Studio Pickups

[CraigP]

Alright, one last stupid question for this week. I tend to be someone who tweaks guitars to death (pedal hound as well). One thing I can never stop myself from doing is swapping out pickups. I know it is a bad habit, but I can't seem to break it. I now have a1994 Studio that has the original '59/JB set (uncovered) -- they sound fine, but maybe the guitar would even sound better with a change of pickups! I am looking to install a set of WCR BetSets to try to get a little better Dickey Betts sound.

Here is the question (and I apologize if it is a stupid one and feel free to laugh all day) -- can I swap the uncovered humbuckers for covered ones without any problems? i.e. am I going to have problems with the size of the hole or pickup rings?

[zenmindbeginner]

The BetSets wil deliver authentic Betts tone fo shizzle. There is no closer way to Dickey's sound.

You won't have any problems replacing uncovered pickups with covered ones. Covered pickups fit snugly inside of pickup rings and uncovered ones have a little wiggle room.

[Bloozguy]

Covered WCRs should fit fine in the stock pickup rings. I've done that to a couple of my Hamers. One with WCR Goodwoods and another with WCR Crossroads. I've been curious about that set. Let us know how they sound after you've put them through their paces.

[CraigP]

Wow, thanks for the quick reply. I sent Jim at WCR an email today, and he replied within an hour. The only odd issue is cosmetics --my Studio has gold hardware, but the BetSet only seems to come with raw, gloss nickel, or polished nickel covers... Don't really care too much if the tone is there. Just don't want it to end up butt ugly!

[coolfeel]

I would call and speak to Jim personally if you have any concerns about the covers or anything else for that matter. He is a killer dude and can really help you get the tone you are striving for. I have two guitars with WCRs in them and they are killer pickups!

[zenmindbeginner]

The BetSet is historically accurate down to the finest detail... that's why you can't get gold covers. Aftermarket gold covers are your best bet (no pun intended).

You could just get cream speed knobs and try and shift the emphasis from gold to the cream (your binding and pickup rings are cream), might make for an interesting scheme.

Or like Coolfeel said, just call him and beg him to make you a somewhat historically inaccurate set... the worst that can happen is that he says no.

[G Man]

Or have him make make them with double-cream bobbins and forego the covers altogether.

[CraigP]

Yes, uncovered would be another possibility, but I worry about losing a bit of the smooth Betts tone without the covers. Though there is a lot of debate out there, there is a nice video on the BK pickups website showing back to back comparisons of covered and uncovered pickups. The covers definitely mellow out the highs and lead to a less aggressive sound (definitely more Betts).

While I was typing this, got a reply from Jim and WCR. He says he has the gold...

[atquinn]

You might want to ask if he can make them with short legs while you're at it...

-

Austin

[django49]

I have two quite similar guitars, both with the WCR Godwoods. The set that is uncovered is very definitely more "in your face". As long as he is offering, you might as well pay the upcharge for gold. If memory serves, both the gold covers and the gold polepieces are extra cost options.

[CraigP]

Alright, just ordered a set of BetSets with goldcovers. I have high hopes. Maybe they will make my playing sound decent. I will post again after I try them out!

[vicjoy1945]

A fella recommended that I replace the stock pick ups in my 2001 Studio Custom with a set of TB14 Custom 5 alnico Trembuckers. I must confess that 'm not familiar with these pickups.

Any thoughts on the difference or quality of these vs the stock ones !?!

Thanks !!

Vic

[CraigP]

My understanding is that the TB14 (SH-14) humbucker is a slightly hotter version of the stock Duncan '59s that are in your Studio custom now. Both are Alnico 5 magnetics I believe. Is the Trembucker version mostly for the bridge position on a Strat (wider pole spacing)? My guess is that you wouldn't hear much of a tone difference. I have tended to replace stock pickups with the higher end, hand wound pickups from Jason Lollar or WCR. I don't think I have ever seen a bad or even mediocre review of those guys' pickups. Their customer service is also fantastic. Send them and email, and the owner of the company (Jason or Jim) will get back to you the same day with their opinion.

[zenmindbeginner]

A fella recommended that I replace the stock pick ups in my 2001 Studio Custom with a set of TB14 Custom 5 alnico Trembuckers. I must confess that 'm not familiar with these pickups.

Any thoughts on the difference or quality of these vs the stock ones !?!

Thanks !!

Vic

That fella is a retard.

[Never2Late]

The BetSets wil deliver authentic Betts tone fo shizzle. There is no closer way to Dickey's sound.

Wait....doesn't this also require a ham-bone slide, too?

[CraigP]

Maybe its the ham-bone grease on his fingers that gives him that sweet tone. Or maybe its those impossible to find JBL speakers in his 100 watt Marshall...

[zenmindbeginner]

Yeah, it helps to know how to play like Dickey Betts in order to achieve his sound.

Just sayin'.

F spaced pickups have no place in Gibson spaced guitars... they usually sound a tick different than their normal spaced counterparts too.

All mahogany Studios (unchambered) can sometimes not jive with a stock SD JB. The mahogany can sometimes choke the life out of the JB's output, rendering a dark and mushy sound with plenty of icepick tones depending on one's playing style, rig and the resonance of the actual wood itself. Some mahogany is really dense and some is not anywhere near as dense. Generally, the lighter mahogany is, the better it resonates. Heavy mahogany can sort of dampen a pickup's response.

JB's do NOT like to be dampened with 500K pots... Gibson's 300K pots are a bit more forgiving. Highly resonant woods like ash, alder and poplar allow the JB to breath and bloom. BTW, the first frequencies that are dampened with JBs in dense mahogany are the ones that provide articulation.

Now, if the Studio is chambered, even dense mahogany will be able to breathe and not choke the life out of the JB... plus the added warmth of the chambers will allow the sweet low mids of the JB to be prominently heard. But again, some mahogany is less dense and JBs sound great in those guitars.

Hamer seems to have been using pretty much only resonant and less dense mahogany the last 20 years or so. My 1981 Hamer Special weighs as much as a very heavy Les Paul and consists of VERY dense mahogany that compliments the stock DiMarzio PAF which can sound harsh in other guitars.

Mahogany can be a somewhat difficult wood to marry pickups to... not as bad as a solid maple or walnut body... but can give some people a bit of a tonequest here and there.

[Disturber]

Hamer seems to have been using pretty much only resonant and less dense mahogany the last 20 years or so. My 1981 Hamer Special weighs as much as a very heavy Les Paul and consists of VERY dense mahogany that compliments the stock DiMarzio PAF which can sound harsh in other guitars.

If they sound a bit harsh then change the mags to Alnico 4's. Then they will sound just like when they sound great in your Hamer Special.

[cloakerz]

lollars are excellent pickups!

[Caddie]

I bought a Studio with WCR Fillmores in it. Luv it.

caddie

[CraigP]

Well, the WCR BetSet pickups are finally installed, and I've spent the past 2 or 3 days putting them through the paces. In the end, I still don't know if I like them. As a reminder, these were installed on my 1994 Studio Custom, replacing the original, uncovered '59/JB set. The BetSets are now gold covered. The neck pickup is suppose to be the same as the neck of the Crossroads set, and the bridge is a very low output pickup -- actually lower output than the neck, which is quite odd. For the installation, my tech guy had to do a little dremel action in the pickup cavity so that they would seat properly.

Initially I did my test through two different Fender Amps at the shop -- a Blues Deluxe and a Deluxe Reverb Reissue. The pickups sounded very different with these two! In both cases, the pickups were very bright, though the neck pickup was pretty sweet through the Blues Deluxe. Both pickups are fairly low output, so I now have them adjusted pretty high (~16" from the fretted strings). At home, I have played them through my 3 Monkeys Orangutan Amp. This is a fairly bright amp already, and the pickups here really don't sound very good to my ear. Very, very bright -- the unwound strings can almost sound piercing with little body to it. The bridge pickup by itself reminds me of a shrill Tele bridge pickup. I have tried rolling the tone way off (down to 2-3) and cutting the treble on the amp, but not much improvement. Adjusting the pickup height up or down also doesnt seem to improve. The surprise is that this is true for the neck pickup as well. I already have this pickup (the Crossroad version at least) on my Explorer, and it sounds completely different. On the Explorer, the wound and unwound strings are full and round. Perhaps it is the massive hunk of mahogeny on the Explorer compared to the Studio woods?

So, right now I am looking for suggestions. Clearly, I am no where near to a Betts tone with my current setup. Have people found that hotter pickups are in general a better match for the Studio or is it just that this pickup set doesnt match my Amp? The pickups did sound better through the Blues Deluxe. I thought I would ask all of your opinion first, before I ask Jim at WCR for advice (don't want to sound like a whining customer). I know people have had good luck with both the Fillmores and Godwinds -- are these both a lot hotter PAFs? All right, let those comments rip.

[django49]

I have not tried a BetSet. Have experience with 3 other WCRs. None of them sounded like that IMO. Nor should they. First thing that I would do is try an amp that is not bright to begin with. And fool with the eq.

If not mistaken, the Betts tone you are looking to replicate is more associated with a Marshall over many years.

Did you get the same thing from the original Pups? Generally the Duncans give you more of a bump in the middle, one reason why I have developed a preference (usually) for something other than them.

If nothing else works, I would not hesitate to give Jim a call and ask for his advice. They should not sound THAT different on a Studio.

[CraigP]

The Orangutan does have a voice setting that is somewhat Marshall like and that did help. I had my guitar tech do the install - anything obvious that he might have screwed up? The tone control seems to be working, though not a big difference until I roll back to about 2-3

[django49]

Did the pots work (and the same amp sound right) BEFORE you changed out the pups? Might not hurt to also ask your tech if it sounds right to HIM.

Is it possible only one coil on each pup is actually wired?

[Armitage]

I had my guitar tech do the install - anything obvious that he might have screwed up?

Did he use the right color code for that pickups wiring? Common mistake.

[CraigP]

Opened up the back - think it is screw proof. Pickups only have one braided wire each and the soldering looks very clean. Also, the tech also played it on the Blues Deluxe and he loved the neck but thought that the bridge was too bright. I spent another couple hours this evening playing through the Orangutan, and I am concluding that they are great but very sensitive. If the amp is entirely clean, they don't push the amp at all, so the sound is a bit weak. With the amp breaking up a bit they really start to bloom. Pushing the amp a bit more, the sound really opens up and sounds fantastic. The bridge is still bright, but together with the neck, it seems fine. All in all, with a lot of tweaking, I think I am liking them