Suhr Backplate?

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arcduelist

Member
Messages
105
Hi. Im primarily a strat player. I love the tone i'm getting from single coils but i really hate the noise they come with. With a clean tone, i don't really notice it that much. But when i'm playing with overdrive , the noise really annoys me. I can't play comfortably because i get paranoid when playing around people, thinking "Am i too noisy? Does the noise distract them from the music?" , etc

Now here are two options i'm thinking about:
1. Get the Suhr Backplate
2. Get a set of Dimarzio Area Pickups

Im really leaning to get the backplate as i love the tone im getting from my pickups. But it's really expensive while going the noiseless route is much cheaper. I can even sell my current pickups to get some of the money back. But i'm afraid that if i switch to noiseless, i'll lose my tone. The pickups are fender 57/62. I really love the quack from the notch positions.

The question is: Are there any reasons NOT to get the suhr backplate? Any downsides to it?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks! :bounce
 
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abnerfm

Senior Member
Messages
3,371
I hear you. It gets worse with my vintage Marshall, even at low volumes. Not to mention when I step on my Fulltone '70 silicon fuzz. Shielding helped me a bit. And I don't believe in noiseless pickups, too. I wonder if the Suhr backplate doesn't alter the tone?
 
Bucksears

Bucksears

Gold Supporting Member
Messages
10,096
FWIW, I currently have the DiMarzio Area T neck and Virtual Hot T pickups in my Tele, and Virtual '54 Pro (neck), Area '58 (mid) and Virtual Solo (bridge) in my Strat; I'm in the process of going back to all single-coils and if the noise becomes too much, I'll invest in the Ilitch backplate (Strat) and pickguard (Tele), now sold by Fralin. Yes, it's expensive, but I've heard nothing but positive (if not rave) reviews of those that have had it installed. All tone, zero hum.
 
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arcduelist

Member
Messages
105
Bucksears said:
FWIW, I currently have the DiMarzio Area T neck and Virtual Hot T pickups in my Tele, and Virtual '54 Pro (neck), Area '58 (mid) and Virtual Solo (bridge) in my Strat; I'm in the process of going back to all single-coils and if the noise becomes too much, I'll invest in the Ilitch backplate (Strat) and pickguard (Tele), now sold by Fralin. Yes, it's expensive, but I've heard nothing but positive (if not rave) reviews of those that have had it installed. All tone, zero hum.
Click to expand...

What didn't you like about the dimarzios? I'm also planning to get them from Fralin. A bit cheaper than the other sites.

i found this vid while browsing youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG1TLMMoa4M

that's pretty noisy. yikes.. maybe because of his gain level? i'll be very happy if the backplate can take the noise away even with just a clean to low gain overdrive.
 
Seegs

Seegs

Senior Member
Messages
10,192
I compared the Dimarzios and Kinmans back in 97 and went with the Kinmans and loved the tones I was getting...

Having said that there was a definite compromise...they weren't real single coils...sort of close but not really...fast forward to today and I'm sure there have been improvements in noiseless single coil technology but I think I will always prefer the real thing just like I prefer tubes to SS and digital modelling...

I just bought a used Suhr Classic with the backplate system and it really does work...does what it's supposed to do...dead quiet and only guitar signal...amazing really..

I took mine out because I havn't settled on the pickups that I want in the guitar yet and it is a bit more difficult to swap pickups with the BPSSC in...

Do I miss it...not really as the noise I get doesn't bother me...is negligable and in 2 and 4 sounds the same as my middle pickup is rwrp...

If I was settled on the pickups I liked and was sure that I wasn't going to be doing any swapping I would probably have left it in as prefer the real thing to noiseless...

Chow,
Seegs
 
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orogeny

Gold Supporting Member
Messages
10,873
first and easiest attempt at a solution:

isp decimator. around 60-80 bucks used.

solved my problem.

if it didn't, i would have gone with the suhr plate b/c i've yet to hear a strat sound as nice as mine. . . . though i do have a strat with bill lawrence noiseless p'ups in them that i like very much too
 
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orogeny

Gold Supporting Member
Messages
10,873
Seegs said:
I compared the Dimarzios and Kinmans back in 97 and went with the Kinmans and loved the tones I was getting...

Having said that there was a definite compromise...they weren't real single coils...sort of close but not really...fast forward to today and I'm sure there have been improvements in noiseless single coil technology but I think I will always prefer the real thing just like I prefer tubes to SS and digital modelling...

I just bought a used Suhr Classic with the backplate system and it really does work...does what it's supposed to do...dead quiet and only guitar signal...amazing really..

I took mine out because I havn't settled on the pickups that I want in the guitar yet and it is a bit more difficult to swap pickups with the BPSSC in...

Do I miss it...not really as the noise I get doesn't bother me...is negligable and in 2 and 4 sounds the same as my middle pickup is rwrp...

If I was settled on the pickups I liked and was sure that I wasn't going to be doing any swapping I would probably have left it in as prefer the real thing to noiseless...

Chow,
Seegs
Click to expand...
once again. . . . seegs is on the money. . . . :aok
 
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gtrnstuff

Member
Messages
2,716
BPSSC is great if you like your true single coils. I have 2 guitars with the backplate.
Otherwise, Kinmans are my favorite noiseless pickups so far.
 
A

arcduelist

Member
Messages
105
orogeny said:
first and easiest attempt at a solution:

isp decimator. around 60-80 bucks used.

solved my problem.

if it didn't, i would have gone with the suhr plate b/c i've yet to hear a strat sound as nice as mine. . . . though i do have a strat with bill lawrence noiseless p'ups in them that i like very much too
Click to expand...

hmmm.. i've thought about the decimator too. but isn't that the same as turning down the volume knob when not playing? what drives me nuts is when i hear noise in the background while playing with overdrive.
another thing is, im a straight into the amp guy. :bounce


@ Seegs

you haven't experienced any change in sound at all with the back plate? even the slightest?

thanks for the help guys. :bounce
 
aflynt

aflynt

Member
Messages
1,981
I just put the Ilitch BPNCS backplate in my Strat a few weeks ago. It got it from Angela Instruments for around $200. It works very well and definitely does not alter the sound of the guitar. As far as hum reduction goes, it's not always 100% dead silent (more like 80-90%), and the 2 and 4 positions have slightly more hum than they would have if RWRP. That said, the hum is well below the audible levels in pretty much any bar, and even in a quiet environment like your house or a studio it's rarely noticeable and very easily manageable. I used to get extremely obnoxious hum in my house before, and now it's only there if you listen for it.

Overall I'd say it's definitely worth every penny.

-Aaron
 
Joe Perry

Joe Perry

Platinum Supporting Member
Messages
3,432
I've had the Areas (58,58,61) and they are good but I'd get the Suhr BP, especially if you like your current p/u's. I have the built in system in three Suhr strats and couldn't be happier.
 
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Fernando

Member
Messages
237
one question about the backplate: did you guys swap the middle pickup for a non-RWRP? I guess that's what you have to do if you want the noise cancelling in the middle pickup as well. But Ilitch's website has an interesting alternative wiring if you want to keep your RWRP middle pickup - what is interesting about it in my opinion is that you are able to retain normal noise cancelling in positions 2 and 4. Does anyone have any experience with this alternative wiring for the backplate?

Here is the link for what I am talking about:

http://www.ilitchelectronics.com/links.htm#RWRPmiddle
 
aflynt

aflynt

Member
Messages
1,981
Fernando said:
one question about the backplate: did you guys swap the middle pickup for a non-RWRP? I guess that's what you have to do if you want the noise cancelling in the middle pickup as well. But Ilitch's website has an interesting alternative wiring if you want to keep your RWRP middle pickup - what is interesting about it in my opinion is that you are able to retain normal noise cancelling in positions 2 and 4. Does anyone have any experience with this alternative wiring for the backplate?

Here is the link for what I am talking about:

http://www.ilitchelectronics.com/links.htm#RWRPmiddle
Click to expand...

I saw that, and it looks fairly easy to do with a 5 way switch, but I opted to get a non-rwrp replacement as I use my middle pickup alone quite a bit. Also, I'm not quite sure why, but the 2 and 4 positions seem to be more balanced volume-wise with the other positions now that I've got the non-rwrp in there.

-Aaron
 
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Fernando

Member
Messages
237
aflynt said:
I saw that, and it looks fairly easy to do with a 5 way switch, but I opted to get a non-rwrp replacement as I use my middle pickup alone quite a bit. Also, I'm not quite sure why, but the 2 and 4 positions seem to be more balanced volume-wise with the other positions now that I've got the non-rwrp in there.

-Aaron
Click to expand...

but do you also get more noise than you would otherwise in 2 and 4? And what about that particular 2 and 4 tone, did the backplate and switching to a non-RWRP pickup in the middle alter that?
 
aflynt

aflynt

Member
Messages
1,981
Fernando said:
but do you also get more noise than you would otherwise in 2 and 4? And what about that particular 2 and 4 tone, did the backplate and switching to a non-RWRP pickup in the middle alter that?
Click to expand...

Slightly more noise than normal, but It's really low enough across the board that it's no longer a big deal now. The backplate itself didn't alter the tone of 2 and 4 (or any other position for that matter). I'm fairly certain that it's the new middle pickup itself that did it. Whether it's due to it being newer or non-rwrp I do not know. Anyway, the change is for the better so I'm not really all that apt to question it. :)

-Aaron
 
ilitch

ilitch

Member
Messages
82
Hi All,
Suhr BPSSC has been discontinued.
After almost 6 years licensing JS Technology Inc. to market our designs (based on my US patent) under Suhr brand (known as BPSSC and SSC), we are now selling various noise canceling designs as our own ILITCH ELECTRONICS products. This includes our BPNCS which is identical to previously existing BPSSC.

Ilitch
Ilitch Electronics
 
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