The Steel Guitar Forum

I have a new GFI uni 12 with a George L E66 pickup. It is a nice pickup. But too bright for me. Can someome suggest another pickup? Thanks!!

Tonealigner. Covers all basses....AND trebles, not to mention middles.

Arch.

Of all the ones I've tried the 12-1 suits me best for my MSA and the XR-16 for my Carter.

The Tonealigner humbucker and Wallace TrueTone single coil wound to 17.5 are my go-to pickups for my S-12 uni. Another good one if you like a single coil tone but need a humbucker is the Bill Lawrence 712. It can be bright but you can tone it down at the amp. BL also has humbucker called a 912 that has a pair of trick sideways coils with one row of central polepeices and it's supposed to cop a singlecoil tone but somehow it falls just a little short to my ear and has no edge. Some guys swear by em tho. One thing I'd like to try is the BMI triple tap single coil ZB reissue. That's got to sound good.

I agree with Mike and Jim --> Tonealigner

Tony, the reason it sounds bright is because the pickup is on the wrong end

Seriously, you have gotten some good suggestions.

I would suggest you call Gene Fields at GFI and ask for his recommendations for a bolder tone. I'm sure he has been through this before and would have some answers for you.

Perhaps call Bill Lawrence as well for suggestions.

If your guitar is brand new to you, you might spend some time working the amp settings for a while first. You might get to like it better.

Good Luck, whatever you decide.

I like the George L's 12-1 for a deeper tone. It's also the best 12 string pickup for driving effect units, in my opinion.

+1 for the George L 12-1.

George L 12-1

Alumitone works well in my Mullen U-12.

I bought my used Carter U-12 with an XR-16.
The tone was nice: warm and fat.
Recently I purchased an Alumitone pickup. It still sounds full and round, but a lot clearer at the same time.
I love it!

WoW! Thank you all for the info! I have'nt decided yet.
I'd like to try 'em all! I worked with the new uni at home for about 2 months before taking it to the gig. And seriously did my best to dial it in. I guess it is on the wronge side eh? lol...
Seriously, I tried to get used to it.
Has anyone tried the 12-5? Is it a 12-1 w/a 5 way switch for splitting the coils? Thanks again to all of you for your response.

Tony,
maybe you´ve seen (and heard ) it already, but
here on Carter´s site you´ll find a pickup comparison list with sound examples.
Maybe this could give you some direction.....

pit

I put an Alumitone in my Excel U12 this week, and really like it so far. It has the bite of a single coil, but it's dead quiet. Very balanced between the treble and bass strings too. The stock Excel single coil sounded nice, but the hum was sometimes annoying. As others have said, the Alumitone pickup is very clear, and you can really hear the separate strings, even in the bass, instead of a muddy tone.

I have an E-66 in my non-pedal 8 string. Probably not a very good comparison since the guitars are so different, but the Alumitone has a bit more bite and a bit more dynamics than the George L. Better string separation too. I like them both, but they're very different sounding animals.


Dave

I like the Wallace "True Tone" for my U-12 Zum. It's wound to 19.5. Plenty of highs and warm round lows. My Zum came with a Lawrence 912, which, I felt was too dark for my liking.
BTW- I get no hum from the T.T. pickup.

Alumitone in my new (to me) Williams. I really like it, but it is the only humbucker that I have ever put in a U-12..... and is only the second U-12 that I have owned.

I just wanted to say "Thank You" to all for the response to my issue! I will try the 12-1. They're on back order!
Can't wait!!!

[quote="Tony Kotula"] hey tony this is larry nice lookin steel how you like it other than the pickup. i got 66S on my double 10 and i like them i use nashville 400.

I love the Alumitone on my Williams U12, it's...Articulate, but smooth. Then again I've never tried anything else on this guitar

When I bought my Sho-Bud s-12 it had a George L's 12-5 in it. I found the inherent tone of the pickup lacking in edge and/or texture, which is another way of saying it was a bit lacking in high end for that guitar. But I did like the tonal variations available by splitting and tapping the coils.

I also had a Fessy s-12 for a little while, and tried an E-66 in that. And yes it was bright.

From what you describe about your reaction to the E-66 the 12-5 might work well for you.