JWK Posted February 22, 2022 Posted February 22, 2022 I have a Hamer Monaco I haven't touched in years. Long story, not good, won't go into it now. What is important is that I pulled it out and started playing it and other guitars. Always a good thing. I go online to look stuff up and really can't find much anymore. I need some basic info and asking for some advice. The serial # is 252066. I figure this must be 2002, yes? I don't think they made Monacos in '92. I can't find what pickups were standard. I think I remember the bridge being a SD custom custom, but I can't remember what the neck pup is. I think maybe a Duncan custom, if that was a pickup? I looked on the SD website and it seems they no longer make that pup, if that is correct. Someone here probably knows. So if someone could verify the year of manufacture and the pickups, I would appreciate it. Now to the advice part. This is pretty simple. I don't like the pickups, never did. While they are not super over wound, they are still too hot for me. Heck, I find regular '59s a bit too much, especially in the neck. The tone control just does not respond as I would like. On my Hamer studio, I have a SD '59 in the bridge and neck, and that tone control works great with the stock wiring. I'm assuming the Monaco was wired up the same, so the pickups are just too hot for me. The monaco has a unique voice, IMO. I'm not sure what direction to go. Something clear and lower strength. Now that I'm thinking of it, I'm remembering from the old days here that people warned about some pickups not fitting in the routing holes. I think Dimarzios might be too deep for the neck cavity, or something like that. Just going by memory here, not positive. If someone could confirm, I'd appreciate it. In any case, recommendations for a clear, lower output pickup would be appreciated. Now about that Bigsby. Everything is stock on this guitar, so the bridge is the regular tunomatic that came with. Is there better bridge that would be an easy replacement? I get a little uneasy watching that bridge flex on its posts when using the bar (no hard working here, just nice shimmering touches) and I thought if I really bond with the guitar, I'll want to change that bridge if there's a better option. That's it for now. Thanks for any info or advice.
burningyen Posted February 22, 2022 Posted February 22, 2022 Yes, that'll be a 2002 build, with Custom/Custom Custom PUs. I 100% don't mean this to be snarky, but have you tried lowering the PUs (maybe while raising the polepieces) and/or turning down the volume knobs on the guitar? I remember a Monaco in Matt Smith's hands sounding heavenly.
kizanski Posted February 22, 2022 Posted February 22, 2022 14 minutes ago, burningyen said: I remember a Monaco in Matt Smith's hands sounding heavenly. I wouldn't dream of changing the pickups in my Monaco or SuperPro, and I'm no Seymour Duncan fan.
Jim85IROC Posted February 22, 2022 Posted February 22, 2022 People generally consider this advice to be heresy because it's not boutique-priced, but my favorite low output PAF style humbucker is the Wilkinson WVC neck pickup. It's only wound to 7k, so it's nice and bright with a lot of detail. I just swapped a set into my Epi Lazarus to replace the factory Burstbuckers and it is SO much better. These pickups are what come in the Vintage V100PGM, which is how I got to know them. Here's a clip of one of those that really shows off the neck pickup https://youtu.be/ntPM9txLMzI
JWK Posted February 22, 2022 Author Posted February 22, 2022 1 hour ago, burningyen said: Yes, that'll be a 2002 build, with Custom/Custom Custom PUs. I 100% don't mean this to be snarky, but have you tried lowering the PUs (maybe while raising the polepieces) and/or turning down the volume knobs on the guitar? I remember a Monaco in Matt Smith's hands sounding heavenly. The pickups are down to the level of the rings. I use all levels of volume on my guitars; always have. Because of the 50s wiring (IMO), the volume knob works great. No complaint there. It's the tone control that's not giving me much. Hardly anything until "woman tone". Sure, I can hear the difference as I turn down, but not so much in a treble cut way as a load reduction. Like when certain circuits use a pot for load reduction for volume instead of variable voltage. Like that. Me no like. Seriously, I use my volume and tone knobs on my guitars. The tone control on my monaco is just useless compared to my studio. It shouldn't be.
JWK Posted February 22, 2022 Author Posted February 22, 2022 1 hour ago, kizanski said: I wouldn't dream of changing the pickups in my Monaco or SuperPro, and I'm no Seymour Duncan fan. These both have the same pickups, yes? Do you find the tone control to be very effective on both?
kizanski Posted February 22, 2022 Posted February 22, 2022 14 minutes ago, JWK said: These both have the same pickups, yes? Do you find the tone control to be very effective on both? Absolutely. I recognize that the marriage of these two ingredients doesn't make any sense, but to me their combination is simply magic. I know @MCChrisagrees and he actually plays.
django49 Posted February 23, 2022 Posted February 23, 2022 My Monaco SuperPro came with Lollar Imperials (custom order) and it is my favorite Hamer ever. Lollar also makes a low wind version of the same pickup. Or you might check out Gravelin hereabouts and tell him exactly what you want to change.
gorch Posted February 23, 2022 Posted February 23, 2022 6 hours ago, django49 said: Or you might check out Gravelin hereabouts and tell him exactly what you want to change. My thoughts too.
Disturber Posted February 23, 2022 Posted February 23, 2022 Jol said that anyone could get a good vintage paf tone out of the Custom and Custom Custom in the Monaco guitars by using the volume controls. That is the thought he had with these models. A more modern tone, slightly higher output, with the vol on 10. But for the average player the "normal" way to keep the tone controls would be around 7-8, or slightly lower. That way the pickups get a more vintage output and sounds very paf like. That is the way I roll with my Monaco Super Pro. And I can get great vintage tones out of it.
hamerican gigolo Posted February 24, 2022 Posted February 24, 2022 I changed the pups in my SP because, quite frankly, the stock SDs suck.
atomicwash Posted February 24, 2022 Posted February 24, 2022 There is nothing wrong with a TOM bridge and a Bigsby as long as it is setup correctly. It's Brian Setzer approved. You may want to consider one that is secured to the posts like a Faber Tone-Lock. I have the Faber TOM on my goldfoil Shishkov (Mastery vibrato) and my R8 (non Bigsby). It's a very solid TOM. My Gretsch Spectra Sonic (designed by TV Jones & built by Hamer) & Corvettes have stock TOMs with no issues. You might try a web search on Gretsch bridge and TOM. I bet there is a ton of info out there. PS photos are helpful.
JWK Posted February 24, 2022 Author Posted February 24, 2022 Thank you all for the feedback and info. To be clear, I don't really hate the SD pups on there now, but at the same time I'm really not chasing PAF tone. I would like something a bit brighter and more clear sounding. Mostly though, I would like to solve the tone control "problem". I don't understand why the tone control on my studio is so responsive compared to the tone control on the monaco, which is the opposite. The volume knobs work great, although I've never been a fan of the custom taper Hamer used on the pots. I understand the purpose, but I just don't use them like that. However, I would not dig into the guitar just for the pots. atomicwash, thanks for the info on the TOM with Bigsby. I looked into that and will keep the TOM. I'll look into the Faber.
hamerhead Posted February 24, 2022 Posted February 24, 2022 1 hour ago, JWK said: ...I would like something a bit brighter and more clear sounding... Josh (Gravelin) can help you there. Best pickups on the planet. Also, Duncan Antiquities (stock in the Hamer 30th Anniversary) are clear as a bell.
Jim85IROC Posted February 24, 2022 Posted February 24, 2022 2 hours ago, JWK said: Thank you all for the feedback and info. To be clear, I don't really hate the SD pups on there now, but at the same time I'm really not chasing PAF tone. I would like something a bit brighter and more clear sounding. Mostly though, I would like to solve the tone control "problem". I don't understand why the tone control on my studio is so responsive compared to the tone control on the monaco, which is the opposite. The volume knobs work great, although I've never been a fan of the custom taper Hamer used on the pots. I understand the purpose, but I just don't use them like that. However, I would not dig into the guitar just for the pots. atomicwash, thanks for the info on the TOM with Bigsby. I looked into that and will keep the TOM. I'll look into the Faber. Have you measured the tone pot with a multimeter to make sure it's sweeping properly? Maybe there's an issue with the pot, or maybe it got replaced with a linear taper pot or something.
polara Posted February 25, 2022 Posted February 25, 2022 18 hours ago, JWK said: Thank you all for the feedback and info. To be clear, I don't really hate the SD pups on there now, but at the same time I'm really not chasing PAF tone. I would like something a bit brighter and more clear sounding. Mostly though, I would like to solve the tone control "problem". I don't understand why the tone control on my studio is so responsive compared to the tone control on the monaco, which is the opposite. The volume knobs work great, although I've never been a fan of the custom taper Hamer used on the pots. I understand the purpose, but I just don't use them like that. However, I would not dig into the guitar just for the pots. atomicwash, thanks for the info on the TOM with Bigsby. I looked into that and will keep the TOM. I'll look into the Faber. For brighter and clearer (sounds like we have similar approaches) I love the Duncan Phat Cat neck with Duncan Seth Lover bridge. They don't have the mid-range bump, to my ears, that Custom Customs in particular have, and are... ugh, describing sounds is like dancing about architecture... more mellow and open. More of the sound of the wood and strings, to my ears. I have the combination in my Talladega, and once had it in a Gibson ES 137 and loved it in both situations.
burningyen Posted February 25, 2022 Posted February 25, 2022 On 2/22/2022 at 5:53 PM, JWK said: It's the tone control that's not giving me much. Hardly anything until "woman tone". Sure, I can hear the difference as I turn down, but not so much in a treble cut way as a load reduction. Like when certain circuits use a pot for load reduction for volume instead of variable voltage. A couple possible issues. For what you’re describing I’d probably swap the tone cap for a smaller value. If it’s currently a .022uF I might try a .01uF. And although a faulty pot would be surprising in a Hamer, some “audio taper” pots do have a taper that’s closer to linear than audio. A pot swap to a true audio taper pot might help.
atomicwash Posted February 26, 2022 Posted February 26, 2022 TV Jones does FilterTrons in a humbucker mount. A Classic in the neck & a Classic Plus in the bridge is a sweet combo. The Gravelin Charlotte is my favorite humbucker. I have this pickup in the bridge position of most of my humbucker guitars. Clear/bright and it bites when turned to 10. Thank you @JGravelin!!!
RobB Posted February 27, 2022 Posted February 27, 2022 I replaced the ABR-1 TOM on my Bigsby Power Jet with a drop-in, TonePros TOM (non-locking) with roller saddles. Solved any tuning issues and a much smoother ride.
gorch Posted February 28, 2022 Posted February 28, 2022 On 2/23/2022 at 8:50 AM, Disturber said: Jol said that anyone could get a good vintage paf tone out of the Custom and Custom Custom in the Monaco guitars by using the volume controls. That is the thought he had with these models. A more modern tone, slightly higher output, with the vol on 10. But for the average player the "normal" way to keep the tone controls would be around 7-8, or slightly lower. That way the pickups get a more vintage output and sounds very paf like. That is the way I roll with my Monaco Super Pro. And I can get great vintage tones out of it. Just what I tend to do, turning the tone control down slightly to 9 or so. Just to cut the tips.
BubbaVO Posted February 28, 2022 Posted February 28, 2022 #1. Josh / Shlabotniks #2. Phat cats. #3 bill and Becky L90s
JWK Posted February 28, 2022 Author Posted February 28, 2022 9 hours ago, BubbaVO said: #1. Josh / Shlabotniks #2. Phat cats. #3 bill and Becky L90s I'm seriously considering trying the Wilde L-90 pickups. There is no perfect, absolute answer. I think when you get clearer and brighter than "typical" PAF pups, you are getting into things that are just different from each other. Unfortunately, I don't have the funds or the time to go on a major change-the-pickups long term project. I will have to make my best educated guess and see what happens.
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