Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: gripweed on May 06, 2005, 06:13:45 PM
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I've been really curious about Alnico III strat pickups. I've known some players who have had the Lindy Fralin real '54's with Alnico III and said that they were weak and very bright. Do the Apaches have a weak and bright sound?
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Apache...hmm...could have something to do with the Shadows, you know..Hank Marvin.
And no.... I'm not 50+ :wink:
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Hi , there are some interesting reviews on Harmony Central , they may be of some help :)
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Don't be fooled by the name, they're not a one trick pony. They do nail the Shad's early sounds with the volume backed off a bit, first gig I did with them I had people complimenting me on my Shads sound on the couple of Shads numbers we do, including our bass guitarist, and you know how ignorant of tone bass guitarists are (if it goes thud it's OK.......)!! :D I also took my EMG 60/89 equipped custom to this gig, but only played it for a couple of numbers, it just didn't sound right. That one now sports a pair of Mules!
They're everything a 54 Strat would be and then some, helped by the hotter bridge pickup, they most certainly do NOT have a weak and very bright tone. They have that clear bell like tone clean, but are also capable of driving the amp and providing enough dirt to keep me happy, and the inbetween settings are magic. The bridge pickup is one of the most useable Strat bridge pickups I've ever come across, doesn't have that fingernails across the blackboard teeth on edge sharpness.
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Apache...hmm...could have something to do with the Shadows, you know..Hank Marvin.
And no.... I'm not 50+ :wink:
Well, I'll be 41 in July ;). But I'm from the U.S. I know who Hank Marvin is, although I can't say that I've ever heard the Shadows music. I don't think they get much airplay on this side of the pond.
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The Shadows don't get much airplay overhere either. Our lead guitarists dad is a big fan though. So we sometimes have a little fun with it. Hank Marvin is a good player but it's not my style of music. I'd describe it as tame surf. Kinda like Dick Dale without the tempo but loads of Fender reverb and echo.
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The closest in the US to the Shadows was the Ventures. But don't get too hung up on the name, think any early Strat players from Buddy Holly on and you have the clean sound capability, only better.
To understand Hank Marvin and the Shadows (or any defining players, Clapton, Hendrix, etc), you really had to be around at the time, late 50's early 60's. Compared to what was available before, the Shadows stuff was new and exciting and Hank is named as a seminal influence by virtually every guitarist who was around at the time, and who was enthused to take up guitar by him (that includes me!). Yes things moved on, and by the mid 60's, they were old hat. I recently saw Hank play at the Strat Concert at Wembley and he's still a very good guitarist indeed. Unfortunately (or fortunately!) nowadays any 13 year old has access to equipment of a quality we only dreamed of, can have lessons, and in no time can play any Hendrix riff you might wish. We had to learn them from the record, with no clue what the man was doing!! That is when you really appreciate people's inventive play. When I was a boy 'widdle' was something you did at the urinal :o
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Those were the days. Learning to play from your record player and tape deck. The CD made it a little easier, it's better in tune and it's easier to forward and reverse. Internet ruined it. It made me lazy.
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I just put an Apache into my 1983 Squier JV '62 strat (in Hank Marvin pink (i.e. fiesta red)
WOW F'ING WOW
I have Mother's Milks in the other two holes - I never normally play bridge so the Apache is there to add a different colour. It replaces a Duncan classic stack that was getting boring and was imbalanced with the other two pups.
(By the way the mother's milks are awesome too - bassy and woody - real 10 out of 10.)
The Apache pickup is just awesome - I pulled off a blues solo and the guitar played itself.
I plugged it into my Tremolo , delay and reverb pedals and played (you guessed it) Apache - the Hank sound was easy to get in seconds.
Best of all - in bridge/middle position (i.e. Apache/MM) I have some of the most convincing surf guitar in the world.
AWESOME DUDES - FIT THEM TO YOUR STRAT TODAY
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I have mothers milk in my other two holes?
If you were a girl, that would be disgusting. :stupid:
Sorry man, I'm picturing it.
Our solo guitarist's dad should have Apaches in one of his Strat. Too bad he's the kind of freak that wouldn't even change a screw on his guitars. Sometimes I'm surprised he even changes strings and that he takes the tags off. PDT_022
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Well the internet is a great learning tool, but I've started trying to learn more stuff by ear, it's a lot harder at first but I'm starting to pick it up slowly. If you practice for obsessive ammounts of time it gets so you can know what's being done without having to see a load of lines with numbers on! I think relying soley on tab held me back for a while, I wasn't using my ears.
As for leaving guitars completely stock, unless it's rare/old I think it's a shame. And even then most times it can be returned to stock provided you didn't have to do any woodwork. Hot rodding them makes the instrument more unique and individual.
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I have mothers milk in my other two holes?
If you were a girl, that would be disgusting. :stupid:
Sorry man, I'm picturing it.
Our solo guitarist's dad should have Apaches in one of his Strat. Too bad he's the kind of freak that wouldn't even change a screw on his guitars. Sometimes I'm surprised he even changes strings and that he takes the tags off. PDT_022
I'm thinking of an Apache for the neck position. I think I would prefer a slightly brighter pickup in that spot anyway.
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Just fitted a set of Apaches to a Fender Jap 62 reissue strat and it sounds great . Kind of a distillation of everything that you think a strat should sound like- well a 60s one anyway.
Goes from twang with lots of reverb/echo to Hendrix vry nicely and all points in between. Very nice indeed.
In the past I positively loathed strats (funny to say that as a guitar repairer) - mainly because of very scratchy sounding pickups and harsh upper-midrange spikes making the amp splutter and squeek, but these handwound pickups may convince me otherwise
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I love the strats for their sound but I'll be thinking twice before ever buying one. Ergonomical reasons: the top volume knob, or is that a tone knob? gets in my way, meaning bloody knuckles. And then there's that Fulcrum style vibrato: detunes when palm muting too hard, low sting tension. I sometimes pick up a strat, my ears say yes but every inch of my body screams no. Weird isn't it, for a guitar that was built with ergonomics in mind.
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''Well the internet is a great learning tool, but I've started trying to learn more stuff by ear, it's a lot harder at first but I'm starting to pick it up slowly. If you practice for obsessive ammounts of time it gets so you can know what's being done without having to see a load of lines with numbers on! I think relying soley on tab held me back for a while, I wasn't using my ears.''
Have you heard of the tascam guitar trainer (CD-GT1mkII). I bought one at the LGS last weekend, it's great!
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Funny that Ratrod because I cant play anything else - I have a Fender Esprit, a tele and used to have a Tokai Love Rock but I always come back to my strat because (for me) it is so comfortable to play and because you can control the tone so well with pedals (currently my amp is at the repairman and I am playing through a Bad Monkey into computer speakers - with the volume turned to 2 on the Strat - a damn nice it is too!)
Horses for courses I guess.
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I love the strats for their sound but I'll be thinking twice before ever buying one. Ergonomical reasons: the top volume knob, or is that a tone knob? gets in my way, meaning bloody knuckles. And then there's that Fulcrum style vibrato: detunes when palm muting too hard, low sting tension. I sometimes pick up a strat, my ears say yes but every inch of my body screams no. Weird isn't it, for a guitar that was built with ergonomics in mind.
I agree with you on the placement of the knobs. I'm constantly knocking the volume knob out of place and then wondering why I can't hear myself :D. Im currently modding a Strat and I think I'll be getting rid of that top volume knob altogether.
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Funny that Ratrod because I cant play anything else - I have a Fender Esprit,
Horses for courses I guess.
Elliot I know that this is a bit off topic, but what do you think of the esprit, as I have been considering buying one as I only have a Peavey Wolfgang QT here in London and I have decided that would prefer something with a gibson scale (small hands you see).
Plus a woflie isn't really my style, and I am missing my Strat back in Belfast.
Regards,
Kilby...
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I have a 1983 Fender Esprit Standard not the newer Squier Master Series Esprit - the headstock is different, as are the pups - I think the Squier has Duncan Design, which are probably better than the Schaller ones Fenders have (but you would put bkp's in them anyway).
They are good guitars, like a chambered Les Paul - they are chambered mahogany with a maple top and have excellent sustain and the fingerboard is very nice. Not really a thrashers guitar - but really good for jazzy stuff, rock and blues = Robben Ford is the most famous player of Esprits.
I would check one of the new Squiers out as they seem a bargain at the price.
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I SO WANTED TO ANSWER THIS BY GOING :
[CHILD'S RED INDIAN SOUND EFFECT] WHOO WHOO WHOO WHOO WHOO WHOO WHOO WHOO[/CHILD'S RED INDIAN SOUND EFFECT]
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I SO WANTED TO ANSWER THIS BY GOING :
[CHILD'S RED INDIAN SOUND EFFECT] WHOO WHOO WHOO WHOO WHOO WHOO WHOO WHOO[/CHILD'S RED INDIAN SOUND EFFECT]
How would the Sultans sound then?