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Here's a clip of the new pickup in this guitar. It's a les paul deluxe reissue, mini humbucker. 6.4k - I think i'm going to put the original back in. I feel like the guitar has lost its magic.
It still sounds good but I can no longer get it to sound like what is in my imagination...
I'm kind of wondering if I should be switching out the 500k pots to 250k and changing the tone control cap. Currently, the vol/tone are 500k and the tone cap is .02. Tone control is all the way down. It's not rolling off in the right place for the new 6.4k pickup. Could be it'll sound better when/if I solve the cap/pot problem?
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Like somone in love, Ibanez GB10, Helix Stomp
Another beautiful standard written in the '40s by Van Heusen.
How can I not think about Sandra when I play this song?
Check out the lyrics...
Lately
I find myself out gazing at stars
Hearing guitars
Like someone in love
Sometimes the things I do astound me
Mostly whenever you're around me
Sigh...Love is so important. Please hold your love today and say speak or sing these lyrics to her.
Last edited by jzucker; 08-04-2023 at 03:42 PM.
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08-04-2023 11:01 AM
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You can use the GuitarFreak calculator to plot the effect of changes on frequency response. Numbers don’t define sound quality, but you may be able to find a window that includes your sweet spot.
Here’s the web page with links to the Excel sheets and a lot of info on using the tool.
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Jack I like the sound of this pickup it is very nice. I like the round but brighter clear sound. Not overly bright but no nasal tone. No don't use anything but 500 pots is my take.
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what should the cap value be for the 6.4k pickup then? Because in this clip it tone was rolled all the way off. So I think it's affecting something other than high frequency.
Originally Posted by deacon Mark
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What pickup did you use?
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Oops, I swear it was there in one of the edits, lol... Originally Posted by Benson-GB10
It's a les paul deluxe reissue, mini humbucker. 6.4k
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I liked the original pickup sound thought it was great fwiw.This one gets lost in the back tracks a bit. I like different sounds on different guitars though. I'm not stuck in one sound only. That's the reason you should have multiple guitars LOL. The playing is top notch of course.
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I think i'm going to try to fine tune the tone cap and as a last resort, go back to the original. Originally Posted by skiboyny
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i don't mind different sounds for different guitars but for my tastes, the original pickup was useless without turning the tone control all the way down. It was just bright and harsh sounding...I heard that benson gets his gb10 pickups rewound to approximately the LP Deluxe pickup specs. Originally Posted by skiboyny
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I like the sound! (And playing.) Originally Posted by jzucker
I suppose there is no ”right” or ”wrong” value for tone cap, it depends all on Your ears. And yes, they affect other than hi freqs too.
Not the most expensive piece of guitar sound, but might take some time to test them.
And I am not sure that Gibson Deluxe reissue pickups are The Mini Hums of the guitar world, other alternatives might please Your ears better
Good luck to the testing!
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I used to have a late 80s model GB10 that from memory sounded sweeter than my 2015 model. I reached out to Ibanez and they said it was the same pickup (I think on the website they say it is Alnico.
On this forum or another, someone mentioned that Seymour Duncan wound the pickups for his guitar. I reached out to them but they said it was for a Johnny A Smith model.
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Dangit!! Guess I'm gonna have to get some more after all! Originally Posted by skiboyny
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You might be right but i've always been fond of the gibson minis... Originally Posted by Herbie
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The new ones are no longer alnico sadly. And they are wound twice as hot Originally Posted by Benson-GB10
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same! Originally Posted by ccroft
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Someone here posted they have 1981 GB pickups available- maybe get a pair of those? My '81 GB10 remains my go-to electric guitar for jazz. I may get one of those old neck pickups to try on my 17" carve top...
This sounded fine, just very slightly muffled with the tone all the way off.
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You are getting some great sounds with your helix setup. It's not that this one was bad, just not as dynamic to my ears. I do agree though the tone control should never have to be turned all the way down. It's good that you post your changes, it can be a real rabbit hole. Your experiences have to help some other folks. You will never know if you don't try. I give you credit for that. Originally Posted by jzucker
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The original GB10 pickups which were modeled after Johnny Smith pickups (which were the same specs as a LP Deluxe pickup). Additionally, if the tone pots and caps are incorrect for 6.4k(ish) pickups, I'd have the same issues with the original pickups. Originally Posted by Cunamara
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Here is an enlightning article about different Gibson humbuckers, including all three (!) kind of mini humbuckers, by Jason Lollar himself. According him the mini and the Johnny Smith has quite a different designs. About their sound I do not know. Originally Posted by jzucker
Humbuckers and Mini-Humbuckers - Premier Guitar
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I don't know why we talk about DC resistance since DC current has nothing to do with guitar sound. Pickups generate an AC current, and DC and AC signals act very differently (for one thing, a DC signal has a frequency of 1 compared to the AC signal of a guitar ranging from fundamentals of ~82 Hz for the low E to ~1174 Hz at the 22nd fret on the high E- capacitance more greatly affects the higher frequencies- especially the higher overtones). Well, the reason we talk about DC resistance is that it's easy for the layperson to measure. With AC the main issues with tone are capacitance and inductance. Capacitance bleeds off the high end of the AC signal, which is measured in millivolts coming from a pickup. I would suggest a couple of things before swapping the pickup back.
First, it sounds like the tone control is rolled all the way off (which you said is the case). Maybe just cracking it open a smidge?
Second, if you haven't already done so, try a low capacitance cable (e.g., George L's at 19 pF/foot compared to many cables- even premium ones- which are in the 40pF/foot range). The shorter the cable, the lower the capacitance. A high capacitance cable is like adding a second tone control between the guitar and the amp, lowering the resonant frequency of the pickup. The hotter ceramic pickup may not have been bogged down as much as the mini-humbucker by cable capacitance. A lower capacitance cable will increase the resonant frequency which in turn will brighten and bring some air into the tone. Alternatively or additionally you could try a smaller value cap, perhaps a .015 mF.
Third, have you changed the parameters inside the Helix for the new pickup? If it was set up for the old brighter pickup then you may need to rebalance the EQ, etc. I was assuming you did, because we naturally adjust the EQ on an amp when we change guitars.
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A DC signal has a frequency of 0.
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Yes, you are correct.
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Jack,
There is nothing not to like here.
I’ve found the GB10 and variants has a tone that part archtop part Les Paul. This one is no different.
Incredible playing. And I’d be thrilled with this sound.
I don’t expect all my guitars to have a similar sound. This one is very different from the 175 and the Barney. To me in a good way.
Great stuff bro.
JD
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A friend of mine has a Lollar Johnny Smith on his G40thII. It sounds great. Fatter sounding than the original, but manages to retain the percussive brightness of the Benson sound.
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Percussive brightness is a great description of the Benson sound. Originally Posted by John A.
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