Fender Vintage Noiseless Pickups

Audiocave said:
I have a Tele which came with the Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickups. They were very quiet but in my opinion also very lifeless. I replaced them with the Fender Custom shop Texas Specials and am much happier with the sound. I don't think the Texas Specials are for everyone but it suites my style of playing and I love the aggressive biting sound I get through my Fender amp with them.
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I use a lot of attack in my playing so I might like the Texas Specials as well.
 
Peritus

What did you get them on? A Strat or a Tele? That might make a difference. I don't know that it does, but it might. It also depends on what you like. As you can see, not everyone agrees on what's best or what sucks.

I'd say, at this stage, don't stress out about it. You might just think they're the bees knees.
 
notCardio said:
I was sure Gilmour used EMGs, but I thought maybe I was mistaken, or he had changed brands. Wasn't the drop-in pickguard/pickup setup EMG?

And Clapton used Lace Sensors.
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It's the EMG DG20 set. It comes assembled and wired on a pickguard. I have a set in my 91 Fender Strat Deluxe. I really like the sound of them, although people looking for a "traditional" strat tone might not like them as much. I think they're a great set, but very expensive.
 
Clapton USED to use Lace Sensors, now days he uses the Noiseless, but basically he just uses whatever they give him, because it doesn't matter. Whatever he uses, he is always going to sound like Eric Clapton. It's all in his hands, and so he doesn't need to worry too much about the pickups.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
One thing that's cool about the Lace Sensors is that they are not sensitive to being too close to the strings. You can crank 'em up as far as they'll go without touching the strings and not suffer any wierd "pickup too close" anomalies.
 
Light said:
Clapton USED to use Lace Sensors, now days he uses the Noiseless, but basically he just uses whatever they give him, because it doesn't matter. Whatever he uses, he is always going to sound like Eric Clapton. It's all in his hands, and so he doesn't need to worry too much about the pickups.

Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
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That's good to know, because I like his current tone a heckuva lot better than back when he was using Lace. I always thought I wouldn't want Lace based on his sound back then. Of course, there's more than one flavor of Lace, and I'm sure the amp you use it with will make a difference.
 
mike2731 said:
It's the EMG DG20 set. It comes assembled and wired on a pickguard. I have a set in my 91 Fender Strat Deluxe. I really like the sound of them, although people looking for a "traditional" strat tone might not like them as much. I think they're a great set, but very expensive.
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Do they still sell that setup new, or do you have to find it on ebay?
 
I'd be very interested in a deeper exploration of your opinion regarding the Kinman pickups, Light. I have researched these long and hard, and have yet to find real critical thinking in any of the reviews. I look for noiselessness, clarity, and a reasonable output compared to old Tele pickups, without the microphonics and delicacy. Do these pickups deliver? I've not had a chance to try them, they're rather rare in my neck of the woods.
 
Flangerhans said:
I'd be very interested in a deeper exploration of your opinion regarding the Kinman pickups, Light.
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There isn't a whole lot to say. Do they sound exactly like a really good single coil? No, they don't. Do they sound pretty fucking close? Yes, they do. And they are quiet. Personally, I tend to like the sound of humbuckers a lot more anyway, so it's rarely an issue for me. But the Kinman stuff is really nice, and really close to the real thing. They are probably about 95% on all the stuff single coil guys look for - i.e., clarity, chime, etc.

They make really nice pickups. If you like single coils but hate the noise, I would suggest you try them as you would probably like them.

Beyond that, well, as Steve Martin said, "talking about sound is like dancing about architecture." It doesn't make much sense.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Well, that's the exact type of thinking I was bemoaning the lack of regarding other reviews of pickups. Dead right about talk vs. sound, but the basic needs I have for single coils is exactly what you describe. Love the skeletal twang and the character of old singles, but hate the noise and the lack of consistancy. Kinman cites much science which I am not familiar with, and those who use his stuff are usually a bit too enthusiastic about their properties, assigning better hair growth and increased attention from women as some benefits of these pups. Not noisy, sound a lot like singles...sounds good to me. Thanks, Light!
 
I'll echo Light's sentiment. What I love about single coils is the sound you get in positions 2 and 4; typically referred to as quack and chime. The Kinmans have enough of that sound left after applying the 'noiseless magic' to make me happy. Are they as chimey/quackly as stock Fender single coils? No, but pretty close. Did I try other brands first? No - I went to all the web sites, read all the reviews, and ended up picking Kinman.

A side note - when I switched to Kinmans I incorporated the 'blend' mod described at the Kinman site. It uses one of the tone controls to blend the neck pickup with whatever you have selected with the pickup switch. Way cool.
 
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