Pickup change

[Michael McGauley]

Hello SGF friends
I’m thinking of changing the stock pickup (GFI III) in a GFI Expo S10 to GL-66 pickup
Could this help in the quest for that sharp sweet pedal steel tone?
Does the GL-66 fit the proper string height and GFI pickup slot or what adjustment modification needed?
What about different expression pedals and how do they differ in tone?

Thanks SGF and friends
Mike

[Larry Bressington]

Bypass the volume pedal to see if you hear what you like, maybe some other factors in the chain are pulling those sweet highs, those george L GFI's are a great pick up.

[Michael McGauley]

Thanks for the reply Larry
I took the pedal out of the chain
It did seem to sound a bit brighter
It’s a Hilton pedal. What pedal should sound best?

[Larry Bressington]

Hilton is the best, have you tried adjusting the tone pot on the pedal, it's underneath the pedal, blue pot you will need a small screwdriver for adjustment. What's your amp eq at? whats your goals for tone?

[Michael McGauley]

Thanks Larry
I made adjustments at the blue screw
It seemed to only affect volume depth
Using the Peavey factory recommended setting
After that classic steel sound
It could be my playing just under two years

[David Nugent]

The 'GFI III' pickup(from what I understand)is basically a slightly modified 'George L E-66' so the replacement should be a perfect fit. In my experience with the GFI guitars that I have owned however, they tend to lean more toward the brighter sounding side so you may want to experiment with the settings on your amp before changing pickups. Also, take note of the position of your picking hand, the closer to the bridge your hand lies the brighter your tone will be and vice versa.
FYI: On GFI guitars the pickup is mounted directly to the body with no provision for height adjustment. If you do ultimately decide on a pickup change, may want to compare the new unit with the original before proceeding.

[Bill Ferguson]

"Using the Peavey factory recommended setting
After that classic steel sound
It could be my playing just under two years"

First the Peavey factory recommended setting is just a reference point. It is not meant to be "that tone" or even "your tone".

The Hilton pedal should provide almost the same tone as your steel would without a volume pedal, because it has a buffer built in.

What kind of cables are you using? That can make a huge difference in tone.

What Peavey amp are you using?

And yep, for most of us, it took MANY years to develop tone. Very few get it in the first couple of years.

Where are you in FL?

[Dennis Montgomery]

I know it's not the prevailing opinion, but I replaced my Hilton VP because I didn't like what it did to my tone.

Let's back up a step. When I was playing my Mullen with the factory standard single coil, the Hilton sounded great...or I should say the Hilton didn't sound like anything, which is what I want from a VP. Then I changed my PU from the Mullen single coil to a Bill Lawrence BL712 humbucker and the Hilton no longer sounded transparent. I even did some A/B recordings through the Hilton vs bypassing and I could hear a marked difference in the tone. I'm much happier with my sound running through a passive Ernie Ball

[Michael Lester]

I apologize if this question seems to be hijacking this discussion.

Bill Ferguson mentioned the cables being used as part of the tone 'chain'. I've wondered about that myself. I admit that most of my cables are marked with the Fender logo or Guitar Center logo.

What should one be using?

It seems to me that replacing cables would be a pretty good part of the process of elimination and less costly and easier than replacing a pickup.

[Bill Ferguson]

There are many good cables on the market today. I personally prefer George L's cables as I believe they offer the cleanest sound.

Some may disagree for various reasons, but I stick with George L's. This is why I became a George L's dealer some 35 years ago and have never regretting it.

Let me know if I can be of service. If you buy them from me and don't like them, I will replace or refund.

Thanks,
Bill

[Marco Schouten]

I know it's not the prevailing opinion, but I replaced my Hilton VP because I didn't like what it did to my tone.

Let's back up a step. When I was playing my Mullen with the factory standard single coil, the Hilton sounded great...or I should say the Hilton didn't sound like anything, which is what I want from a VP. Then I changed my PU from the Mullen single coil to a Bill Lawrence BL712 humbucker and the Hilton no longer sounded transparent. I even did some A/B recordings through the Hilton vs bypassing and I could hear a marked difference in the tone. I'm much happier with my sound running through a passive Ernie Ball

The BL710 and 712 were designed for use with a pot pedal. It might be the reason that you don't like the combination.

[Bob Hoffnar]

In my experience changing pickups does not usually solve big tonal issues with the Pedalsteel. In a fundamental way you might only be wasting precious practice time.

Find a guy who has a tone you like and have him play your steel as it is. I would be very surprised if you still don’t like the tone.

With that, if time and money are not significant issues go ahead and swap out pickups and let us know what you come up with.

[Bill Ferguson]

"In my experience changing pickups does not usually solve big tonal issues with the Pedalsteel. In a fundamental way you might only be wasting precious practice time.

Find a guy who has a tone you like and have him play your steel as it is. I would be very surprised if you still don’t like the tone."

Agreed 100%. Been there, done that, not only with pickups but every effect that a "pro" player endorsed.
Back to me, steel, volume pedal, amp. If I can't get it there, then I don't need it.

[Dennis Montgomery]

I know it's not the prevailing opinion, but I replaced my Hilton VP because I didn't like what it did to my tone.

Let's back up a step. When I was playing my Mullen with the factory standard single coil, the Hilton sounded great...or I should say the Hilton didn't sound like anything, which is what I want from a VP. Then I changed my PU from the Mullen single coil to a Bill Lawrence BL712 humbucker and the Hilton no longer sounded transparent. I even did some A/B recordings through the Hilton vs bypassing and I could hear a marked difference in the tone. I'm much happier with my sound running through a passive Ernie Ball

The BL710 and 712 were designed for use with a pot pedal. It might be the reason that you don't like the combination.

Yes, when I was researching the BL712 someone on our forum mentioned that...turns out to my ear it was true, though other people might have a different opinion. All's well that ends well, the Ernie Ball is working great for me and I found a new home for the Hilton