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Topic: Emmons PP pickup change |
Craig Bailey
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Posted 20 Dec 2020 2:14 pm |
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I changed out the Emmons pickups in my push pull and put Wallace TT pickups in it because the original single coil pickups were getting microphonic. With the original Emmons single coil pickups, the guitar sounded amazing. I put the replacement TT pickups in with matching ohms but the guitar went from sounding amazing to sounding generic. I wanted to see if anyone has had a similar experience and get any thoughts you might have.
Thanks so much!
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Mullen G2, Mullen Discovery, GFI D10 Ultra,
'76 Rosewood Emmons PP, '79 Black Emmons PP
Telonics Amp, Stereo Steel, Fender Vibrasonic & many Telecasters (You can't have too many) |
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Duane Becker
From:
Elk,Wa 99009 USA
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Posted 20 Dec 2020 4:06 pm
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Craig, I had the same experience, except I went backwards to you. Its been a number of years now, but when I got my rosewood pp it had a Lawrence 710 on the e9 neck. It was shrill, very bright, I couldn't get rid of the ear piercing noise. Replaced it with an old stock emmons single coil, and presto! I got that emmons sound back.
I'm not saying that the emmons single coils are the answer, but to my ears it was.
Those 710, the Wallace, and all the rest are great, and I've used them before.
But to me that original single coil is great for the pp's.
Craig, can you repair the microphonic problem?
I fixed a microphonic pickup years ago, by dipping it in bee's wax up to the top of the pickup plate. It worked for me. If I remember correctly, old time forumite, Fred Layman gave me the procedure. |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 21 Dec 2020 9:13 am
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Let that be a lesson to all who consider swapping the original push/pull single coil pickup(s). The factory pickup on my bowlin' ball 'mica GS-10 is microphonic to the point you can sing through it, but it's still the best-sounding of my three Emmons push/pulls. If 60-cycle him is an issue, get one of these (or something similar):
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Marc Jenkins
From:
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 21 Dec 2020 9:20 am
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| Just get those pickups rewound! |
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George Kimery
From:
Limestone, TN, USA
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Posted 22 Dec 2020 8:53 am Emmons pp pickup change
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On my Emmons pp, I have an Emmons 18.5k single coil pickup on my E9 neck and like it just fine. The C6 neck pickup is screwed up. I removed it and can't even get an ohms reading, but it works, just doesn't sound right. I'm going to get Scott Schwartz to re-wind it. This creates a decision for me to make. How many ohms should I get it re-wound to? 17.5, and put it on my E9 neck or on the C6 neck and move the 18.5 to the C6 neck? Or, 18.5 and have 18.5's on both necks? Does anybody have any thoughts? I play Evan's amps, which are on the bright side, so maybe I had better stick with the 18.5 on the E9.
I also have the Electro Harmonix Hum De-Bugger. Wonderful product and does not change the tone. I carry one with me, but have only needed to use it twice. Makes any hum vanish and you don't even hear any circuit noise. Quiet as a mouse peeing on a cotton ball. |
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Bill Terry
From:
Bastrop, TX
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Posted 22 Dec 2020 9:42 am
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I have a '62 Strat that I've owned since the early 80's, and at one point a few years after I bought it, the middle pickup started going microphonic. Even though it still sounded great, any sort of volume on stage would cause it to squeal.
You don't normally just pitch an original '62 Strat PU in the trash, and put a replacement in, so I investigated the technique for potting it, which is basically just dipping the whole pickup in a melted wax. I figured I had nothing to lose.
It worked absolutely great, no more feedback, and the sound was totally unchanged. I don't see why a PSG pickup wouldn't be a candidate for the same 'fix'? Especially if you really like the sound you've already got?
There is a bit of a technique or procedure to potting, you have to be a bit careful, but it's not difficult. If you google it there are a lot of online instructions on how to safely wax pot a pickup. Here's one from Stew-Mac:
Stew-Mac
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Lost Pines Studio
"I'm nuts about bolts" |
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Henry Matthews
From:
Texarkana, Ark USA
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Posted 22 Dec 2020 3:01 pm
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Would someone tell me what a microphinic pickup is and why. I don’t guess I ever ran across it. I did just rebuild an Emmons guitar that C6th pickup worked and sounded fine but wouldn’t read on ohm meter. We had Scott rewind it to 17 and then really sounded great.
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Henry Matthews
D-10 Magnum, 8 &5, dark rose color
D-10 1974 Emmons cut tail, fat back,rosewood, 8&5
Nashville 112 amp, Fishman Loudbox Performer amp, Hilton pedal, Goodrich pedal,BJS bar, Kyser picks, Live steel Strings. No effects, doodads or stomp boxes. |
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Bill Terry
From:
Bastrop, TX
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Tiny Olson
From:
Mohawk River Valley, Upstate NY
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Posted 22 Dec 2020 5:43 pm
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The "machine" used at the Emmons Guitar factory in Burlington, NC had some mojo. It was surprising looking, almost an old sewing machine type of thing from what I recall. Nonetheless, there is no single-coil pickup that I've ever played that can beat the Emmons single-coil. I've read about a new company that is winding a single-coil that folks really like but, I've not used one.
I'm with Henry Matthews, I like Emmons SCs wound from 15k to 17k the best. My '69 Rosewood D-10 has the C6th Emmons SC wound around 15k and it sounds great. The E9th is around 17k. My LeGrande has 17ks on both necks and I'm happy with them.
The SCs Bruce Zumsteag used to wind himself for his guitars were the closest sounding to those made by the Emmons Guitar Co. to my ear. |
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Henry Matthews
From:
Texarkana, Ark USA
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Posted 23 Dec 2020 6:07 pm
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| Bill Terry wrote: |
Hi Henry, it's basically when a pickup becomes sensitive to mechanical 'input' and amplifies it.. e.g. you tap on it with something and hear it through the amp, or it amplifies 'pedal noise'. This seems to be a pretty good article. I skimmed it, but I'm going to re-read, it looks well written.
https://www.happynewguitarday.com/what-makes-your-guitar-pickups-go-
microphonic/ |
Thanks so much Bill for the article. I have ran across pickups that seemed much hotter and more sensitive than others so that was probably their problem.usually when they did that, they didn’t really sound all that great so were probably got replaced.
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Henry Matthews
D-10 Magnum, 8 &5, dark rose color
D-10 1974 Emmons cut tail, fat back,rosewood, 8&5
Nashville 112 amp, Fishman Loudbox Performer amp, Hilton pedal, Goodrich pedal,BJS bar, Kyser picks, Live steel Strings. No effects, doodads or stomp boxes. |
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Norbert Dengler
From:
germany
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Posted 25 Dec 2020 3:28 am
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| i think the more microphonic a pickup gets the better it sounds, i own a 69 telecaster that squeals sometimes and is highly microphonic but on the other hand sounds best of al my tellies |
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