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Centaura pickups

bassbora

By bassbora
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bassbora Outer Circle

bassbora

Posted
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I have a 1990 Centaura now and really like the guitar but not so sure about the single coil pickups.  What were the stock pickups back then?  The humbucker is Dimarzio Dual Sound, was that stock as well in 1990?

 

Thanks

mrjamiam Veteran HFCer

mrjamiam

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Mine apparently came with EMGs.

That was my first experiment with changing pickups, and my first visit to murkat.  Now sports DiMarzios:  Tone Zone and Areas 61 and 67.

FGJ Veteran HFCer

FGJ

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Maybe it was was the same single coil Dimarzio that was one-half of the Slammer humbuckers used back then (my 1990 Cali had those in any case).

Disturber Veteran HFCer

Disturber

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11 hours ago, Bennyboy-UK said:

Probably SSL-1 pickups.

The Centaura came, mostly, with a Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge, and two SSL-1 singlecoils. The SSL-1's in my Centaura sounded awesome. Killer strat tones, even for a Floyd Rose guitar.

Hamer_SS_guy Inner Circle

Hamer_SS_guy

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There was a guy playing clips for Seymour Duncan, he used a Centaura too. Great playing and sound:
 

 

 

Possibly he's also in this forum here, as he has a Hamer shirt on in one of the clips... :D

zenmindbeginner Veteran HFCer

zenmindbeginner

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That's ME! Lolz

My Centaura came with a Slammer and two SSL-1s. That Slammer has identical specs to a JB, and I thought it was a JB until I took it out one day.

The SSL-1s are plinky and low output compared to a JB... switching between the positions is lackluster and no fun. I yanked them out as fast as I could.

I had almost every DiMarzio Virtual Vintage pickup in there... I had to flip the magnet in my Slammer so the 2nd position would be workable... Duncans had the same magnetic polarity problem too. The DiMarzios all sort of overpowered the Slammer and JB I had in there for some odd reason... they had this midrange presence that seemed EQ's or pushed compared to the Slammer and JB... fucking LOUD they were... louder than the humbuckers.

I just couldn't deal with that over time, so I moved to all Duncans again. I've got a Lil '59 and Duckbucker in there (same set-up as the '59/Custom hybrid video above... I haven't changed them out). The Duckbucker is interesting... it's supposed to be parallel and in parallel, it's quiet as a mouse... literally. Quacks like fuck when blended with the humbucker and Lil '59 but is soooooo low in output that it's a massive drop when I switch to position no. 3... positions 2 and 4 don't suffer from any volume drops though.

The Lil '59 is pretty cool... it's like having a midrangey sounding humbucker in the neck. The magnets are ceramic so you don't get those "crushed glass" tones of the '59 neck... but you also DO NOT get a flubby and boomy bass since the ceramic magnets impart a tight-as-fugg bass response.

What I do, is practice with the Duckbucker. It's wimpy output doesn't drive the input of my amps and I have to struggle to get any fancy licks out.... PERFECT FOR PRACTICING. I end up flying across the fretboard when I use the neck or bridge... probably not for everyone.

I usually don't like true single coils with a Floyd Rose... the Floyd robs the guitar of some resonance and a low output single coil will only sound plinkier and more anemic with a Floyd... just my opinion I guess. High output true singles are noisy as hell... so I just use noiseless pups. Duncan Classic Stack Plus pickups are great because you can split them into true single coils (most noiseless humbucking singles are stacked and feature a dummy coil so splitting them is usually useless).

Since you already have a Dual Sound (4 conductor Super Distortion - sort of a strange choice if you ask me) pickup in there... I'd consider the noiseless DiMarzio options. DiMarzio makes some AWESOME noiseless singles... I remember liking most of them... Area '58 was the most lackluster... Area '67 was LOUDER and higher output than the '58 and '61 despite the '61 being billed as the hottest. Heavy Blues 2 was GRRRREAT in neck or middle... The Virtual Solo would be great in the bridge but useless in HSS. Heavy Blues 2 in the neck with an Area '67 cranked down as low as it can go is a good combo but don't be afraid to experiment.

Its too bad none of those videos feature the middle or neck pickups... only splitting the bridge. I don't think I made many recordings with those DiMarzios... I made a couple but they sort of suck.

 

Biz Prof Veteran HFCer

Biz Prof

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11 minutes ago, zenmindbeginner said:

The SSL-1s are plinky and low output compared to a JB... switching between the positions is lackluster and no fun. I yanked them out as fast as I could.

Sweet mother of God, somewhere here agrees with me! 

zenmindbeginner Veteran HFCer

zenmindbeginner

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22 minutes ago, Biz Prof said:

Sweet mother of God, somewhere here agrees with me! 

And it's more of how they are just a bad match for a JB... would be fine with a '59 bridge, PGB, Alnico II Pro, Seth Lover or Screamin' Demon... or fine in a traditional strat with a 6 or 2 point trem (or hardtail obviously).

I think it's also the 24 fret neck pickup location that is a bit of a problem as well...

Bennyboy-UK Veteran HFCer

Bennyboy-UK

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I have two odd Centauras, both as they left the factory:

 

This one has SD PATB-1 and PATB-Stks - and is so fat it like slab of pork belly shoved right in your mush (also has a solid figured maple body)

 

0E0B78F8-BFAE-420A-B849-D00B009C4FC1.jpg

 

This one has EMG 89 and SAs - and is so so quiet it was not something I was prepared for - totally noiseless. This one does everything - definitely not just for metal - I think EMG could run more ads for non ESP/LTD/Schecter Import players - but to be fair I can see that they are playing to a market. EMG customer service is staggering good.

 

Anyway - this guitar has an alder body, and I'd use it happily to try and play anything.

CF352FC5-30F2-43C2-AA2C-B689221B11A0.jpg

 

as usual, this stuff is just one part of the sound and tone puzzle...

I think most of the HFC are bored of seeing these pictures :)

 

bassbora Outer Circle

bassbora

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Thanks guys for this very informative thread.  I only got my first Hamer in December but I am up to 5 now.  I have not done NGD because I did not think anyone would be interested.  These are none stock, not mint at all collection I picked up but they are great.  I only wanted to know what would have been roughly original pickups to get an idea what the sound was like but they all have different pickups now and I am not going to restore anything.  That was the reason for me posting in the Ask the expert section about a mystery pickup.

Thanks for the pickup suggestions I might try them.  I put Oil City pickups in a Diablo and it sounds amazing so I found an Oil City HSS set (not the right color but that can be changed at a later date) which I am going to put in the Centaura.  

Bennyboy-UK Veteran HFCer

Bennyboy-UK

Posted
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14 hours ago, zenmindbeginner said:

And it's more of how they are just a bad match for a JB... would be fine with a '59 bridge, PGB, Alnico II Pro, Seth Lover or Screamin' Demon... or fine in a traditional strat with a 6 or 2 point trem (or hardtail obviously).

I think it's also the 24 fret neck pickup location that is a bit of a problem as well...

You are fucking excellent BTW :)

bassbora Outer Circle

bassbora

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  • Author
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I can do that for you kind sir if you really want.  I will try and do that for you either today or next couple of days.  To cut a long story short I ended up getting two more guitars, Hamer Diablo Koren made and a Japanese Charvel as well.  Do you want to see them as well @Bennyboy-UK?

Dave Scepter Veteran HFCer

Dave Scepter

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19 hours ago, zenmindbeginner said:

That's ME! Lolz

Outstanding job!.. it actually makes me want to buy one of those Custom 78's :D

Disturber Veteran HFCer

Disturber

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20 hours ago, zenmindbeginner said:

 't like true single coils with a Floyd Rose... the Floyd robs the guitar of some resonance and a low output single coil will only sound plinkier and more anemic with a Floyd.. 

 

 

Warren De Martini gets such killer neck single coil tones, with his Floys axe. He's got a big block, I know. But, do you know what single coils he is using?

Bennyboy-UK Veteran HFCer

Bennyboy-UK

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2 hours ago, bassbora said:

I can do that for you kind sir if you really want.  I will try and do that for you either today or next couple of days.  To cut a long story short I ended up getting two more guitars, Hamer Diablo Koren made and a Japanese Charvel as well.  Do you want to see them as well @Bennyboy-UK?

Lets see the Hamer's first :) modded guitars make me hungry for a project :)

Jeff R Veteran HFCer

Jeff R

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The best neck true single coil I've ever heard or felt under my hands in my life is the James Tyler Alnico II "Hot Laura." Sounds like the most pure single coil clean, somehow finds a nice mid when you overdrive it and it is indescribably good under high gain. And the best yet - it matches so good output-wise (at least what my ears perceive) with a JB clean, pushed, dirty, you name it. That's the config in this - I can't see myself ever changing it. It is perfect IMHO.

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