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Hamer TLE Custom, OBL vs Slammer bridge


Purplexi

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Hello HFC, new guy here! I am the proud and original owner of an 87' TLE Custom: Cherry mahogony w/bound, figured maple top, ebony fretboard w/Boomerang markers, Floyd/Shaller trem, Dimarzio/Slammer bridge and two OBL single pickups. The Hamer marked, Dimarzio humbucker sounds very similar to another humbucker, the Dimarzio Tonezone; heavy on the bass and everything else for that matter!

I want to switch to an OBL dual blade humbucker for the bridge position, in hopes of attaining more melodic metal tones, but I've run into a problem; I don't know if the five way switch pattern on the TLE Slammer bridge is a split coil, or if the second position after the bridge is an "out of phase" switch position, for the middle pickup. How do I wire this humbucker? double or split?

Also, not even sure if I should do this since the guitar is over twenty years old and has never needed ANY special adjustments or repair. Heck, it'll be the first time anyone's ever been into the control cavity since the factory!

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I like the ole slammer pups, a hot rodded paf tone. never had a prob obtaining melodic metal tones as well out of them. roll the vol down just a tad till it starts warming up a bit, then goose it with a TS9 :)

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I own two Slammer-loaded Vectors, and another Vector with OBL's. All of them are more or less the same specs --all-mahogany guitars, rosewood fingerboard, sustainblock bridge...

I find the Slammers tend to "scream" better, so I love them for leads. In rock/blues-rock/metal territories there's nothing they cannot handle. They seem to be creamier, or richer in the mid-frequencies too. I use a treble booster and a Pignose preamp, and those pups just sing through my rig.

On the other hand, the OBL-equipped guitar sounds darker to my ears. The OBL's are just slightly hotter than the Slammers, and I would also say they have a more homogeneous frequency response. They give me more "snap" and a tighter bass sound. That's why, even if that guitar can handle leads very well too, I tend to use it mostly for rhythm playing --read my own "thrashy" riffing madness.

This comparison is of course not very fair, because I've not tested both pickups on the same guitar, but I guess it gives you a fair idea.

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I own two Slammer-loaded Vectors, and another Vector with OBL's. All of them are more or less the same specs --all-mahogany guitars, rosewood fingerboard, sustainblock bridge...

Well I can't ask for more than that, review wise. Just the fact that you're a metaler/thrashologist, who happens to also play Blues-rock, I kinda' lucked out. It's weird too, that I guessed, or at least hoped the OBL would be pretty much hot and tight. I actually love the sound of the Slammer in this guitar but I already use a Dimarzio Tonezone in the bridge position of my Ibanez USA RG, mainly for the heavier stuff.

Still not sure if the Slammer is actually just a Hamer Tonezone, but if it's not an alnico pickup, than it must be a hot rodded, ceramic type? Either way it really does scream, and may well be re-installed.

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As far as I believe, the Slammer is quite close to a DiMarzio Virtual Hot PAF --it is just a bit less hot, but still hotter than a PAF.

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As far as I believe, the Slammer is quite close to a DiMarzio Virtual Hot PAF --it is just a bit less hot, but still hotter than a PAF.

I am just surprised to hear this. The Dimarzio PAF "hotter" only reads like 9.k, whereas my Slammer just stomps all over a friend of mines "Evo" loaded,Ibanez Vai(13.k) and sounds similar to the Tonezone(17.k!). Also found out that Bill Lawrence twin blade humbuckers are alnico V based, like the Tonezone.

Very confusing!!

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As far as I believe, the Slammer is quite close to a DiMarzio Virtual Hot PAF --it is just a bit less hot, but still hotter than a PAF.

I am just surprised to hear this. The Dimarzio PAF "hotter" only reads like 9.k, whereas my Slammer just stomps all over a friend of mines "Evo" loaded,Ibanez Vai(13.k) and sounds similar to the Tonezone(17.k!). Also found out that Bill Lawrence twin blade humbuckers are alnico V based, like the Tonezone.

Very confusing!!

Well, it is now you who tell me something new. I confess I've never measured the resistance of my Slammers. However, Bill Lawrence himself explained to me the gain of a pickup cannot actually be measured in ohms. He also thinks the alnico vs. ceramic dilemma is just a very small part on the tone equation. I must confess I was very confused after talking to him. This was three or fours years ago, when I purchased three L-500's for two of my guitars back then.

In any case, I just wrote here about what I hear when I play my guitars, using exactly the same rig. Some friends I have also share my perceptions, but I really have no numbers to support them. :)

Edited to add: I just found he wrote about this subject in his website! So, I guess this will get you as confused as I was when he explained me all this stuff some years ago:

http://www.billlawrence.com/Pages/Pickupology/magnets.htm

http://www.billlawrence.com/Pages/Pickupol..._evaluation.htm

I guess I adhered to the "trust your ears only" principle since then.

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I can't tell you how it sounds since I botched the rewiring. Only have two singles working now and plan to leave it that way, until someone qualified can fix it. I'll get a clip going after that, hopefully, thanks!

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My 89 Hamer has a Slammer that measures around 17k, I think its alnico V. Sounds GREAT through an overdriven amp, but I don't like it clean, so I have a more PAF'ish pup in the guitar right now.

But the Slammers varied a lot some were around 8k, like the older Hamer Dimarzio's. But some, in later Floyd equipped axes, were a lot hotter.

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My 89 Hamer has a Slammer that measures around 17k, I think its alnico V. Sounds GREAT through an overdriven amp, but I don't like it clean, so I have a more PAF'ish pup in the guitar right now.

But the Slammers varied a lot some were around 8k, like the older Hamer Dimarzio's. But some, in later Floyd equipped axes, were a lot hotter.

This is absolutely correct. Between 1982 and 1988, you'll find a good bit of difference in the Slammer pickups. They seem to get progressively hotter.

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