Mark Wein Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 I've always hated noiseless pickups...especially the Fender ones. My problem is that most venues I play in are horribly "noisy" if you have single coils so I've had to leave my strats at home for quite a while. About a year and a half ago I ran across this Squier at GC and sent a pic to my wife saying "for some reason I dig this color and the painted headstock am I losing my mind?". She said no and then bought the guitar for me on her way home from work The guitar was a decent playing guitar but like most guitars at this pricepoint the pickup were not so great sounding and SUPER noisy so I figured I would finally dip my toes into the "noiseless" pickup pool. After some online conversation with my friends I decided to get a set of Kinman "Traditional" pickups. The guitar doesn't sound as nice as a vintage strat or my 1979 Tokai strat with Duncan Antiquity pickups but I can actually use it on bar gigs and through my rig I can get some pretty cool sounds. A very usable guitar and honestly most folks wouldn't care if it were this Squier or a '58 strat so I'm happy with it. It usually sits in my bag as a backup but I had to play almost an entire night with it last weekend for a variety of reasons and had a good time. Even the drummer I was playing with asked why I don't play it more often. So anyway, I'm just curious what you guys think of Noiseless pickups. They aren't my first choice and I probably wouldn't record with them that often but I finally have found a type that I can happily use. I also have a neck and middle pickup from their "Woodstock" set in my other McFeely which is waiting for a new neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onelife Posted June 20, 2017 Members Share Posted June 20, 2017 When I got my JV Stratocaster in the early 80s I was dealing with the same 'noisy venue' issue that you alluded to. I also had a 335 at the time so I could use that but I really wanted to play my strat so, when I fell into some Lace Sensors, I decided to give them a try. The Lace Sensors were definitly a compromise in tone but worth it because of greatly reduced noise. I kept them in the guitar for several years (and used them on a couple of CDs) until Chris Kinman claimed he could make me as set of pickups that sounded so good, the fact that they ware noisless would be a bonus. When I got the Kinmans, it was like getting my old pickups back with bit more clarity an absolutely no noise. Kinman suggests spending a couple of weeks adjusting the height of the pickups in an effort to find the 'sweet spot' and agree that it's a worthwhile endeavour. I have noiseless pickups in a couple of teles also. Duncan Vintage Stacks in an MIJ '52 reissue with a traditional bridge and Kinmans in a Warnoth build with a modern Gotoh bridge. The Vintage Stacks in the MIJ contribute to a very 'traditional' sounding tele where the Warmoth produces a very full wide range of useful sounds (including traditional tele) that reach into Jazzmaster and Les Paul territory. As for the Fender - I have a strat with SCN pickups that serves me very well. It doesn't quite have as much sparkle as some of the old strat recordings but, at this point, I'm not trying to sound like anybody else. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Wein Posted June 20, 2017 Author Share Posted June 20, 2017 The other thing I've done this year is pick up one of these: I had a I had a performance at school where the best choice instrument was my other strat so I figured I would try the EXH Hum Debugger out. Since I had so much stuff going on (dirt, phasers, delay) losing a little signal through the pedal wasn't really that big of a deal. I keep it in my cable bag now just in case I have a problem on a gig: https://www.facebook.com/mwein/video...88217724965481 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted June 20, 2017 Members Share Posted June 20, 2017 I have a set of SCNs sitting on the shelf. Still can't decide which copy to put 'em in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Les Paul Lover Posted June 20, 2017 Members Share Posted June 20, 2017 I have a set of Di Marzio Virtual Vintage 54 noiseless pick ups in my Vigier Expert, they are simply fantastic. Really great tones, lovely bell ring to them. They perhaps have slightly more low end than a strat, but that's very subtle. All in all, they look like strat pick ups, they sound like very good strat pick ups, and they are noiseless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 I have a set of SCNs sitting on the shelf. Still can't decide which copy to put 'em in. That's what I have in my Tele - I like them quite a bit. I think they were actually designed by Bill Lawrence. Mark is your Squier burgundy mist? It sure looks like it - I don't think I've ever seen a Squier in that color before. Very nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Wein Posted June 20, 2017 Author Share Posted June 20, 2017 That's what I have in my Tele - I like them quite a bit. I think they were actually designed by Bill Lawrence. Mark is your Squier burgundy mist? It sure looks like it - I don't think I've ever seen a Squier in that color before. Very nice! Yeah...thats the Burgundy Mist color. For some reason I really liked the painted headstock too. Probably the only time I've ever acquired an instrument (my wife actually bought it for me) because of a color. Most of my guitars are natural colors so this was a nice addition as a "stage" guitar. It's always fun to watch the audience when I bring it out even though it's not super crazy looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 Yeah...thats the Burgundy Mist color. For some reason I really liked the painted headstock too. Probably the only time I've ever acquired an instrument (my wife actually bought it for me) because of a color. Most of my guitars are natural colors so this was a nice addition as a "stage" guitar. It's always fun to watch the audience when I bring it out even though it's not super crazy looking. I LOVE painted to match headstocks on Fenders - as long as the fingerboard is rosewood. They look right to me with a rosewood board - they look funky and weird with a maple board IMHO. And I have to say once again, that's a really nice looking guitar you have there. I've always liked that color. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted June 20, 2017 Members Share Posted June 20, 2017 Very cool score! I really like my Kinman Woodstocks, but they're back in the box while I get my Strat back to stock to sell it. Probably going to build a nice partscaster and stick them in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted June 20, 2017 Members Share Posted June 20, 2017 Happy New Pickups Day. Oh, and I dig the color too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mikesr1963 Posted June 20, 2017 Members Share Posted June 20, 2017 I use a Fender Jeff Beck noiseless set in a guitar and wired them per Fender pickguard schematic 0101000/1002. They sound great but you can't leave the rest of your rig EQ'ed for humbuckers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted June 20, 2017 Members Share Posted June 20, 2017 You can go a long ways to making standard pickups noiseless. Take a standard strat or tele. Can you give me one good reason they still use unshielded wiring other then the fact it was to pinch pennies and make the guitars cheap? I've taken many strat and tele pickups and soldered shielded cables to the bobbins cutting the hum in half. Its easy to do too. The few exceptions that have phase or series capabilities can be handled using dual core shielded wires. Its a hell of a lot easier then shielding the entire cavity too. Granted the bobbins themselves are still open to hum but even there you can use copper foil in the covers and add a ground wire making them as quiet or quieter then a P90. I have P100's in my LP. They have the stacked coil that kill hum like a HB does. They sound as good as any P90's I've used. Some say cutting the leads to the secondary coil give them a tone boost but what good is that if it makes them hum like a bastard. I will admit the output isn't as strong as the Mini HB's I prefer but that's why I own good amps with power to spare. I have the Noiseless in my P bass and I actually prefer them over the standard. The pickups aren't susceptible to Stratitus when you change pickup heights either. You can adjust them high or low and they don't pull on the strings like a normal pickup does because they use weak magnets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members joecool1963 Posted June 20, 2017 Members Share Posted June 20, 2017 Mark, I have a set of noiseless pickups in my Deluxe Players Stratocaster I bought last year. Love it. Love the tone. No complaints -james Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted June 20, 2017 Members Share Posted June 20, 2017 Capacitance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Wein Posted June 23, 2017 Author Share Posted June 23, 2017 I LOVE painted to match headstocks on Fenders - as long as the fingerboard is rosewood. They look right to me with a rosewood board - they look funky and weird with a maple board IMHO. And I have to say once again, that's a really nice looking guitar you have there. I've always liked that color. I'd have to agree with you on the fretboard wood with the painted headstocks. And the color has become one of my favorites this year too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted June 23, 2017 Share Posted June 23, 2017 I use a Fender Jeff Beck noiseless set in a guitar and wired them per Fender pickguard schematic 0101000/1002. They sound great but you can't leave the rest of your rig EQ'ed for humbuckers. That's a really interesting looking paint job - is that stock? What do they call that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mikesr1963 Posted June 23, 2017 Members Share Posted June 23, 2017 That's a really interesting looking paint job - is that stock? What do they call that? It's a stock Fender color, silverburst. This one's on a Squier Standard however. Norman's Rare Guitars recently posted a Fender strat in the same color. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted June 23, 2017 Share Posted June 23, 2017 I think it looks really cool - thanks for the info Mike! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesmann Posted June 23, 2017 Members Share Posted June 23, 2017 I have A Tom Anderson Drop top classic with 3 noiseless TA singles and they do it real good. But I also found something else that works extremely well. And a lot cheaper than buying new pickups. The ISP Decimator II. This pedals actually works with no tone loss what so ever. I had one club that was terrible. The stage was on the same line as a walk in cooler. I was like a antenna , moving from left to right trying to find the quiet spot. This was the fix. Placed after my compressor & drive pedals, dead quiet! I highly recommend it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members t_e_l_e Posted June 24, 2017 Members Share Posted June 24, 2017 The other thing I've done this year is pick up one of these: I had a I had a performance at school where the best choice instrument was my other strat so I figured I would try the EXH Hum Debugger out. Since I had so much stuff going on (dirt, phasers, delay) losing a little signal through the pedal wasn't really that big of a deal. I keep it in my cable bag now just in case I have a problem on a gig: https://www.facebook.com/mwein/video...88217724965481 i have one of those lying in a box. bought it for the same reason. the "normal" setting did not much help, but the "strong" worked and eliminated most of the hum. big downside and therefore its not used in a box, it also affects the sound, not as much in the normal, but as i said its not much help, in the strong, it changes so much that it almost doesn't sound stratish anymore, you lose the jangle and twang with it... i now have in my main guitar a kinman woodstock+ set, which i like in my warmoth strat i built beginning this year i put the stock pu of MIA standard strat i canibalized for it i did A/B them and i must the MIA std set sound stratier and has more twang and jangle, while the kinmans are grittier and have more bite i like both, so depending on what sound i need or mood i am i switch guitars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pekelnik Posted June 24, 2017 Members Share Posted June 24, 2017 Wouldn't standard shielding eliminate most of the noise? We have *very* different standards for wiring power in buildings in Europe so I cannot compare, but I never felt a real noise difference between single coils and humbuckers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted June 24, 2017 Members Share Posted June 24, 2017 When I got the Kinnan Woodstocks and installed them I was a bit disappointed that they still had noticeable noise. I then shielded everything with copper and swapped to shielded wires and it became the quietest guitar I had ever played. I thought I had made a wiring mistake when I first turned the volume up because there was nothing. Then I hit the strings and there it was! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Wein Posted June 25, 2017 Author Share Posted June 25, 2017 Yeah...Mine is "to be used in case of emergency". I don't think I experience quite the amount of tone loss that you're describing but there is definitely a difference. The difference might bother me but the audience can't tell or care whereas the noise I would get from playing standard single coils is ridiculously loud in some of these venues. I'd still rather play the strat with the noiseless pickups then deal with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PunkKitty Posted July 3, 2017 Members Share Posted July 3, 2017 With noiseless pickups, I'm a big fan of Wilde/Bill Lawrence. Really great sounding pickups. You may have to wait a while to get a set. But the wait is worth it. That being said, I have 2 sets of Rose Strat pickups that Ken added shielding to when he built them. They work very nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Les Paul Lover Posted July 3, 2017 Members Share Posted July 3, 2017 Wouldn't standard shielding eliminate most of the noise? We have *very* different standards for wiring power in buildings in Europe so I cannot compare' date=' but I never felt a real noise difference between single coils and humbuckers.[/quote'] Whilst modern wiring standards in Europe are really good, you're still subject to places with electrical wiring that predates the current norm and hasn't been updated, or places where the wiring has been done by dubious contractors, and the worst...... fluorescent lighting. That lighting wreaks havoc with single coils. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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