Benedetto S6 Pickup

**Geert** · 06-29-2011, 03:35 PM

I am currently in the proces of installing a Benedetto S6 floating pickup on my The Loar LH-600 (waiting for the pickguard to arrive).

Today I made this temporary setup on the guitar:

The pickup 'floats' on a piece of foam, the rest is taped secure.
I think it is positioned pretty much the way it should be (alltough it looks a bit offset in the photo).

The sound is great (deep but clear) but there is one thing.
The B string seems to get a much lower signal than the rest of the strings. I tested this on both an amp and directly into the computer to get the pure signal. The difference in both cases is apparent. If I bend the B string up to the position of the G the tone gets clearly louder...

Is there something wrong with the pickup or my setup?

TH · 06-29-2011, 03:49 PM

Is this the case when you're playing fretted notes? How about when you compare different playing positions? If the string is sitting high in the nut or high in the saddle, you're going to experience a loss of volume that's usually alleviated by adjustable pole pieces. Maybe the next heavier gauge string for your B? Try this one, take a small screwdriver and tap lightly across the pickup. Does it still drop out at the second string position? I'm just thinking of the highly unlikely situation where a bad magnet may have been installed. Not sure if they use individual magnets or a blade.
Raise the height of the pickup a little on the treble side- it's more subject to subtle changes with thing gauge strings. What are you stringing with?
David

**Geert** · 06-29-2011, 04:16 PM

Thanks for your reply.
To answer your questions:
It is the case in both open string and fretted notes in all positions on th B string.
I think the string height in the nut is oké. I tried tapping the pickup with a screwdriver I couldn't hear a difference here on the different string positions..?
I hope I can compensate with a thicker string (it is currently strung with .12 flatwounds).

Thanks for your suggestions

**spiral** · 06-29-2011, 07:08 PM

Originally Posted by TruthHertz

Does it still drop out at the second string position? I'm just thinking of the highly unlikely situation where a bad magnet may have been installed.

This is a good point. Usually pickups are compensated for the B being louder, so it might be made that way.

Hard to see but the B pole is lower:

**Geert** · 06-30-2011, 03:48 AM

Today I tested the pickup at a higher volume and the difference in volume between the B string and the other strings was still there, but it felt more balanced in correspondance to the other strings.

I guess you are probably right in saying the pickup is likely to be designed this way.

**oldane** · 06-30-2011, 11:47 AM

I have S-6 on a 15 years old Benedetto guitar. It's one of the older ones made by Kent Armstrong. The B has a lower volume than the other strings on that too. Not dramatical but audible.

**Gumpy** · 06-30-2011, 06:53 PM

Maybe the S-6 Pickup was designed for bronze-wound strings?

G.

**kambor** · 06-30-2011, 07:26 PM

Buy individual thicker B strings.

**tonedeaf** · 06-30-2011, 10:42 PM

I replaced the KA floater on my Eastman 805CE with a Benedetto 6. The qualities I noticed first were its clarity and balance. I feel I am playing a little better because I do not have to compensate as much for the change in string characteristics when going from a wound to a non-wound string (which has always bugged me more than anyone else I know).

Now if I could figure out how to marry the tone and depth of the KA with the balance and clarity of the Benny I would be happy (for a little while anyway).

**oldane** · 07-01-2011, 12:47 AM

Originally Posted by Gumpy

Maybe the S-6 Pickup was designed for bronze-wound strings?

G.

No, it's only the B string which has a little lower volume. And Bob Benedetto has always delivered his PU equipped guitars with nickel round wounds, not bronce wound, so I find it safe to say that the PUs were designed for that. My sample came with La Bella nickel round wound 13-56 when he shipped it back in 1996.

There will be slight differences in magnetic properties between different strings sets, so a PU which works perfect with one set may show slight volume differences between the individual strings with another set. With non adjustable pole pieces, that is something we have to live with.

Strat players have lived for many years with the original strat PUs, which had the magnet height set for a wound G even though rock players have used unwound Gs since the mid 1960s. I bought a Highway 1 strat a couple of years ago, and it also came with magnets set for a wound G string - which doesn't bother me since I actually use a wound G. Aftermarket Strat PUs can be delivered with pole height set for an unwound G.

**Geert** · 07-01-2011, 08:29 AM

Finished!!

Yesterday the pickguard came with the mail, and i spend most of the night installing everything.
The bracket, to attach the guard to the body, I ordered came out way to high so i desided to make one myself (using my son's meccano box

)
It took quite a bit of testing and adjusting to get everything alligned properly, but it all worked out well.
So much for my first steps in luthery

As for the B string I will try a heavier gauche string.

Very proud of my first electric archtop, she sounds GREAT!!!

**kambor** · 07-01-2011, 10:22 AM

Yeah, that looks sweet! Where did you get the pickguard?

Would be great to hear that beauty sing.

**Geert** · 07-01-2011, 05:53 PM

The pickguard is from Allparts (L5 style pickguard), I got is from guitar-parts in Amsterdam (I live in Belgium) but I do believe it can be ordered at Amazon aswell.

G

**carlescountry** · 07-04-2011, 02:44 AM

Beautifil guitar and nice tone! Congratulations.

**PTChristopher** · 05-10-2012, 02:47 PM

I never noticed this thread before.

Regarding the weak B string signal - This PU is specifically designed with a very deep drop in the blade height under the B. This is the intentional reason for the weak B.

In my opinion they overdid the drop under the B and it is unbalanced even when using pure nickel-wound strings. For Bronze wound strings the B may be a bit better vs. the G, but the E will still be far stronger than the B.

This imbalance is somewhat less of a problem if you move the PU away from the strings some. The absolute "B dip" in the blades becomes a relatively smaller part of the average PU-to-string distance.

Anyway, great sounding PU but too bad the B is over-compensated (in my opinion).

Chris

**Geert** · 05-10-2012, 03:24 PM

The 'drop' in volume on the B string is indeed much less apparant when using bronze roundwounds instead of flats;
And at higher volumes the balance seems to be better.
I still think the benedetto is a great sounding pickup.
Very natural.

**asedas** · 05-31-2012, 04:05 PM

Hi guys, I have also benedetto in my ibanez but never noticed that B is more compensated that others. Today I've checked that and yes - I can hear a little (very little) difference, but you cannot hear it without know about it. I'm playing on my benedetto setup over 6 years now but never noticed that 'B compensation'... I'm playing LaBella black nylon .14 mostly (sometimes TI GB) and maybe the strenght is the issue? I really cannot say that you can hear it normally. and from the other hand - you can get used to it and pick string B more to get good 'flat' sound through the strings

cheers and thanks for the 'B tip' (it was planned - B like Benedetto?

)

**Geert** · 05-31-2012, 06:39 PM

I did discover something concerning the compensated B:

I changed strings recently to a set of Tomastic bebop (round wound) .13's.
With these strings the balance is perfect.
First i tried .12's with an unwound G string. With these strings the G was way off balance. The unwound G was much louder than all the other strings.
The difference between the high E and B was much less apparent than with the set of bronze strings i used before.

This pickup seems to be designed for a certain type of strings. It did amaze me how off the balance in volume is when using other types.

**Para** · 06-17-2015, 01:56 PM

Has anyone any experience with the Benedetto S6 pickup?

I've made a scratchplate for my Guild A-150 and wired it for volume and tone and I intend to fit a floating humbucker on it.

**Franz 1997** · 06-17-2015, 02:13 PM

I haven't used an S6, but reading the unusual electrical specs I'd imagine it sounds very different from a conventional pickup. Very high resistance, high inductance...In fairness, I haven't even heard one in use

If the 1100 re-issue sounds like the original DA 1100, can't go wrong with that. Or the Kent Armstrong single coil floater.

**DRS** · 06-17-2015, 03:11 PM

I have an S6 on my Eastman.

The resistance isn't that high for a humbucker. It sounds like a floating bucker should sound like. Clear and even with good string definistion. Better than the Asian KA it came with. It does not sould like a big Gibson PAF style pickup.

**Max405** · 06-17-2015, 03:19 PM

I've been wanting one for my L7c. The best price I've found out there is $105 from DjangoBooks. Great Vendor.

I haven't pulled the trigger yet because I'm not sure I should put a pickup on my Acoustic Archtop when I like the K&K Definity so much.

**Jabberwocky** · 06-17-2015, 03:19 PM

DRS, any issue with the B string sounding weak?

**Para** · 06-17-2015, 03:27 PM

I've been considering contacting Aaron Armstrong here in the UK he does custom winds.

**Para** · 06-17-2015, 03:35 PM

I have a Rhythm Chief 1000 Jab haven't tried that yet, I'm afraid I can't resist tinkering with things, I'll get the Benedetto S6 if I don't like it I'll get a Rhythm Chief 1100 and try it. I've heard Kenny Burrell using a Benedetto B6 which is the top mounted version same specs as the S6 and I liked the tone of that, not that I'll ever sound like Kenny Burrell even if I used his Guitar