triple pickup question

[MartyGrass]

I have a pair of SD Seths and need another to complete the set of three. I'm thinking of getting something hotter that can be split, maybe a Stag Mag or Custom Custom. Would that be better placed in the middle or bridge position?

 

Thanks.

[mars_hall]

I have a pair of SD Seths and need another to complete the set of three. I'm thinking of getting something hotter that can be split, maybe a Stag Mag or Custom Custom. Would that be better placed in the middle or bridge position?

 

Thanks.

Bridge. else it will be unbalanced, but depends on whether you are putting a neck or bridge in the center. Look at the compare chart at SD to decide actually. Look at the impedances listed for both neck and bridge and then decide. You will place the one with highest impedance near the bridge to lowest near the neck to get the best chance of balance.

[MartyGrass]

Bridge. else it will be unbalanced, but depends on whether you are putting a neck or bridge in the center. Look at the compare chart at SD to decide actually. Look at the impedances listed for both neck and bridge and then decide. You will place the one with highest impedance near the bridge to lowest near the neck to get the best chance of balance.

 

 

There are volume controls for each pickup, so does it matter about impedance?

 

From what I understand, most put two necks and a bridge for a triple HB setup. What I have on the shelf are a set of Seths and a bridge 59. My thinking is that if I'm going to buy something, I should get something with a different tone, maybe in the center position.

[MartyGrass]

I was reading some of Seth Lover's comments on pickup design. Nickel helps reduce hum and has little effect on picking up high frequencies. Gold does reduce these high frequencies.

 

So it would seem there's a reason to not use gold covers.

 

I listen to my gold HRWs and certainly don't hear any loss of high frequencies.

 

Hmmm.

[GuitArtMan]

Bridge. else it will be unbalanced, but depends on whether you are putting a neck or bridge in the center. Look at the compare chart at SD to decide actually. Look at the impedances listed for both neck and bridge and then decide. You will place the one with highest impedance near the bridge to lowest near the neck to get the best chance of balance.

Impedance has nothing to do with output. It's only listed because it is easy to measure. Magnet strength, the number of winds, the gauge of wire used, and closeness to the strings determine output.

[mars_hall]

There are volume controls for each pickup, so does it matter about impedance?

 

From what I understand, most put two necks and a bridge for a triple HB setup. What I have on the shelf are a set of Seths and a bridge 59. My thinking is that if I'm going to buy something, I should get something with a different tone, maybe in the center position.

Having the volume controls less than wide-open usually dampens the high frequencies. The average of the Seths (8.1K+7.2K)/2 would around 7.65K for the middle position. The Seth bridge is 8.1K, while the '59 is 8.13K. Given this I would expect the middle Seth to dominate with all pots wide open. Keeping it lower from the strings may be one way to compensate, but the output "sweet spot" will be a compromise. It's all good

[mars_hall]

Impedance has nothing to do with output. It's only listed because it is easy to measure. Magnet strength, the number of winds, the gauge of wire used, and closeness to the strings determine output.

 

The DC impedance is a function of the number of winds. Though the '59 do have a hotter magnet

[Gitfiddler]

From my experience with 3 p'up guitars, a lot of the fine tuning is done by raising or lowering the pickups and the pickup adjustment screws of each.

 

I had 3 Gibson Classic 57's in my R7 Black Beauty, all with similar output. However they were very sensitive to how close the pickup or screws were to the strings.

 

Now I have a 3 p'up 157 with HRW's and have made a similar adjustment, even though I know that the bridge humbucker is slightly hotter. I had to raise/lower pickups and screws much more in order to find my preferred sweet spot.

 

Both the Gibson and Heritage were wired to have a Master Tone knob in order to provide even more tonal variety. Another factor is how much the middle pickup gets in your way. Some hate having a big honking pickup ring right where they want to pick or strum. You have to use a slightly different picking technique with these gits.

 

Bottom line is that you will have to adjust to taste, no matter what pickups you drop in this instrument. A Seth in the neck should sound great no matter what else you put in the middle and bridge position (EMG's are excluded however!).

[big bob]

I have two three pup heritages (well actually three if you count the stat dlx) I find on a three pup a master tone and master volume are worth their weight in gold.

 

And by the way that is one sweet 157...

[SouthpawGuy]

An HRW in the middle might be the answer, as it is higher in output it can be lowered out of the way of the picking hand whilst still remaining at the same volume level as Seth Lovers. I have them in a Millie and a VIP2, and in both guitars output is more than adequate with them set below the top of the mounting ring. Tonally they are also brighter than than Seths and so should compliment them nicely.

[602a]

A nice Brand New Alinco II pro in the middle would be the answer. I just happen to have one for you. Still new in the box.

[GuitArtMan]

The DC impedance is a function of the number of winds. Though the '59 do have a hotter magnet

Yes, but it's also a function of the gauge of wire used. It's possible to have more winds of larger gauge wire and still end up with a lower impedance than a pickup with fewer winds of a smaller gauge wire. I'm not sure if the magnet strength effects the DC impedance or not, but I wouldn't be surprised. Oh, another thing that affects the impedance: temperature. Try this sometime; measure a pickups impedance in the comfort of your home. Then leave it in the garage overnight in the dead of winter. Measure it again in the morning. They will be different.

 

All other things equal (i,e. two pickups of the same make/model) the DC impedance might be an indicator of which pickup is hotter. I guess it's just a pet peeve of mine that they use impedance like it's some sort of measure of output when it's not.

[mars_hall]

Yes, but it's also a function of the gauge of wire used. It's possible to have more winds of larger gauge wire and still end up with a lower impedance than a pickup with fewer winds of a smaller gauge wire. I'm not sure if the magnet strength effects the DC impedance or not, but I wouldn't be surprised. Oh, another thing that affects the impedance: temperature. Try this sometime; measure a pickups impedance in the comfort of your home. Then leave it in the garage overnight in the dead of winter. Measure it again in the morning. They will be different.

 

All other things equal (i,e. two pickups of the same make/model) the DC impedance might be an indicator of which pickup is hotter. I guess it's just a pet peeve of mine that they use impedance like it's some sort of measure of output when it's not.

 

 

Agreed... trying to help the OP with things he can access easily.

[GuitArtMan]

Agreed... trying to help the OP with things he can access easily.

Ok - trying to be a pain in the ass. Did I succeed?

[MartyGrass]

There's too much mystery in the translation from electrical technology to acoustic result.

 

I read complaints about the Bill Lawrence USA pups (made outside of the USA- weird) that they are foreign built and have plastic housings. Yet others say they are made on the original USA machines.

 

Plastic seems like the ideal substance to house the bobbins in that it shouldn't interfere with frequency capture.

 

Like much of marketing, it's hard to separate hype from useful info.

 

From what I can tell, the XL 500s are overwrapped and are therefore hotter than their predecessors. Maybe the magnets are stronger and the wire is thinner with more wraps, too.

 

I am inexperienced in the realm of pup manipulation. I have found that even a hot set of pups can have a nice crisp sweet spot with distance adjustment, so I am learning.

[GuitArtMan]

There's too much mystery in the translation from electrical technology to acoustic result.

 

I read complaints about the Bill Lawrence USA pups (made outside of the USA- weird) that they are foreign built and have plastic housings. Yet others say they are made on the original USA machines.

 

Plastic seems like the ideal substance to house the bobbins in that it shouldn't interfere with frequency capture.

 

Like much of marketing, it's hard to separate hype from useful info.

 

From what I can tell, the XL 500s are overwrapped and are therefore hotter than their predecessors. Maybe the magnets are stronger and the wire is thinner with more wraps, too.

 

I am inexperienced in the realm of pup manipulation. I have found that even a hot set of pups can have a nice crisp sweet spot with distance adjustment, so I am learning.

Bill Lawrence no longer has anything to do with Bill Lawrence pickups - he sold out the name or something much in the way Leo did. The real Bill Lawrence is making Wilde pickups and guitars.

[MartyGrass]

Bill Lawrence no longer has anything to do with Bill Lawrence pickups - he sold out the name or something much in the way Leo did. The real Bill Lawrence is making Wilde pickups and guitars.

 

Yes. I've enjoyed his Wilde pups once.

 

I'll pull off the pickups on the H157 and see whether they are the Wilde or the USA pups, unless you can tell from the photos.

 

It won't necessarily change much for me but it will satisfy my curiosity on the matter.

[FredZepp]

On my '77 LP Custom with 3 pickups, I have it wired with the middle pickup out of phase so that I get that nice nasal tone in the middle position. With that wiring, it becomes important to do fine tuning to get the right sound as one pickup is canceling some of the other pickups frequencies to get that sound.