Author Topic: EMG that's closest to STR? (Read 151 times)

jimmythesaint · « **on:** November 10, 2009, 08:53:54 PM »

I used to get a very nice jazz sound from the neck STR pickup on my Tribute. I have another guitar that has bridge and middle humbuckers but lacks a true neck position pickup. No matter what I do with the bridge and middle, I can't get a decent jazz sound. I'm not overly picky: I've gotten passable jazz sounds from the neck position of a Tele and Strat, but no dice with this guitar. So I'd like to have it routed for a third pickup as far from the bridge as possible. With 26 frets, the farthest I can get from the bridge is 5.5 inches, which is still probably too far toward the end of the string to give the best jazz sound, but I'm hoping it will be passable. There's only room for a Strat-size pickup, and I thought one of EMG's Strat-sized ones would make a good first try. In my experience, the STR would be the best one to try. But due to economics, and the likelihood that due to the closeness to the bridge nothing will be truly satisfactory, I don't want to spend the money on an Alembic STR. Anyone recommend an EMG (or perhaps something else) that would come decently close to how the STR might perform in this application?

bsee · « **Reply #1 on:** November 10, 2009, 10:00:56 PM »

It sounds like you're asking about the best non-Alembic pickup to put in your non-Alembic guitar. If that's so, then you might want to ask it in the miscellaneous category.

On occasion, Alembic guts do appear on eBay or craigslist, so you might want to keep your eyes open if that's your preference. Additionally, you might try contacting Mica to see if there are any seconds floating around that you could get a deal on if cosmetics aren't as important as tone.

jimmythesaint · « **Reply #2 on:** November 11, 2009, 09:17:16 AM »

Thanks for the references. If anyone has hands-on experience with both the STR and some other pickup and can give their opinion about the comparison, I would still be interested in hearing your opinion. Here's a picture of the Tribute I'm talking about that has the neck position STR pickup I'm referring to.

David Houck · « **Reply #3 on:** November 11, 2009, 03:58:22 PM »

I don't know much about guitars, but my guess is that more information is needed. For instance, are you just wanting to add a pickup to existing electronics? If so, it's important to consider that the Alembic pickup is low impedance and requires an active circuit of similar impedance. Also, how will the additional pickup be wired in to the existing circuit?

crobbins · « **Reply #4 on:** November 11, 2009, 06:46:21 PM »

Perhaps one of these CC pickups will do the trick?

http://www.ccpickups.co.uk/index.html

jimmythesaint · « **Reply #5 on:** November 11, 2009, 08:32:32 PM »

Oh, hey that Charlie Christian pickup is news to me. That one's interesting. It's mounting looks like a no go for this guitar. In fact, after studying this particular guitar's geometry more closely (a steeply carved top), I'm thinking that a conventional pickup would need an undesirably complicated mounting/installation at the only position where it could be installed. It would be ugly, and maybe not even functional.

Right, the electronics situation has to be considered. It's kind of complicated and confusing to know ahead of time what you're really going to want to live with over the long term. My thinking now is to replace the current bridge with a custom carved piezo bridge on an experimental basis. I'd do a separate jack and circuit for the piezo and have everything outboard. That way I can test to see if I can really get the kind of sounds I'm looking for, and abort the operation if it's not working out without commiting to any mods to the actual guitar. I've never been a fan of the acoustic simulation you get from piezos--to my ears they always suck. BUT: I have a Parker Fly Bronze that is the exception, and its Fishman sounds great (it has no mag pickups). The only catch is that Parker says the Fishman they use is customized for their guitar. So I think that a Fishman or any other piezo on this other guitar will likely end up being useless to my ears. And it's a drag that this outboard configuration and custom carved bridge is more than I can do, so I'll have to pay someone to do it.

lbpesq · « **Reply #6 on:** November 12, 2009, 02:17:29 AM »

I have RMC strat-like piezo saddles on my Ferlembic. When I put it through a BBE Acoustimax pedal and into an acoustic amp, it really sounds remarkably like an acoustic, especially in a band situation.

Bill, tgo

cozmik_cowboy · « **Reply #7 on:** November 12, 2009, 07:52:27 AM »

The CC pickups look interesting; but did you notice their list of players? It's not people who play their repro, it's people who played the original. Questionable. And if you dig a little in the site, Jimmy, they do make a version w/out the 1930s mounting bars.

Peter

jimmythesaint · « **Reply #8 on:** November 12, 2009, 08:57:26 AM »

Interesting suggestions I'll bring to the guitar shop. I should have added: this guitar has an ABR-style bridge and due to its sculpting and lack of a flat surface the piezo would have to fit in the same space. Also, the slots for the strings would have to be able to be carved particularly deep (up to 3.5mm) in order to compensate for the inability on this guitar to lower the bridge any further. Slotting saddles to achieve the right action, and without damaging the piezo element, is another thing I'm unable to do. One shop already recommended to me an archtop-type wooden bridge where the piezo goes under the bridge. A wooden bridge would make carving the string slots easier, and probably make a jazzier sound possible, but might change the rest of the guitar's sonic character too much.