Pickup question

Jim Hoke · From: Tennessee, USA

I'm loving the tone I get on my Williams with the Lawrence 705 blade-type pickup - colorful and warm. However in loud situations, a band will cover up most of that, leaving (especially in the higher register) a thin sound. How can I get a fuller, more present single-string sound above the 12th fret; more like a guitar? I've tried bringing back the mids that I've rolled off, to varying degrees of improvement but that costs some of the warmth. What about single-coil pickups?

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

I don't think the pickup will change much. In my experience that particular problem has more to do with right hand placement and how you pick the string along with volume pedal technique.

Some guitars sorta sing better in different registers too.
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Ian Rae · From: Redditch, England

Also, single-coil pickups are very sensitive to stray EMFs, of which there are many in a typical venue.

Bob is right - as you go higher you can end up picking in the middle of the string if you don't compensate by moving nearer the bridge, which can feel very tight and awkward at first.
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John Poston · From: Albuquerque, NM, USA

It might be the case that your tone is still fine but you can't tell with all the loud stage volume. Maybe try to get some gig recordings with decent mic to see.

What amp are you using?

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

Jim,
I've been thinking about your issue. Have you done all the normal stuff already ? Like experimenting with string gauges and all that. I used to make those adjustable pole piece Tonaligner pickups and that did help a bit but wouldn't really make any big changes to the steel sound. I do a lot of high single string stuff with very loud bands and don't have problems any more.
I use 12 inch speakers and do not scoop out any mids. I roll off the lows and keep my highs balanced with the mids. That scoop in the mids that is sorta normal for steel players is exactly where those single strings sing. If you use regular settings on a Nash 400 or a twin you might get a shrill spike on the high strings or disappear.

I would experiment with different amps and maybe try playing louder. That pickup you have already is pretty even sounding.
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Scott Swartz · From: St. Louis, MO

Jim,

I have a couple ideas that do not involve a pickup change you could try that dovetail with what Bob is saying, if you want to give me a call I could explain them.
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memphislim · From: Austin, Texas

The first thing I'd do is yank out the 705. I've had several in different guitars but just could not stand them once I got them on stage- compared to other pickups. I know a lot you guys love them but I just can't get what I need out of them. I like the BL710's much better. The Telonics X-10 is the cream of the crop though imho. Even the Telonics 210 is much better than the 705 if you like the "blade" style.

Dennis A Brown · From: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Guitar players sometimes resort to a clean boost or treble boost pedal to click on for taking solos. This should work equally well for steel. That way, you can keep the sound of the 705 but just boost when you need it.
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Jim Hoke · From: Tennessee, USA

Hey Bob - I did bring back the mids that I scooped out, and it does give the sound more meat for single-string higher stuff. I find I can still sound pretty by picking the strings further from the bridge. Haven't tried it in a loud situation yet.... I appreciate y'all's thoughts. My amp is a Telonics with the 12". Been loving it - especially carrying it to the car!

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

I've found most modern pedal steel pickups are wound to a very high DC resistance - in the 15-20k ohms range. This measurement alone doesn't always indicate the type of tone you're describing, but is the only one you can measure without specialized gear and experience as an electronics/audio engineer.

But - you can try pickups with a lower DC resistance, which generally provide more mids, a more even frequency response with good dynamics and "punch". I've found pickups in the 10-13k to have these qualities.

There is a mistake assumption that higher DC resistance=more volume. That's not true, and started in the 6-string world when "overwinding" was an amateur way of usually getting more distortion, which was mistakenly thought of as more volume. It just drove tube preamps into breakup earlier because of the specific wire and magnet types used.

It's something worth looking into IMO.
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