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Mark Perrodin

 

From:
Tucson Arizona, USA
Post  Posted 25 Sep 2021 8:05 pm    
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i have a question about sneaky pete’s guitar. he ran with two pickups and my question is what has to be done to add a second pickup? i have an extra and can rout the body without issue. can the pickup be used as is or does it need to be modified? i seem to remember reading about the polarity having to be the opposite. anyone have info or a wiring diagram. thanks.
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K Maul


From:
Hadley, NY/Hobe Sound, FL
Post  Posted 26 Sep 2021 5:02 am    
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Yes you rout out the extra space for the pickup. I believe Pete had some kind of blend control for his final two pickup configuration(he did have 3 for a while in the 70s-80s) and a switch for “out of phase”.
Lots more info can be obtained on FB where there is a more concentrated population of Fender geeks.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1648769605337317/?ref=share
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Donny Hinson

 

From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
Post  Posted 26 Sep 2021 6:25 am    
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No, the pickup needs no modifications. The hardest part is the routing, mounting, and adding the switches/controls you want. The wiring will depend on what you're looking for as far as versatility (tonal variations). Additional tone controls may be added for the 2nd pickup, and a phase switch simply requires an additional DPDT switch. (The amount of phase difference will also vary with the distance between the pickups.)
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Mark Perrodin

 

From:
Tucson Arizona, USA
Post  Posted 26 Sep 2021 9:34 am     pete
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i’m thinking i just want a 3-way toggle switch so in essence it’ll be the same as a telecaster; bridge-both-neck.
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K Maul


From:
Hadley, NY/Hobe Sound, FL
Post  Posted 26 Sep 2021 10:27 am    
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A blend control is about as easy to install and you can get a lot more sound variety from it if you really want to go for the Sneaky Sound. Of course, that’s not the only thing needed to get there.
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Ron Pruter

 

From:
Arizona, USA
Post  Posted 26 Sep 2021 8:00 pm    
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If you have two single coils, the top of the PU's should draw each other (magnetically.) This will give you a nice, quiet, humbucked sound. You can go for a series / parallel wiring. Series being more powerful. It would act as a nice little boost. If it sounds weak and nasal, (out of phase) just reverse the so wires on one of the PU's.
I recommend Stuart McDonald for single coil routing templates and bits. Good luck. Have fun. RP
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Jim Sliff


From:
Lawndale California, USA
Post  Posted 27 Sep 2021 8:13 pm    
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FWIW they were not stock pickups. The final configuration had two stock looking pickups rewound by Seymour Duncan. they had more output while maintaining the sweetness.

Installing a second pickup is just like having 2 pickups on any guitar. And if they are out of phase you'll know it - the sound will be thin and tinny.

But before the Duncans there were times he used the newer Jaguar type pickups combined with custom winds - up to 4 pickups, plus a Roland guitar synth.

But he also ran them through several effects built into the guitar- very often using a subtle low octave and/or envelope filter, a Phase 90 and several different Chorus units over the years (plus more obvious ones like fuzz.) - and the didn't ue reverb. He used a tape Echoplex for years, later switching to Roland Space Echo units.

As mentioned above, though, a big part of his sound was the way he used a blend control - not a pickups switch.
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1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional
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Mark Perrodin

 

From:
Tucson Arizona, USA
Post  Posted 28 Sep 2021 8:23 pm     400
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i’ll give the blend control some thought. i have a few fenders and this is the one i play the most. it has a modified sneaky pete tuning and i just love it. it’s had knee levers and now it doesn’t. it had a half-stop for awhile too. easily the most fun guitar i’ve had. played thru either a 1962 fender pro or a morgan rca35. the best steel i’ve ever had.
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