sakis26 Posted July 18, 2011 Posted July 18, 2011 Hi there!!!I just go myself a Heritage super eagle guitar which is gorgeous but since i play only jazz i found the neck pickup sound a bit thin and not so warm for my taste (i want that Wes Montgomery sound you know).So i was thinking replacing it with a benedetto A-6 or B-6.Anyone had any experience with an archtop heritage guitar with these particular benedetto pickup models?Which of the 2 you think it will make a better sounding super eagle. Thanks in advance!!!
tsp17 Posted July 18, 2011 Posted July 18, 2011 (i want that Wes Montgomery sound you know).So i was thinking replacing it with a benedetto A-6 or B-6.Anyone had any experience with an archtop heritage guitar with these particular benedetto pickup models? B6. I have a Benedetto B6 in my Heritage 575 MH. It is excellent for what you are seeking. I also had a Benedetto Benny (hollow les paul size body with a carved top) with an A6. Also very nice, but B6 is made for hollow archtops and sounds great. i love mine. when the frist one i had crapped out after about 5 years, i did not hesitate to replace it with another B6. highly recommended. i play with a Kenny Burrell kind of tone. your super eagle should be able to produce a Wes-like tone with a B6, no problem.
MartyGrass Posted July 18, 2011 Posted July 18, 2011 B6 should do nicely. Here's another one that many like: http://www.shadow-electronics.com/viewpro.html?lang_id=&id=77 I really like the Fralin Low Winds too. Seymour Duncan's Seths or 59s can also be a good choice. I have a Golden Eagle with HRWs. It sounds wonderful but isn't the tone you're looking for. I find it brighter than vintage.
Jimbob Posted July 18, 2011 Posted July 18, 2011 I'm curious to know what the existing pickups may be.
MichYank Posted July 19, 2011 Posted July 19, 2011 My 575 came with SD '59's and I am still making adjustments to get the right tone (Playing through early 70's Fender Twin and Princeton). I've been very tempted to drop a B6 in it as well. After reading these posts I could be pushed over the edge... I am concerned though that your's (tsp17) only lasted about 5 years. Is there a "life-expectancy" on a pick-up? Thanks,
setemupjoe Posted July 24, 2011 Posted July 24, 2011 I recently bought a Super Eagle and also found the pickups to be pretty thin sounding in the top range. As I write this the guitar is at my luthier's getting a set of SD Seth Lovers installed. I'll post again when I get it back and let you know what I think. BTW, I've been playing a Gibson Super V for the last 30 years so my ears are totally attuned to that warm woody jazz sound and that's what I'm working on getting with the Super Eagle.
Spectrum13 Posted July 24, 2011 Posted July 24, 2011 I recently bought a Super Eagle and also found the pickups to be pretty thin sounding in the top range. As I write this the guitar is at my luthier's getting a set of SD Seth Lovers installed. I'll post again when I get it back and let you know what I think. BTW, I've been playing a Gibson Super V for the last 30 years so my ears are totally attuned to that warm woody jazz sound and that's what I'm working on getting with the Super Eagle. What is a super V and can we see a photo?
setemupjoe Posted July 24, 2011 Posted July 24, 2011 Here's a picture of my Super V alone and next to the Super Eagle. A Super V is an L5 body with a Super 400 neck. They all came with the finger tailpiece. This is a 1980 model.
sakis26 Posted July 24, 2011 Author Posted July 24, 2011 Thaks setemupjoe!!!Im kinda surprised that heritage dont have a standard set of pickups with warm fat tone for those top-of-the-line archtops.Others have HRW pickups and others Schallers but both of them from my experience with heritage archtops are too thin sounding for jazz kind of music (wes montgomery etc).Anyway im looking forward to swap them with Benedetto B6.Im waiting for your experience with SD seth lovers too!!!!
MartyGrass Posted July 24, 2011 Posted July 24, 2011 Now I believe the SEs would come with either Seths, 59s or HRWs. You can order them with any pickup though.
barrymclark Posted July 24, 2011 Posted July 24, 2011 Now I believe the SEs would come with either Seths, 59s or HRWs. You can order them with any pickup though. I suppose if I were to order one, it would probably with Seths if I went humbucker.
Kuz Posted July 24, 2011 Posted July 24, 2011 Thaks setemupjoe!!!Im kinda surprised that heritage dont have a standard set of pickups with warm fat tone for those top-of-the-line archtops.Others have HRW pickups and others Schallers but both of them from my experience with heritage archtops are too thin sounding for jazz kind of music (wes montgomery etc).Anyway im looking forward to swap them with Benedetto B6.Im waiting for your experience with SD seth lovers too!!!! I have stated before that I am NOT a fan of HRWs in solid body or Semi-solid guitars. BUT I do think they are an excellent choice for Jazz Arch-tops. Jay Wolfe told me that Henry Johnson terminated his pickup contract with Benedetto after trying the HRWs. Mimi Fox, Kenny Burrell, and Vince Lewis also use the HRWs. HRWs are very articulate and slightly more output than Seths. The key with the HRWs is to lower them from the strings. My 575 Custom has Seths and my Golden Eagle Florentine has an HRW. After lowering the HRW, I think it offers greater string -to- string articulation & volume. With the lowered HRW it definitely offers a warm, full, fatter sound, in my opinion. Th Seth Neck pickup is very good, but the bridge pup has to be raised very high to try to eq the volume between the two pickups, and is a little to shrill sound for my tastes ( I never use the bridge pup on these guitars anyhow).
sakis26 Posted July 24, 2011 Author Posted July 24, 2011 But even if i change my mind and put HRW instead of Benedettos where i will find HRW to buy them.....
campfire Posted July 25, 2011 Posted July 25, 2011 I bought my Super Eagle Kenny Burrell prototype (with florentine cutaway) from Jay Wolfe about 8 years ago. It came with Seth Lovers, and sounds amazing. I do not like the Benedetto pickups at all. Much too dark, not enough clarity. They have 3 sounds: muddy, muddier, and "what was that note?". The Lovers sound warm, clear, and meaty. Very Kenny Burrell/Wes sounding when I want it. Just MNSHO. Everyone's ears are different!
setemupjoe Posted July 25, 2011 Posted July 25, 2011 That's good to know. I'm still waiting for my guitar to come back from my luthier but I have high expectations for the Seth Lovers. I'm pretty sure it had Schaller's in when I bought it and it sounded like a cheap japanese knock off. Not what I wanted at all. I'll post here with my thoughts once I get it back, hopefully today or tomorrow.
sakis26 Posted July 25, 2011 Author Posted July 25, 2011 That's good to know. I'm still waiting for my guitar to come back from my luthier but I have high expectations for the Seth Lovers. I'm pretty sure it had Schaller's in when I bought it and it sounded like a cheap japanese knock off. Not what I wanted at all. I'll post here with my thoughts once I get it back, hopefully today or tomorrow. I thought exactly the same for my super eagle which also has Schaller pickups.Im almost convinced not to put benedetto B6 pup but either Seth Lovers or HRW.Ill make my decision after you tell us your experience with SL because im pretty sure that you have that warm woody tone in mind just like me.
MartyGrass Posted July 25, 2011 Posted July 25, 2011 I've been able to compare a few pups in Heritage archtops. Here are my observations. Seths have a warm, woody tone. They are not as crisp. Schallers seem slightly brighter. HRWs are brighter still yet are rich. Lollar P90s are brightest and are still rich. They are the least muddy. The Floating #3 is probably the weakest and woodiest. It sounds more like a miked acoustic than an electric. Part of the sound may relate to the fixed distance to the strings. You cannot easily adjust pup height, although I've propped gauze under them before. Kuz has some sound files of different pups that maybe he'd post again. Of his files, the most distinct to me was the HRW.
Gitfiddler Posted July 25, 2011 Posted July 25, 2011 I'd like to toss in my personal favorite...Custom Hand Wound Kent Armstrong PAF (floater or mounted in top). These are both rich and clear in an archtop. Best of all, they come with 12 pole piece screws to balance individual string input/sound.
Kuz Posted July 25, 2011 Posted July 25, 2011 OK, I did these clips VERY quickly just to demonstrate the different tones. -All settings are the same (same strings, pick, input, amp settings, ect), no post recording eq #1 is the Florentine Golden Eagle with an HRW #2 is the Golden Eagle with Floating pickup #3 is the 575 Custom with Seth Lovers http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=933379 The first three "songs" ie Archtop Shootout #1, #2, #3
yoslate Posted July 25, 2011 Posted July 25, 2011 My very subjective response: All are very, very nice, John, and well done. #1, the Florentine Golden Eagle with the HRW is simply to die for tone! Has it all. Bit of punch, clarity and transparency (are they different?), warmth, body, boldness...pick your string of presumptuous oenological adjectives, or.... Fekkin' stunning! Thanks for the post. That was fun to listen to!
setemupjoe Posted July 26, 2011 Posted July 26, 2011 I got my guitar back from the Luthier today and I've had a little time to play it with my usual amp set up. I also compared it with my Gibson to try and hear the differences. First off, the Seth Lovers are a huge improvement over the Schaller's. The low notes are rich and mellow and the highs are full, not thin as they were with the old pickups. It's a little crisper than my Gibson, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. My Gibson can be a little muddy although I love the woodiness of it. I can't really get a good reading on the guitar until I do some gigs with it. That's always the best acid test. I have a gig with Royal Crown Revue this Friday so I can get to crank it and see how it sounds in a louder setting, then Saturday I have a straight ahead jazz gig so I can check it out for that woody Wes tone. My first impression though is two thumbs up. Marty's post above comparing pickups is very useful and while I can't compare these to anything other than the old Schallers and the original pickups in my Gibson, so far they compare very favorably.
sakis26 Posted August 1, 2011 Author Posted August 1, 2011 So Setemupjoe what is your impressions after the gigs?
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