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Topic: Favorite Humbucker Options for 6 string Lap?? |
Jim Fogarty
From:
Phila, Pa, USA
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Posted 22 Feb 2021 5:56 pm |
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Looking for a humbucker for a 6 string lap steel build. Something that fits a standard humbucker route.......is balanced and clear across all strings......takes gain well.
25" scale......probably Open G
What do you suggest? What are you using? What do you like?
Thanks!
- Jim |
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Peter Jacobs
From:
Northern Virginia
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Posted 22 Feb 2021 7:34 pm
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My immediate instinct is a low wind PAF type. Clarity with warmth, everywhere from clean to gain. Our guitar player has some in his tele style axe and they sound amazing on everything from clean country to classic rock-level gain. Plus with a switch or a push pull pot, you can split the coils for single coil tones. I’m actually planning to put one in one of my steels soon.
_________________
Peter
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www.splinterville.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@splinterville6278/videos |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 22 Feb 2021 8:49 pm
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Concur with Peter on a low-wind PAF. I recently rescued a stripped '58 Gibson Ultratone and installed a StewMac #5403:
https://www.stewmac.com/electronics/pickups/shop-all-our-pickups/golden-age-humbuckers.html
It's arguably the best-sounding lap steel I have. Can't put the thing down. Seriously. Lotsa bang for the buck with the Golden Age pickup. I also have a rescued '57 Ultratone in which I installed a much more costly genuine Gibson '57 Classic pickup. They play the same and sound quite similar, but the '58 sounds better to me. (My checkbook thinks so, too.)
Good luck with your build. |
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Jim Pitman
From:
Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA
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Posted 23 Feb 2021 12:04 pm
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I've been partial to the soap bar dimarzio humbucker. I got quite a bit of tonal variety by including a series/parallel and an in/out phase switch. Nice aesthetics too. There are two versions, the virtual P90 and the DLX.Apparently the Virtual has a little more growl to it. The DLX is better for acoustically bright guitars.
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Peter Jacobs
From:
Northern Virginia
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Jim Pitman
From:
Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA
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Posted 24 Feb 2021 3:35 pm
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| Peter I had an original soapbar a long time ago. Unfortunately I never got the chance to swap it out for the Dimarzio humbucker soapbar in the same guitar to compare. So I'm not sure how it compares. I have a Dimarzio in my current lap steel I made but the guitar is in pieces at the moment. I gave away an "Electro" lap steel years ago that I had put the dimarzio and extra switches in when I built my own lap steel. So I have no way to demonstrate anything currently. I do have a record I played on years ago whereby I used the electro and changed the switch settings from song to song. Perhaps I'll put up a few songs on sound cloud to demonstrate when I get a moment and post a link. |
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Peter Jacobs
From:
Northern Virginia
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Posted 24 Feb 2021 3:49 pm
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| That would be great! Thanks for the details, Jim. |
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D Schubert
From:
Columbia, MO, USA
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Peter Jacobs
From:
Northern Virginia
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Posted 25 Feb 2021 1:15 pm
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I've read lots of good reviews on GFS, especially re: bang for buck. I have to have a noise-cancelling pickup, though -- too much buzz where we practice and play (when we did that sort of thing). Glad it’s working for you!
_________________
Peter
---------
www.splinterville.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@splinterville6278/videos |
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Greg Forsyth
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 25 Feb 2021 9:30 pm
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Has anyone tried Sentell's pickups?
https://www.sentellpickups.net/humbuckers.html
Several of Sentell's humbuckers have similiar attributes as those that are suggested, PAF low wind, soapbars, etc.
I like the fact that the pickups are hand built, some have wider string spacing and have been recommended elsewhere on the forum.
Also very well priced I feel and next 6 string lap steel I build I'm thinking of putting a GOATSUCKBUCKER in it! |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 26 Feb 2021 7:53 am
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| Greg Forsyth wrote: |
Has anyone tried Sentell's pickups?
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I have several rescues and rebuilds in which I have installed Jerry Sentell's custom pickups. Everything from Stringmaster-style, Tele & Strat-style, P-90s, and PAF-style for both 6-string and 7-string instruments, with various polepiece spacing. Jerry will build one however you want it. Without exception, every pickup Sentell has shipped me has been excellent and reasonably priced. Highly recommended. |
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Greg Forsyth
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 26 Feb 2021 10:39 am
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Jack,
Thanks for the recommendation of Sentell pickups. I've read nothing but good reviews for them. |
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Mike Christensen
From:
Cook Minnesota
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Posted 26 Feb 2021 8:35 pm
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| Have a Bartolini Humbucker in my Melobar that does everything I ask it to do. Wont be changing it. |
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