Rail pickups vs. Pole pickups

PrestonRice

Joined: Oct 05, 2012
Posts: 1725
Austin, Texas
United States

Posted on Jun 20 2013 01:39 PM

Gatton did such a killer take on the old tune "Seven come Eleven"... Really a fantastic player.

I'm very curious, though, how a blade or bar magnet sounds different from 6 separate polepieces.

—

IMO.

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vintagesurfdude

Joined: Nov 28, 2011
Posts: 795
Prescott Valley, AZ
United States

Posted on Jun 20 2013 06:44 PM

I've tried a few of them, my take is that they tend to be pretty bright (the Bardens) where I prefer a bit smoother sound like early Strat single coils (in the low to mid 6K ohm range).

here's a sample without a band of Danny from an instructional video. Should give you an idea of the type of tone you'd be likely to get.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zhulCDYBCQ

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PrestonRice

Joined: Oct 05, 2012
Posts: 1725
Austin, Texas
United States

Posted on Jun 20 2013 06:45 PM

Thanks!

—

IMO.

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Dane_Brammage

Joined: Jun 14, 2006
Posts: 203
3 Contributor Pins

Posted on Jun 20 2013 07:24 PM

It might be useful to listen to a few samples. Here's a page from Seymour Duncan with the same passage played on a variety of pickups, some with rails and some without.
http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/audio-samples/strat_replaceme/

My ears are not too sophisticated, but I doubt I could pick out which ones had rails by the sound.

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Surf_Skater

Joined: Sep 06, 2012
Posts: 1300
Lawrenceville , GA
United States

Posted on Jun 21 2013 03:02 PM

vintagesurfdude wrote:

Danny Gatton used Joe Barden pick ups

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/joe-barden-pickups-danny-gatton-t-style-tele-pickup-set/h70739?src=3WWRWXGP&gclid=CK7M-LyA87cCFU_ZQgodIA8AlQ&kwid=productads-plaid^34106004482-sku^H70739.001@ADL4mf-adType^PLA-device^c-adid^14207111402

These are very hot pick ups and they require a really sensitive touch or they can sound pretty harsh.

Yup, Those are the ones. It says they are 4 conductor pups so I guess you could split them but they're a little pricey for a project guitar

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Surf_Skater

Joined: Sep 06, 2012
Posts: 1300
Lawrenceville , GA
United States

Posted on Jun 24 2013 09:37 AM

If you're on a budget these might work http://www.guitarfetish.com/Calibrated-Set-of-3-Lil-Killer-Cream-Rails-for-Strat_p_148.html

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Kian

Joined: Apr 05, 2013
Posts: 64
Franklinton
United States

Posted on Jun 24 2013 08:19 PM

Thanks for all the input guys. I think I've pretty much settled on getting the X2Ns I posted earlier, so now is the "save up some cash" stage. Until then, I have a lot of body work to do. If I ever get around to getting the pickups and a good wiring schematic, I'll post them.

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JakeDobner

Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
5 News Pins

Posted on Jun 24 2013 08:31 PM

Surf_Skater wrote:

If you're on a budget these might work http://www.guitarfetish.com/Calibrated-Set-of-3-Lil-Killer-Cream-Rails-for-Strat_p_148.html

I don't know much about that brand but pickups, more than anything else I've used, adhere to the old adage "You get what you paid for". I've read good things about them, but I've read really bad things about them.

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Kian

Joined: Apr 05, 2013
Posts: 64
Franklinton
United States

Posted on Jun 24 2013 08:42 PM

GF pickups seem to be hit-or-miss in general. My dad does some minor guitar work, and when I visited him this weekend he had put some GF humbuckers in an SG knockoff that sounded crisp, then put a set of GF singles in a mid-level H-S-S Ibanez that were tonesuckers. I agree with the adage "you get what you pay for," as that is why the guitar I'm working on is in pieces right now.

Last edited: Jun 24, 2013 20:44:03

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PrestonRice Joined: Oct 05, 2012 Posts: 1725 Austin, Texas	Posted on Jun 20 2013 01:39 PM Gatton did such a killer take on the old tune "Seven come Eleven"... Really a fantastic player. I'm very curious, though, how a blade or bar magnet sounds different from 6 separate polepieces. — IMO. Top
vintagesurfdude Joined: Nov 28, 2011 Posts: 795 Prescott Valley, AZ	Posted on Jun 20 2013 06:44 PM I've tried a few of them, my take is that they tend to be pretty bright (the Bardens) where I prefer a bit smoother sound like early Strat single coils (in the low to mid 6K ohm range). here's a sample without a band of Danny from an instructional video. Should give you an idea of the type of tone you'd be likely to get. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zhulCDYBCQ Top
PrestonRice Joined: Oct 05, 2012 Posts: 1725 Austin, Texas	Posted on Jun 20 2013 06:45 PM Thanks! — IMO. Top
Dane_Brammage Joined: Jun 14, 2006 Posts: 203	Posted on Jun 20 2013 07:24 PM It might be useful to listen to a few samples. Here's a page from Seymour Duncan with the same passage played on a variety of pickups, some with rails and some without. http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/audio-samples/strat_replaceme/ My ears are not too sophisticated, but I doubt I could pick out which ones had rails by the sound. Top
Surf_Skater Joined: Sep 06, 2012 Posts: 1300 Lawrenceville , GA	Posted on Jun 21 2013 03:02 PM vintagesurfdude wrote: Danny Gatton used Joe Barden pick ups http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/joe-barden-pickups-danny-gatton-t-style-tele-pickup-set/h70739?src=3WWRWXGP&gclid=CK7M-LyA87cCFU_ZQgodIA8AlQ&kwid=productads-plaid^34106004482-sku^H70739.001@ADL4mf-adType^PLA-device^c-adid^14207111402 These are very hot pick ups and they require a really sensitive touch or they can sound pretty harsh. Yup, Those are the ones. It says they are 4 conductor pups so I guess you could split them but they're a little pricey for a project guitar Top
Surf_Skater Joined: Sep 06, 2012 Posts: 1300 Lawrenceville , GA	Posted on Jun 24 2013 09:37 AM If you're on a budget these might work http://www.guitarfetish.com/Calibrated-Set-of-3-Lil-Killer-Cream-Rails-for-Strat_p_148.html Top
Kian Joined: Apr 05, 2013 Posts: 64 Franklinton	Posted on Jun 24 2013 08:19 PM Thanks for all the input guys. I think I've pretty much settled on getting the X2Ns I posted earlier, so now is the "save up some cash" stage. Until then, I have a lot of body work to do. If I ever get around to getting the pickups and a good wiring schematic, I'll post them. Top
JakeDobner Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 12159 Seattle	Posted on Jun 24 2013 08:31 PM Surf_Skater wrote: If you're on a budget these might work http://www.guitarfetish.com/Calibrated-Set-of-3-Lil-Killer-Cream-Rails-for-Strat_p_148.html I don't know much about that brand but pickups, more than anything else I've used, adhere to the old adage "You get what you paid for". I've read good things about them, but I've read really bad things about them. Top
Kian Joined: Apr 05, 2013 Posts: 64 Franklinton	Posted on Jun 24 2013 08:42 PM GF pickups seem to be hit-or-miss in general. My dad does some minor guitar work, and when I visited him this weekend he had put some GF humbuckers in an SG knockoff that sounded crisp, then put a set of GF singles in a mid-level H-S-S Ibanez that were tonesuckers. I agree with the adage "you get what you pay for," as that is why the guitar I'm working on is in pieces right now. Last edited: Jun 24, 2013 20:44:03 Top

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Rail pickups vs. Pole pickups