that the store installed a non-F Spaced version. For goodness sake, it's an  Ibanez equipped with an Edge bridge. That showed how much knowledge these people had back then & they worked in guitar-related establishments. Darn. That TZ was migrated into an Ibanez RX which was a lighter guitar & it fared better there. 

Gold pieces

 

I'm not a fan of gold hardware; they fade off over time, especially when in constant contact with the hand.

However, some of the instruments out there are equipped with gold appointments for aesthetic appeal. I'm kinda obliged to complement the details they missed out. Will gold pole pieces improve tone? No. 

Fatigue Sunday

 

I bought this quite some time ago. I was gonna fix it into one of the Gibsons but held back & saved it for one of the single humbucking guitars. Then it got misplaced, was MIA until recently when I went looking for my keys. It's a Custom Shop Alan Holdsworth humbucker, the AH1B otherwise known as the Metal Fatigue, proudly wound by MJ herself. The thing is, it's given a relic look at the production end, the rusty  pole pieces are definitely not my thing. Since this approach worked for me for one of my SGs, I bought a plastic cover to give it a blackout look.

It looks like the Kiesel Holdsworth now sports a serious active humbucker but you know what's going on, really. Why did I swap the Kiesel humbucker out for this one since Kiesel custom voiced its pickup according to Holdworth's specs? I think you know by now that I'm a Duncan fan & I somehow believe that this version has something for me. It's that unspoken magic or just mere understanding of what the Seymour Duncan name has to offer when it comes to tone. Both pickups are capable of capturing the signature Holdsworth tone, that deep, bass inclined, semi-alien voicing which is almost synth like in its qualities. However, unlike the Kiesel version, the Duncan version is richer in harmonics & would serve metal dweebs like me when it comes to extreme distortion & quick solo bursts. So that was yesterday's indulgences. It's a quick trip to Beez's to get this installation done, was home in a jiffy to enjoy the 'new' tone.

JB/J

 

The Seymour Duncan JB/Jazz pair, seen here in gold covers, are simply... the JB & Jazz goodness. If you wish for clarity & some tasteful brashness, the JB has those. The jazz is the proverbial neck pickup that does cleans & drive well despite its name. Yes you can do jazz along the way as well, no surprises there. I don't fancy gold covers but it fits into the vibe of this guitar. Another good tone day for me. 

Essential monologue

I thought Ibanez sounds better with DiMarzio pickups?

Ibanez can sound good with any pickups, it's a matter of you liking what you hear. What you like to hear might not be what I like to hear.

So Seymour Duncan pickups sound better to you?

Seymour Duncans give me what I want to hear. They have this special chemistry for guitars plugged straight into an amp without effects in between. They don't get muffled when the amp's volume is turned up. 

Basically you don't like DiMarzio, is that it?

I like pickups that give me what I want to hear. I do have Ibanez guitars with DiMarzios in them. I don't judge the name, I listen to what the pickups have to offer. D Activator, Super 2, Evolution (neck) & Super Distortion are some examples.

Are pickups important when it comes to tone?

In my opinion, the amp comes first. Some beginner guitars with factory default pickups can sound incredible with the right amp. What is the right amp, then? There's no right amp, there's only the amp that would serve your needs well. Know your needs & try as many amps to understand which are the worthy ones for your money. 

You almost replaced all the default pickups of your guitar, you're wasting precious money.

So are those who smoke, get drunk on weekend nights, visit nail saloons every other week, buy iPhones every 20months or so... the list goes on. 

Selling: Mojotone Filtertron

Got this for a mod adventure which didn't happen. I've been eyeing a certain Godin to fit this into. I got the first with the intention of getting the guitar subsequently. Then the Swee Lee Katong clear out happened & a change of plans was necessary. Totally unused.

• Mojotone: Filtertron type humbucker (bridge position)
• Condition: Unused, screws & box included
• No reservations/ trades
•  Self-collect: CCK mrt station
• Confirmation/ query through e-mail
• Final price: $120 (non-nego)

Psyched

Getting ready for this weekend's tone adventure. 😎

Jupiter rising

Waiting with bated breath.

Some mojo

This was scheduled for a Monday delivery but at 5pm just now, the courier chap was at the door asking for my signature. Read up, heard clips, inclined to try. So here goes 👌

Selling: BK Black Hawk (SOLD)

Despite being very menacing in terms of output & distortion applications, the Bare Knuckle Black Hawk is just not my type of pickup. So, letting it go...

• Bare Knuckle: Black Hawk humbucker (bridge), mounting screws included (new, sealed)
• Condition: 8.5/10
• No trades/ reservations
• Strictly self-colect @ CCK mrt station
• Confirmation/ queries: subversion.sg@gmail.com
• Price: $100 (final)

Item sold @ 4 June

Re-string holiday

Nothing like re-string therapy on a holiday. My Ibanez RG471 gets a fresh set of strings & moisturized fretboard. This is one of my guitars sporting a very low action profile with a set of 009s. 

The Screamin' Demon/ '59 pair is really something here. I like how the squawking midrange of the Demon gets offset by the ask body's trebly response. 

Evoready

The Evo is ready. 😊

Satch's new voice

It's a new one for Satch by DiMarzio- the Satchur8 but you know it's been around for a while prior to its official release. The Satchur8 is currently paired with a Sustainiac pickup in the Ibanez JS2480. It's an Alnico 8 pickup & Satch backed it up as being smooth with lots of clarity. Sounds inviting. Do note that it's only offered as an F-spaced model. 😁

Fat singles

'Supp!? I'm still in single coil mode.

But these are fat single coils aka the P-90s, unlike the ones in Strats. These are the least likely candidates for shred as they hum excessively under lots of gain/ drive. I have them out for variety's sake- hearing too much traditional single coil tones lately so something has to give. 

On the topic of single coil pickups, can the P-90s pull off the twang? Answer: Not that apparent when used in isolation. However, you can hear that when both P-90s are used simultaneously. In guitar speak, it means leaving the pickup selector in that middle position. 

Confession- I used to like only humbuckers. Simple reason- I started off with humbuckers & I'd been hearing them in action for a very long time at the exclusion of others. I deem everything else as 'inferior' until Stevie Ray came into the picture. Then I told myself I must have single coil tones or I'd die unaccomplished (in some ways). Then Danny Gatton came into the picture & the Tele honk was haunting me till I bought my first Tele. So as you can see, opening yourselves to other people's music, the ones which are not your cup of tea especially, is key to embracing change. Change is good, my friends, as it forces you to step out of your comfort zone & understand many things from a different perspective. ★

Seymour Duncan: California 50s set

Greetings, tone hounds. How's the weekend coming along? A little too brief, yes? Anyway, it's been a while since I've done a 'formal' product appraisal so here goes... 😉

The product in question is Seymour Duncan's California 50s single coil set. The 50s monicker there is a little evasive because the pickups in question feature an Alnico V magnet, leaning more towards a contemporary voicing rather than a strict vintage articulation. These pickups are mounted onto my Fender American Special Stratocaster featuring a rosewood fretboard.

Clean
We renew our belief that Alnico magnets are the best in this turf, regardless if they are of the stronger variety. In all positions, the C50 set successfully captured the inherent instrument twang. It's like hearing amplified wood in action- almost, very convincing. The manufacturer did well in maintaining the EQ settings for all positions, we don't hear a selected frequency excess coming from any positions. With that in mind, do note that the neck position is the least performer in terms of sharpness but it won't blur into mud.

Drive
The first drive test involved an amp source; a Marshall JVM 410H. The crunch & OD1 channels were used. Crunch settings brought out the best from in-between positions. In addition to the jangle, there was a firm, organic, clunky voicing that we all love to hear, especially Neil Rodgers-type funky chords. Tame the volume & we are in blues territory; this is the versatility of the C50s that make them a good buy. The harder drive settings brought out splendid individual performances. If you are the solo type, the drive experience here should be rewarding. Both the neck & bridge pickups have impressive clarity, nothing too saturated & we have the alnico magnet to thank for that. The fact that it's an Alnico V means we need not try too hard to get the drive going. There you have it, a good balance for both clean & driven tones.

The next drive test involves an OD pedal in booster mode to accentuate the amp's drive performance. The neck pickup suffered a little mushiness due to saturated drive responses. The bridge counterpart fared better here, in fact, I could push it into pseudo-metal territory with no issues in terms of clarity. Not forgetting the middle pickup, it inclined towards its bridge bother's performance; a more ready player when push came to shove.

Conclusion
Lest we forget, the C50s are actually...

... the SSL-1s as depicted above 😁 The fact that they had been re-introduced as a collective trio under the 50s slant (whatever that means to you) made you think in vintage terms which they are not. But in some settings, they sound more vintage than some other Alnico V manifestations. I'm going to recommend these to those in search of untainted cleans but at the ready for some contemporary drive tones. On a side note, I've pushed these pickups into hyper-metal territory with good results (unlike the SSL-5 in action, but that's for another appraisal episode) but the hum was just not worth it.

Rating: 8.5/10 👍

The California 50s are available at both Davis GMC & 35 Guitar Avenue. 

That single itch

I used to dislike single coil pickups. If you're a gain/drive fiend, it's a natural discourse. However, having played guitars that sound awesome with single coils (to the point of inevitable purchase), I wonder why I'm that dismissive when time would eventually unmask my true self. So the purchase of this trio isn't about loving single coil pickups per se but understanding that biting twang in a different context. The one with lesser drive & more top end definition which is rich in clarity. Yes, the ears get jaded after some time but a healthy rotation of humbucker & single coil pickups would make things likeable. They say too much of something is bad & it applies to tone, definitely.

You are what you instal

Saw this guitar being offered in the after-market. Note the compromised pickguard; an additional hole was drilled to accommodate the replacement humbucker. If you are diligent enough to read up on stuff before you commit to purchase, this won't happen. Seymour Duncan offers 2 versions of their production pickups, the standard & trembucker. The former is denoted by an SH abbreviation prior to the assigned model number (eg: Duncan Distortion = SH-6), the latter a TB abbreviation (eg: Duncan Distortion = TB-6). In addition to the slightly wider pole pieces spacing to accommodate the Fender bridge, the TB models feature 3 holes on the mounting bracket should you need to have one fixed into a Fender pickguard. 

But the darn thing still works, there's still sound coming out from the speakers! Yes, you're right but it shows the type of owner you are & how much commitment you put into product knowledge. Such anomaly invites the potential buyer to further negotiate the deal price, do keep this in mind. 

Down under

Howdy, y'all. Some of you are downright frustrated when it comes to dealing with direct-mount pickups. Yes, the ones that don't attach themselves to pick guards or mounting rings. Default pickups would feature foam/pad (some with springs) under the chassis. If you choose to swap those pickups out, you'd have to deal with padding your new ones & seen here is an economical way to do it.

The padding there are the ones used for chairs/ tables to prevent noisy drag noises, attached to the base of the furniture legs. They are available at the hardware store, some are sold at thrift shops in your neighbourhood. They are equipped with industrial strength adhesive so when it comes to using them, it's simple- just peel off the protective tape. Cut them up to size & stick them where they should be. I would keep stacking the pads just so the thickness would exceed the height of the pickup's pole pieces, this way, you have some play when there is a need to adjust the pickup's height subsequently.

Devil's throat (2)

Seymour Duncan's El Diablo is a custom shop unit, the chances of one offered in stores as a regular production unit is slim. This one here is a special offering to SD's distributors & it costs $100 more than a standard production model. Despite being touted as a distortion monster, the El Diablo features an Alnico II magnet which is the highlight of the pickup itself- a monster based on tamed essentials. Jumping right into the driven territory, the El Diablo has no issues delivering impact; all manner of drive/ distortion is supplemented by a very crunchy voicing, meaning, it has a treble highlight but nothing repulsive. Imagine your tone being supplemented by a treble boost unit but not set to stun. Moving over to the opposite end, the El Diablo pomises some of the best & tightest bass notes delivery especially for those of us who palm mute our notes. With these in mind, expect a scooped overall response but it's made rather undetectable due to the top end emphasis somewhat. 

Where does the Alnico II advantage come in? It's for those of us who further trim our tones via the volume pot or we have a tone control which is aptly supplemented by a named capacitor. This is where the the El Diablo shines, subtle dialing in of tones but not one that relents when distortion is concerned. 

From a personal perspective, the El Diablo is a little differentiated because of the afforementioned magnet in use, otherwise, we would be hard pressed to recognize its subtleties considering what the Nazgul, Black Winter & Distortion could do in this turf.

Amps used:

• Marshall JCM800 Anniversary 1W
• EVH 5150III
• Randall LX20R