Hi all. Glad I found this place.
I have Rio Grande Half Breeds in the neck and middle spot of my ash Melancon.
I am finding the tone a little too immediate / maybe too many upper mids and bite. Problem is, I don't know how these pickups compare to the rest of the world.
I am looking for something with fewer mids. The old highs and loes and no fluff. Anyone know what Duncan or Dimarzio or Kinman model these compare to?
Leroy Lanes rocks my world
Hey angelo,
I currently have 5 custom-made strats, 3 with Rios and 2 with VZandts.
I used to have Halfbreeds and agree totally with you, very midrangey. The Tallboys are awesome for the SRV thing, they have much more meat than vintage-style pickups like Van Zandts.
I thought the halfbreeds would do a good 60s, SRV tone, but these are for the Tallboys.
If you want a cleaner, clearer, soft pickup, the VZ or Fralins are the way to go. The Tallboys are more versatile, a bit more powerful, very nice for all around tone. Vintage with bite is a good description.
The VZ I'm using are both True Vintage and Vintage Plus. Both are crystal clear, awesome, and the Plus is even more amazing. Has a bit of woody compression, wonderful.
Another monster pickup is the Rio Muy Grande. This is THE bridge pickup for any strat.
Hope this helps!
Felipe Nacif
now THERE is the info I was looking for. I figured it was the pickups(hoping) because I am able to get the bridge sound I want with the bucker.
I appreciate your input. Say this is a brighter than normal ash guitar, what would you suggest as a good starting point?
Leroy Lanes rocks my world
The VZ will sound very glassy even in a alder guitar. On ash, it'll go like Jimi, 69 tone.
The Tallboys are more mellow with huge lows. I thought the Halfbreed would have a good low response, but it's just mid, all the way, while the Tallboy has these lows I was looking. Might be your ticket, cause it's bright as being a strat pickup, but much mellower than a VZ or Fralin. I can't speak about the VZ Blues/Rock or Fralins Blues, which might be nice. But for a authentic BIG strat tone with warm highs and still a somewhat scooped mids, the Tallboys are really good.
Again, the Muy Grande is the option for bridge. I also have a Stelly, but that's a MF pickup, hot and a screamer, but will be way to bright for your tastes. Mine is on a alder-like guitar (a brazilian wood like alder, but lighter) with rosewood board and it's bright.
The Muy Grande, ITOH, has the meat, without being overly hot like a Hot Rails (yuck!)
Felipe Nacif
The Tall Boys really sound like what I am after (with the scoop AND big lows).
Leroy Lanes rocks my world
if you want more sparkle like myself and got the moolah, go with a set of Lindy's Vintage Hots. good all around tone that's similar to the tallboyz, but once you get that chimey top end, its no contest.
The Tallboys don't have that glassy top end the Fralins and VZ got, but I'd say a bit more lows, and the mellower highs will probably be better for you in a brighter-than-ash guitar.
Felipe Nacif
But I agree that if you want pure vintage, Fralins or VZ are the only way to go (Rolphs? $$$).
The Rio is a vintage pickup with a good amount of pepper
Felipe Nacif
I found the Tallboys to be almost perfect in an ash body maple neck Strat. But if I were to do it again, I would get a half breed for the bridge pickup and then the Tallboys in the middle and neck. The Tallboy on the neck a fantastic soloing tone. I recently sold my set of Tallboys since I am scaling back the number of Strats I own, but some day I am sure another set will find me. :cowb
I'm a newly converted Rio freak. The Bass Bottom set is everything that I've ever looked for in a Strat pickup package.
Ohhhhh yeaaaahhhhhhh!
The man with magic hands.
I agree about the Tallboy on the neck/soloing tone - best overall neck soloing tone of any of my Strats - makes me wish I'd have opted for one of those in the bridge as the Muy Grande is ear-piercingly bright, although lowering it some more may fix that problem (it's pretty low already). The Big Bottom set takes a close 2nd behind the Fralin VH's in overall tone, but the neck pickup is the best I've heard for soloing - much clearer and meatier than the Fralin neck pup...Originally posted by SMark
I found the Tallboys to be almost perfect in an ash body maple neck Strat. But if I were to do it again, I would get a half breed for the bridge pickup and then the Tallboys in the middle and neck. The Tallboy on the neck a fantastic soloing tone. I recently sold my set of Tallboys since I am scaling back the number of Strats I own, but some day I am sure another set will find me. :cowb
:bigal
"The lord will take two things so much alike that he would not mind choosing from them blindfold - and then for a great jest he will allow the slaves to choose."
you guys seem to be ignoring me on this one, but maybe you should start listening. get in touch with jim coppolo at the new york guitar & bass boutique
http://www.guitarboutique.com/
212. 399. 3414
reguarding his hand-wound mid 60's set
http://www.guitarboutique.com/acpage.html
they're pricey ($325/set!), but man are they worth it! the neck pup is to die for! i swear, it sounds like a mini trumpet! it has that little bit of hair when you want it, too. the set, in general, has everything you seem to be askin' for. they have depth, breadth, they're full & have lotsa wood WITHOUT sacrificing that spangle, chime, & glass we love the fralins for. and i love my vintage hots, but these pups just sound more real, more jimi. i'm gonna ditch my fralins for a set, they're that good! give jimmy a call; tell him michael sent you. he's a sweetheart of a guy, and, unlike some other "boutique" pup makers, will take the time to listen to what you're lookin' for, instead of you having to go fishing. good luck,
ml
"no, no, your all confused. it's not the sun that's goin' down, it's the hori-zon that's movin' up!" - firesign theatre
Nobody's ignoring you Badmuddy, actually there are some questions awaiting your attention in the 'Fralin Vintage Hots' thread. Not trying to knock you or anything, but in all of 12 posts you've highly recommended three different sets of pickups, previous favorites taking a beating with each new discovery. With that in mind, it's a little hard to put much stock in the new flavor of the week when prior recommendations have fallen so quickly from grace. :tw59 Know what I mean?
Getting back to the Rio Grandes, based on one of the posts above, I took the Big Bottom set out of the alder body strat they were in and put them in my ash/maple strat. The ash seems to work better with this set - the guitar I took them out of is a great sounding axe, but they really came alive in the other. Very meaty sounding with lots of character. They're a bit more articulate than the Fralins. I put the Fender VN's that were in the ash/maple in the alder, but I'm thinking these may get replaced eventually. Maybe check into some of those coppolo's...
"The lord will take two things so much alike that he would not mind choosing from them blindfold - and then for a great jest he will allow the slaves to choose."
sorry about that lightnin'. all will be revealed in my reply in the vintage hots thread. and do check out the coppolo's, if you can. you won't believe how bloody awesome they sound!
ml
"no, no, your all confused. it's not the sun that's goin' down, it's the hori-zon that's movin' up!" - firesign theatre
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