Do I want Filtertrons?

**morroben** · 10-24-2018, 04:26 PM

I'm thinking about throwing together another tele-ish type guitar. I want to try something different for pickups, and I've never had anything with Filtertrons.
Are any of you folks using Cabronitas or other tele-filtertron combinations for jazz?
How do you like them?
Hard to find youtube examples that aren't going for rockabilly. The few jazz/filtertron examples I could find were hollowbodies.
I've also considered a CC type pickup, since I haven't had one of those either, but I fear the noise.

**dlew919** · 10-24-2018, 04:47 PM

I have the squier modified cab with bigsby. I think it’s nice for jazzy tones. If you dig in a bit you get rockabilly. But it does jazz. No tone control.

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**ruger9** · 10-24-2018, 04:57 PM

Just my $0.02, as this is a subject that's TOTALLY opinion....

Filtertrons would be one of my LAST choices for those tones.

I own a Gretsch 6120 with Filters, and while the neck pickup CAN get ok jazz tones, it is helped by the big hollow body... because Filters are very mid-scooped. Only a strat pickup is more mid scooped. I can get kinda-like Johnny Smith tones out of the neck pickup, more "clear & pretty", but if you are looking for more smokey PAF/P90/CC type tones, look elsewhere.

I also own a Cabronita Thinline that came with Filtertrons, and in that guitar the neck was so bass heavy it was almost unusable for me. However- I put TV Jones T90s in that guitar (they are P90s that fit into a Filtertron rout), and they are AWESOME. But 250K pots are recommended, as everything TVJ does has extra sparkle added. But my Cabronita has been modded with a tone control, and that T90 neck sounds GREAT.

Now, If I were looking for a tele for jazz, and didn't want to use the standard tele pickups, personally I'd just buy a standard tele, then drop a CC-style pickup in the neck (requires a new pickguard too), there are several people making them now, and I've heard very good things about Lollars and Vintage Vibes (Pete Biltoft)... even tho they aren't really CC pickups, they do reportedly sound fantastic.

JD McPherson gets great vintage-y sounds (tho not jazz; he's more old school rock n roll, a little rockabilly, hillbilly jazz)... on his debut album with Vintage Vibe pickups: CC in the neck and another VV tele-style in the bridge:

**morroben** · 10-24-2018, 05:57 PM

Originally Posted by ruger9

Filters are very mid-scooped. Only a strat pickup is more mid scooped. I can get kinda-like Johnny Smith tones out of the neck pickup, more "clear & pretty", but if you are looking for more smokey PAF/P90/CC type tones, look elsewhere.

Thanks for your response, you bring up some good points. The more I think about it, the more I think my question was kind of pointless.
The thing is, I have other guitars with PAF's and standard tele pickups. And I even like playing jazz on my strat. I guess I'm not too picky. I just want something fun and different.
A CC is definitely tempting...so is a goldfoil. I just worry about noise. I tolerate it with strats and teles, but it does bother me. I generally avoid P-90s due to noise. I've heard CC's can be noisier than anything.
That's interesting about the neck filtertron in your Cabronita being so bass heavy. I would have expected too much treble, if anything. But I like teles, so I can deal with treble if I need to.

**mad dog** · 10-24-2018, 06:19 PM

Just my opinion: I'd live with the noise and go P-90s. My partscaster tele with spanish cedar body and P-90s sounds ridiculously good. For jazz or anything else. I'd ordered the p/us reverse wound, to give me a place to hide in the middle position if necessary. The guy forgot, didn't do it. The p/us are so fine in this guitar, I don't even care. I'll never change them.

BTW: I do love filtertrons in hollow bodies. But in general, HBs don't really work for me in teles. Even in thinlines. They do for others, so perhaps I just haven't found the right combination of body and pickups.

**morroben** · 10-24-2018, 07:15 PM

I've had a few P-90 guitars over the years. The noise has been an issue, but I've never been that impressed with them anyway. I'd rather have a regular tele or strat pickup, personally. Not that I think P-90s sound terrible or anything. Just never really bonded with them.
I have two teles currently. A thinline with a HB in the neck and then a regular tele with regular tele pups. If I go with a single coil on this build it will be a CC.

**Dr_turkey** · 10-24-2018, 07:37 PM

For jazz? Probably not my first choice, though I'm sure many people make them work. For everything else I can think of though filtertrons are top notch, especially TV Jones.

**KirkP** · 10-24-2018, 08:21 PM

You might also search youtube for TV Jones pickups. Here are some on a solid body, not exactly jazz but it’s clean.

And I vaguely remember Tim Lerch posting a video with Filtertrons or TV Jones pickups a few years ago. Bright pickups could be tamed with a tone control, keeping the volume pot down on the guitar, or maybe a long high capacitance instrument cable.

**morroben** · 10-24-2018, 08:28 PM

Originally Posted by KirkP

You might also search youtube for TV Jones pickups. Here are some on a solid body, not exactly jazz but it’s clean.

And I vaguely remember Tim Lerch posting a video with Filtertrons or TV Jones pickups a few years ago. Bright pickups could be tamed with a tone control, keeping the volume pot down on the guitar, or maybe a long high capacitance instrument cable.

Thanks for that clip! I subscribe to Mike Herman's channel but still hadn't seen that. Sounds good to me.
I'll search the Tim Learch vids. I've been watching his CC pup videos but didn't look there for TV Jones/ Filtertrons.

**neatomic** · 10-24-2018, 08:47 PM

yes for any gretsch type pickups, tv jones is the man..he consults for gretsch!!!...hes completely researched it all, he even goes to great extents to source the exact magnets used in the vintage pups...above & beyond stuff...

not only are his filtertrons great..and available in many mounts...but his hilotrons are great too...hilotron is single coil...with magnet on side...so has different magnetic field..wider..good for tone..and low output...

brad shepik used a gretsch with hilotrons for many years..great tone

cheers

**KirkP** · 10-24-2018, 10:42 PM

Originally Posted by morroben

Thanks for that clip! I subscribe to Mike Herman's channel but still hadn't seen that. Sounds good to me.
I'll search the Tim Learch vids. I've been watching his CC pup videos but didn't look there for TV Jones/ Filtertrons.

Here Tim runs through several Lollar pickups, but not a Filtertron.

**KirkP** · 10-24-2018, 10:45 PM

Gregor Hilden is a treasure trove of demos.

**mr. beaumont** · 10-24-2018, 10:50 PM

Gretsch, rhymes with retch, no coincidence.

**Dr_turkey** · 10-24-2018, 10:55 PM

Another thing to keep in mind is just because you're going with TV jones doesn't mean you have to go with TV classics, he makes several varieties of pickups so you can get one with a little less treble if you're worried about too much jingle when you jangle (I'd rather stick with the classic or setzer and adjust my knobs when I want less treble personally) and of course you can always contact them, tell them what sound you're going for, and they can point you in the right direction.

Also since seymour duncan makes filtertrons and has a custom shop you could drop them a line (best call, emails can take a while) and ask them if they can make one voiced how you want.

My final recommendation though, if you have a specific sound in your head and know what will get you there I see no reason to purposely side step it

**KirkP** · 10-24-2018, 11:22 PM

Tim Lerch & Lollartrons. Neck around 6:40.

Jason says his reference pickup was from a 64 Chet Atkins which is warmer than most modern filtertrons.

**cosmic gumbo** · 10-25-2018, 02:10 AM

Mini-humbuckers are an overlooked choice for twang or mellow tones. Avoid any overwound versions.

**Frank67** · 10-25-2018, 03:09 AM

Great videos all around and lovely tones. A Tele with Filtery pickups of some kind is somewhere in my future.
It wouldn’t be my first choice for a classic Jazz tone though. But I find Filtertrons sound lovely in general. Bright and clear, somewhere between a humbucker and a single coil.

**Hep To The Jive** · 10-25-2018, 03:23 AM

I never heard filtertrons in a tele that convincingly sound good. I don't think it's a good match, but many like it, so I guess it's just me.

The best filter style pickup for jazz I had was TV Jones powertron.

To me filtertrons sound great in Gretsch guitars, hollowbodys or jets. Yet, I have to admit Dynosonic sounds better for jazz.

Filtertron is a perfect rocknroll pickup. I love Brian Setzer and Malcolm Young tones! So yes, I'm a fan, but it's not the best for jazz.

**Frank67** · 10-25-2018, 03:40 AM

So neither the Mike Herrmann video nor the Gregor Hilden video nor the Tim Lerch video did sound any good to you? That is totally fine of course since we all her differently and have different preferences ... to me they sounded like three different flavors of awesome.

The powertrons have more mids and sound a bit more like a traditional humbucker with more clarity ... that is a good thing .... but I also felt that with powertrons one looses a bit of the Gretschy vibe that the pickup aesthetics imply.

**Hep To The Jive** · 10-25-2018, 04:46 AM

Originally Posted by Frank67

So neither the Mike Herrmann video nor the Gregor Hilden video nor the Tim Lerch video did not sound good to you? That is totally fine of course since we all her differently and have different preferences ... to me they sounded like three different flavors of awesome.

The powertrons have more mids and sound a bit more like a traditional humbucker with more clarity ... that is a good thing .... but I also felt that with powertrons one looses a bit of the Gretschy vibe that the pickup aesthetics imply.

Mike Hermann- no, not really, not the tone, but lovely playing. Tim Lerch- yes, but he's not playing a tele with filters, its some les paulish guitar.
Gregor Hilden- no, and i avoid his videos in general, he makes everything sound the same, and not in a good way.

**gitman** · 10-25-2018, 05:51 AM

I built a Partscaster last winter, using a chambered Warmoth Tele body in Korina and a custom made neck in baked/torrefied maple. The guitar has a Hipshot trem and as set of TV Jones Classic Filtertron type pups. Having played "normal" tele's for 20 years I wanted something different and I got it, too : the guitar has sustain for days (I guess the neck plays the biggest part in that equation) , is very responsive and these pups do an excellent job of relaying these traits to my amps. I used this mongrel for a wide variety of gigs and yes, you can mos def use it for jazz !
A general word of caution : Beware of those youtube clips ! The guys mostly sit at home, play really soft and use all kinds a different equipment for producing their tones so you never know for real what goes on.

This here is quite convincing and gives you an idea of what's possible :

**Marty Grass** · 10-25-2018, 08:01 AM

You can make almost any pickup work.

**ruger9** · 10-25-2018, 08:23 AM

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

Gretsch, rhymes with retch, no coincidence.

**ruger9** · 10-25-2018, 08:26 AM

Originally Posted by Hep To The Jive

Gregor Hilden- no, and i avoid his videos in general, he makes everything sound the same, and not in a good way.

I agree he makes everything sound the same... but it all sounds good, lol. But yes his demos are so similar it's hard to tell a Richie Kotzen tele from Billy-Bo lol.

**mr. beaumont** · 10-25-2018, 09:37 AM

Originally Posted by ruger9

C'mon, you know I wouldn't be me if I didn't hate on Gretsches...

(and I only hate them because I think they're the coolest looking guitars on the planet, and I just can't get along with playing them)