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'67 (?) Gretsch Astro-Jet - supertron squeal

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  • #1

    '67 (?) Gretsch Astro-Jet - supertron squeal

    hey guys,
    i've got a a Gretsch Astro-Jet from i-don't-know-what-year, (serial #: 71574, anyone know what year?)
    i LOVE the way this guitar plays. i LOVE the way it looks. i LOVE the unconventional controls and their layout.

    from what i can tell, the pickups in it are SUPERTRONs. i always suspected they were low wound humbuckers, given the two
    magnetic rails, but i read something alluding to them being single coils...that would explain the 4k+ output reading, but can anyone
    confirm this one way or the other?

    one thing i've noticed is when i try to use certain OD or dist pedals, the guitar squeals. this would all happen at settings
    that wouldn't effect my other guitars at all. it DOES NOT squeal with the tone switch in one of the darker positions, makes me
    wonder if i need to put a small value tone cap across the brightest tone switch position? or maybe there's some other mod i can do
    or measure i can take to control this? it seems, from what i've read on the internet, that SUPERTRONs are prone to squealing under
    higher gain applications. i didn't find any common solutions, so maybe i have to invent one based on YOUR suggestions.
    thanks for your input!
    (and, just so we're all on the same page, when i say "higher gain"...i mean your basic "rock" distortion/OD as opposed to any sort of "metal" or anything.)
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Gretsch pickups are not what you would call "high gain." They are really microphones, in the shape of a pickup. The best bet is to find some pickups that you can adapt into the original holes.
    Chet Atkins did not have Mesa Boogies.

    Comment

    • #3
      to restate:
      i'm not talking about HIGH-GAIN. no mesa boogies or metal zone pedals.

      i'm plugging into an ampeg VT40 or V4 from the early 70's.

      any factual info as to whether supertron pickups are HB or SC would be helpful. thanks.

      Comment

      • #4
        Single coil. As far as squeal goes, you might get some improvement by cleaning up all the ground connections, pots, and jacks. A bad ground can cause that kind of noise too.
        The insulation on the windings of the pickup can dry out and peel off over a long period of time, it's just enamel. This leads to the windings becoming shorted, or touching the pickup case, which again can cause squealing.
        You may be able to get a pickup winder like Duncan, to re-do the windings.

        Comment

        • #5
          Originally posted by soundguruman View Post
          Single coil.
          No, a Super'Tron is a humbucker. It's a Filter'tron with blades instead of poles. The pickups probably need to be wax potted. I doubt they need to be rewound.

          Here's the TV Jones version:

          TV Jones Pickups - Super'Tron



          SuperTron

          The SuperTron was a variation on the FilterTron used from 1964-1980. It had a blade spanning its full width instead of individual polepieces, and it was usually used on higher-end models such as the Viking and Country Gentleman, although it also turned up on the Monkees model.

          The SuperTron was designed to be a bit hotter than a FilterTron and to retain volume when strings were bent, but it never really caught on.

          The modern-era 6122-1959 features a TV Jones SuperTron Classic neck pickup. It is the only modern Gretsch fitted with a SuperTron. TV will be happy to sell you one, though.
          Gretsch-GEAR: Features: Gretsch Guitar Pickups The Gretsch Pages

          Sone of them had laminated blades:

          Click image for larger version Name: Screen Shot 2011-12-07 at 12.15.56 AM.png Views: 1 Size: 640.0 KB ID: 823573
          It would be possible to describe everything scientifically, but it would make no sense; it would be without meaning, as if you described a Beethoven symphony as a variation of wave pressure. — Albert Einstein


          http://coneyislandguitars.com
          www.soundcloud.com/davidravenmoon

          Comment

          • #6
            What? No soundguruman answer ?
            I´m amazed.
            No, he isn´t right, but that has never stopped him before
            Juan Manuel Fahey

            Comment

            • #7
              i hope this is all friendly ribbing.

              either way, someone just got SERVED.

              update on my squeal problem... seems better now. not sure what happened, but less of a problem through
              my VT40 than my V4.
              i don't get the squeal ever w/ my tone switch in either of the darker positions, makes me wonder if i can put a
              small value tone cap on the brightest position of my tone switch to eliminate potential future squealing.

              Comment

              • #8
                Originally posted by methodofcontrol View Post
                i hope this is all friendly ribbing.

                either way, someone just got SERVED.

                update on my squeal problem... seems better now. not sure what happened, but less of a problem through
                my VT40 than my V4.
                i don't get the squeal ever w/ my tone switch in either of the darker positions, makes me wonder if i can put a
                small value tone cap on the brightest position of my tone switch to eliminate potential future squealing.
                There is only one way to find out, ehhh?
                There may not be a cap at all in that position.
                Try it out & let us know.

                Comment

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