New to me SBMM Valentine but question on pickups

**The Beatnik** · 07-06-2018, 07:44 AM

Howdy all!

I just joined your merry band (although my son has had a stingray fretless 5 for the past 6 years, so perhaps I have been an EBMM owner for a while as I funded his purchase).

I have been wanting an EBMM Valentine for a bit but with a kid in college and one in daycare my disposable income has been, well, disposed of. So I picked up a SBMM Valentine yesterday. The original owner did some nice things to make it a player (new tone pot for a Q sound, refinished neck after sanding, level a couple frets, and strap locks).

My question is; what is the material in the pickups? Are they ceramic or alnico?

Thanks all!

The Beatnik

**GWDavis28** · 07-10-2018, 04:44 AM

Welcome!! Remember a guitar does not exist without pictures, hahahahaha.

About the pickups your best bets would be to post this question on Facebook for the Sterling by Music Man group and/or email Sterling by Music Man directly as they are run by Praxis I believe.

Glenn. |B)

**johnnyboogie** · 07-10-2018, 12:17 PM

Have fun with it and congratulations on the purchase!!

**The Beatnik** · 07-12-2018, 09:52 AM

Thanks guys...

Yes, I need to get a pic. Until then meet my favorite rig, figment.

**The Beatnik** · 07-17-2018, 05:54 AM

Well the SBMM Valentine went back. It was just too far for me to get her completely right (my PRS and Big Tex Tele have ruined me). So I ordered a EBMM Valentine in Saturn gold and it will be here tomorrow. I think I’m having trouble sleeping I am so excited. Which is why I am rambling (I need more coffee).

Watch for th NGD post!

**TrapperJ** · 07-17-2018, 05:59 AM

Now that's how you do it - straight in to the water!

(a little envious - i'm jonesing for a valentine myself)

**The Beatnik** · 07-17-2018, 08:30 AM

Originally Posted by TrapperJ

Now that's how you do it - straight in to the water!

(a little envious - i'm jonesing for a valentine myself)

Sink or swim, right?

Y’all feel free to employ my strategy of “oh this is inexpensive but oh it does not work for me, so let’s spend the big bucks”.

It might only work once but oh what a work it is.

**DrKev** · 07-17-2018, 08:40 AM

Originally Posted by The Beatnik

My question is; what is the material in the pickups? Are they ceramic or alnico?

How do they sound? A pickup is the sum of its parts. AlNiCo pickups can be made to be harsh and shrill or warm to the point of dull. AlNiCo has been fe****ized as some sort of magical mystical thing. Ceramic magnets can be part of a great pickup design.

**The Beatnik** · 07-17-2018, 11:15 AM

The neck pickup never really cleaned up. It had a nice tone, it was balanced and could have airy-ness of a 335 but never quite got to completely clean. The bridge pickup was a nice Tele sounding pickup. It was more focused in the upper registers but was not really shrill like some can be. I really enjoyed that pickup when I was playing along to some Tom Petty because you could dig into the strings and you would get bite on the E and as strings. The two together was pretty good. I liked the sound but sometime it got a little lost, which may have just been my set up on the pickups themselves.

The thing that killed it for me was trying to set up the neck. I play with a very light touch and I like a very low action and I could not get it low enough without getting a sitar sound on bent B and G strings at the 12th fret. And then I spend a fair amount of time above the 15th fret and I would just have notes choke out on me. I think someone who likes a little higher action will love that guitar. I am just super picky and I and my wallet are coming to grips with that fact.

She is at the GC in Lewisville, Tx if you want her. Good guitar and the neck looks beautiful.

**Lloyd_m** · 07-18-2018, 01:45 AM

Originally Posted by The Beatnik

Sink or swim, right?

Y’all feel free to employ my strategy of “oh this is inexpensive but oh it does not work for me, so let’s spend the big bucks”.

I did worse, I bought the EBMM Valentine just because the SBMM wasn't available in black. At least you tried the SBMM

.

Congrats on the new guitar. Hope you enjoy this one. Mine hasn't fallen from its #1 spot since I got it (it's been a year and a month).

**The Beatnik** · 07-18-2018, 03:36 AM

Thanks! That is great to hear that your Valentine is steadily holding on to the #1 spot in the peloton. That gives me hope about buying without playing her first. And I am pretty excited as she is on the truck for delivery today. I am just hoping they don’t try to deliver when my son, who is home from college, is gone to his dentist appt. keeping fingers, toes, and other extremities crossed.