First Pickup; question

[RedHouse]

...I think that the lower wind sweetens the natural propensity of the A2....

I agree with that!

...You left out a part...

Yeah, I tend leave out things I'm not addressing.

[David Schwab]

Yeah, I tend leave out things I'm not addressing.

But he meant that combination. A2 sounds great for neck pickups. 7K with A5 would sound brighter.

But I find that real juicy SC neck tone comes from pickups under 6K.

[Dave Kerr]

I like boysenberry syrup on my pancakes.

What do you mean you like boys? And yes, that's all I'm willing to address in the above quote!

[David Schwab]

What do you mean you like boys? And yes, that's all I'm willing to address in the above quote!

No, no, no, he said he likes "boys in berry syrup"... can't you read?

[RedHouse]

What do you mean you like boys? And yes, that's all I'm willing to address in the above quote!

Oh nice Dave, sorry I don't swing you're way

No, no, no, he said he likes "boys in berry syrup"... can't you read?

Ouch! double whammy! sorry David ...syrup or not, you're not my type.

[jwendt2003]

...sounds like someone has a magnetic attraction to small pole pieces...

[jwendt2003]

How frustrating. My pickups don't sound any better that the ceramic ones that came out; nothing to get excited about.The ceramics, of course are loud, but at least they have some bottom end. However, the squire's not that great of a guitar, but I'm not getting much tone out of my PUs. I have A2 in the neck and middle, and A5 in the bridge; all are unpotted. The A2's are weaker, but I do like the way they keep some character under heavy distortion. The A5 is around 6.8k; bright, but playing clean, I don't seem to get very much low end from any one of them. The A2s are very even across the spectrum, the middle is a little above 6k, the neck a little below 6k. I'm not even sure what kind of wire I have, it says 'Enamel' coating from Essex, but the seller states that modern coatings are "not necessarily Enamel". -Jim

[David Schwab]

How close to the strings do you have them? The ceramic pickups will have more low end because of the steel pole pieces.

You may just need to change the tone settings on your amp, that's normal when you change pickups.

Guitar players often use too much low end anyway. I know because I'm a bass player. Too much low end leaves no room for the bass.

[ShannonH]

some other stuff to ponder

How frustrating. My pickups don't sound any better that the ceramic ones that came out;. -Jim

Hey Jim,
I'm sorry to hear that you're having a bad time. I think at minimum you should be hearing better harmonic content from your own winds.

One thing to consider is the natural tone of your guitar. When you play it unplugged, does it seem loud or quiet, bright or bassy? A hand wound pick up like you are describing can very much simply let the tone of your guitar come through along with the natural characteristics of the pickup. Like Dave said, the ceramics with metal poles are probably coloring your sound in a big way. I have a 98 squier strat, and I love the guitar, but it does not have a deep tone. I have put a lot of pickups in it, and finally decided to go with what I found worked for it.

Do move the pickups as close to the string as you can without getting negative magnetic effects. Some luthiers recommend a nickel's thickness on the treble and two nickels on the bass side. I kinda start there at the bridge and then diddle with it until the volumes are even.

Hope that helps some.
Peace

[jwendt2003]

Acoustically, it is kinda a crappy guitar, even though the Affinity Squire is listed as having an Alder body, it sounds more on the plywood side. I definitely moved the A2s closer to the strings already, and I can just bump up the amp's tone, but I'm probably spitting in the wind using this guitar. I wood love to hear some complex overtones; vintage vibe and such, which is why I've held off on the potting, as of yet.

I had a Amer Strat, but I had to sell it recently $.
If I get a kit body, is that enough to pull out some decent tone, or is the neck just as important? Do they actually make cheap, dull sounding necks, even though they're made of Maple, just like most other necks? There's a site that had bodies for $45, but they're cut out for H-S-H...Thanks, Jim

[Dave Kerr]

What are you using for an amp?

[jwendt2003]

Tube Driver 1-12 100w, solid state with one pre-tube on distortion channel.

[David Schwab]

What I do is use teflon plumber's tape

OK.. I just wound 6 coils, and use the teflon tape.

It's great, and stays on when I pot them in varnish!

Sure beats paper tape. Thanks for the tip!

[David Schwab]

If I get a kit body, is that enough to pull out some decent tone, or is the neck just as important?

IMHO the neck is the most important! Flexible necks suck the tone out of your axe.

A light weight body could help too. Even the bridge is important.

[ShannonH]

Acoustically, it is kinda a crappy guitar, even though the Affinity Squire is listed as having an Alder body, it sounds more on the plywood side.

I'd put over wound pickups in it, preferably A5. I could be wrong here but the two and three piece bodies (glue) and the poly finishes (plastic) tend to create that magical plywood tone found also in many harmony and hondo guitars. I actually one owned a les paul copy that was made out of some unreal layering of plywood. Hotter A5 can overcome dead tone. Also, what's your amp?

Peace