uglogirl Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 I have a strat with a body which is solid maple and I was wondering if there are any measures which I could take to make it a little less bright? Would overwound pickups help? It has a 24" jaguar neck which maybe helps but maybe the lindy fralin blues at 5.8,6.4 and 7k set is still too bright for it. I'm building a swamp ash strat now that the fralins will probably end up on. What about a different bridge? It has one of the original floyds that have no fine tuners on it, so it's a little less horrible than a normal floyd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 overwound pickups will be brighter so will definately not help. The pickups you have should be ok. Adjusting some of the values on the tone pot may help to a certain degree with weight being a problem as well i would be tempted to hollow it out and attch a new front. That would solve both of you issues although the chambering would need to be quite extensive to make a large impact on the tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biliousfrog Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 They're single-coils on there? Something with a higher output & less top-end such as a humbucker would help, I have a mighty-mite motherbucker set that's quite dark sounding. You could also try using the tone control if you have one. Even strings can play a part, completely nickel sets tend to be "warmer", nickel wound are most common & plain steel are quite bright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 overwound pickups will be brighter so will definately not help. Totally incorrect. A standard pickup that is over wound is definitely going to have a more ”mellow” sound. The thing that might be confusing you is that most manufacturers of over wound pickups compensate this with stronger (often ceramic) magnets that compensate for the effect and add some treble. Change the pickups and you will have a totally different sound. Maybe P90s will make it for you. Or S90s if you don’t want to change the pickup rout. Or standard Strat pickups with a DC resistance up to 9K will for sure tame those trebles. Or just back off on the tone pot… +1 on trying out different strings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 The thing that might be confusing you is that most manufacturers of over wound pickups compensate this with stronger (often ceramic) magnets that compensate for the effect and add some treble. Exactly!!! I am not confused but aware that most pickups on the market that are sold as 'overwound' or 'high-output' do sound brighter. So i believe my advice is correct in this situation. If the question was from somebody wanting to make pickups then obviously the answer would be different. Do you guys think going for overwound pickups will solve the problem with the bright strat, because i dont, but then i wouldnt go for low powered ones either. changing to humbuckers might help but i would go for standard 'vintage' ones rather than ones marketed as being 'overwound'. The pickup i have had the best luck with when taming bright guitars is a seymour duncan 59. . . . still doesnt solve the weight issue though!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biliousfrog Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 where is weight mentioned as a problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 the title of the post at the top of the page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logical Frank Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 the title of the post at the top of the page You can see it from the main forum page. The line under the title of the thread. Also as far as over wound pickups, Fralins were mentioned so if you stick w/ them, you will get a warmer sound if you go for more windings on the same model. How much warmer, I cannot say. Anyway, what I would do is... turn down the tone knob. I might try some flat or ground wound strings as well but not everyone likes the feel of those and its not necessarily the most rockin' sound in the world. You'd also be first person I'd heard of who put flat wounds on a Floyd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 Exactly!!! I am not confused but aware that most pickups on the market that are sold as 'overwound' or 'high-output' do sound brighter. I don’t want to pick a fight or get OT or anything but I totally disagree that *most* over wound pickups sound brighter. Most distortion type pickups, that of cause are over wound, do for sure sound brighter. But that’s only because the (slight) lack of treble caused by the over wind is countered with stronger magnets. Do you guys think going for overwound pickups will solve the problem with the bright strat, because i dont, but then i wouldnt go for low powered ones either. “Pure” over wound pickups like the Texas Specials Tele (don’t know about the Strat version, haven’t tried them) pickups that Fender sells (man, those are really some beefy middy beasts) might suit this guitar perfect (I know they won’t fit, but try to find something similar in specs). I tried a Texas special Tele bridge in a VERY brittle sounding 70’s Ash bodied, maple necked Tele and that really balanced things out. And those are over wound with standard A5 magnets and something like 9 or 10 000 turns of wire. Best Tele I have ever heard after that pickup change. Really bugged me that I had to return it to the customer… So look for Start pickups with ALNICO5 magnets and 9 to 10 000 turns or a DC resistance up to 9K and it will change the sound for sure. Another way, if you really don’t want higher output, is to use strat pickups with normal wind counts and weaker magnets. There are strat pickups out there that have Alnico2 magnets. They will sound less trebly but retain a more moderate output. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spazzyone Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 (edited) My maple body/neck with maple board sounds awsome to me and it has a Duncan jb in the bridge it has not been suggested yet so my 2 cents would be lower pot values. you dint say what you have in there but as its a strat id guess 250k? see if you can find a 100k such as this http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cf...tnumber=023-560 if by chance they are 500k than try 250 k ones and for a couple buck seems a cheaper test than a pickup swap if your really skilled you could try bone inserts in the saddles but thats a lot of work and id buy that Floyd from you before id let you kill it Edited May 23, 2007 by spazzyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uglogirl Posted May 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2007 So look for Start pickups with ALNICO5 magnets and 9 to 10 000 turns or a DC resistance up to 9K and it will change the sound for sure. Another way, if you really don’t want higher output, is to use strat pickups with normal wind counts and weaker magnets. There are strat pickups out there that have Alnico2 magnets. They will sound less trebly but retain a more moderate output. This is really specific thanks a lot. I have wanted to put strat pickups which were highly overwound on this guitar for a while anyway. I wonder if GFS makes any with alnico5 - that would be convenient. :-) I love the lindy fralins, I think they are a remarkable pickup. But I think they will sound better on the swamp ash guitar I'll be building. Spazzytone, that Floyd STILL doesn't stay in tune and I'm no dive bomber. But that might be because it is a 24" scale and I am usually detuned to e flat or d. It just uses 2 springs. It just has locking tuners... didn't really want to put a Floyd nut on a 1963 neck. It REALLY is too heavy. But I can't see doing much about that. I don't want to refinish it. I've been playing it hard for 15 years and it is aged really beautiful, the nitro is soooo cracked. thanks again everyone... lot of help and info from you guys. Uglogirl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted May 24, 2007 Report Share Posted May 24, 2007 I don’t want to pick a fight or get OT or anything but I totally disagree that *most* over wound pickups sound brighter. Most distortion type pickups, that of cause are over wound, do for sure sound brighter. But that’s only because the (slight) lack of treble caused by the over wind is countered with stronger magnets. “Pure” over wound pickups like the Texas Specials Tele (don’t know about the Strat version, haven’t tried them) pickups that Fender sells (man, those are really some beefy middy beasts) might suit this guitar perfect (I know they won’t fit, but try to find something similar in specs). I tried a Texas special Tele bridge in a VERY brittle sounding 70’s Ash bodied, maple necked Tele and that really balanced things out. And those are over wound with standard A5 magnets and something like 9 or 10 000 turns of wire. Best Tele I have ever heard after that pickup change. Really bugged me that I had to return it to the customer… So look for Start pickups with ALNICO5 magnets and 9 to 10 000 turns or a DC resistance up to 9K and it will change the sound for sure. Another way, if you really don’t want higher output, is to use strat pickups with normal wind counts and weaker magnets. There are strat pickups out there that have Alnico2 magnets. They will sound less trebly but retain a more moderate output. its alright, i dont mind being called out about the things i post. And my broad statement about all overwound pickups being brighter is not completely accurate but i definately think i would be bad advice to tell people to seek high output pickups to 'tone down' a bright guitar, there is more to it than that. Now we are talking about magnet strengths and actual winding numbers we are getting more productive advice. This guitar obviously has a nice set of pickups in it already and when you start changing pickups to perfect your sound it can be come a very expensive and not entirely fullfilling persuit it has not been suggested yet so my 2 cents would be lower pot values. I did suggest playing with pot values in my first post. For reference i have an overly bright guitar made from heavy ash with an overwound P-90 in it and i find that a 300k pot with 0.047uf capacitor worked wonders and made a really versatile guitar out of something that was far too bright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted May 24, 2007 Report Share Posted May 24, 2007 The simplest thing would be a tone control on the guitar, as suggested, or turning down the treble on the amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spazzyone Posted May 24, 2007 Report Share Posted May 24, 2007 I did suggest playing with pot values in my first post. For reference i have an overly bright guitar made from heavy ash with an overwound P-90 in it and i find that a 300k pot with 0.047uf capacitor worked wonders and made a really versatile guitar out of something that was far too bright. My Bad.....Sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black_labb Posted May 25, 2007 Report Share Posted May 25, 2007 changing the tone pot value is doing the same thing as turning the pot down. the only difference is higher valued pots have a higher range. the value of the pot gives the highest resistance (full on) to things going to ground, so a 1 meg pot can effectively act as a 250k pot by getting it to the right level. because they are log pots that value will not be 3/4 of the way around. i dont know about the value of the vol pot effecting tone though, but its not meant to so i cant imagine it being a big difference. im not an expert, but i spoke to someone who knows alot about electronics and thats what he said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odin Posted May 25, 2007 Report Share Posted May 25, 2007 Tonezone pickup, heavy strings and tune down to d. Youre maple body will love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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