Reverend Gallery

[Crazyquilt]

Originally Posted by portsider

So lowering the pickups would "roll off" the bass a bit? That could be the ticket.

Yes, but my experience is that you quickly reach a point of diminishing returns -- it often seemed with my SSC that when I had my pickups low enough to attenuate the bass as much as I wanted, I was losing a lot of signal. There seemed to be a very small zone between "too much bass" and "anemic." What actually put things in a place I could deal with was changing from 11s to 10s.

For whatever reason, I'm overall happier with the sound of the SS I've got than I was with the SSC, and the former has no bass contour, while the latter did. One thing I could never warm up to on the SSC were positions 2 & 4. It seemed like the bassiness of the pickups was even more of an issue on those positions, but I don't feel the same about the middle position of the SS.

Of course, I'm :NUTS so take my comments for what they're worth.

[portsider]

Originally Posted by Crazyquilt

Yes, but my experience is that you quickly reach a point of diminishing returns -- it often seemed with my SSC that when I had my pickups low enough to attenuate the bass as much as I wanted, I was losing a lot of signal. There seemed to be a very small zone between "too much bass" and "anemic." What actually put things in a place I could deal with was changing from 11s to 10s.

For whatever reason, I'm overall happier with the sound of the SS I've got than I was with the SSC, and the former has no bass contour, while the latter did. One thing I could never warm up to on the SSC were positions 2 & 4. It seemed like the bassiness of the pickups was even more of an issue on those positions, but I don't feel the same about the middle position of the SS.

Of course, I'm :NUTS so take my comments for what they're worth.

Ah yes,Zak aren't we all? Funny I primarily play the 2&4 positons and they are really colse to what I want to sound like, but when I switch from any other guitar to the SSC, it takes too much knob twiddling to get it sounding right. I will let you know how it goes after the weekend.

[Jon Silberman]

Originally Posted by Crazyquilt

One thing I could never warm up to on the SSC were positions 2 & 4. It seemed like the bassiness of the pickups was even more of an issue on those positions, but I don't feel the same about the middle position of the SS.

The frequency reinforcement/cancellation goings on are totally different between neck and bridge PUPs versus neck and middle/middle and bridge.

The neck and bridge combos on all of my 3 PUP axes are stellar. Great tones!

Here's two simple solutions to the treble loss situation you describe, Cq. (1) Add a blower switch (i.e., a switch taking the output from the PUPs direct to the output jack & bypassing the volume and tone pots (you can either add a minitoggle as I did on my Rocco with the Z90s or replace the tone control with a combination pot/push-pull switch, the latter being non-invasive/100% reversible); (2) replace the stock tone control with a dual pot 250/1000 meg pot like the Fender tbx pot.

Then, when in positions 2 and 4 and you want the treble and "bite" back, just bypass the pots or go to the 1000 meg part of the control.

[Crazyquilt]

Heh. Jon, I don't have the SSC anymore. I sold it when I bought Martyn's SS. Honestly, there were things I loved about the guitar, but things I just felt I was constantly struggling against. So I decided to quit fighting.

That being said, I'm already pondering what kind of things I can do with the SS. Some cosmetic, some electronic (other than the Lollars.) I'm seriously considering not only getting a new pickguard (probably white pearl) but completely rewiring the circuit. I might try 500k pots instead of the 250k pots that are in there stock. If I could find 500k no-load pots, I'd try that; maybe I'll do a push-pull with your blower mod.

If I were really ambitious, I'd do a 5 way superswitch with series & parallel 2-pickup positions, along with the out of phase sound, like the GuitarNuts super-Tele configuration.

But my first mission is just to get the circuit as-is together & working with the Lollars, and see what that sounds like. Then 500k pots. Then...who knows?

[Jon Silberman]

Another option could be to wire your SS the way I've wired my Rocco w/replacement Z90s:

(1) 4-way switch adding both PUPs in series.
(2) minitoggle #1 as a blower switch.
(3) minitoggle #2 as a phase switch.

If you don't want to drill the pickguard for minitoggles, you can get the same results with a pair of combination push-pull pots (personally, I think the minitoggles are functional and look quite cool ).

This is an awesome, versatile setup.

Both PUPs in series is fat and quite dark. But hit the blower switch and it's fat and biting.

Both PUPs in parallel out of phase is thin and funky. But both PUPs in series out of phase is in-your-face and snarky (like the "power out of phase" setting on '85 and '86 PRS Customs).

[Crazyquilt]

Well, there's already one miniswitch hole there; another doesn't bug me. I'll have to sit & doodle some circuit ideas & see if I can figure out what I want to do. I like that setup idea, though -- a lot.

If I did it as the guitar looks now, our guitars would look like fraternal twins -- mine just has the Bigsby.

[Jon Silberman]

If you have difficulty figuring out the wiring, Cq, drop Jim Collins an email or PM. You can tell him you learned what he advised for Phil Jacoby and Silberman in this regard made him a legend.

[martyncrew]

Enough of the techno-banter! Beth has her own clothing line...

http://www.reverendguitars.com/rever...hirt_green.jpg

[john1056]

I really liked this finish, sorry to see it go

[portsider]

Originally Posted by john1056

I really liked this finish, sorry to see it go

It is pretty nice, you could grab that one. :angel

[Paul Conway]

Ok - so I didn't win the Vito.....I'll accept the Charger as a consolation prize. Do I really have to wait until 1/6/06, though?

[john1056]

Originally Posted by portsider

It is pretty nice, you could grab that one. :angel

I'm very tempted. Two things stopping me; 1) I just picked up a G&L Legacy Tribute from Buffalo Brothers at an irresistable $275 (nice guitar BTW) and 2) I have a Epiphone Les Paul Elitist, and I think I would prefer the mahagony/maple combination to the basswood/maple one.

Still that guitar is so nice. If I hadn't just bought one....

[john1056]

Any Rocco owners out there put a different set of HBs in their guitar?

I've got Lindy Fralins in mine right now, but when I change the strings next, I'm going to put the stock PUPs back in there. The Lindys sound fantastic, but listening to earlier recording with the Rocco, I think Joe must have voiced his HBs specifically for the phenolic laminate bodies. They seem to sound fuller than the Lindy's, and the both PUPs and neck only settings were more usable (crisper - less muddy and dark).

[portsider]

Originally Posted by john1056

I'm very tempted. Two things stopping me; 1) I just picked up a G&L Legacy Tribute from Buffalo Brothers at an irresistable $275 (nice guitar BTW) and 2) I have a Epiphone Les Paul Elitist, and I think I would prefer the mahagony/maple combination to the basswood/maple one.

Still that guitar is so nice. If I hadn't just bought one....

Wow, John. You and I seem to travel in the same circles. I just picked up a Tribute ASAT Classic from the same sale for $251. It was a stupidly good deal. :RoCkIn
Not being a Les guy I can't say, but I expect I would like the Reverend better.

[portsider]

Originally Posted by john1056

Any Rocco owners out there put a different set of HBs in their guitar?

I've got Lindy Fralins in mine right now, but when I change the strings next, I'm going to put the stock PUPs back in there. The Lindys sound fantastic, but listening to earlier recording with the Rocco, I think Joe must have voiced his HBs specifically for the phenolic laminate bodies. They seem to sound fuller than the Lindy's, and the both PUPs and neck only settings were more usable (crisper - less muddy and dark).

I can't imagine changing mine out. The lead pickup is fantastic. I usually keep the neck pickup split and between the two I get a lot of sounds without much twiddling. What I like is they don't sound as dark as "normal" 'buckers. They sit in a perfect place in the mix in a live situation, kind of like a Tele. but with a wider tonal range. (I will shut up now before I ordain them "Pope".)