BL-710 or BL-705 on GFI S10 Ultra

George Winter · Post by **George Winter** » 9 Jun 2011 12:55 am

Hi Guys,

Have any of you tried a BL-710 or BL-705 on GFI S10 Ultra? If so, any comments on your experience would be highly appreciated.

The space to fit a pickup on my GFI S10 Ultra is only 1-3/4" x 4-1/8" wide, it presently has the original GFI-II on it.

I have heard that the BL-710 is 2" wide (I do not know what the height is), Do you know if a BL-710 or BL-705 can be fitted to this guitar?

I play through a Hilton Volume pedal. Will the combo - BL-710 & Hilton Volume pedal be a problem?

David Higginbotham · Post by **David Higginbotham** » 9 Jun 2011 5:05 am

Not sure about the 710 but the 705 will fit on the GFI. Sound wise, it is a bit on the bright side with a 705 but still has great tone.
Dave

George Winter · Post by **George Winter** » 9 Jun 2011 6:02 am

Hi David,

Thanks for your reply.

Brint Hannay · Post by **Brint Hannay** » 9 Jun 2011 8:22 am

I have a wide-mount 710 here. It is 1.85" wide, 4.05" long, and .725" tall.

George Winter · Post by **George Winter** » 9 Jun 2011 10:55 am

Hi Brint,

Thanks for the information.

Don Poland · Post by **Don Poland** » 10 Jun 2011 6:29 pm

George, I have an original chrome banded BL705 right here that measures 1 5/16" wide by 3 7/8" long by 13/16" tall. This is just the pickup, no mount. It is not for sale, I just give you this info for comparison.

George Winter · Post by **George Winter** » 10 Jun 2011 6:37 pm

Hi Don,

Thanks for your reply.

Brint Hannay · Post by **Brint Hannay** » 10 Jun 2011 10:06 pm

The measurements for the 710 I gave were for the entire pickup: length and width of the base, including mounting flanges.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 11 Jun 2011 2:03 am

If a wide mount 705 will fit then a wide mount 710 will also. I had 705's originally on my Franklin and replaced them with 710's.

The big difference is the 710's have more "string separation" or clarity between the strings. Otherwise the sound is about the same. e.g. my Franklin still sounded like a Franklin after the pickup change.

My wife has a GFI S10 Expo and it has the GFI II pickup, which I understand is basically a George L's E66. It is not as bright or clear as my Franklin. I tried an E66 on my Franklin one time and it was bassy and not as bright compared to the 710.

David Nugent · Post by **David Nugent** » 11 Jun 2011 3:56 am

George...FYI..The pickup height on a GFI guitar is non adjustable, the pickup space is set to accomodate the factory pickup being bolted directly to the body. When replacing my GFI II pickup with a Truetone, a spacer was needed on the underside to raise it to the recommended "two quarters" height (spacing between strings and pickup to be the width of two quarter coins). Also, I find GFI guitars tend to be on the bright side tone wise (an S-10 may prove to be even more so), therefore a slightly heavier wound pickup such as a 'George L 10-1' or a 'Lawrence 910' may yield a more mellow tone.

George Winter · Post by **George Winter** » 11 Jun 2011 4:17 am

Hi Brint, Jack & David,

Thanks for your input. I now have an idea what might happen to the tone if I made the change to the BL-710 or BL-705.

Your comments have saved me from making a mistake and steered me in another direction. I will go with the GFI-III instead.

Thanks.