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Post new topic Pickup Replacement On An Old Bud?
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Author Topic:  Pickup Replacement On An Old Bud?
Sean Ray


From:
Madison, Wisconsin
Post  Posted 6 Nov 2007 11:09 am    
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I'm considering replacing the stock pickups in my '77 Sho~Bud Pro II Custom and I'm wondering if this is generally viewed as a good or bad idea.

I am only the second owner of this guitar and it is 100% original for better or worse. I really like the guitar and will never part with it so I'm not concerned with resale value. The only reason I'm looking into other pickups is because the signal to noise ratio gets pretty bad depending on where I'm playing it and unfortunately the place it seems to be the worst is in my own house.

I scoured the old forum archives but didn't find anything so I hope my inquiry isn't redundant. I would also be interested in any suggestions or advice about new pickups; again my main concern is losing some of the low-end hum I am now experiencing. Other than that I'm pretty satisfied with the way the old pickups sound.

P.S. I'm playing through a NV112 and I have bypassed the volume pedal just to make sure it wasn't the culprit.

Thanks,

Sean
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Earnest Bovine


From:
Los Angeles CA USA
Post  Posted 6 Nov 2007 11:47 am    
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I like the Bill Lawrence 712 (710 for you 10 stringers) on my old Sho-Bud.

But hang on to the old pickup.
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Dave Diehl

 

From:
Mechanicsville, MD, USA
Post  Posted 7 Nov 2007 4:31 am    
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I used the BL710's on the E9th neck of my Super Pro and George L's on the C6th. They both sound great.
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Jerry Hayes


From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
Post  Posted 7 Nov 2007 4:47 am    
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Hey Sean, on my old 'bud S-12 I replaced the stock pickup with an Emmons P/U which worked out great. I was using a Randall Commander II amp at the time and if I EQ'd it where the higher strings sounded good, the bass strings were muddy. If I EQ'd it to where the bass strings sounded good, the the high strings would be brittle and tinny. I installed the Emmons P/U and everything was great from top to bottom. Micky Byrne in England did the same thing to his old ShoBud with the same good results......JH in Va.
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Craig A Davidson


From:
Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin USA
Post  Posted 7 Nov 2007 5:09 am    
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I had Harry Jackson rewind mine. He wound mine the first time when the guitar was new. They sound good with minimum hum. A single coil will hum a little. That's just the nature of the beast.
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Sonny Priddy

 

From:
Elizabethtown, Kentucky, USA, R.I.P.
Post  Posted 7 Nov 2007 6:22 am     pickup
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B L 705 I Had One On My Sho-Bud And It Was Great. Bobbe Seymour Has Them. SONNY.
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Sean Ray


From:
Madison, Wisconsin
Post  Posted 7 Nov 2007 6:55 am    
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I appreciate the info.
These pickups have always had a little single coil hum and I could live with that but they seem to have gotten worse over the past 10 years or so. I do believe I'm going to replace them though I will certainly hang on to the old ones in case I ever need them in the future.

Any recommendations for new humbucking pickups?
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Michael Johnstone


From:
Sylmar,Ca. USA
Post  Posted 7 Nov 2007 7:18 am    
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Get Bob Hoffner to build you some Tonealigners. They're replicas of the old Dan Shields Craptraps.For a state-of-the-art single coil,get Wallace True-Tones or the new ZB triple-tap remake.
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Sean Ray


From:
Madison, Wisconsin
Post  Posted 7 Nov 2007 8:32 am    
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Are the BL710's humbuckers?

And I see George L makes a few different humbuckers and a couple of Paul Franklin models as well though I can't seem to find any reviews or info in the archives or elsewhere.

Thanks again,

Sean
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Dennis Wallis

 

From:
Arkansas
Post  Posted 7 Nov 2007 9:01 pm    
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I put a George L's E-66 on my newer model LDG. It made a BIG difference.Has a lot more clarity & sustain,not so mellow.
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James Morehead


From:
Prague, Oklahoma, USA - R.I.P.
Post  Posted 8 Nov 2007 5:59 am    
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Jerry Wallace TrueTones. Jerry can also rewind your original 'bud pickup. I have no hum issues with my originals or my new Trutones. The True tones are the closest you will get to the original real Shobud tone, IMO.
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Brint Hannay

 

From:
Maryland, USA
Post  Posted 8 Nov 2007 8:40 am    
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Sean Ray wrote:
Are the BL710's humbuckers?

And I see George L makes a few different humbuckers and a couple of Paul Franklin models as well though I can't seem to find any reviews or info in the archives or elsewhere.



The 710s are humbuckers, as are all of the George L models, Paul Franklin or otherwise.

There have been discussions of all these pickups on the Forum in the past. Try different search words, like "710", "E-66", "10-1", etc.

If you go on the Carter website, they have soundclips of a number of George L models, BL710, and Truetone pickups for comparison.

Incidentally, Lloyd Green uses a BL710 on his Sho-Bud.
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Sean Ray


From:
Madison, Wisconsin
Post  Posted 8 Nov 2007 11:24 am    
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Thank you,
I finally did find some of the archives and I think the BL710's are what I'm after.
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Jon Light (deceased)


From:
Saugerties, NY
Post  Posted 8 Nov 2007 11:39 am    
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Be sure you get narrow mount pickups.
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Paddy Long


From:
Christchurch, New Zealand
Post  Posted 8 Nov 2007 12:54 pm    
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I changed out the original shobud p/u for a BL710 narrow mount in my friends LDG just recently and he has been astounded in the improvement of his sound ! He just loves it -- I believe Lloyd uses this pickup himself.
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Micky Byrne


From:
United Kingdom (deceased)
Post  Posted 9 Nov 2007 4:16 pm    
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Hi Jerry Hayes, thanks for the mention. Yes it did sound great with Emmons pickup, but when that old Sho-Bud was recently "ressurected" Dave Langdon who did the rebuild had a Ronnie Bennett (UK steel builder) pickup to hand, and to save me any money installed that. It's a single coil, no hum at all, and wound to 18,000K same as the Emmons that was on her. The Bud doesn't sound any different now. Jerry Roller had mentioned that dry wood resonates well, and as you know that Bud was dry.......by the house fire Smile Another forumite mentioned somewhere that old Bud's got their tone from the woods used and the way they were constructed/assembled. It could well be the case in this instant. Thank God it don't sound any different now Smile

Micky Byrne United Kingdom www.mickybyrne.com
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