Alnico III vs. Alnico IIIII's

asc67 · July 27th, 2008, 04:37 PM

Which is a less brite pickup on a Strat.

BluesForDan · July 27th, 2008, 05:54 PM

can't answer your question, but it is Alnico V, not IIIII

dan P · July 27th, 2008, 06:34 PM

I can try to answer this, I believe it is the magnet strength ( the difference between), it sounds to me your looking for more bottom end...There are a ton of different style's of pups out there that may help you, on my end I favor Fender Custom Shop 54s, also like my lace hot golds, both of these pups give you the full spectrum of sound and great bottom end,as well as being chimey....Dan

asc67 · July 27th, 2008, 06:51 PM

Thanks

dan P · July 27th, 2008, 06:57 PM

Sure Steve , it most likely wasn't the answer you were looking for but I did have a thought , fender makes a pot called the TBX, its a treble bass expander , hence the name, a dual potted shaft that allows you to decrease the treble and -or- add bass, they are a little pricey ( 15.00) I have never tried one but have one sitting around, are you handy with a iron and screwdriver?

asc67 · July 27th, 2008, 07:12 PM

I'm pretty handy, I haven't done any soldering in a while but it isn't that difficult from what I remember.

dan P · July 27th, 2008, 07:28 PM

k, send me a PM with contact info and I will send ya one....dont think I have any use for it....if you want...what I cant tell you is just how you want to install it, as you can use it for the bridge and mid or the neck, or all three pups can be set up to use it...your call...

asc67 · July 27th, 2008, 07:44 PM

Thanks Dan, I think I'll give myself a little time and see how it goes getting more used to it. I just temporarily wired up the bridge pickup to the lower tone control and that makes a huge difference. But I may take you up on your offer later on.

I'm also getting the steel Tremolo Block tomorrow from GFS and maybe that will make a difference as well.

Thanks again for your kind offer.

dan P · July 27th, 2008, 08:04 PM

Your quite welcome Steve, love to help other's, if possible, and always remember we ( the forum) are right here if you need any installation help, on the trem block, keep in mind that you will have to enlarge the trem hole if you are going to use it...all else should fit just fine... Dan

justrc · August 2nd, 2008, 09:22 AM

I believe Dan is correct regarding magnet strength. I think the IIIs have less strength and slightly warmer/bassier than the brighter IVs.

Also, regarding the TBX. This is Fender's "Tone Bass Expander" control and was originally designed to work with active electronics such as used on the Clapton model with mid boost. Many folks complained of the choked tone they got on their 80's - 90' Am Std & Strat Plus models and removed them.

However, the TBX works beautifully if properly modified for passive electronics. You must remove the 82k series resistor and replace it with a 120k series/parallel resistor. About .20 from radio shack and about 3 minutes on the soldering iron. A very easy mod to do before you install it on the pickguard. This is explained at the Blue Guitar website. Here's a link to the mod.

http://www.blueguitar.org/new/schem/...nd_details.pdf

Do the mod, you'll be very pleased with the results and will have a very versatile pallet of tones.
RC

justrc · August 2nd, 2008, 09:25 AM

Make that a 220k resistor. I hit the 1 instead of the 2!

dan P · August 2nd, 2008, 11:40 AM

Yes Sir, that is correct, your up on it...

HEY im in Olathe..man, how close can you get ! And a BIG welcome...!

justrc · August 2nd, 2008, 01:12 PM

Indeed...south town here.

BTW, if you type in TBX on the Blue Guitar site you will find lots of other useful info regarding the TBX for both active and passive electronics.

bobthecanadian · August 2nd, 2008, 08:06 PM

Here's a crazy little idea for you. If you don't like the briteness of the bridge pickup then shield it. It will definitely change the timbre. First wrap it with something non -conductive if there isn't already something there. Then use a little copper foil or aluminum foil just wide enough to fit between the bobbins of the pickup. The wrap a little electrical tape around it to keep it in place. If you don't like it, just take it off.

Cheers,

Bob