apache help

[Robstrat]

Hi I bought a set of apaches and have recently installed them in my strat, but they don't sound great!! I'm gutted! they sound really boomy and bassy with none of the crystal glassy highs that I was expecting. I have looked at some demos on you tube and the ones on this website and mine don't really sound the same...... just overpowering bass!!

Does any one have ideas why this could be? anything to do with installation maybe?

any help would be greatly appreciated!!

[38thBeatle]

Have you checked the pickup height? What about the capacitor? Do you know the value of it? In theory you should be telling us how great the pickups are ( as they are superb) so there is obviously something not right ( and I am assuming that you haven't got a different world view of Start pickups  :) )

[Telerocker]

Have you checked the pickup height? What about the capacitor? Do you know the value of it? In theory you should be telling us how great the pickups are ( as they are superb) so there is obviously something not right ( and I am assuming that you haven't got a different world view of Start pickups  :) )

That is my thought too. The heigth is important with scatterwound pickups. The capacitor makes a lot of difference. And of course the ampsettings.

[Robstrat]

thanks for the reply

I'm afraid I don't know the value of the capacitor! I have an american standard strat and just replaced the stock pickups with apaches.

I would love to be on here saying how great they are ..... but they aren't sounding so at the moment  :( I have played around with different heights but they still just don't right!!

[Robstrat]

as far as amp settings go I have to have bass on 0 and treble on 10 to reduce the amount of bass to normal(ish) levels!!
could it be a bad solder joint? I'm not sure i did a particularly good job on it!!

[38thBeatle]

Well it is possible that it could be a poor solder joint -and if you think that it wasn't too well done, maybe try again as a first course of action.

[Andrew W]

The other thing to try is to solder one of the pickups directly to the output jack. If that sounds good then I think something's gone awry in the rest of the circuit.

[darrenw5094]

I am wondering if the OP can exchange them for a different set of BKP free of charge?

[metale]

Almost sounds like the tone pots are stuck on zero. Is there any wiring problem that could be inducing that on OP's guitar?

[BigB]

I am wondering if the OP can exchange them for a different set of BKP free of charge?

Theoretically, yes - depending of course on where and when he bought them. But given the symptom I don't think this would change much, as there's obviously a problem with either the electronics or (shite happens) the pups themselves.

@OP: just what AndrewW said - solder one of the pups directly to the output jack and you'll know whether the problem comes from the pups or else. I understand Apaches may have a fatter / more rounded tone than 60s style pups but what you describe is definitly NOT how they should sound.

Oh and yes : sorry for stating the obvious, but if you didn't yet, make sure the problem is not between the guitar and amp (faulty cable / pedal / whatever) nor with the amp itself. May sounds ridiculous but it did happen to me once :-/

[djl]

My bet would be a wiring problem. I had a strat a while back with the pickups wired wrongly (can't remember the exact details I'm afraid) but that caused exactly the same issue - sounded like the tone pot rolled all the way off. It was when I was a kid, and my uncle was able to spot the problem (poss pickup wires on wrong bits of pots?) I would check the wiring first.