Reverend Flatroc: Why Can't I Get it to SPARKLE?

[A-20]

I have a Reverend Flatroc that is really nice - love it. But I can't get it to show any high end "sparkle". Its like the upper treble is muted just enough to take out the "telecaster" sound range. Shouldn't be so... but having owned 2 other Reverend guitars I found they all did that same thing... and those had P90's.

Anything I can do?

It does NOT have a cap across the output jack like some of the Humbucker models do.

 

[mrbrown49]

What are you playing it through?

 

Have you tried adjusting the pickups?

[Barryj61]

I have a USA Reverend with those pickups, and they 'sparkle' pretty good. I've also owned a Gretsch Duo Jet with Filtertrons, and I actually like the clean tone of the Revtrons a little better. They're a bit 'cruder' than Filtertrons with distortion - but I like that, too.

 

For me, the trick was to set them up like 'real' Filtertrons - which means setting them very close to the strings. They're very low output, so getting them close is key to get that sound.

[larryguitar]

Most pickups get brighter (though weaker) as you back them away from the strings. Not knowing anything about Filtertrons, though, I'm not sure that would apply.

[A-20]

 

I have a USA Reverend with those pickups, and they 'sparkle' pretty good. I've also owned a Gretsch Duo Jet with Filtertrons, and I actually like the clean tone of the Revtrons a little better. They're a bit 'cruder' than Filtertrons with distortion - but I like that, too. For me, the trick was to set them up like 'real' Filtertrons - which means setting them very close to the strings. They're very low output, so getting them close is key to get that sound.

 

 

Thanks a bunch. I did raise the pickups significantly... actually as close as possible and still fret the high notes (for the neck pickup)... and that DID do the trick.

Sounding like it "should" now, with some great output strength too.

[A-20]

 

Most pickups get brighter (though weaker) as you back them away from the strings. Not knowing anything about Filtertrons, though, I'm not sure that would apply.

 

 

That was my thought too... and why I hadn't tried bringing them closer to the strings. But hey... it works here.

[wartoxin]

 

which means setting them very close to the strings.

 

 

Probably this, I do this with almost every pickup no matter what.

[wartoxin]

 

Most pickups get brighter (though weaker) as you back them away from the strings. Not knowing anything about Filtertrons, though, I'm not sure that would apply.

 

 

hmmm, the rail type pickups I have get brighter closer, others I didn't test carefully, but think the same. There must be a reason it seems darker in some cases...

[mrbrown49]

 

hmmm, the rail type pickups I have get brighter closer, others I didn't test carefully, but think the same. There must be a reason it seems darker in some cases...

 

 

You lose midrange punch as you dial them down too. You may be percieving that loss of presence as darker.

[A-20]

Sparkles fade quickly with the volume as it goes down, but at or very near full volume they are there. May try a treble bleed cap too on the volume pot. That makes me think that its the extra output of moving in the pickups that's pushing the high-end treble through the circuit all the way. (i theorize that the bass roll-off knob on these reverends which is in addition to a regular tone knob eats a little upper treble, as opposed to just a regular tone knob alone. That's based on owning 3 Reverends but is only a theory!)