Review VintageVibe H540 Floating pickup, installed in an Ibanez GB10

**jzucker** · 12-21-2023, 06:07 PM

Review VintageVibe H540 Floating pickup, installed in an Ibanez GB10

I just got thie H540 pickup installed in my GB10 after struggling for years with a bright, harsh tone. Checkout my review and demo.

#IbanezBenson #sheetsofsound
#jazzguitarlessons #guitarlessons
#jazzguitar #modernjazzguitar #jazzguitarriffs
#vintagevibepickups #petebiltoff #vintagevibeguitars

**Cunamara** · 12-22-2023, 01:28 AM

Jack, that sounds just great. Congratulations for finding a pickup that you like on that guitar. I know you've struggled with that, not only with this GB10, but with previous ones as well. What a nice way to honor the gift of this guitar to you, to find a pickup that gives you what you want from it in terms of expressing your music.

I may have to talk to Pete about this for my 17" archtop. He made me a CC style floating pickup for it, which sounded great but the noise is driving me nuts. I've switched back to a mini humbucker, but that's not quite the sound. The Kent Armstrong handwound was too bright and hard sounding for what I want. I modified a Classic 57 to be a floater for that guitar, but it's got proximity problems because it's so thick and the top of the pickup is right up against the strings.

The chase for tone is a frustrating one, often. But when you get it...

**jzucker** · 12-22-2023, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by Cunamara

Jack, that sounds just great. Congratulations for finding a pickup that you like on that guitar. I know you've struggled with that, not only with this GB10, but with previous ones as well. What a nice way to honor the gift of this guitar to you, to find a pickup that gives you what you want from it in terms of expressing your music.

I may have to talk to Pete about this for my 17" archtop. He made me a CC style floating pickup for it, which sounded great but the noise is driving me nuts. I've switched back to a mini humbucker, but that's not quite the sound. The Kent Armstrong handwound was too bright and hard sounding for what I want. I modified a Classic 57 to be a floater for that guitar, but it's got proximity problems because it's so thick and the top of the pickup is right up against the strings.

The chase for tone is a frustrating one, often. But when you get it...

I forgot to mention in the video but I like the pickup to be about 5mm below the strings and that wouldn't have been possible with a full size humbucker.

**John A.** · 12-22-2023, 01:31 PM

That's a great sound, Jack. I'm not sure if it's an apples to apples in terms of recording set-up and amp tones, but it does strike as sounding better than the earlier videos you did with the stock pickup. I'm not sure that it's less bright necessarily, just that there's somehow more harmonic detail to the tone and the high end seems cleaner sounding (maybe a function of the lower output?). Anyway, it's always hard to put these perceptions into words, but it seems like an improvement.

**jzucker** · 12-22-2023, 01:37 PM

Originally Posted by John A.

That's a great sound, Jack. I'm not sure if it's an apples to apples in terms of recording set-up and amp tones, but it does strike as sounding better than the earlier videos you did with the stock pickup. I'm not sure that it's less bright necessarily, just that there's somehow more harmonic detail to the tone and the high end seems cleaner sounding (maybe a function of the lower output?). Anyway, it's always hard to put these perceptions into words, but it seems like an improvement.

I would say it's not necessarily a lot less brighter in the traditional, 5k treble area but there is less brilliance in the upper mid range which is what makes the harshness prominent in the original and LP Deluxe pickups. It also has more bottom end content so it's a more balanced sound.

**Cunamara** · 12-22-2023, 02:46 PM

Yeah, being able to get the pickup far enough away from the strings is important. When Pete made the HCC pickup neck-mounter for me, he made it thin enough so that was easy to achieve. But I live in an old house with some bad wiring so single coil pickups can be kind of a drag, even though I really love the sound. The floating pickup I have is an Allparts mini, 8K, which came with the guitar and is small enough that I can get it at least 5 mm from the strings. But I want a little broader spectrum sound, if that makes sense. If Pete could make a floating neck-mounted H540 around 1/2" thick, I think that might do the job well.

All that speculation aside, you sound great on that guitar and look very comfortable with it. Congratulations!

**jzucker** · 12-22-2023, 04:25 PM

Originally Posted by Cunamara

Yeah, being able to get the pickup far enough away from the strings is important. When Pete made the HCC pickup neck-mounter for me, he made it thin enough so that was easy to achieve. But I live in an old house with some bad wiring so single coil pickups can be kind of a drag, even though I really love the sound. The floating pickup I have is an Allparts mini, 8K, which came with the guitar and is small enough that I can get it at least 5 mm from the strings. But I want a little broader spectrum sound, if that makes sense. If Pete could make a floating neck-mounted H540 around 1/2" thick, I think that might do the job well.

All that speculation aside, you sound great on that guitar and look very comfortable with it. Congratulations!

Thanks, i also used the GB / vintage vibe equipped guitar on this lesson and I think it sounds better here than the review clip I did with it.

**Oscar67** · 12-23-2023, 07:08 AM

I had to sell another fine guitar to finance my GB10 but have not regretted it for a second. The GB10 seems to be made just for me. Personally I love the stock pickups and use the guitar for just about anything with a clean or just-a-little-bit-of-hair tone. Rumour has it that Prince had one and I can see why.

Your upgraded GB10 sounds awesome and seems to suit you very well.

**jads57** · 12-23-2023, 03:15 PM

The great thing about Peter Biltoft is he’s willing to custom fabricate a pickup for a very fair price!
Ive had him make both a CC Rider Floating Humbucker to avoid the hum. And before that a couple of Asat Humbuckers for my G&L Super.

**Gitfiddler** · 12-23-2023, 06:34 PM

Originally Posted by Oscar67

I had to sell another fine guitar to finance my GB10 but have not regretted it for a second. The GB10 seems to be made just for me. Personally I love the stock pickups and use the guitar for just about anything with a clean or just-a-little-bit-of-hair tone. Rumour has it that Prince had one and I can see why.

Your upgraded GB10 sounds awesome and seems to suit you very well.

Prince owned a limited edition blonde GB12NT, gifted to him by Mr. Benson.

Ibanez GB12 "George Benson" | Guitarcloud - Prince Equipment Archive

**Woody Sound** · 12-24-2023, 08:12 AM

Very nice “acousticy” tone. Did you widen the original ph cutout, or is that a replacement?

**jzucker** · 12-24-2023, 09:03 AM

Originally Posted by Woody Sound

Very nice “acousticy” tone. Did you widen the original ph cutout, or is that a replacement?

i widened the original cutout. I tried to find a replacement but the ones I found were very expensive so I took a gamble that I wouldn't be going back!