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Topic: Looking for a Good MSA Pickup |
Tim Tweedale
From:
Vancouver, B.C., Canada
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Posted 5 Sep 2004 11:24 pm |
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I took my 74 MSA Classic SD-10 for a visit with player & technician Bruce Hamilton today. I mentioned that I was dissatisfied with the thinness of tone on the high strings, and apparently the pickup has been unwound a little bit, so it's about 11,000 ohms rather than 17,000 (about what it should be, apparently). I also wanted to get rid of some single coil hum, so I asked Bruce to replace the current pickup with George L EM-66. Unfortunately, Bruce called later on today saying that the EM-66 is too big to fit, so he was unable to make the switch. Are there any other good pickups that'll fit an MSA?
-Tim |
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Kevin Mincke
From:
Farmington, MN (Twin Cities-South Metro) USA
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Posted 6 Sep 2004 12:47 am
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Send it to Jerry Wallace at True Tone Pickups to have it rewound. www.jerrywallacemusic.com
You won't be disappointed! |
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Vernon Hester
From:
Cayce,SC USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 6 Sep 2004 8:15 am
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Tim,
I have BL 710's in my MSA (wide mount) They are great,
Vern |
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David Higginbotham
From:
Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA
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Posted 6 Sep 2004 9:05 am
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Tim, in order to put a humbucker in the MSA, you will need to have the pocket routed out to accomodate the size. I did this with my '74 MSA and installed BL 705's.
The s/c pickups that were used back then were wound to 11k dc ohms and do sound thin compared to todays standard windings. The pickup is likely not faulty. If it was coming unwound, you would be getting a great deal of "body noise" when the guitar is bumped and when the pedals are pushed. If you were to get the pocket sized, great care must be taken. Other than that, I would also suggest Jerry Wallace to rewind the s/c pickup or have him make you a duplicate and have it wound to 18.5k dc ohms for best overall sound. However, this option will still leave you with some degree of hum using a s/c.
Dave
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'74 MSA D-10 8&4, Tubefex, Carvin DCM 600, 2-BW 1203's
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 6 Sep 2004 9:45 am
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If your pickups now measure 11k, that's very low for an MSA. Their stock pickups were wound around 17.5k, and they seem to sound best with around that value.
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Tim Tweedale
From:
Vancouver, B.C., Canada
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Posted 6 Sep 2004 10:37 pm
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Thank you for the feedback, folks. I think my best bet is to get the pickup re-wound. There is a very good guitar tech in town who I usually go to for my regular guitar needs, and I'm quite confident in his ability to re-wind the pickup. However, is there anything specific to this pickup that he should know about when I take it in? Thanks!
-Tim |
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Kevin Mincke
From:
Farmington, MN (Twin Cities-South Metro) USA
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Posted 7 Sep 2004 12:57 am
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| I would send it to Jerry Wallace...he's a steel picker & the rewinding is an "art" of itself! www.jerrywallacemusic.com [This message was edited by Kevin Mincke on 07 September 2004 at 02:01 AM.] |
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Morton Kellas
From:
Chazy, NY, USA 1
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Posted 7 Sep 2004 6:13 am
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| I agree with Kevin. |
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Tim Tweedale
From:
Vancouver, B.C., Canada
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Posted 7 Sep 2004 12:57 pm
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Yeah... the other option would be, if anyone else has taken out a pickup from an MSA, and they'd like to sell it, I'd be interested in buying. I'll put a post in the Buy & Sell too.
-Tim |
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