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G'day friends,
I'm still chasing a warmer Jazz sound.
My Guitar is an Epiphone Emperor Regent made by Peerless in Korea and the amp is a Fisonic Australian tube amp of 12 watts fitted with a 12" Celestion G12M.
On the amp,volume is on 2,treble is on 0,mid on 2 and bass on 8...On the Guitar, volume is on 8 tone is on 0 (full bass).... and it's still a bit bright for my liking.
So,I'm thinking about a different floating pickup ... any suggestions ?
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04-29-2023 01:34 AM
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I have rewired the electronics in those guitars with new, better pots and a different wiring scheme and found the original pickup to sound far better and much warmer. It’s been years since I’ve done this to one though. The pickup seems to actually be pretty good in my experience. It’s a much cheaper experiment should you want to try. I believe I just used a standard Seymour Duncan single volume, single tone humbucker schematic.
Originally Posted by scout
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Have you tried setting the mids higher on the amp (e.g. 7 or 8) and reducing the bass? Also having the tone on the guitar at 0 usually makes things muddy not warm. As a starting point I usually find these settings work for me with most guitars and amps:
Amp: treble 2-3, mids 7-8, bass 2-3
Guitar: volume 7-9, tone 7-9
Of course it depends on the guitar and amp, but these are usually my starting points. I don't own the same guitar or amp as you, so again these are just starting points. But more mids is usually common for getting traditional, warmer jazz tones.
If you've tried the above without success, then a better pickup may be in order. BTW I think floating pickups tend to be brighter than ones set in the top (e.g. like an ES-175).
Good luck,
Dave
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I've tried quite a few. My favourite was a PAF type floater custom wound by Seymour Duncan's custom shop (they'll work with you to recommend something and wind one with their own magnets, wire and windings). A close second is the Benedetto floater (also made by Duncan but not in Duncan's catalogue). I have found that the sound of a pickup is very dependent on the guitar it's in and the height (distance from strings) you set the pickup at when you fix it to your guitar.
I know flats would give me a "warmer" sound but I need the attack that flats don't give me, so that will also colour my recommendation.
I've played with the stock pickups on the Epi's and I know what you mean. Beyond that, so much is personal taste and setup, I'd think of this as a big adventure. I can only give you my recommendations based on my own quirky prejudices.
Good luck and I hope you find pure inspiration!
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My -99 Peerless ER is into it third PU. First try: Sky (Kent Armstrong designed) floating mini-humbucker, no visible pole pieces. Second and current: Sky with adjustable pole pieces. Any improvement: hard to say as the changes are years and years apart, and after the change you're inclined to hear a difference. Bought a Shadow Attila Zoller but never got round to installing it, as I didn't want to cut anything away from the pickguard. It's a bright guitar by nature, and I try to play it with volumes that allow the acoustic sound blend in. Currently flatwound .12s, happy with them.
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Great responses folks ,thanks .
To Swampguide,yes I've tried alll those settings... but the warmth is elusive .
I should have added the fact that I'm not soloing or playing chord melodies,only chords .. and I'm using flatwound stainless strings 12/54 .
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Doing a bit of research,I'm leaning towards a KENT ARMSTRONG JAZZY JOE HJGN6-GD ..
Am I wasting my time fitting this pickup unless I update the tone and volume control as well ?
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G'day, mate! By the specs and mounting brackets, looks like a perfect choice. No opinion on changing the electronics, but lots of people here seem to think it's worthwhile. On this guitar, really easy as everything happens under the pickguard. If you go ahead, good luck and please keep us posted on the results.
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Good man Gitterbug .... thanks for your input
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You can send the stock pickup to KA for a rewind and get back something as good or better than a JS or he will wind to your spec. I havent talked with him for a while but he used to take calls and consult. I have sent him several for RW and had him upgrade my GE. I ended up with his 12 pole floater on my Peerless Regent and it was my fave. Not to metion one of the nicest guys Ive talked with in guitar land.
goodluck, Rick
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Some people will say yes, some will say no. I tend to think, wiring and caps are all about the same. (However there can be preferences with tappering). Originally Posted by scout
I did once pay money for a custom set… it seemed to make difference but then again any placebo effect will.
I do not worry so much about caps and wiring now days.
There are snakes and there is oil, both can be tricky to deal with… at least there in no hyperbole when assaying and explaining guitar tone … I jest, of course.
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I like it St Bede
..
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I have a plan
... I'm going to replace the 500k pots with 250k pots and see how the Guitar sounds (The pots are pretty tiny,about 15mm round and are quite rusty) ... If there's no joy there,I'll get the Kent armstrong Jazzy Joe.
Thanks heaps for all your help and opinions .
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Scout,
If you have soldering skills (or know someone who does), you can just solder a 500K resistor in parallel with your 500K volume pot to see what a 250K pot would sound like. This is a tip from the Bill Lawrence site (pickup maker).
Dave
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Consider Bartolini as well.
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I have some Bartolini pickups. They are excellent.
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Thanks St Bede ...the above 'plan' has gone by the wayside and I've bought the Jazzy Joe... but it won't get here for a while from the USA.I'm pretty good at mechanics on old motorcycles ,but a crap solderer,so I'm getting our trusted local bloke to wire in the pick-up and put in new pots.250k or 500k values,I'm not sure,so I'll leave the decision up to him...
Thanks for your inputs mate .
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You are welcome. I would assume the Kent Armstrong PUs should be excellent.
When it comes to soldering, it is skill… one that I do not so too well. I have been told that a lot of it has to do with the quality of the soldering gun. I myself have done both, put in my own PUs, and paid others. Each of the options have their strengths and weakness. I am
just glad that no one can see the outcome of my attempts at soldering.
I bet the new PU will kick up the quality. Enjoy
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I had an Epi Emp Reg Natural for some years in the past. Beautiful guitar but I had the same problem than OP: wanted warmer jazz sound. Changed many pickups in it.
In the end I realized that I had a wrong guitar for the sound I chased. Now I have two ES-175s and I have found what I was looking for. I have used to play Les Pauls and so I had also trouble to accommodate to Emperor's scale (25,5").
One of the best pickups I had in the Emperor was a DIY version of a cheapo P90.
There is not enough space between strings and the top in the Emperor so I bought a Gotoh P90, sawed the screws shorter and made a hanging rack for it from a metal piece I found from the drawer. If I had the nerve to use a real Gibson P90 or so it might have been perfect! (Except for the scale.)
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Cheers Herbie,thanks for your input.Like you,I think the Emperor Regent is a beautiful guitar.. so well made and dependable.
The Kent Armstrong Jazzy Joe is being fitted today and I'm very much looking forward to hearing the 'new' sound.
Progress report to follow.
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In case the Jazzy Joe does not turn out as hoped i'd recommend a Kent Armstrong handwound 12 pole floater. This is about the warmest sounding pickup i can imagine. Originally Posted by scout
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Thanks Jazznote... I'll keep that in mind...I just picked up the Guitar after the JJ has been fitted..hoping for the warmth
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Any news?
I’ve the same issue
Inviato dal mio iPhone utilizzando Tapatalk
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G'day 404 .. and others that have kindly offered advice .
I like the Jazzy Joe... much more scope of tone and some extra volume as well ... I'm happy with it.
I found that a great difference in tone came from picking just behind the pick-up as opposed to where I usually play,closer to the bridge.So,I've had to change my playing style a bit to get that 'warmth' ..
All in all,I'm a happy camper .
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The poor Epiphone Emperor Regent's mini bucker is so maligned, and many have said to replace it. While that may be true, I found it did not have bad sound, but not really great sound either.
Well, guess what, I ditched my 1995 Made In USA Fender Blues Jr.* amp and got a '65 Fender Deluxe Reverb and the Epi Emperor Regent sounds fantastic, better than my Gibson ES175, as it is not as dark and muddy. The sound is somewhere between a a PAF and a P-90, and has that Jazz sound for sure, but can be adjusted with the tone to get more highs or lows, and it is a very classic sound that is instantly recognizable as what we are used to hearing on countless recordings from the 60-70s. Any guitar I play through the Fender Deluxe Reverb instantly sounds better than my other amps, and I also have a a Hot Rod Deville. Of course, setting the bias is critical on tube amps to get the right sound, but some amps simply sound better due to their design and components. I did try speaker swaps too, but although it changes the sound, it was not a significant change.
Also, the guitar sounds great through a '64 Princeton, and a '65 Twin Reverb. The '65 Deluxe Reverb beats the pants off a Cube, Polytone, Roland, Vox*, or Peavey Classic 30, hands down, no comparison. I must also mention that I use TI Swing Series flat wound strings that have great tone, but I never was able to appreciate how good they were until plugging into to a '65 DRRI.
*The Vox, and the Blues Jr both use a pair of EL84's which have a similar sound to the EL34, both of which are quintescential to the "Brittish sound" but not clean enough for the Jazz tones we all strive to get. Leo Fender quote: "The guitar is only half the sound, the other half is the amplifier." How true, and Leo sure knew what he was talking about.
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