Lighter pickups - warmer amps

Larry Behm · Post by **Larry Behm** » 10 Sep 2002 4:16 am

I have moved, by accident from heavy pickups and clean amps to just the opposite. I bought a PP with about 13k pickups and a Webb at the same time. They were both available to me and I could not pass on them. The highs are not piercing but sweet and the bottom end can be as big or as thin as you want it.

In the past I worked with the eq a lot, added a matchbox etc. Now with a Hilton pedal and the above pieces I seem to have the sweetest, biggest in your face sound I have ever had. I tried a PP with 18k pickups in the Webb and it was not as clean, oh it had more umph but again not as clean.

Oh when will this search ever end. (Never I hope I just love this stuff).

Larry Behm

J Fletcher · Post by **J Fletcher** » 10 Sep 2002 6:52 am

I sold an S12 Emmons about a year ago that had an 11K pickup in it, and it sounded great. Much better than my Emmons SD10 push pull with an 18k. Better string definition,lots of percussion in the attack, way more highs, but not tinny sounding. I love that sound, and was wondering how many old Emmons had those underwound pickups. They have a more "Fendery" sound to my ears, a bit like a Stringmaster.....Jerry

richard burton · Post by **richard burton** » 10 Sep 2002 1:55 pm

You are discovering something that I have known for years:High output pickups and good pedal steel tone is an oxymoron.

Tom Jordan · Post by **Tom Jordan** » 10 Sep 2002 2:34 pm

Gentlemen,

I'd have to agree on the light pickup/high-powered amp observation. When I had my Excel D10 I did alot of p/u swapping and always went back to the lightly wound sinlge coil p/u's. Altho the heavies were warm and powerful, they were not as clear sounding as the single coils.

A good example of this is my Morrell 8 with the lipstick p/u...I've heared other people complain that it was low out-put...I say, who cares, if you have a 210 watts to push it. The Morrell has a warmer sound with better string separation than my Sierra U12 with a Danny Shields p/u.

As a matter of fact, I'm doing all of my swing stuff on the Morrell now and will be converting my e9/b6 to an extended e9...I'm partial to the non-pedal swing styles anyways.

It just goes to show you...there is a seat for every butt!

Tom Jordan

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 10 Sep 2002 4:12 pm

A seat for every butt? I like that. I'm gonna be saying that a lot at work, and it's your fault. Tom Jordan. I'm new at steel stuff, but I remember when the hot, super distortion, whatever guitar pickups came out, everybody jumped on them, and they were LOUD. But they didn't have quite the definition, or the separation, that our old pickups did. So a bunch of us switched back.
But, there's a seat for every butt, right, Tom?
Wait, what if it's a sold-out show?

Tom Jordan · Post by **Tom Jordan** » 10 Sep 2002 6:33 pm

Stephan,

I got it bass-ackwards...there's a butt for every seat....now the people that came late will have to stand.

I always thought it was funny too. An old aircraft salesman told me that once when I was trying to talk him down on a "forked-tailed doctor killer" (Beech Bonanza) that wasn't selling. He was a patient guy and got his asking price for it sometime later.

I think it applies to steel guitars/equipment also. I don't think too many steels are homeless for long and when we get them they are usually best guitar we ever heared of...until the next one comes along!

Tom