Albert Lee Owners - Opinions Please!

[richab88]

Hi. I just recently purchased a Candy Apple Red SSS Albert Lee Model (no piezo) that I have a love/hate relationship with. In order for this guitar to be more versatile for me, I'm considering installing new pickups and wondered if anyone out there has recommendations. The current set, although fine, do not have enough body to work in some settings, plus I'd like to get pickups that are hum-cancelling. I'm considering getting the new Bill Lawrence 280/290 models. Also, for a hardtail guitar, it seems to lack sustain compared to it's nearest Fender counterpart. Has anyone encountered this problem and been able to correct it in any way (bridge/saddles/tuners)? Even though I may sound negative, I bought the AL because it has the sweetest neck I've ever touched and the body is cool and comfortable...
Thanks for your help...

 

[Spudmurphy]

Welcome R88. To be able to help you it would be useful to know where you are situated.
Why? because if you were close to me I could put you in touch with a guy who makes pick ups and would tailor them to YOUR specifications. He operates in the UK under the name of Shed pickups.

 

[beej]

Well congrats on the Albert- it does have a sweet neck.

What kind of sound are you going for?

I'm familiar with the BL 280s (I've had several sets over the years)- great pickups but they're much more tonally balanced and less vintage-y than the AL p'ups. (The BL 200s might be closer to the AL sound.) They are noiseless, but if you have a silent circuit that gets you a lot of the way there. FWIW, I personally prefer the stock Albert sound.

As for the sustain, I'm not sure what the problem is. Is the guitar set up right? That could have a big influence. You can also try swapping out the saddles. The MM solid ones (like they use on the Axis SS) will probably have a little more sustain, though I find they dull the sound slightly.

 

[richab88]

I'm in Ohio, so UK is a little out-of-the-way! But, I'd check it out if I was closer.
I have a set of Fralin Woodstock '69 pickups that I love, but again I have the 60-cycle hum to deasl with that doesn't work well in higher gain settings. Reviews of the Lawrence PUPs on Harmony Central seem positive and close to what I'm after - a fatter, yet articulate sound.
I believe the saddles are original on the axe. I'm not sure what year it is, but I'll post the serial# and check asap. I believ it's a mid-90's model. When I bought it, it had a very heavy set of strings on it with a wound 3rd. I have a standard set of D'addario .10's on it now and haven't done any other adjustments outside of the truss rod tweaking. Are there any replacement bridges that will fit on this without modification? Thanks again....

 

[Spudmurphy]

Lindey Fralin pickups are fantastic pickups!!

Contact customer services who may be able to supply replacement saddles.
Also, Pete Dubaldo recently posted information on this. So he may be able to help.
The thread is at http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-guitars/21861-modded-my-al.html

 

[Norrin Radd]

I'm in Ohio, so UK is a little out-of-the-way! But, I'd check it out if I was closer.
I have a set of Fralin Woodstock '69 pickups that I love, but again I have the 60-cycle hum to deasl with that doesn't work well in higher gain settings. Reviews of the Lawrence PUPs on Harmony Central seem positive and close to what I'm after - a fatter, yet articulate sound.
I believe the saddles are original on the axe. I'm not sure what year it is, but I'll post the serial# and check asap. I believ it's a mid-90's model. When I bought it, it had a very heavy set of strings on it with a wound 3rd. I have a standard set of D'addario .10's on it now and haven't done any other adjustments outside of the truss rod tweaking. Are there any replacement bridges that will fit on this without modification? Thanks again....

Well, I've got an SSS AL and play with lots and lots of gain. The noise is minimal compared to regular SCs but is more than in the 2 & 4 positions (obviously). Those Woodstock's are awesome pickups, and for the tone they offer, I would put up with the minimal hum that comes along with the high gain settings.

You could also try one of these (I have not yet myself, but I talked to the guys at EHX and they swear it works great on 60 cycle hum "that's what we designed it for"). It's supposed to be very very transparent. We'll see:

As for your sustain issue - that is foreign to me with my AL. It sustains superbly. It is completely stock (although I have thought about dropping in some of those Woodstocks!). And I string it with 10-52s (EBMM STHB set).

 

[beej]

Ah, ok so you've got a pre-silent circuit AL. Y'know, one option is to try and find a SS on eBay- they do pop up from time to time and you'd be able to use it with your Kinmans. But the BLs are excellent pickups- if you call Bill or Becky and tell them what sound you're looking for you'll get the right ones. The 280s are excellent and dead quiet.

Are the saddles worn? Just wondering if a new set will make any difference. Again, you could try a set of block saddles (I actually have a spare set I bought but didn't want to install them- PM me if you're interested), or go to something like the Graph Tech ones (graphite). There are quite a few options if you're not satisfied.

 

[richab88]

I have some old saddles from an American Standard Strat plus some of the "locking saddles" that have a allen screw that locks down the string. I didn't find that these helped on the Strat at all, so I took them off. I could try them on the AL and let everyone know if it helps. I thought of trying one of the Hipshot or ABM fixed bridges, but they look like they only cover 2/3 of the bridge area that the AL uses. Anyone ever try a replacement bridge, or is it even worth the time and expense? Also, my AL does not have locking tuners - do yours?

 

[beej]

What the heck, give the saddles a shot and see if you like them. I think replacing the bridge is overkill though- a lot of work and I'm not sure if it would make any material difference. But believe me, I'm all for modding the guitar if it will make it more useable for you!

My Pinkburst AL does not have locking tuners- I'm about to upgrade them. Did this with my '91 Morse too- took out the old ones, drilled very small holes for the bits on the new locking tuners and presto, more stability with very little cosmetic damage. I also added a Silent Circuit to my AL for what it's worth- it didn't originally have one. Makes a huge difference in hum.

 

[robelinda2]

well i too own a pre-silent circuit AL (love ya Beej!) and i think its just great. stock pickups are fantastic, i dont care about the noise, it has TONE!!!!!!!!!!

 

[richab88]

I decided to open up the AL last night with the intention of putting in the Fralin Woodstock '69s and lo-and-behold! The pickups were Fender Custom Shop units! I don't know which model - based on the sonic evaluation, maybe the '54s. I bought this axe at a guitar show in Columbus for $700. All else looks original and aside from a few minor dents it's in great shape. The neck has a tremendous birdseye pattern. It's not candy apple red as I said earlier, it's Burgundy. I'll post a picture of it later today or tomorrow. I put the Fralins in last night (the bridge pickup has the baseplate option) and I'm ecstatic over the results, although I'd like to hear a stock AL for comparison. I'm going to put a new set of DR Tite Wound .011's on it to give it a little more punch. I noticed that the Music Man website says that lemon oil can be used to clean the neck. I didn't think that lemon oil should be used on a maple board(?)

 

[uvacom]

I'd like to hear a stock AL for comparison.

I'd be happy to make a recording for you as soon as I get mine put back together (probably Thursday). I'm no great player or anything (just a tech guy who likes guitars), but just let me know what you would like to hear that would (for you) demonstrate the sound of the pickups. I use Amplitude 2 so you can tell me what you'd like to hear it through, or I can just record totally direct (buffered hiZ input of course!).

 

[candid_x]

I decided to open up the AL last night with the intention of putting in the Fralin Woodstock '69s and lo-and-behold! The pickups were Fender Custom Shop units! I don't know which model - based on the sonic evaluation, maybe the '54s. I bought this axe at a guitar show in Columbus for $700. All else looks original and aside from a few minor dents it's in great shape. The neck has a tremendous birdseye pattern. It's not candy apple red as I said earlier, it's Burgundy. I'll post a picture of it later today or tomorrow. I put the Fralins in last night (the bridge pickup has the baseplate option) and I'm ecstatic over the results, although I'd like to hear a stock AL for comparison. I'm going to put a new set of DR Tite Wound .011's on it to give it a little more punch. I noticed that the Music Man website says that lemon oil can be used to clean the neck. I didn't think that lemon oil should be used on a maple board(?)

That's the biggest down side of buying used, never know what switcheroo someone has made. I guess the original owner must have liked the AL p'ups enough to swap them out. The Fralins should sound tight though.

Lemon oil is good to clean the funk off a maple board, but not to condition it, as you would with a rosewood board.

 

[Spudmurphy]

I'd be happy to make a recording for you as soon as I get mine put back together (probably Thursday). I'm no great player or anything (just a tech guy who likes guitars), but just let me know what you would like to hear that would (for you) demonstrate the sound of the pickups. I use Amplitude 2 so you can tell me what you'd like to hear it through, or I can just record totally direct (buffered hiZ input of course!).

Tell you what uvacom - I'd love to hear your AL with those mods you made!
Can you post me a link to those 500k pots you are using please ?

 

[Spudmurphy]

Lemon oil is good to clean the funk off a maple board, but not to condition it, as you would with a rosewood board.

Hey candid - off topic I know but I was talking to my guitar building buddy on the weekend about lemon oil. He doesn't use it because he says after a while it can leave a rancid smell.
He uses Johnson's Baby oil - and boy does he get good results !!
Back to the topic - get the original pickups put back in !!!

 

[uvacom]

Tell you what uvacom - I'd love to hear your AL with those mods you made!
Can you post me a link to those 500k pots you are using please ?

Sure, you can get 'em from Mouser. Hopefully that link works, otherwise the Mouser part # is just 652-95A1DZ28EA0302L

I don't really recommend putting these in, though. They cost 4x as much as CTS pots (Bourns makes 250k pots as well but they cost even more!), they provide little in the way of noise improvement, and they make it more difficult to ground your circuit since they have a plastic case. The tactile feel is really nice though, more like high-end lab equipment or an audiophile stereo. Heavier, but gliding.

Orange Drop capacitors are a really good mod though, I think. EBMM already uses good capacitors so it's actually not that crucial but I keep a bunch of caps around anyway and since I was redoing the tone circuit, it wasn't a big deal. If you have any non-EBMM guitars that use ceramic capacitors, Orange Drops (or any film capacitor really) are a huge step up. I guarantee you would notice the difference between a ceramic capacitor and a film capacitor. I cannot guarantee you would notice the difference between a polyester film (like EBMM uses) and a polypropylene film (like I use) capacitor. Oil and Paper is supposedly even better, but right now I can't justify the cost of keeping a stock of those so I can't say.

I've actually been meaning to wire up this junk guitar I have with some decent pickups and a tone circuit where I can easily swap out tone caps (and possibly different circuits) so people can listen and decide for themselves whether it's worthwhile, but don't hold your breath.

Err, sorry for the thread hijack - I get pretty into this stuff. If you want to know any more I'm happy to share all I know, but please PM me - EBMM probably would appreciate it if I didn't publicly advocate on their webspace taking a 700-degree iron to one's instrument all in the name of curiosity.

I think it goes without saying that pretty much everything I've just said would void one's warranty, btw!!

 

[richab88]

Are the pickups in the stock Albert Lee the same ones that are in the Fender Lite Ash Telecaster - they're Duncan Alnico's I believe. Those pickups sounded sweet, but the guitar was a little suspect quality-wise.
Should I really post my equipment as my signature or is this being silly....

 

[Spudmurphy]

Thanks for your help uvacom

 

[deweyd]

Richab88, there is an AL over in Dayton at Centerville Music - near I675 and I75 if you wanted to sample a stock AL single coil set up, at least as of last Monday, the 19ty.

For what it's worth I just put Duncan Virtual Rails in my G&L Legacy to get rid of the single coil hum yet retain some of the strati-ness. So far after 2 gigs I'm liking it. Also in the for what it's worth section, the guys at 5th Ave Fret Shop in Grandview were very helpful in helping me select the pups that best matched what I was looking for.

An AL at the C-Bus guitar show.... probably a good thing I didn't go....

Dave