|
Post by ke4unr on Jan 19, 2007 8:06:05 GMT -7
I need some suggestions for a good replacement pickup for the Lindy Fralin H-Unbucker in my Grosh Bent Top Custom I bought last week. It has a Mahogany body with Flame Maple top. I absolutely love this guitar. Fit, feel finish, resonance, etc. The Unbucker really is a nice match for the Blues Specials. Well balanced and splits great with them. But, it seems a bit "anemic" especially in the mid range, and lacks sustain. If all I were playing was single coil stuff, I would probably leave it alone. But I'm looking for more versatility. I need a bit more "punch" for solos, but if possible, I want to keep the overall sonic balance of the guitar. Also, I may even swap the Blues Specials for something like the Fralin Vintage Hots, but that can be another thread later on. Right now, I need to get the bridge pickup singing right, to my taste. Then I'll reevaluate the single coil pickups. Here are some that I'm considering, in no particular order. But please don't hesitate to comment or add your own suggestions: Barden Two-Tone, Tom Holmes, Grosh/DiMarzio, Anderson H2+, Duncan JB, DiMarzio (Virtual Vintage or PAF or PAF Pro or Morse), Bill Lawrence. Here are some decent pics, if you're interested: www.elitemusicsales.com/inventory/guitars/electric/grosh/1498.htmlThanks, Ray K.
|
|
|
Post by Curt on Jan 19, 2007 8:39:01 GMT -7
Bent Top can steer ya on this one, listen to his clips.
|
|
|
Post by benttop (Steve) on Jan 19, 2007 10:49:31 GMT -7
Bent Top can steer ya on this one, listen to his clips. Thanks! My Grosh has the DiMarzio custom wound - I think Ray already knows that. I put Fralin PAF's in my PRS Singlecut and they sound pretty good, but I don't know how they would do in Ray's guitar. That Grosh Strat that Ray bought is mahogany with maple cap - it's going to sound different from any other Strat I've ever played, so making a solid recommendation is going to be pretty tough. But here's a suggestion - when I wanted a specific sound from my Frankenstein Tele here, I called Lindy Fralin and told him what the guitar was, what woods were involved, and what tones I wanted, and he wound a custom pup for me. Charged the same as his off the shelf pups, and when I put it in, it sounded exactly as I had described. That's what I'm talking about!
|
|
|
Post by ke4unr on Jan 19, 2007 15:02:35 GMT -7
Well, umm...never mind now, guys. I really wanted to hear some opinions, but after posting I got around to calling Don Grosh Custom Guitars. Talked with Bobby for some time, who was very helpful. He suggested going with one of Lindy Fralin's regular humbuckers with 9k impedance. So, I called Fralin and talked awhile with Tom. Another helpful person! He also recommended their standard 9k humbucker. Okay, great! Now, having never dealt with this company before, I wasn't ready for what I heard next. All I need to do is send my Unbucker in, along with $12 for shipping, and they will exchange - free of charge! Whoa! I knew they stood behind the quality of their products, but this is going above and beyond, IMHO. Next, I asked him for a ballpark guess on the turnaround time. He again surprised me by saying "usually only a few days." Outstanding! Tom mentioned they move exchanges up close to the front of the line. I assume they know you're sorta dead in the water for awhile. At least that's my best guess. But, talk about customer service! I'll be shipping mine as soon as possible, and will let ya'll know if the new humbucker does the trick. Btw, he asked how I liked the Blues Special single coils. I launched in about what I thought, and that I might go with some Vintage Hots. Turns out the reason he was asking, was if I wanted to go ahead and send the whole set in, they would exchange all of them free for only the $12 shipping! Superb! I decided to hold off, get the humbucker that I need, and then evaluate how well the singles balance out. Thanks, Ray K. p.s. Here's a good link that I just found in another post in this section: www.acmeguitarworks.com/Strat_Pickup_Sound_Clips_W1.cfm
|
|
|
Post by benttop (Steve) on Jan 19, 2007 15:10:11 GMT -7
Yep. Doesn't surprise me at all. Fralin runs a mighty fine organization - kind of reminds me of another one we all seem to be infatuated with....
|
|
|
Post by billyguitar on Jan 20, 2007 0:09:34 GMT -7
I had him rebuild some weird lap steel pickups in my 1949 Fender double 8 about 10 or 12 years ago. 50 bucks each. These are real weird because the strings actually go thru the coil and are part of the bridges too. Another time the pole piece screws were seized on a National lap steel. I think I had even twisted 1/2 of one of the screw heads off. He fixed for $15. "I call that a bargain!"
|
|
|
Post by ke4unr on Jan 20, 2007 17:12:33 GMT -7
I agree with you guys. Odd thing is, I have a Fralin dealer here in town. For whatever reason I had never considered purchasing any of his pickups. Well, now that I know what I know... Ray K.
|
|