Irish Tours

[braintheory]

What's the irish tour bridge and neck model like?  I currently have only the middle version and to me it sounds compressed, bright, and doesn't have much warmth.  I have it in an American Standard Strat with an ash body (Siennaburst).

[gordiji]

great :D. they're not compressed at all (to my ear). the bridge can do great twang to raucous rock and is my fave bkp.the neck sounds a little harder (uncompressed) than a conventional strat pup. you can't go wrong with them,they do everything a strat set should do.i'm sure i'd love the other sets too.you can't describe  tone in
words though , so listen to the clips in players section .

[AndyR]

The bridge is what taught me to use a strat bridge pickup on its own - before trying ITs I could never use the strat bridge alone. Interestingly, now I've learnt it, I can do it any strat I've tried since. However, the bridge on the ITs is probably my favourite strat bridge so far.

The other two took some getting used to for me, and fiddling with pickup heights a fair bit. I got there first with the neck - and now I've got there, it is my favourite strat neck at the moment. It's clear and bell like for me.

The middle I did struggle with myself. I've always relied on the strat middle pickup as my "stock" position, and the IT didn't do it for me at first. I'm not sure what "compressed" really means but it could be you're describing how I felt at first. I couldn't get the slightly nasal twang I expect from the middle, it almost seemed "bland". However, after much adjusting it's doing exactly what I want now (but my favourite BKP middle is a toss-up between Apache and Sultan - they seem to give me exactly what I want no matter where I set them. Which is a good thing when you're trying to tune in positions 2 and 4 :lol:).

Overall, the IT set is closest to the sound I've been trying to get for nearly 30 years (Rory Gallagher's sound on his first two solo albums and, of course, Irish Tour 74). Mine are in an alder body with a rosewood board though.

The Apaches seem to be a warmer sounding set with a bit more of a punch to them if you're putting them through the same amp settings.

[gwEm]

i have an irish tour neck, and it does sound good. the guitar has a swamp ash body and rosewood board. i do wonder if it might be a little bright with a different wood combination, for example with a maple board. i would be interested to try a full set. that neck model is pure cut, works so well live.

[Telerocker]

I have the IT's in an strat (swampash body, ebony fretboard). The middle is great for certain types of music, but I do use the second position (HB splitted with the middle) a lot, als the fourth position (neck/middle). The neck is great: fat but clear. Work with the volumeknob (a tad down) and the volume of the amp to get different sounds. I think IT's are great for all types of music. Even the second position will sound very nice with quite a bit of gain (Eric Johnson-sounds). The middle-pickup I sometimes use for picking or ska-type music.

[jimbob]

What's the irish tour bridge and neck model like?  I currently have only the middle version and to me it sounds compressed, bright, and doesn't have much warmth.  I have it in an American Standard Strat with an ash body (Siennaburst).

I totally agree with your summary here, I have it in the neck on my alder body with maple neck and fingerboard....I spent ages fiddling with it, and found if I move it closer to the strings than I normally would then it can sound great clean but I still think the lead tones are very weak and thin...I agree when you say it lacks warmth, I have been debating swappoing to a slow hand as they are listed on the site as having more mids, I dont know for sure if it would work as I am no expert.

so overall my problem with the irish tours is....can be awesome clean...but still thin (which can be nice sometimes when on clean) but then lead tones not so great....so for me its an interesting pup but just not what I am looking for exactly....sounds like you may be looking for the same pup I am looking for! if only we could find it!

[gordiji]

jimbob , i respectfully suggest if you find it thin for leadwork it's to do with your amp set up.that or you are looking
              for something not to be found in normal strat pups.my IT neck sounds well fat clean, crunch or overdriven
              in a maple board usa with a engl screamer which is renowned to be toppy.also i have it well backed off
              from the strings.i'm no expert , but that's what i hear.

[Telerocker]

jimbob , i respectfully suggest if you find it thin for leadwork it's to do with your amp set up.that or you are looking
              for something not to be found in normal strat pups.my IT neck sounds well fat clean, crunch or overdriven
              in a maple board usa with a engl screamer which is renowned to be toppy.also i have it well backed off
              from the strings.i'm no expert , but that's what i hear.

I agree. I don't find them compressed, nor thin. But sometimes guitarpickups and amp don't match well. On my Rockerverb 50 head/2x12 cab the neckpickup can be very thick and creamy, the middlepos. isn't thin or weak. I have to admit I work with guitar's vol. and toneknob for different sounds. Maybe turn the toneknob a tad down.

[jimbob]

jimbob , i respectfully suggest if you find it thin for leadwork it's to do with your amp set up.that or you are looking
              for something not to be found in normal strat pups.my IT neck sounds well fat clean, crunch or overdriven
              in a maple board usa with a engl screamer which is renowned to be toppy.also i have it well backed off
              from the strings.i'm no expert , but that's what i hear.

I agree. I don't find them compressed, nor thin. But sometimes guitarpickups and amp don't match well. On my Rockerverb 50 head/2x12 cab the neckpickup can be very thick and creamy, the middlepos. isn't thin or weak. I have to admit I work with guitar's vol. and toneknob for different sounds. Maybe turn the toneknob a tad down.

i dont think its amp settings I have tried many differnt settings, in fact moving the pup closer to the strings i have found is best on my guitar with that pup, normally I would have them further away, my point is i agreed with the original poster that it did sound not very "middy" not very warm, and that got worse the further I moved the pup away, it was only as I moved it closer that I compensated. I guess I personally want something with more mids, I dunno, sounds like the original poster had the same view as me, I dunno

[Telerocker]

Ok, then the IT-middle is not the solution for you. Maybe a Slowhand does the job.

[AndyR]

Ok, then the IT-middle is not the solution for you. Maybe a Slowhand does the job.

That's the conclusion I'm coming to as well...

I've been comparing/fine-tuning my three BKP'd strats over the last few days:

MIM Roadworn 60s - alder body, maple/rosewood, ITs
MIM Roadworn 50s - alder body, maple, Apaches
CIJ 62 - alder body, maple/rosewood, Sultans

I've been running them through identical amp settings, etc.

The CIJ has had both the ITs and the Sultans. The 50s RW has had both the Sultans and the Apaches.

I love the ITs myself for what they do for me, but if they're not the tone someone wants, I think they can be described as described in this thread... (by the way, I only really understand what folks were driving at myself because I now have Apaches to compare with).

I'd suggest that, in this case, if the ITs aren't "warm" enough, then you can probably rule out Sultans as well. They seem to me to be sweeter sounding than the ITs, but in my RW 50s they still don't have the punch in the mids that Apaches do. The Apaches seem a bit magical in comparison - they have plenty top end, nice bottom, and then this warmth in the mids that doesn't cover up the rest of it. Almost a work of genius I'd say :lol:

I think you could definitely consider Apaches but I suspect/guess that Slowhands might be where it's at for you. :D

[Telerocker]

Ok, then the IT-middle is not the solution for you. Maybe a Slowhand does the job.

That's the conclusion I'm coming to as well...

I've been comparing/fine-tuning my three BKP'd strats over the last few days:

MIM Roadworn 60s - alder body, maple/rosewood, ITs
MIM Roadworn 50s - alder body, maple, Apaches
CIJ 62 - alder body, maple/rosewood, Sultans

I've been running them through identical amp settings, etc.

The CIJ has had both the ITs and the Sultans. The 50s RW has had both the Sultans and the Apaches.

I love the ITs myself for what they do for me, but if they're not the tone someone wants, I think they can be described as described in this thread... (by the way, I only really understand what folks were driving at myself because I now have Apaches to compare with).

I'd suggest that, in this case, if the ITs aren't "warm" enough, then you can probably rule out Sultans as well. They seem to me to be sweeter sounding than the ITs, but in my RW 50s they still don't have the punch in the mids that Apaches do. The Apaches seem a bit magical in comparison - they have plenty top end, nice bottom, and then this warmth in the mids that doesn't cover up the rest of it. Almost a work of genius I'd say :lol:

I think you could definitely consider Apaches but I suspect/guess that Slowhands might be where it's at for you. :D

Since you have nearly all the BKP-single coils, you will know better then me. I never heard the Slowhand. Only in clips. I just thought, looking at the specs, the Slowhand would be an solution, cause it has more mids and a less bright topend.

[AndyR]

:D

And I thought you had more experience of the Slowhand than me! :lol: (I'm in the same position on those)

OK, braintheory & jimbob, there are definitely "warmer" strat BKPs than ITs. That's all I can really say with any authority :D

In my experience, Sultans are not noticably warmer, but Apaches are. Apaches have still got the strat-bite we all expect, but they're, well, more "rounded" and punchy sounding. In some applications, therefore, they will actually sound more aggressive than ITs.

Slowhands I'm not too sure. But I can say that I'd never been interested in them until I got the Apaches a few weeks back - I now suspect I might like them as well.