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So the $189 hand-wound KA is the way to go? I like the fact it has adjustable poles. The Benny's don't. How much of a difference is the KA HW over the KA HJGS6? Does it take it over into more of a PAF feel or just a more powerful floater?
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03-05-2014 11:15 AM
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I have made the change and the 12 pole KA is a lot better but not a PAF tone.In my 905 the tone is more acoustic and none the worse for that.It would appear that a floater wont give you that tone.I believe the pickup would have to be set into the top to achieve that but I'm sure there are others here who could tell you that for sure.I only know what it did for my instrument
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I just did the same for my 810 and also replaced the electronics. The KA HJGS6 is/was not bad at all, I think, but the handmade KA is a huge improvement. It keeps the wonderful acoustic tone which I like and was the reason to buy this guitar. An alternative would have been the Haussel flat jazz, which is of similar quality and looks nicer.
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It is interesting how you become addicted to the power of those bigger humbucking pickups. I have a Tele with the same strings as my Eastman but it has a VV Charlie Christian in the neck and it is louder than the KA in the Eastman. I also have a Tele with a Duncan Minibucker in it and it is a lot than the CC. The KA actually is a not bad reproduction of the acoustic sound of the Eastman. But just not that loud or full. That full, powerful humbucking tone is very seductive.
How does the KA handwound compare to the Minibucker or a full sized PAF style pickup?
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Archtop.com charges too much for that pickup.
you can get it here for less:
http://www.djangobooks.com/Item/kent...adjustable-paf
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thxs
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Some of the resellers like archtop.com and stew mac are ripping people off.
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Sorry to dredge this thread back up from the dead but it exactly describes the tone pot issue on my AR503CE (pot is only effective in altering tone in last 1/8 turn). It basically functions as an on-off switch.
Can anyone that’s switched pots on a recent Eastman tell me if CTS pots fit without routing? Also what length? Thank
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If they come with typical Asian pots, the holes is a smidgeon to small. You can ream it a bit. And you need short shaft pots.
Originally Posted by Humbuckr
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Have confirmed with Eastman that they are CTS. I think its the linear tone pot that's responsible for the narrow adjustment range, I must be used to logarithmic pots that are adjustable throughout the sweep. It works fine when you get to know it so no point changing. I have switched the pickup though. Thanks. Originally Posted by DRS
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FNARR FNARR chortle oo err missus Originally Posted by DRS
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Just to clarify for the non-Eastman players: not all Eastmans are equal. The pickup and pots on a (let's say) 403 or 371 are not in the same league as the (Lollar) pickups and (CTS) pots in the T64, SB59 and Romeo, just to name a few.
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Although pickups are subjective- I've swapped out the Seth Lover (generally seen as an upgrade) in my 503 already. Its possible I should've spent more time fiddling with other factors first but I just found them very bright in an already bright guitar. Originally Posted by Joeontheguitar
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Yes, better is a very subjective thing. What works in one guitar might not work in another. Originally Posted by Humbuckr
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AR372CE - Tone pots.
Apologies for reviving this thread, but hopeful that somewhere in here lies the answer to my problem uncovered today. According to the Eastman spec' they fit four CTS linear pots to cover volume and tone requirements. My luthier fitted a Seth Lover in the neck position this morning ( could not get on with the boominess of the '59 ) and replaced the two original volume pots (linear) with 500k CTS linear and the two tone pots with CTS audio taper pots. I believe the capacitor value os 0.47.
The problem is that whilst the linear volume pots work as expected, the tone pots give 'instant Metheny' from 0 - 3 or 4 and then virtually no perceptible difference up to 10. I understand the difference between the two types of pot but surely this is not normal? Is it likely that the two (audio) pots could both be from a bad batch? Could the capacitor have 'failed'? I am lost. My guy is a superb builder with lots of experience and a family background in electronics but is unsure what the problem is.
Please can anyone comment? Many thanks.
DavidLast edited by blackcat; 07-05-2021 at 05:59 PM.
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I have a set of TAD vintage audio taper (70 -30) CTS pots on order to replace the pots in mine. I will keep you posted.
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I experimented quite a lot with this lately. I replaced lineair pots for log (audio) pots for both tone and volume, because with lineair pots volume jumped from silent to too loud right away and tone pots would only work at the very end of the taper. With log pots it would be the other way around! I blame the modern readily available log (audio) pots for having a very different taper than vintage pots.
I managed to get a much more gradient transition with all log pots and a treble bleed on the tone pot (100K parallel with a .001 cap). You have to use the “modern wiring” circuit for this. Btw I use a .022uf tone cap for both humbuckers as well as P90s.
While I love the fifties wiring in my ES-125, I have not managed to get the same feel with modern pots, even if I wire it the same way. Again I blame the different taper of modern pots. The modern wiring with treble bleeds comes closest, minus the interactivity between tone and volume controls (which is probably a good thing for most).Last edited by Little Jay; 07-06-2021 at 06:34 AM.
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Good call! I think the taper of modern log pots is not well suited for use in guitar circuits! Originally Posted by TOMMO
Last edited by Little Jay; 07-06-2021 at 06:32 AM.
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Originally Posted by BigMikeinNJ
Django Books also carry the KA Handwounds:
Kent Armstrong Handmade Pickups - DjangoBooks.com
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Translation required for our American friends perhaps Christian? Originally Posted by christianm77
David
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Update: I replaced the pots and caps in My Eastman with TAD CTS "vintage audio taper" pots which have a ratio of 70/30 plus a set of Orange Drops.
The pots are excellent - very smooth action and the taper is very uniform. The website says these are custom made for TAD - price is comparable to a standard CTS pot, though.
Must have done something wrong because turning down the volume on the neck pickup to zero there is still some signal but I don't mind since other than that the controls work like they're supposed to.
Replacing the controls in a hollowbody is a walk in the park compared to a 335 style guitar, I tell you!
Anyway: if anybody looks for a quality guitar pot, I'd highly recommend these.
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Glad it worked out TOMMO. Still the stock pickups? Originally Posted by TOMMO
David
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Yes - the pickups are fine in my opinion. I think that pickups are often being replaced without any need to do so... Originally Posted by blackcat
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I once owned an Eastman T45, and the stock pickup was the best-sounding I could find. It didn't sound that good when I bought it, and I changed the pickup several times, trying to find a sound I really liked. I decided to sell it, and when I started to reinstall the original pickup, I discovered that it had been wired incorrectly at the factory, at least according to the Armstrong website. I rewired it correctly, and the tone was just what I had been looking for. I pulled it from Reverb and played it for several years, until I bought a custom guitar and needed money more than I needed the Eastman. It was a fine guitar. If one doesn't sound so good, I recommend pulling the pickup out and checking the connections against the Armstrong wiring diagram. The wrong wires from the pickup were being used on mine.
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I am sure you are right. I changed mine to a Seth Lover in the neck simply because I love that pickup even though it performs differently in my AFJ95. Originally Posted by TOMMO
David
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