Changing Pickups

Jeff Valentine · From: Colorado Springs, USA

Hi all,

I recently did a recording session for a week, and my pickups were just too noisy. I play a Zum built a few years ago. I love the tone, but would like to make it cleaner as I get deeper in the pedal. I've been told to switch to humbuckers. I love the tone, and fear I won't get that back if I switch. I also don't know how to solder, so I'd have to have someone install the new pickups. Then if I didn't dig them I'd have to go back to have it undone.... Any tips on good pickups, or another solution to the noise?

Thanks, Jeff

Georg Sørtun · From: Mandal, Agder, Norway

An Alumitone PU?

David Nugent · From: Gum Spring, Va.

Recall reading a post a while back and a Forum member mentioned that he had his guitar modified to accommodate modular pickups (Sierra and newer MSA guitars were factory equipped with this feature). Pickup changes could then be made in a matter of seconds.

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

Paul Franklin has Lawrence humbuckers on his guitars. Is his sound bad?

Jeff Valentine · From: Colorado Springs, USA

Thanks for all the replies. I actually have a Millenium and know of that system you're taking about. Is it possible to have that done to my Zum? Who does that work?

Thanks, Jeff

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

Ask Kyle or Mitchell if they'd do that for you. Their system is proprietary, and it'd surprise me if they'd sell the parts. They MIGHT be willing to retrofit a Zum.
Or if you're feeling audacious, you could remove it from your Milly, put it on your Zum, then tell them your Milly has lost its swap system.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

George Kimery · From: Limestone, TN, USA

Jeff, you and I are in the same boat. I have a 1982 Zum with the original single coil pickups. I am happy with the tone of them but in certain situations, they can have a little hum. Just the nature of single coil pickups. When you said your pickups were noisy, did you mean the hum or something else?

I have been on the fence for quite a while trying to decide if I should put in a Telonic's Pickup. I can change the pickups and do the soldering. I have about decided to give it a try. I can always put the original pickup back in if it doesn't work out.

I would like any opinion that anybody has (especially somebody that has switched an old Zum pickup for a Telonics) about switching the original pickup for a Telonics. I have heard that the Telonics may have better string separation, but with my Quilter amp, I have good string separation already. Being able to adust the magnets for each string is appealing to me so that I can get the same volume from each string.I think this individual string adjustment is the reason the Telonics would have better string separation. You would just be able to hear each string volume equally.

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

I think modular pickups should be incorporated into every new steel, and MSA should license the system to all the other builders.
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Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

Modular pickups require the pickup enclosure to be open on the side so that they can be slid in. Any guitar in which the pickup drops into a cutout in the metal or wood neck--pretty much all steel guitars, right?-- would need a serious hack (literally--a chunk of metal would need to be cut off).
So consider this before getting too excited about retrofitting a guitar for modulars.
FWIW I have considered doing this in the past and I will consider it in the future but it is not a small modification.

Len Amaral · From: Rehoboth,MA 02769

Certain guitars have signature vibe with single coil pickups so maybe just live with the noise. Also, the noise seems to arrive the most at the end of the volume pedal.

With that said, I just ordered a 19.5 ohm True Tone pickup to replace the Humbucker in my Mullen G2.

Jeff Valentine · From: Colorado Springs, USA

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to reply. That means a lot. Those are all great suggestions that I'll consider. At least switching to humbuckers is something that's relatively easily undone if need be. If I did that, is there a recommended model? I've heard a lot about the Bill Lawrence products, but haven't played through one. I prefer a darker more modern sound to a bright cutting sound.

Thanks again, Jeff

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

You might want to try the Lace Alumitone.
_________________
Please visit my web site and Soundcloud page and listen to the music posted there.
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Steve Schmidt · From: Ramsey, MN, USA

Jeff
I'm a big fan of the Lawrence 705 pickup. I have a set in both my Zum and my Franklin. I don't believe you can go wrong

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

I confess that I generally prefer the absolute tonality of single-coils wound in the 17k-18K range. But if I need a humbucker - and there are situations where that seems to be essential - I do like Lawrence pickups - particularly the ones made at this point by Becky Lawrence (widow of Bill Lawrence). Note that there are two "Lawrence" pickups, although only one has that brand name, which is ironically not the company that Bill/Becky Lawrence have run for quite some time.

Dave Meis · From: Olympic Peninsula, Washington, USA

My Sierra has the Danny Shields 'crap trap' (coil tapped) humbucker (pretty dark), and I have a Wallace Tru Tone wound into another box. It requires the 'box', hot plate and the cut out on the neck..pretty ambitious for a 'trial'. If soldering is the problem, you could use wire nuts to try them (borrow?) until you find what you like, then mount it. It's nice to be able to switch it out when you're sitting under the partially shorted out beer sign, but if you need to chose ONE, you could try a few with wire nuts before you went more permanent. Smile

Dave Hepworth · From: West Yorkshire, UK

Jeff,
Hi there,have you considered moving your guitar to eliminate the noise.
Most noise is mains hum ( I get this on my electric 6 string ). If you move the guitar so the pickup is running parralel to the mains induced magnetic field then the noise will go almost completely .Just a bit of trial and error .It is usually at least 90 degrees to the noisy position of your guitar ,try it .
Best wishes Dave

Paddy Long · From: Christchurch, New Zealand

Jeff, and George, I have 2 Zum Hybrids - both of them came from Bruce with Trutones on them, and I changed the older 2008 guitar to Telonics 409's a while back - I also experimented with several other Telonics pickups, but settled on the 409's as being the best match for my Zum. There is a bit of setup work required once they are fitted, ie: the two rows of adjustable poles have to be set to your tastes, both volume and tone can be tweaked for each individual string via the poles.
Once I had it dialed in the guitar sounded absolutely fabulous and I have done a multitude of sessions with this guitar, including my own CD and it always sounds amazing. Live as well of course.
my second guitar still has the Trutones on it but I am intending to upgrade it to 409's this weekend in fact - I bought two more of the pickups at the Dallas show two weeks back.

Incidentally both guitars sounded fantastic with the Trutones as well, but the 409's give a much fuller mid range without sacrificing string definition, and the highs are a lot more silky.

I would recommend the 409's as definitely worth a consideration - they are wonderful pickups on a Zum.
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Jeff Valentine · From: Colorado Springs, USA

Thanks again for all the great advice. Dave, how do I know what parallel to the mains magnetic field is? You're talking about the left and right mains, right? We use in-ear monitors and don't turn any mains on in the rehearsal room. I just said "Dave" just to realize there are lots of Daves in this thread.... To Dave Mudgett, thanks for all the specifics. I'll check them out. Thank to Paddy too for the first-hand info for a Zum. I'll probably leave the single coil pickups in for now and make the switch after our upcoming tour just in case there's an issue.

Thanks again, Jeff

richard burton · From: Britain

I've found that I can dial in a George L E66 pickup (in my Emmons push-pull) to sound quite acceptable for recording.

Dave Hepworth · From: West Yorkshire, UK

Jeff,
Thanks for the reply.You don't heed to know where the lines of magnetic induction are pointing.......just turn/ angle your steel till the hum goes away........even if you use in ear monitoring the noise will be heard ,so you can still do it ,As you turn the guitar the hum will get quieter as you get to the best angle .
Regards Dave.

Jeff Valentine · From: Colorado Springs, USA

Dave,

Oh, I see. Sure, I'll try that too. I remember our last guitar player having that issue too. When he just angled a different way it went away. Thanks to Richard for the other pickup option too.

-Jeff

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

Tonealigner makes a pickup with two rows of adjusting screws based on the old "clap trap" pickups.

John Goux · From: California, USA

On the subject of pickup hum, it falls into 2 general categories. Electrical/grounding hum, and magnetic field hum.
The magnetic field induced hum is the one that is the scourge of single could pickups. Proximity to field generating devices such as computers or the club's fuse box will give you the classic single coil buzz. Also, and always, our North Pole.

With a Telecaster, you can rotate yourself in a 360 degree plane vs the North Pole, to find the 2 spots where the pickups are quiet.
With the steel, the pickups are laying flat. Rotating the guitar around has never worked for me. The plane of the pickups is not changing vs the North Pole. If the field is a local, like a TV, you can move away from it. But there is no escaping the North Pole.

The horizontal plane of the Telecaster pickup is different than the parallel plane of the pedal steel.
Are you guys saying you have stopped single coil buzz by rotating the pedal steel guitar around?
John

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

Yes, because the hum is usually caused by local fixtures, rather than the pole. Usually the ballast of a fluorescent light or neon tube.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

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