The Horseshoe Sound.

Tim Tweedale · Post by **Tim Tweedale** » 1 Mar 2006 12:33 pm

Hi. I've been thinking about lap steel pickup tones, and I am confused about the tone that you get from a horseshoe-style pickup.

My introduction to slide guitar was through Ry Cooder who uses Oahu (I think) or Rickenbacher horseshoe pickups in his strats. To my ear the sound has a very sharp bite, a twang, a snarl. This experience was confirmed when I played a battleship grey Rickebacher several years ago and it had that same ferocious snarl.

Now when I see people talking about Horseshoe pickups, it seems to be more about a fullness of sound, roundness and so forth (did Jerry Byrd even use one?).

These descriptions of the sound of a horseshoe pickup seem to be in conflict. (Or do they? Is it perhaps the versatility of the horseshoe pickup to go from purr to roar that people love?)

Once again, I place my sacrifice of confusion upon the altar of the No Peddlers gods.

-Tim<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Tim Tweedale on 01 March 2006 at 12:33 PM.]</p></FONT>

Mike D · Post by **Mike D** » 1 Mar 2006 1:43 pm

Cooder has a Strat with a Supro P/U on it. They are a string-thru style, but not a 'Shoe'

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Half-assed bottleneck and lap slide player. Full-assed Builder of resonator instruments.

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 1 Mar 2006 1:58 pm

Do a search and you'll find tons of stuff on this topic in the archives. Check posts by Rick Aiello, JD Sauser, Carl Dixon, among others.

Andre Nizzari · Post by **Andre Nizzari** » 1 Mar 2006 2:07 pm

A tone pot or a tone control on a amp does a lot to change the sound of the PU depending on who and what it's used for.

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http://www.andreandthenighthounds.com/

Bill Blacklock · Post by **Bill Blacklock** » 1 Mar 2006 2:40 pm

I had the horseshoes on my Ricky T logo
re- magged by Rick Aiello and added one meg pots and a new cap.. The thing screams like a witch!!!A little to ferocious somethimes.

As much as I love my Ricky! I do prefer the tones of my National Dynamic with new 250K pots and a .050 cap. thanks to Steinars advice.

Between the two of them there the only steels I'll ever need. The rest will be for pure gluttony.

Bill Creller · Post by **Bill Creller** » 1 Mar 2006 4:08 pm

The tone of the "battle ship gray" Rick may have been somewhat because it's made of sheet metal. My friend in Hawaii said he had one and it sounded"tinny". I have not played or heard one, but Rick Aiello has one that he says sounds good.

Mike Fried · Post by **Mike Fried** » 2 Mar 2006 10:23 am

I have seen pictures of Cooder playing a Strat with a horseshoe pickup that looked like a later Rickenbacker. As for the "horseshoe sound", it can depend very much on how hard you're driving the front of the amp (the setting of the guitar's volume and tone pots), as well as the input gain of the amp itself. I can get anything from a very round and creamy sound to a piledriving scream from any of my Ricks - that's part of their magic.

Steinar Gregertsen · Post by **Steinar Gregertsen** » 2 Mar 2006 10:36 am

Cooder's main bottleneck guitar:

Steinar

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www.gregertsen.com

Michael Devito · Post by **Michael Devito** » 4 Mar 2006 8:16 am

I'm no expert on this stuff, but can say that my Supro stringthrough p/u (on a regular Supro guitar) sounds different than the Rick horseshoe p/u on my 40's Rick Academy. That Academy -- a lightweight bakelite model -- in turn sounds quite different (more resonant, punchier) from the other, heavier bakelite models I've played, even though the p/us are basically the same. It's not just p/u, it's also the body material and construction.

Todd Clinesmith · Post by **Todd Clinesmith** » 4 Mar 2006 9:23 am

Michael
I agree with what you say. When my wife and child are asleep I will play my Bakelite unplugged.......and I can hear that Ricky tone . Alot of that tone is due to the Bakelite body........of course the Bakelite/horseshoe combo makes one of the best guitars I have ever had my hands on.

Tim,
I guess the sound can verbally condradict itself. It is very full and round,light and heavy sounding. Very gracefull but so robust and present. Also the high end is super bright....but it is not a tiny bright...it is rich and full. I guess the only way to understand is to play one.
One strum on my guitar I can practically hear the waves breaking on the beach. It is truly a magical instrument.

Jim Landers · Post by **Jim Landers** » 4 Mar 2006 11:55 am

Bill Creller · Post by **Bill Creller** » 4 Mar 2006 7:11 pm

Ditto to what you said Todd. I guess my bakelite is still my favorite.