wcr filmore to mule change over

[bandmaster188]

last week a new set of zebra mules plopped through the letter box.  :D
i decided a while back after having great results with my abraxas set in an lp standard (luuvvv that neck pickup) that i was gonna have a bit of a change up in my lp custom.
 i've had a wcr filmore set in this guitar for a few years now which i mainly use for slide in open e. the bridge pickup has always sounded great in this guitar, but i've always felt that the neck and middle position have always been a bit on the dark side. not muddy or lacking clarity, just dark.
so in went the mules and straight away the neck and middle position have opened right up, much sweeter and definately brighter. the bridge however, although it sounds great, is to a degree missing the bass definition of the filmore bridge. the filmore has a real firm and solid sounding bass to it which is great for the riff work i use this guitar for, mainly allman brothers and zz top  stuff.
so its looking like i might be trying out a wcr/bkp combo.
i'm gonna leave the mule set in for a few weeks just to get used to things, but i'm really interested to see how the filmore bridge & mule neck combo work out.
will let you know as the experiment unfolds!  (if anyone is interested that is)

[Slartibartfarst42]

How would you say the Mule pickups compare to the Abraxas pups?

[FELINEGUITARS]

I see the Filmore bridge is supposed to have 13.5k DC resistance
Whilst that will mean that it's 43 gauge wire it will be hotter than a mule (and probably has an alnico 5 magnet too)

An Emerald would be a closer match to it IMO.

[bandmaster188]

How would you say the Mule pickups compare to the Abraxas pups?

will get back to you on this. i want to do a bit of a back to back comparison. the guitars are quite different in tone as the 2008 standard is chambered and the 89 custom is not. so it may be a bit challenging trying to compare them.
one thing i forgot to add in the original post is that even though the mules and filmores are quite different in spec, you can still hear that its the same guitar. both sets seem to let the natural tone of the guitar shine through.

[bandmaster188]

I see the Filmore bridge is supposed to have 13.5k DC resistance
Whilst that will mean that it's 43 gauge wire it will be hotter than a mule (and probably has an alnico 5 magnet too)

An Emerald would be a closer match to it IMO.

it is indeed alnico v.
i'm not looking for a bkp equivalant to the filmores, i just fancied a change. mules were the logical choice for me as i like the sweetness of alnico IV but the solid tone of the filmore is looking like the winner for this guitar. it would be interesting to see how the abraxas sounds in it too.
damn. too many options!

[PhilKing]

My very first BK set (back in 2004), was an Emerald/Mule combination.  I had spoken with Tim and told him my favourite LP sounds were from Paul Kossoff, Peter Green and Gary More on Still in Love With You.  He recommended the Emerald/Mule combination for a couple of reasons, but one was because he felt that the AV/AIV middle setting gave a bit of an edge to the sound that would cover some Peter Green stuff.  I found it a great match and stilll have it in a Les Paul.  The Emerald is a very overlooked pickup but has a very sweet top end and brings out the harmonics in the guitars tone beautifully. 

[Slartibartfarst42]

I agree, the Emerald is unfortunately overlooked. My love of the Emerald neck is well known but even though I didn't keep the Emerald bridge, its quality shone through. It was just too bright in my guitar but put it in a good Les Paul and I imagine it would be hard to beat for the kind of tones you mention.

[bandmaster188]

How would you say the Mule pickups compare to the Abraxas pups?

Here we go then a bit of a back to back comparison between an Abraxas and mule set.
Abraxas set are in a 2008 Lp standard, chambered body and pickups have covers.
Mules are in an 89 Lp custom and pickups are uncovered.
This is how things sound to my un-trained, tinnitus ridden ear holes.

Starting with the neck position, as per spec both pickups sound very similar. The mule sounds a touch brighter but that is probably due to it being uncovered. There seems to be more attack in the bass with the mule and overall more clarity. Again this could all be cover related.

Middle position. Both in very similar territory again but the weight and extra power of the Abraxas bridge give the middle setting a fuller sound where as the mule is more open and airy. Both sound great for a touch of setzer style rockabilly!

Bridge position. This is where things get quite different. The Abraxas is a lot thicker and richer sounding compared to the mule. Dare I say it, but the Abraxas almost sounds a bit on the  muddy side when put in direct comparison with the mule. I've been using the Abraxas set for over a year now so I know it doesn't lack clarity, but when it's put up against its lower powered cousin, I think the mule shines through as being more harmonically rich and way more open sounding. Goes without saying that the Abraxas has more gain and gets more saturated than the mule.

I think there will be a Fair bit of pickup shuffling going on over the next few months and i can definitely see the mule bridge replacing the Abraxas for a while.
Hope my limited vocabulary was descriptive enough and made some kind of sense!

[darrenw5094]

I have both sets in Lp Standards and the difference is the mids i think. Less mids, making it scooped in the Mule and more mids in the Abraxas which is the dominant frequency in them.

[darkbluemurder]

I had a Filmore set once. Instant Duane Allman tone on the bridge pickup - very thick in the mids, especially in the center mids but not much bass. If you are just after the Duane tone I have not played anything that gets you closer. I agree on the neck pickup - not bad but not great either.

Cheers Stephan