Is a pick up like this possible?

[jalguitarman]

I have been doing some thinking (everyone run away !! Idiot at the wheel) about what kind of sound I would like to have in a set of vintage styled humbuckers. I am thinking something that's warm and yet still clear and has a true #-d quality with no harsh frequencies. Possible??

[DrNewcenstein]

First, you have to define what you mean by "warm" and "3-D quality".

To me, "warm" usually indicates that it leans to the bass-frequencies.

The only thing I think of when someone says "3-D" in relation to an audio device is stereo, in which case you might look at a hexaphonic pickup with a stereo panning control system like the Kramer Ripley.

[Funkfingers]

Erm, this question is meaningless without context. How a pickup will end up sounding depends upon the guitar into which it is installed, the string gauges, the playing style, the amplification and the room.

The archetypal vintage HB tones that I, personally, imagine come from Gibson guitar designs of the Fifties - solid, semi-solid and fully hollow. Even with identical electronics, each of those constructional formats sounds different to the other two. On top of that, there is variation within each category. e.g. Les Pauls, SGs and Korina Explorers all sound different from each other.

Fitting a vintage-voiced HB into a Fender-derived electric guitar produces yet another different result.

So, please, would you narrow things down by stating where these humbuckers are going to be installed?

[Edgecrusher]

Yeah its all a bit subjective. A pickup thats harsh in one guitar could very well be warm and smooth in another. Not sure what you mean by true 3D quality... does that infer that there is a imitation 3D? I'm suspecting though that pickups such as this probably already exist. You just have to find the one that works in your guitar.

[AlexR]

I have been doing some thinking (everyone run away !! Idiot at the wheel) about what kind of sound I would like to have in a set of vintage styled humbuckers. I am thinking something that's warm and yet still clear and has a true #-d quality with no harsh frequencies. Possible??

I think they're called Antiquities

[ArtieToo]

I think they're called Antiquities

Thats what I was going to say. The Antiquities are warm and have that "air" about them.

[Despair]

A lot of people like hybrid or dual resonance designs for 3Dness... Or Parallel Axis.

Really, need a better description of what is wanted, 3D can mean anything from open and airy to enhanced harmonics. Info about guitar and signal chain, and genres/styles (especially with band/song examples) can really help people give more useful advice.

[ParameterMan]

I think I know what the OP is getting at - there's a certain band of what you might call "edgy", "hazy", "sparkly", or "harmonic sizzle" frequencies that makes a pickup seem 3D or enhanced.

I, for example, have a set of Dimarzio Virtual PAF pickups and they sound very 3D. They also have a bitey, slightly trashy "shredder wah" to them that gives every chord the same overtone under distortion.

I'm thinking that the 3D sound is a brightness peak that has to be carefully managed. If you're going to use a pickup like that, you have to be careful what pickups and amp you use with it in order to keep it smooth and avoid harshness.

Another way to get a 3D sound is to use a bright yet smooth pickup, like an Antiquity, and get the haze/bite/whatever from somewhere else in the chain, say a pedal like the Eternity.

[jalguitarman]

I think I know what the OP is getting at - there's a certain band of what you might call "edgy", "hazy", "sparkly", or "harmonic sizzle" frequencies that makes a pickup seem 3D or enhanced.

I, for example, have a set of Dimarzio Virtual PAF pickups and they sound very 3D. They also have a bitey, slightly trashy "shredder wah" to them that gives every chord the same overtone under distortion.

I'm thinking that the 3D sound is a brightness peak that has to be carefully managed. If you're going to use a pickup like that, you have to be careful what pickups and amp you use with it in order to keep it smooth and avoid harshness.

Another way to get a 3D sound is to use a bright yet smooth pickup, like an Antiquity, and get the haze/bite/whatever from somewhere else in the chain, say a pedal like the Eternity.

You are correct about what I am getting at. As for guitar it will be for the Tel?Gib build. More Gib than tele. I am kind of debating the scale length which could have a real impact. 25 1/2 or 24 3/4, not doing 25.

[ParameterMan]

From my experience I would say that a 25.5" scale will get you a more open, snappy sound. Which I think would be the direction you're going.

[jalguitarman]

From my experience I would say that a 25.5" scale will get you a more open, snappy sound. Which I think would be the direction you're going.

That's not necessarily true. I am after a Les Pauls type of warmth too. I guess you could say vintage enhanced. Warm and yet with clarity. I may be over thinking it a little too. I like to look at many pickup options and do a lot of research before I decide when it comes to selecting pickups for a project or existing guitar. I could use the longer scale length and use a warmer pick up. Could yield an interesting coil split tone. The neck will be mahogany with Madagascar rosewood fret board.

I think antiquities sound intriguing as well.

Thanks all.

[Zhangliqun]

Yes. It is very possible.

[LtKojak]

You are correct about what I am getting at. As for guitar it will be for the Tel?Gib build. More Gib than tele. I am kind of debating the scale length which could have a real impact. 25 1/2 or 24 3/4, not doing 25.

The original TeleGib is 25,5".

Why you won't do 25"? It's a nice scale. It makes the 11-49 string set feels JUST RIGHT, better than in my 24.75" scaled instruments.

Anyway, if you give warmth top priority over everything else, go for the 24,75" scale.

HTH,

[hamerfan]

I, for example, have a set of Dimarzio Virtual PAF pickups and they sound very 3D. They also have a bitey, slightly trashy "shredder wah" to them that gives every chord the same overtone under distortion.

I'm thinking that the 3D sound is a brightness peak that has to be carefully managed. If you're going to use a pickup like that, you have to be careful what pickups and amp you use with it in order to keep it smooth and avoid harshness.

Another way to get a 3D sound is to use a bright yet smooth pickup, like an Antiquity, and get the haze/bite/whatever from somewhere else in the chain, say a pedal like the Eternity.

That's what i experienced too. These Virtual PAF have something swirling, chorus like and are warm at the same time. I did not find the right guitar for them, but one day i will.
Ants are great pickups and use 3 of them, but none of the them with the stock magnet.

[hamerfan]

The original TeleGib is 25,5".

Why you won't do 25"? It's a nice scale. It makes the 11-49 string set feels

I recently played a PRS Mira, which goes that way with set mahogany neck with a 25 scale. Damn nice guitar.

[jalguitarman]

The original TeleGib is 25,5".

Why you won't do 25"? It's a nice scale. It makes the 11-49 string set feels JUST RIGHT, better than in my 24.75" scaled instruments.

Anyway, if you give warmth top priority over everything else, go for the 24,75" scale.

HTH,

.

Well I was initially wanting it to be more Les Paul like than anything but I have been considering doing fender scale.

I guess I was thinking I would not do 25" scale because with the guitar being a bolt on I was thinking your going to get a little extra top end to the sound. I wouldn't say 25" is completely completly out of the question. It defiantly works on my Carvin CS-6.

[skynyrd]

Don`t forget the availability to swap mags and get the tone you want in whatever pup you choose. I would suggest decide what output you want from a pup, hi,med,lo, compare that to your amp and how it sounds when pushed hard or not pushed at all. Plus is your amp an all tube amp or hybrid or all solid state ? ALOT of factors go into what your rig as a whole will sound like, it isn`t JUST the guitar and pick ups. Even a cold and brittle sounding guitar can gain warmth and depth with an EQ pedal, todays electronics aren`t like back in the day when you had limited choices.

[jalguitarman]

Don`t forget the availability to swap mags and get the tone you want in whatever pup you choose. I would suggest decide what output you want from a pup, hi,med,lo, compare that to your amp and how it sounds when pushed hard or not pushed at all. Plus is your amp an all tube amp or hybrid or all solid state ? ALOT of factors go into what your rig as a whole will sound like, it isn`t JUST the guitar and pick ups. Even a cold and brittle sounding guitar can gain warmth and depth with an EQ pedal, todays electronics aren`t like back in the day when you had limited choices.

Tubes. Mesa boogie, Road king.