Question AX20 pickups

[headcrash]

I recently made a good deal on a SBMM AX20 Rockstar Edition. Besides the embarassing top (although... maybe I might get used to it), this guitar is really outstanding for the money.
I really like the Pickups, they're really damn close to the custom EvH/Axis Dimarzios, albeit they're much hotter.
I am tempted to mill down the pickup cavities.... especially the neck pickup seems to overwhelm the bridge pup, which I dislike, since the original pup set is so well balanced. The AX20 neck pup itself still is a nice sounding one...

My actual issue is: I did the famous screwdriver test i.o. to find out which coils are active on which pup switch Position. And I think it is as follows (being 1 is for neck)
1. Neck series
2. Neck inner coil (one coil only, split)
3. Neck series parallel to bridge series
4. Neck inner coil parallel to bridge both coils (either bridge series or bridge parallel)
5. Bridge series

According to the info I found (including info from SBMM themselves), it should be
1. Neck series
2. Neck parallel
3. Neck series parallel to bridge series
4. Neck and bridge inner coils parallel
5. Bridge series

Maybe one of the SBMM family could chime in and shed some light on this...?
Thanks

 

[Eric O'Reilly]

When you say (rockstar) edition, what is that a special top or something? Because they usually have real nice quilt, my ax40 is beautiful.

 

[Eric O'Reilly]

I also thought the sbmm pickups were great, very hot like you said, just not as clear or refined as the real axis set, so I bought a set of ebmm axis dimarzios from a fellow forumite and also installed a chrome switch, supplied by Brian from sbmm and now I have a real gem!

 

[headcrash]

I also thought the sbmm pickups were great, very hot like you said, just not as clear or refined as the real axis set, so I bought a set of ebmm axis dimarzios from a fellow forumite and also installed a chrome switch, supplied by Brian from sbmm and now I have a real gem!

Wird, thanks for your reply. That guitar is a special edition, with a Rockstar Energy drink painted veneer in its top. It is all basswood, no maple top underneath.
The pups don't look linke Dimarzios, their bobbin tops have those little holes like Duncans, and they have rectangular mounting slugs. They do sound really good. But I can't believe, that the switching is like SBMM describes.

 

[DrKev]

Sounds like the second neck pickup coil is not working in positions 2 and 4. Clearly it is working in series, so the pickup itself is fine. I suspect a bad solder joint somewhere. Should be easy for a good tech to fix.

 

[BenB5150]

When I replaced the pickups in my AX40 my pickups were stamped Mighty Mite Motherbuckers. I liked them so I tried to install them in my Ibanez with a 5 way HH configuration. I tried every wiring configuration and could not get the neck pickup to split. I had no issues splitting the bridge. Kind of odd since they are the same pickups used in the AX 20. Is it possible to post a pic of how your AX 20 is wired? I'm interested in seeing how SBMM wired them up. They are some interesting pickups that's for sure.

Ben

 

[Eric O'Reilly]

When I replaced the pickups in my AX40 my pickups were stamped Mighty Mite Motherbuckers. I liked them so I tried to install them in my Ibanez with a 5 way HH configuration. I tried every wiring configuration and could not get the neck pickup to split. I had no issues splitting the bridge. Kind of odd since they are the same pickups used in the AX 20. Is it possible to post a pic of how your AX 20 is wired? I'm interested in seeing how SBMM wired them up. They are some interesting pickups that's for sure.

Ben

Thats weird, my ax40 sbmm pickups were stamped with no markings, and the hot wire is blue as opposed to red.

 

[headcrash]

Thanks Ben for your info.
As soon as I find the time, I'll go over the guitar and have look and measure of the pickups.
Also I might have to install a Mega Switch to get other coil combinations, since the one installed is an encapsulated chinese made, and it doesn't seem to have more than one switching layer.

 

[headcrash]

I recently took the time and had a look at the electronics.
DC-res neck: 8.8k
DC-res bridge: 15.8k
I have no idea what the switch does, cause it's encapsulated.
One coil of the neck pickup seems to be much louder than the other (screwdriver test). Since it sounds pretty clear with strong highs and lows, and a very high output, it might use Dimarzio's double resonance technology. Oh and they're stamped as G&B Pickups.

I found the neck to be too loud. So I swapped the big ceramic magnet for a smaller Alnico. It is quieter now, but all in all the tone and feel of both pickups does not compete with good Dimarzios. I guess I'll have to swap them with Air Norton / AT-1 de-aired for the (almost) real deal