SRV PE WIRE.

[Bill M]

I honestly feel like Stevie's tone was mostly the wall of amps he played through. Many don't know that he got his sound mainly from several amps at lower volumes which gave him a huge clean tone. I think any old low output strat pickup would have still given him that tone regardless if it were PE or Formvar. Not saying those don't play a rolebut I think a very small role in his sound. Obviously his playing style and the way the guitar was set up made for most of it.

Volume 7, treble 7, mid, 7, bass 2. The use of 2 tube screamers, 1 set for clean boost, the other set gain 1/3rd, volume 2/3rds, tone to taste. There you have it, instant SRV tone.

[jmaf]

Volume 7, treble 7, mid, 7, bass 2. The use of 2 tube screamers, 1 set for clean boost, the other set gain 1/3rd, volume 2/3rds, tone to taste. There you have it, instant SRV tone.

Yes, all that is perfect. And, the last detail, you need SRV playing the rig.

[David Schwab]

I honestly feel like Stevie's tone was mostly the wall of amps he played through. Many don't know that he got his sound mainly from several amps at lower volumes which gave him a huge clean tone.

I've been saying this for years, but no one pays me no mind! For some recordings he had about TEN amps running simultaneously! Some of them were in the stairwells at the studio. This was in a GP story a while back.

I got a great SRV tone once on a Harmony guitar plugged into a tiny Marshall combo!

[Bill M]

Yes, all that is perfect. And, the last detail, you need SRV playing the rig.

Not really. His earlier tone is very achievable and I have no problem getting it. His later tone was very complex through the use of many different types of amps. I personally prefer his earlier tone.

[jmaf]

His earlier tone is very achievable and I have no problem getting it.

Sir, you are a better man than I.

[Ward]

It's the wire THE WIRE

[voodoochild]

I've been saying this for years, but no one pays me no mind! For some recordings he had about TEN amps running simultaneously! Some of them were in the stairwells at the studio. This was in a GP story a while back.

I got a great SRV tone once on a Harmony guitar plugged into a tiny Marshall combo!

You are absolutely correct. I got to hang out with Rene Martinez and he told me the truth. There is so much BS about SRV. I trust Rene obviously because he was a close friend and the main tech for Stevie.

[FunkyKikuchiyo]

Honestly, I think it is in the right hand. His individual note picking is more like strumming (watch him play Cold Shot), and he just beats the snot out of it. I know it is a cliche to say "tone is in the fingers", but you can get an SRV tone out of a ukelele if you hit it right.

[jmaf]

I've re-read this whole thread and I'm now convinced it's the wire.

[Ward]

I've re-read this whole thread and I'm now convinced it's the wire.

[Lpone]

Ive just wound my first set of pickups with the NOS 'SRV' wire.

I used a gray bottom and black top bobbin arrangement and .187 mags from Mojo: .688/.688/.710,.710,.630,.650 and wrapped around 8300 turns around the first bobbin. To my astonishment it read around 9K. The spools are marked as 42 AWG PE. So I ended up taking turns off by the handful until the bobbin read 7.9K, similarly the other two were high and even the lowest wound neck at 7500 turns needed some wire removal to bring the K down to 6.5.

I used Mojo PE on another set and that was in the expected turns range of around 8200 for 6.2K.

Now both sets sound great, harmonically rich though I slightly preferred the SRV set for a classic sounding overdrive its slightly less bassy and slightly more hollow sounding. This may be a result of not yet having waxed the SRV set or maybe its the wire. Next step would be to wind another set to the normal number of turns with the 'srv wire' ie 7900-8200 I expect this set would read around 9-8k and be great for blues rock style overdrive.

I preferred the sound of both PE sets to another set wound with BAE Elektrisola heavy formvar and .195 Mojo mags, which to my ears sounded a bit harsher and slightly muffled in comparison though did overdrive slightly more.

BTW I think Fender used 43 AWG PE for the first editions of Texas Specials, which coincidentally or otherwise is sort of matching this 'SRV' wire correct me if I'm wrong. Also do others think that perhaps this wire is actually 42.5 or 43 AWG? (I don't have a micrometer)

[David Schwab]

Also do others think that perhaps this wire is actually 42.5 or 43 AWG? (I don't have a micrometer)

Probably, since your DC resistance was so high. By the way, you don't wind to a resistance reading, you wind by turns. At the same number of turns thinner wire will read higher, but that doesn't mean it's a hotter pickup. It just has more resistance.

[David Schwab]

I've re-read this whole thread and I'm now convinced it's the wire.

SRV couldn't even play until he got that wire!

[copperheadroads]

Ive just wound my first set of pickups with the NOS 'SRV' wire.

I used a gray bottom and black top bobbin arrangement and .187 mags from Mojo: .688/.688/.710,.710,.630,.650 and wrapped around 8300 turns around the first bobbin. To my astonishment it read around 9K. The spools are marked as 42 AWG PE. So I ended up taking turns off by the handful until the bobbin read 7.9K, similarly the other two were high and even the lowest wound neck at 7500 turns needed some wire removal to bring the K down to 6.5.

I used Mojo PE on another set and that was in the expected turns range of around 8200 for 6.2K.

Now both sets sound great, harmonically rich though I slightly preferred the SRV set for a classic sounding overdrive its slightly less bassy and slightly more hollow sounding. This may be a result of not yet having waxed the SRV set or maybe its the wire. Next step would be to wind another set to the normal number of turns with the 'srv wire' ie 7900-8200 I expect this set would read around 9-8k and be great for blues rock style overdrive.

I preferred the sound of both PE sets to another set wound with BAE Elektrisola heavy formvar and .195 Mojo mags, which to my ears sounded a bit harsher and slightly muffled in comparison though did overdrive slightly more.

BTW I think Fender used 43 AWG PE for the first editions of Texas Specials, which coincidentally or otherwise is sort of matching this 'SRV' wire correct me if I'm wrong. Also do others think that perhaps this wire is actually 42.5 or 43 AWG? (I don't have a micrometer)

It must be 42.5 or 43 gauge ,If you made a standard height bobbin & used 42 gauge wire ,the Max number of turns , will read probably less than 8k
& i have never seen a Texas special with 43 gauge wire

[LtKojak]

Also do others think that perhaps this wire is actually 42.5 or 43 AWG? (I don't have a micrometer)

It's closer to #43,5 AWG. The DC reading taking in count the turns says so. Mislabeled bobbin or just out of spec wire?