Answer to question about how I use E-66s

Jim Lindsey (Louisiana) · From: Greenwell Springs, Louisiana (deceased)

Hi, Everyone,
Over the last year or so that I've been back in touch with the Forum, I've received several emails regarding the sound of my old red 1988 Mullen HWP guitar (mostly from people seeing it on some YouTube videos). Whenever I answer the emails and make it known that the guitar was equipped with E-66 pickups, I often get replies asking "If you were running E-66s, how do you get 'that sound' with them?". Most of the replies that I've gotten like that about the E-66s say that the highs are great, but the mids are way too much and the lows are too bright and/or brittle. More than one of those emails suggested that I share the way I adjusted my E-66 pickups with the Forum in case anyone here would like to try it (if they're having the same mids & lows "issues" with the E-66s).

When I first installed my E-66s in that old red Mullen, I did it the way the little instruction sheet that came with them stated: a distance of 1 quarter's thickness between the 1st and 10th strings. I could tell these would be some pickups I really loved, but with them installed like that there was still something missing that I wanted to hear, so I decided to experiment with the height of the pickups to kind of tweak them out for a better sound. A little trick that I know a lot of steel players do with very nice results.

I ran them two different ways for awhile. My first adjustment was with the distance of 1 quarter thickness between the pickup and 1st string, but increased a distance of 2 quarters thickness between the pickup and the 10th string. Here is an example of the sound I got from them adjusted like that (sorry for the tail end of the lead guitar ride, but that's how my AVI trimming program captured it):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F408bekLdx0

I liked that sound a lot, but wanted my lows to be a bit richer, so I later increased the distance between the 10th string and the pickup to 3 quarters thickness and ended up with this sort of sound:

http://picosong.com/RVP/

Please overlook the really sloppy playing on my part (it was my birthday and I was, well, totally knee-walking drunk by the time we got to that song thanks to the band feeding me shots of liquor all night). Anyway, I found that, for me, adjusting the pickup down 1 quarter thickness between the first string and 3 quarters thickness between the 10th string gave me what I wanted in that guitar with those pickups. Smile

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1986 Mullen D-10 with 8 & 7 (Dual Bill Lawrence 705 pickups each neck)
Two Peavey Nashville 400 Amps (with a Session 500 in reserve) - Yamaha SPX-90 II
Peavey ProFex II - Yamaha R-1000 Digital Reverb - Ross Time Machine Digital Delay - BBE Sonic Maximizer 422A
ProCo RAT R2DU Dual Distortion - Korg DT-1 Pro Tuner (Rack Mounted) - Furman PL-8 Power Bay
Goodrich Match-Bro by Buddy Emmons - BJS Steel Bar (Dunlop Finger Picks / Golden Gate Thumb Picks)

richard burton · From: Britain

And that is exactly how my E66 is set on my Marlen Very Happy

I did it by trial and error, and ended up with the pickup angled so that it was closer to the top strings, and further away from the bottom strings.

basilh · From: United Kingdom

Likewise on my Emmons 1/2 D-10 Rolling Eyes

I much prefer a fatter bottom end.
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Steelies do it without fretting

CLICK THIS to view my tone bars and buy——>

Bo Borland · From: South Jersey -

My results were much the same.. when my steel was delivered, it had no sustain.. the pickups were way too close it was as if the magnetic field choked the strings.
Trial an error opened up the tone and the sustain

Dean Holman · From: Branson MO

I love that tone on farewell party. I'll have to say that sounds pretty full and not shrill like E-66's can get. Were you running through two amps or one and what effects were you using? That is really my favorite kind of tone.

Jim Lindsey (Louisiana) · From: Greenwell Springs, Louisiana (deceased)

Hi, Dean ... thanks sincerely for your comments. Back in 1988 thru 1991, when I was playing that red Mullen, I was actually running three amps instead of two. A Session 500 and two Nashville 400 amps. The two Nashville amps were my left & right "stereo" amps for my SPX-90, reverb and delay and the Session 500 amp was run strictly dry to keep the natural steel sound present and prevent any effects from covering up my steel sound. On that "Farewell Party" thing I was just running a bit of verb and no chorus, delay or other effects. Smile

I really loved that three-amp sound, but starting in 1993 I changed up my rig a bit to consolidate down to two amps (the two Nashvilles) as it got to be pretty brutal lugging three amps around and stage space was also sometimes a factor.
_________________
1986 Mullen D-10 with 8 & 7 (Dual Bill Lawrence 705 pickups each neck)
Two Peavey Nashville 400 Amps (with a Session 500 in reserve) - Yamaha SPX-90 II
Peavey ProFex II - Yamaha R-1000 Digital Reverb - Ross Time Machine Digital Delay - BBE Sonic Maximizer 422A
ProCo RAT R2DU Dual Distortion - Korg DT-1 Pro Tuner (Rack Mounted) - Furman PL-8 Power Bay
Goodrich Match-Bro by Buddy Emmons - BJS Steel Bar (Dunlop Finger Picks / Golden Gate Thumb Picks)

Norbert Dengler · From: germany

interresting, thanks for the post jim!

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

obviously, adjusting pickup heights to fit your guitar and your ear is a useful tool. one quarter to 3 quarters difference is quite drastic though. might there be a better pickup to get the same response without the angle?

i adjust stock single coils with a slight angle..maybe a dime or nickel..and they sound fine.

overall height can vary and anyone who's not happy with their tone should experiment with this before buying new pickups or guitars....unless they're foolishly rich, i suppose.

Steve Wood · From: Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

Folks,
Pardon my lack of mechanical know-how, but how might a fella raise the bottom end of his E66? Im thinking I would like some thicker lows.
thanks!
steve

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

steve..i don't know how your steel works, but mine have 3 adjustment screws around the edge of the pickup,,one near center on one side which will tilt left to right...and one near either end that will raise or lower that end.

Larry Bell · From: Englewood, Florida

I don't think there's anything specific about a particular pickup for that advice. Works great for me and I'm a single coil kinda guy.

Each pickup will have a minimum distance (for clearance and how it sounds) and 1 quarter's thickness is the traditional measure, although I've always found 1 quarter to be too close and tend to go with 2 quarters on the treble end and 3 or even 4 on the bottom. Those pickups are really HOT when they're too close to the strings.

Another thing I do is SLIGHTLY angle the pickup toward the keyhead. Guitar players do that and it seems to improve the overall freq response a bit. There is no magic bullet. Whatever works for you is what works. Doesn't hurt to do the experiment.
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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
My CD's: 'I've Got Friends in COLD Places' - 'Pedal Steel Guitar'
2021 Rittenberry S/D-12 8x7, 1976 Emmons S/D-12 7x6, 1969 Emmons S/D-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro, Quilter ToneBlock 202 TT-12

Steve Wood · From: Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

thanks, fellas

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