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Replacing Duncan Designed PU's on a Slammer Series Californian


rickrock999

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Hey guys,

I just bought a Hamer Slammer Series Californian. I really like it. I currently  own a Hamer USA Studio Gattso '59, and have had a couple of other USA's and Koreans.

My question is about swapping the pickups. I see USA version came with Seymour Parallel access pickups. I can get pick up a set of these for about $160

I only paid $175 for the guitar. Do you think it's worth it to do this. I tried something similar with a Korean Daytona once and wasn't crazy about the results, it didn't improve the sound as much as I though it would. But I have read the wood on these first generation slammer Californians was the same as the USA model so might make more of a difference.

What do you think?

I was going to attach pics but need to shrink them down

 

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8 answers to this question

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I had a DD 103??? I think??? In a Samick Ray BensonTele back in 2000 that got me back into playing electric....I believe it is the DD version of the Duncan Distortion....but it sounded killer in the neck of that Tele. Fat PAF tones for days....experiment a little bit before you yank them...and that is coming from a convinced pickup swapper.

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I have a Squier fretless Jazz bass. I consider it a poor-man's Jaco Pastorius model--Agathis body butcher-blocked together, ebonal fingerboard, and ferric (Duncan-designed?) pickups. It actually had a fundamentally good sound and playability, but at the gigs, I found that the pickups' limited response and dynamic range were wearing my plucking fingers out. I got it used for $199. I decided to upgrade it a bit, full well knowing it was a bad investment for resale value. I had the J-bass ferric pickups replaced with USA Bartolinis, and added a cast-plate drop-in replacement Babicz bridge. The transformation was a revolution. The Barts were so responsive and had such a wonderful tone I resumed my gigs with ease and satisfaction. The Babicz added a fuller tone that bordered oh the massive. never considered the ebonal board a handicap, even though I had other fretlesses with ebony and premium rosewood boards, and some with G&L Saddle-Lock bridges.

A few months later I left the band and started going through my basses to figure out what to consign. Among a crowd of G&Ls, a hollowbody Gretsch, and Guild Pilots (including a Westerly fretless) I picked up the Squier and played a few notes after which I thought, "Am I kidding? This thing sounds GORGEOUS!" which it did and does to this day.

I got that bass used for $199 and upgraded for about the same amount (I know, insane), but it's a keeper--light, ergonomic, easy to play, with great-to-magic tone.

Upgrade from Duncan-designed PUs to USA Bartolinis  (or possibly USA Duncans, Lindy Fralins, or similar)? Your fingers, wrist, and ears will thank you.

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1 hour ago, Carl.B said:

I would upgrade the volume & tone pot's first and maybe adjust the pickup heights.    

That's a good idea Carl. I might do that. Do you know what the pickup heights should be for that guitar. Could not find any info on that. I checked and they are about 5/32 on both pickups on both sides.

The Bridge pickup sounds good, the neck sounds a little weak I though of moving it up a little.

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Let your ears determine the pickup height.  If you like the tone of the bridge pickup, tweak the neck to taste...its weak so pull it up a little at a time until your ears tell you it is good. 

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18 hours ago, rickrock999 said:

That's a good idea Carl. I might do that. Do you know what the pickup heights should be for that guitar. Could not find any info on that. I checked and they are about 5/32 on both pickups on both sides.

The Bridge pickup sounds good, the neck sounds a little weak I though of moving it up a little.

 

15 hours ago, Jakeboy said:

Let your ears determine the pickup height.  If you like the tone of the bridge pickup, tweak the neck to taste...its weak so pull it up a little at a time until your ears tell you it is good. 

Jake nailed it! ^^^

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Don't dismiss the Duncan Designed pickups just because they're not "real" Duncans.  SD keeps a pretty close eye on everything their name goes on.  They even have some documentation on their website, though it's a bit hard to find.  Those are probably HB103s, which aren't a bad fit for a Cali.

That said, I DID replace the HB103s in my Slammer Series Sunburst, not because they were Duncan Designed, but because the Distortion set was not appropriate (IMO) for a Sunburst.  I wanted something more '70s 4-digit-ish.  Yes, it seemed crazy to put a couple hundred bucks worth of pickups into a $200 axe but I'm glad I did.  It's a first-rate guitar; good wood, well-built, good looking.  I upgraded the tuners, pickups, and electronic guts and it's a lifetime keeper.

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