WCR Pickups and H150?

[bluesaxe]

I just found this fabulous place!  How convenient since I just bought my first Heritage last week!  It's a 1997 H150 dyed blue top that looks like spalted maple.  It has all schaller hardware including pups.  It weighs in at a fighting weight of 10lbs.

 

I really don't care much for the Schaller pups.  I've been thinking about Lollar Imperials or WCRs.  Does anyone here have experience with either of these pickups in an H150?  I'd love to hear about it!  Which WCR's did you try?

 

In the interim I picked up a set of used Duncan Alnico Pro II's for cheap to try in it.  Who knows, I might really like them and not try anything else.

[Dick Seacup]

Welcome to the Club, bluesaxe!  Say, that wasn't the blue 150 that was on TGP for a while, was it?  That was a sharp guitar with the natural back.  Can't help you with the pickups, but I know there are a(t least) a couple of guys who are big on pups here, so I'm sure you'll get an answer.  Post some pics!

[GuitArtMan]

Welcome bluesaxe.  Though the WCRs seem to be all the rage over the Les Paul forum, they didn't float my boat.  I had the Crossroads set in a Les Paul and didn't care for them.  The neck pickup was nice, and had great clarity and articulation but the bridge pickup was weak and anemic, thin, bright, left me feeling "Where's the beef?".  And this was after having a set of Duncan Antiquites in the guitar - not necessarily a powerful (but definitely toneful) bridge pickup.  Also the middle toggle position seemed flat and life less, which is normally my favorite postion.  I replaced them with Bare Knuckle Mules and haven't looked back. 

 

I have a set of Lollar Imperials in my CS-336 and like them allot.  I haven't tried them in a Les Paul, but immagine they would sound great.  I've loved every Lollar pickup I've heard.

[bluesaxe]

A pic of my new girl -

 

http://dbcollective.org/4sale/heritage150.jpg[/img]

 

Neck pickup ring is broken - or did I break that so I could try new pups... ;D

 

The back and neck are stained blue, so I don't think this was the one on TGP.  It looks like it sat for quite a while.  The frets were pretty green and the hardware was pretty dirty.  I'm still working on cleaning it up. 

 

I haven't met a Lollar pickup I didn't like, either.  I have a set of blondes in one strat and a set of tweeds in another.  I've heard similar comments on WCR's.  Some people just love them, others, not so much.  No one says anything bad about the Lollars.  I typically play 11s and want a good neck pickup.  It seems a lot of humbucker neck pickups are nothing but mud.

[Vinni]

Coincidence?

 

The Neckring of my CM150 is busted too.

The screws did not fit properly.

 

Vinni

[Thundersteel]

Nice 150! Welcome to the club!

 

I've had my 157 retrofitted with HRWs--have you given those a thought?

 

I like the SD Seth Lovers as well.

[bluesaxe]

Nice 150! Welcome to the club!

 

I've had my 157 retrofitted with HRWs--have you given those a thought?

 

I like the SD Seth Lovers as well.

 

Hey Thundersteel -

 

Do you like the HRW's better than the Seth Lovers?  How would you compare the HRW's to the stock Schaller Pickups and the Seth Lovers?

 

Thanks!

[golferwave]

  Hey bluesaxe - Nice H-150! - I'll throw my pennies worth in on this one.  Pickup tone is different to each persons ear so I can't speak for anyone but myself.  I have quite a few Heritage guitars and each one is outfitted with different pickups from different manufacturers - Duncan, Bare Knuckle, WCR, Lollar, Lindy Fralin, and Heritage.  My favorite Duncan pickups are the Antiquities and "blackback". My favorite Bare Knuckle pickups are the "Mule" and "Stormy Monday". My favorite WCR's are the "Darkburst" and "Betset". I have a set of Fralin "PAF" pickups and the Heritage "HRW" and the Lollar "Imperials" and I like each of those as well.  My very favorite two are the Duncan "Antiquities" and the Bare Knuckle "Stormy Monday". Your perfect pickups will be the ones that sound best to you,  good luck in your search!

[bluesaxe]

New picks with new PUPS -> Duncan Alnico Pro II's - these things actually aren't too bad sounding... better than the Schallers IMHO... and I think the zebra setup with the chrome rings looks pretty cool.. but what do I know.. 

 

http://dbcollective.org/4sale/HeritageV2a.jpg[/img]

 

And anuzzer pic..

 

http://dbcollective.org/4sale/HeritageV2b.jpg[/img]

 

yeah - those are my home built 300B tube amps in the backround - oh so sweet sounding  8)

 

... and that's my home built 2x10 combo behind the H150...

[bluesaxe]

  Hey bluesaxe - Nice H-150! - I'll throw my pennies worth in on this one.  Pickup tone is different to each persons ear so I can't speak for anyone but myself.  I have quite a few Heritage guitars and each one is outfitted with different pickups from different manufacturers - Duncan, Bare Knuckle, WCR, Lollar, Lindy Fralin, and Heritage.  My favorite Duncan pickups are the Antiquities and "blackback". My favorite Bare Knuckle pickups are the "Mule" and "Stormy Monday". My favorite WCR's are the "Darkburst" and "Betset". I have a set of Fralin "PAF" pickups and the Heritage "HRW" and the Lollar "Imperials" and I like each of those as well.  My very favorite two are the Duncan "Antiquities" and the Bare Knuckle "Stormy Monday". Your perfect pickups will be the ones that sound best to you,  good luck in your search!

 

Wow - sounds like you've tried them all! 

 

So if you had to get one set, which one would you get???

 

I play mostly blues / jazz / rock and I play 11s

 

Thanks for your help!

[Dick Seacup]

I dig the mineral streaks in the top of that guitar.  Did you work from layouts/schematics for your toob amps?  If so, which ones?  I guilt the AX84.com p1x and had a blast...although I spent more than it would've cost to buy a boutique amp. 

[bluesaxe]

Did you work from layouts/schematics for your toob amps?  If so, which ones? 

 

This is pretty OT, but what the hell...

 

The 300B amps are a two stage design using 417A input tubes (All Western ELectric Designed TOOBS).  I borrowed from several schematics I found on the web. I played with the more standard cascaded 6SN7 stages and decided I liked this design better.   The 417A has a CCS on the anode to make it behave more linearly and give it a little more gain.  I played with battery bias on the 417A but it really didn't do much for the overall sound and it's kind of redundant with the CCS.  The CCS is the trick to getting the best sound out of this config.  These put out a glorious 6 watts per channel!  Someday I hope to get some Lowther speakers to really see what these amps are really capable of.  The speakers I'm using are a pair of Monitor Audio Silvers that are only about 92dB efficient, which is pretty low for SE 300B.  Thankfully these speakers have a fairly benign impedance curve so the 300B can drive them pretty well. 

 

The guitar amp is a hybrid of several desgins all thrown together and tweaked. It uses some non standard (but available) tubes.  I borrowed from Fender / Matchless / Trainwreck to come up with the design, although I would call the design my own.  I know of no other design like it.  The basic circuit is Class A no feedback KT66 at about 30 watts.  It's an incredibly dynamic amp and has a fantasic breakup. (of course I'm biased... )

 

Can you tell I'm a TOOB head yet???

 

;D

[golferwave]

  Wow, Blues, Jazz, and Rock?  As I said the tone is up to each person. I told you of MY tone preferences but if I were to have a favorite for the blues it would be my WCR Moore/Green pickups.  They are wound out of phase and you are suppose to install them with the neck pole pieces in the wrong direction as the Moore/Green guitar pickups are.  They are VERY punchy and have an old style blues and rock tone to them. Just my opinion!

[bluesaxe]

  Wow, Blues, Jazz, and Rock?  As I said the tone is up to each person. I told you of MY tone preferences but if I were to have a favorite for the blues it would be my WCR Moore/Green pickups.  They are wound out of phase and you are suppose to install them with the neck pole pieces in the wrong direction as the Moore/Green guitar pickups are.  They are VERY punchy and have an old style blues and rock tone to them. Just my opinion!

 

Thanks for info!

 

I know trying to cover blues / jazz / rock with one pickup setup is really asking for a lot.  Most of the rock I do is more on the mild OD side.  If I need more gain I use a pedal (McFuzz or Eternity).

 

I've been seriously considering getting another geetar to cover the jazz / light blues side .... perhaps a H535 or H575?  Then I could have the H150 for heavy blues and R&R. 

 

Mabye something like -

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...A:IT&ih=005

 

the herd just keeps growing...