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Topic: Why no S/C-H/B combo pickups for steel? |
Brian McGaughey
From:
Orcas Island, WA USA
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Posted 3 Jan 2011 11:01 pm |
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Does anybody make a combination single coil/humbucking pickup for steel? It seems it couldn't be that difficult to have 2 rows of poles where you could switch between 1 row or both. Single coil for Saturday night and the humbucking setting for Sunday morning. 
Am I crazy here or perhaps missing something? |
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Jack Stanton
From:
Somewhere in the swamps of Jersey
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Posted 4 Jan 2011 4:58 am
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| Emmons made one in the '80's (maybe they still make it?) called the Pentad. |
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John Bresler R.I.P.
From:
Thornton, Colorado
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Posted 4 Jan 2011 8:08 am Pentab pickup
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According to their catalog, Emmons still manufactures the 5 position Pentab pickup. Here's a link to a description of it. It can be found in their on-line catalog and purchased directly from them.
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Brett Lanier
From:
Hermitage, TN
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Posted 4 Jan 2011 12:27 pm
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| Isn't that what the two extra wires (if there are 5) are for? I was told by someone that they can be used to hook up for a coil tap switch. |
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Jonathan Cullifer
From:
Gallatin, TN
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Posted 4 Jan 2011 3:39 pm
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| Yes, 5 wire pickups can be used like that. I think some of the older BL pickups are like that, as are the reissue 705s. |
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Craig Stenseth
From:
Naperville, Illinois, USA
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Posted 4 Jan 2011 5:28 pm
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| Peavey's Powerslide has a control wired to change the pickup from humbucking to single coil. A fairly easy modification on a guitar with a 5 wire pickup is to put in a push/pull pot to split the coil. |
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Brett Lanier
From:
Hermitage, TN
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Posted 6 Jan 2011 11:20 am
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| Can anyone here comment on how an original BL 705 sounds as a single coil? |
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Brian McGaughey
From:
Orcas Island, WA USA
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Posted 6 Jan 2011 11:23 am
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I had heard of the Emmon's Pentad but didn't realize it would switch between single coil and humbucking arrangements. I poked around on the forum a bit and it seems that the Pentad isn't especially popular. I suppose that means that to most it doesn't sound good.
If you've ever used one please chime in!
The reissue 705s have seperate wiring from each row of magnets. Bobbe's web site shows a wiring diagram but doesn't mention wiring them in a way to switch between 1 or 2 coils. Anyone tried that? |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 6 Jan 2011 3:28 pm
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I used the Pentad pickup for about 5 years. The out of phase position was extremely low in volume and none of the other 4 positions had great tone to my ears. It was great for the studio or just practicing at home but on gigs I always ending up using one position all night.... the one that sounded most like the PP Emmons stock sound!
Greg |
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John Groover McDuffie
From:
LA California, USA
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Posted 6 Jan 2011 6:28 pm
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The George L's 5-way pickup includes full humbucking and single coil settings when wired according to instructions. I liked the full humbucking, tapped humbucking, and full single coil sounds.
The original Bill Lawrence 705 pickup did not have multi-conductor wiring, and so could only be used in full humbucking mode. |
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Mike Wheeler
From:
Delaware, Ohio, USA
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Posted 6 Jan 2011 7:23 pm
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I've used the George L 12-5 in my U12 steels for decades. When my rig is set up right I can get amazingly versatile sounds from it just by using the 5 position switch...fat, punchy C6th to thin, clear Fender-like tones.
I love 'em.
_________________
Best regards,
Mike |
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Dan Tyack
From:
Olympia, WA USA
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Posted 6 Jan 2011 8:07 pm
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To my ears the BL 705 already has a fat single coil sound. I get the humbucker sound by adding a second pickup (a humbucker) in the 'SG position' (around the 24th fret). The tonal differences due to the pickup placement are (IMHO) significantly more important than the type of pickup. You get a more midrangy, more throaty sound (think Mahalia Jackson versus Wanda Jackson). The most interesting sounds (again IMHO) are when you combine the two pickups. It's a big 'strat type' sound.
Now 99% of steel players couldn't care in the least about tonal versatility: they are focused on getting 'that sound'. But I really need to have that kind of versatility to get everything I need from the instrument. |
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Jack Stanton
From:
Somewhere in the swamps of Jersey
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Posted 7 Jan 2011 5:02 am
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Greg is right on the money about the Pentad. It's two single coil pickups that can be used independently, or combined as a hum bucker. Emmons literature used to describe it as having " Razor Sharp Highs", and that's pretty accurate. I also inevitably end up using the one that's pretty much a stock Emmons single coil. It's bright with tight lows. The second single coil sound retains the highs, but has much fatter bottom end. The Hummbucking position is useful in noisy situations.
There's one setting,called the "Tank Tone" that sounds very much like a Match bro, but as Greg noted, the volume drop makes it pretty much unusable in a live setting, but works well in the studio. |
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Brian McGaughey
From:
Orcas Island, WA USA
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Posted 7 Jan 2011 8:17 am
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It's good to have the info on the Pentad, also on the GeorgeL 10-5 and 12-5. I did not realize that GeorgeL made a combo pickup like that. According to their webstore that was the first p/u they made.
Dan, I've heard your 2 p/u Desert Rose and I like the tone you get. I'm sure you've got a good range of options between the 2 p/us. I'm not as much looking to increase my tonal choices as I am to have a single coil option for playing with the amplified band (loud 6 stringers) and then having a humbucking option for long sustains and chimes with the church choir. I hate the 60 cycle when pressing the gas for even-volume sustains. Plus I'm unwilling to carve into my Franklin neck for the 2nd one.
Mike and John, I'll take your posts as an endorsement for the 10-5 or 12-5. |
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Dan Tyack
From:
Olympia, WA USA
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Posted 7 Jan 2011 8:36 am
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| Brian McGaughey wrote: |
It's good to have the info on the Pentad, also on the GeorgeL 10-5 and 12-5. I did not realize that GeorgeL made a combo pickup like that. According to their webstore that was the first p/u they made.
Dan, I've heard your 2 p/u Desert Rose and I like the tone you get. I'm sure you've got a good range of options between the 2 p/us. I'm not as much looking to increase my tonal choices as I am to have a single coil option for playing with the amplified band (loud 6 stringers) and then having a humbucking option for long sustains and chimes with the church choir. I hate the 60 cycle when pressing the gas for even-volume sustains. Plus I'm unwilling to carve into my Franklin neck for the 2nd one.
Mike and John, I'll take your posts as an endorsement for the 10-5 or 12-5. |
Hey Brian,
I have a spare two pickup ready Franklin neck you can have. I'm adding a second pickup to one of my Franklins, and decided to make a new neck with the spacing I like, rather than use the one I got from Paul, which has his standard 2 pickup configuration (the neck pickup is closer to the bridge than I like). |
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Brian McGaughey
From:
Orcas Island, WA USA
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Posted 7 Jan 2011 9:43 pm
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| Wow Dan, that's very kind, very generous. I'm going to pm you. |
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