910,710 BL pick-ups

Nick Holden · Post by **Nick Holden** » 13 Feb 2009 9:43 pm

Hi all, Can anyone tell me the tone difference between the BL910 and BL710 pick-ups. I have a LeGrande II I would be putting them in, any info would be great. Thanks Nick....

Paddy Long · Post by **Paddy Long** » 13 Feb 2009 11:40 pm

The 910 is a little darker altogether than the 710 !!
I have both on one of my Zums ... 710 is on the C6th neck.

James Quackenbush · Post by **James Quackenbush** » 14 Feb 2009 10:52 am

If your LeGrande has a bright sound to it , put in the 910 ...If it's too dark sounding , put in the 710 ......

I don't care for the 910/912 pickups ...They sound like somebody covered the front of the amp with something ....Too dark sounding .....The 710/712 pickups are very bright , and border on brash if they are not set up right ....You need to set them up close to the strings and continue to tweek the height of the pickups till you get the sound you want .... The height is critical when using these pickups ...Jim

Paddy Long · Post by **Paddy Long** » 14 Feb 2009 1:03 pm

There is also the XR-16 - which looks just like a 710, but I think tonally sits somewhere between the 710 and the 910 !!

James Quackenbush · Post by **James Quackenbush** » 14 Feb 2009 1:19 pm

Paddy,
You are correct sir !!.....I'm loving my XR-16 in my Excel .....Not too brite , not dark at all , and plenty of punch when called on , and sweetness when played lightly.....Jim

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 14 Feb 2009 5:50 pm

Bill L. has said the 710 was intended for pot pedals and made on the bright side. The 910 was designed for active pedals, and has the highs tamed down a little. I guess the XR-16 is in between, but I haven't tried one.

Bill Miller · Post by **Bill Miller** » 14 Feb 2009 6:03 pm

I have both an LXR-16 and an L910. If I didn't play with a band I would leave the L910 installed because I love the sound of it more than any pickup I've tried. It just doesn't have enough bite to hold its own on a loud stage however. The LXR-16 is a great compromise for that. I haven't used an L710 in my Carter but I believe it would be too bright sounding for my taste.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 14 Feb 2009 10:40 pm

I've used all three, and they all sound good, to my tastes. But I think one needs to deal with what they sound like on a particular guitar into a particular volume pedal into a particular amp.

I agree with the other guys that the 9xx series is a little less bright with a bit more midrange and quite smooth. The 7xx is definitely a little brighter and has just a hair less midrange. The XR-16 I got from Bob Carlucci has plenty of bite but is still pretty smooth. It has a characteristic that reminds me of the tone of my Franklin guitar - a certain flatness in the tone that is hard to describe. I mean that in a good way. The 912 and 712 were compared on the same guitars, but the XR-16 is a 10-string so was on a different guitar - so the results aren't exactly comparable.

The 912 sounds incredible on my Zum U-12. Just amazing. A Truetone and 712 sounded just a bit too thin on that guitar, to me. I really like the XR-16 on my Legrande D-10. Of course, an old 705 sounds good on anything I've ever put it on. I have a pair of Tonealigners on my Fessenden D-10, and they sound great too - just a bit more meaty than these others, but still good bite.

I dunno - I just have to try them and see what happens. It also matters a lot which amp it's looking into. If you have something that's too thin and you want more meat, maybe the 9xx or Tonealigner is a good bet. Otherwise, maybe the 7xx or XR-16. But it's not an exact science.

One good thing - they're all humbucking and all sounded "good" to my ears on most anything I tried them on, as long as I made some amp adjustments. The 912 on the Zum was gravy, though.

My take, anyway.

Andy Schick · Post by **Andy Schick** » 15 Feb 2009 7:40 pm

How would the the XR-16 and an original BL 705 compare?