The Pickup Seymour Wound For Van halen

[lll]

The pickup Seymour wound for Van Halen which was featured on the first album was the SH-5 Custom.

Here's why:

And more importantly (clips don't lie or BS), this clip of mine using a pre-1983 SH-5 Custom (tapped straight off the SM57, 100% dry
with no EQing or any other studio futzing

Feel Your Love Tonight (Ed ISO on left, me on right)
https://soundcloud.com/lefty-lounge-lizard/lll-fylt-sh5-dry-ed-l-me-r-test

 

[Chubtone]

What is the significance of a pre-1983 SH-5?

 

[Anonymous]

What is the significance of a pre-1983 SH-5?

Old things is like better and stuff...

Steve

 

[4406cuda]

I remember some guys having a built-in boost in their guitars in the 70's. I seem to remember James Young from Styx had a custom made boost in his Strat.

I would not be surprised at all if Eddie had one as well.

I remember seeing a Dean or BC Rich that had a built-in Phaser and boost in the late 70's.

 

[Anonymous]

I remember some guys having a built-in boost in their guitars in the 70's. I seem to remember James Young from Styx had a custom made boost in his Strat.

I would not be surprised at all if Eddie had one as well.

I would be beyond the realm of shocked and amazed if this were the case...

Steve

 

[lll]

What is the significance of a pre-1983 SH-5?

To test my theory, I decided to find as old an SH-5 that I could on Ebay at the time.

I also bought a new SH-5.

I used Voxengo CurveEQ and captured the freq response for both.

With maybe two very very slight frequency exceptions, they matched.

 

[Chubtone]

What is the significance of a pre-1983 SH-5?

To test my theory, I decided to find as old an SH-5 that I could on Ebay at the time.

I also bought a new SH-5.

I used Voxengo CurveEQ and captured the freq response for both.

With maybe two very very slight frequency exceptions, they matched.

That's what I found too. I had an early 80's SH-5 in my '84 Charvel and really wanted a zebra one instead. I made a quick recording of the vintage SH-5 and then popped in the new TB-5 (Trembucker) version. I recorded that one too and when I blind taste-tested the two pickups, I heard no difference at all. Guys have sworn for years the vintage Duncans were better and some say the Trembucker versions don't sound as good as the standard spaced ones either. In my unofficial test I found I didn't agree with either of those internet legends.

 

[lll]

That's what I found too. I had an early 80's SH-5 in my '84 Charvel and really wanted a zebra one instead. I made a quick recording of the vintage SH-5 and then popped in the new TB-5 (Trembucker) version. I recorded that one too and when I blind taste-tested the two pickups, I heard no difference at all. Guys have sworn for years the vintage Duncans were better and some say the Trembucker versions don't sound as good as the standard spaced ones either. In my unofficial test I found I didn't agree with either of those internet legends.

From what I've heard, ceramic mags do not weaken over time, but AlNiCo mags do. So old pickups with AlNiCos just
might actually change tone over the years.

But yeah, I tried to get a really old SH-5 (as that SD "VAN HALEN" pickup advertisement was from 1979); figuring
the closer I got to '77 (when 1st VH album was recorded), the closer in tone the SH-5 would be. Turns out
in this case for this particular pickup it doesn't matter.

 

[motorboy1]

Custom Custom all day long....

 

[Anonymous]

From what I've heard, ceramic mags do not weaken over time, but AlNiCo mags do.

I just got a set of Dimarzio Super Distortions from ~ 1975 or so (square tabs) that measure around 13.66K ohm and I have two '70s Mighty Mite 1300 Distortion pickups that measure even higher, so yeah, seems ceramics don't weaken.

This whole VH pickup thing is kinds interesting because it seems to be so dependent on the guitar for me. I had the EVH Frankenstein pickup in a northern Ash franky clone I built and it sounded very VH - in other guitars, that pickup doesn't sound like VH at all. I just got an early 80s Charvel parts guitar with an alder body/maple neck that has a JB in the bridge and it sounds perfect for VH stuff - really good for VH I stuff. In other guitars I've had, the JB sounded right for death metal... I think you just have to find the right combination of guitar and pickup (with a good sounding Marshall or clone of some kind, of course).

Steve

 

[PWE Amplification]

From what I've heard, ceramic mags do not weaken over time, but AlNiCo mags do.

I just got a set of Dimarzio Super Distortions from ~ 1975 or so (square tabs) that measure around 13.66K ohm and I have two '70s Mighty Mite 1300 Distortion pickups that measure even higher, so yeah, seems ceramics don't weaken.

This whole VH pickup thing is kinds interesting because it seems to be so dependent on the guitar for me. I had the EVH Frankenstein pickup in a northern Ash franky clone I built and it sounded very VH - in other guitars, that pickup doesn't sound like VH at all. I just got an early 80s Charvel parts guitar with an alder body/maple neck that has a JB in the bridge and it sounds perfect for VH stuff - really good for VH I stuff. In other guitars I've had, the JB sounded right for death metal... I think you just have to find the right combination of guitar and pickup (with a good sounding Marshall or clone of some kind, of course).

Steve

Just curious, what relationship does the DC resistance of the pickup have with the strength of the magnet?

 

[rupe]

What is the significance of a pre-1983 SH-5?

To test my theory, I decided to find as old an SH-5 that I could on Ebay at the time.

I also bought a new SH-5.

I used Voxengo CurveEQ and captured the freq response for both.

With maybe two very very slight frequency exceptions, they matched.

That's what I found too. I had an early 80's SH-5 in my '84 Charvel and really wanted a zebra one instead. I made a quick recording of the vintage SH-5 and then popped in the new TB-5 (Trembucker) version. I recorded that one too and when I blind taste-tested the two pickups, I heard no difference at all. Guys have sworn for years the vintage Duncans were better and some say the Trembucker versions don't sound as good as the standard spaced ones either. In my unofficial test I found I didn't agree with either of those internet legends.

I found that an early 80's zebra JB that I used to have in a Les Paul Custom (and subsequently a Soloist) sounded much better to me than any newer JB that I've purchased since. My only point of reference is that LPC though, I never did any side-by-side comparisons...I just know that several JB's that I've tried have not sounded very good in that guitar. To be perfectly Frank, the possibility exists that my tastes (or hearing) simply changed, but I don't think that's the difference.
I know SD makes two different versions of the JB (regular and Antiquity), and put out a limited release anniversary model. Has anybody done a comparison among these, and if so, what did you find? I know there's the potential that it's just marketing spin, but it seems to me that there must be some kind of a difference.

 

[psychodave]

What is the significance of a pre-1983 SH-5?

To test my theory, I decided to find as old an SH-5 that I could on Ebay at the time.

I also bought a new SH-5.

I used Voxengo CurveEQ and captured the freq response for both.

With maybe two very very slight frequency exceptions, they matched.

That's what I found too. I had an early 80's SH-5 in my '84 Charvel and really wanted a zebra one instead. I made a quick recording of the vintage SH-5 and then popped in the new TB-5 (Trembucker) version. I recorded that one too and when I blind taste-tested the two pickups, I heard no difference at all. Guys have sworn for years the vintage Duncans were better and some say the Trembucker versions don't sound as good as the standard spaced ones either. In my unofficial test I found I didn't agree with either of those internet legends.

I have an old Distortion from the 80's in a Charvel and one in my LP. I've yet to find a new Distortion to sound like those old ones I have. I honestly wish they did sound the same, then I could stop buying pickups.

 

[psychodave]

What is the significance of a pre-1983 SH-5?

To test my theory, I decided to find as old an SH-5 that I could on Ebay at the time.

I also bought a new SH-5.

I used Voxengo CurveEQ and captured the freq response for both.

With maybe two very very slight frequency exceptions, they matched.

That's what I found too. I had an early 80's SH-5 in my '84 Charvel and really wanted a zebra one instead. I made a quick recording of the vintage SH-5 and then popped in the new TB-5 (Trembucker) version. I recorded that one too and when I blind taste-tested the two pickups, I heard no difference at all. Guys have sworn for years the vintage Duncans were better and some say the Trembucker versions don't sound as good as the standard spaced ones either. In my unofficial test I found I didn't agree with either of those internet legends.

I found that an early 80's zebra JB that I used to have in a Les Paul Custom (and subsequently a Soloist) sounded much better to me than any newer JB that I've purchased since. My only point of reference is that LPC though, I never did any side-by-side comparisons...I just know that several JB's that I've tried have not sounded very good in that guitar. To be perfectly Frank, the possibility exists that my tastes (or hearing) simply changed, but I don't think that's the difference.
I know SD makes two different versions of the JB (regular and Antiquity), and put out a limited release anniversary model. Has anybody done a comparison among these, and if so, what did you find? I know there's the potential that it's just marketing spin, but it seems to me that there must be some kind of a difference.

I have two old JB's and one 35th anniversary and about 4 regular JB's. The old ones are better to my ears. Once again, I wish they were the same. I wouldn't need to pickup hunt.

 

[Anonymous]

From what I've heard, ceramic mags do not weaken over time, but AlNiCo mags do.

I just got a set of Dimarzio Super Distortions from ~ 1975 or so (square tabs) that measure around 13.66K ohm and I have two '70s Mighty Mite 1300 Distortion pickups that measure even higher, so yeah, seems ceramics don't weaken.

This whole VH pickup thing is kinds interesting because it seems to be so dependent on the guitar for me. I had the EVH Frankenstein pickup in a northern Ash franky clone I built and it sounded very VH - in other guitars, that pickup doesn't sound like VH at all. I just got an early 80s Charvel parts guitar with an alder body/maple neck that has a JB in the bridge and it sounds perfect for VH stuff - really good for VH I stuff. In other guitars I've had, the JB sounded right for death metal... I think you just have to find the right combination of guitar and pickup (with a good sounding Marshall or clone of some kind, of course).

Steve

Just curious, what relationship does the DC resistance of the pickup have with the strength of the magnet?

Now that I think about it, absolutely none. Don't know what I was thinking...

Steve

 

[guitarmike]

Not that I even care or think it matters at this point but I will tell you what I hear:

A plexi wide open and variac'd + a super distortion type (mighty mite) or a plexi wide open + PAF type (a custom SH-5 if you want) + an EQ (GE10 or 6 band)

.

The '78 with the GE10 works for me!

I have had the opportunity to run a stock 1974/75 100 watt through a full stack of greenbacks and besides cracking plaster and knocking stuff off the people across the street's walls, there is so much hiss from everything turned up to 10 it is pretty much useless. What do you do to tame that and the flubby bottom end you tend to get when playing like that?

 

[Racerxrated]

What is the significance of a pre-1983 SH-5?

To test my theory, I decided to find as old an SH-5 that I could on Ebay at the time.

I also bought a new SH-5.

I used Voxengo CurveEQ and captured the freq response for both.

With maybe two very very slight frequency exceptions, they matched.

That's what I found too. I had an early 80's SH-5 in my '84 Charvel and really wanted a zebra one instead. I made a quick recording of the vintage SH-5 and then popped in the new TB-5 (Trembucker) version. I recorded that one too and when I blind taste-tested the two pickups, I heard no difference at all. Guys have sworn for years the vintage Duncans were better and some say the Trembucker versions don't sound as good as the standard spaced ones either. In my unofficial test I found I didn't agree with either of those internet legends.

I found that an early 80's zebra JB that I used to have in a Les Paul Custom (and subsequently a Soloist) sounded much better to me than any newer JB that I've purchased since. My only point of reference is that LPC though, I never did any side-by-side comparisons...I just know that several JB's that I've tried have not sounded very good in that guitar. To be perfectly Frank, the possibility exists that my tastes (or hearing) simply changed, but I don't think that's the difference.
I know SD makes two different versions of the JB (regular and Antiquity), and put out a limited release anniversary model. Has anybody done a comparison among these, and if so, what did you find? I know there's the potential that it's just marketing spin, but it seems to me that there must be some kind of a difference.

I have two old JB's and one 35th anniversary and about 4 regular JB's. The old ones are better to my ears. Once again, I wish they were the same. I wouldn't need to pickup hunt.

The JB in my '92 Hamer sounds just killer, signed MJ on the bottom. There seems to be some mojo to pickups wound by her, according to more than a few. It could be the guitar of course but most superstrats I've played have had JBs and none sounded like this.

 

[Stradazone]

Not that I even care or think it matters at this point but I will tell you what I hear:

A plexi wide open and variac'd + a super distortion type (mighty mite) or a plexi wide open + PAF type (a custom SH-5 if you want) + an EQ (GE10 or 6 band)

.

The '78 with the GE10 works for me!

I have had the opportunity to run a stock 1974/75 100 watt through a full stack of greenbacks and besides cracking plaster and knocking stuff off the people across the street's walls, there is so much hiss from everything turned up to 10 it is pretty much useless. What do you do to tame that and the flubby bottom end you tend to get when playing like that?

Maybe u need to have your amp tweaked? Or turn your bass knob down as much as possible? My superlead was modded by John Suhr, not for gain but something to do with the bass response, I run the GE10 and a echoplex in front of the amp and it's really NOT noisy at all, if I were to run the old blue MXR 6 band then that for sure is a hiss monster, I would then use a Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor to kill the hiss but that would also kill any repeats from the echoplex

 

[thunda]

at some point, especially if you are gigging, you just have to stop obsessing and just play -

 

[JiMB]

at some point, especially if you are gigging, you just have to stop obsessing and just play -

Amen!