Changing Silhouette Special pickups

[menvafaan]

Hi all,

I'm thinking of trying some other pickups for my Silo Special, so I'm asking for advice form the people who have tried a Silo Special with other pickups than the stock ones.

I'm after a more vintage kind of vibe. I'd really want to try out the Suhr Fletcher-Landau pickups, have anyone tried them in their SS? Others that I have an eye on is Kinman and Fralin pickups.

Please share your experience! How much does it change the sound? What pickups have worked fine with the guitar, and what pickups have worked less fine?

I hope for some valuable input. Thanks!

/Sebastian

 

[whitestrat]

Vintage??? Well, if you want really GOOD single coil pickups, check out SLIDER'S single coils from Australia... (Paging candidx! You'd want to hear these for yourself too!) I've not had the chance yet, but on clips these are the nicest singles I've heard yet! Compared to these, the Kinmans and Fralins don't sound anywhere near as good!

Rob, Dizzy, have you heard of this guy? His singles are really amazing!

Slider’s Vintage Classics on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

 

[candid_x]

They sound really nice, Lionel. Would prefer hearing without so much reverb and compression, unless the compression is from alnico 2 magnets?

 

[Music Man]

On my black Silo Special I installed a Dimarzio Area 61 in the Bridge and Area 58s in the midle and neck positions and it sounds Killer. I also installed a pull pot in the tone position to get two extra positions so that I can get a Tele type sound with the Bridge and Neck pickups together, and put a capacitor across the volume to keep them bright when rolling down the volume. I have never played much with volume and tone but with this guy I can get so many different sounds just by playing with them.

 

[uncle_fester]

I bought a new Silo a couple months ago (SSS). The guitar felt great, but sounded like something was holding it back. I tried a few things.

1) Bypassed the silent circuit. The difference was significant to my ears - but still not "open" enough.
2) New pickups: Dimarzio Fast Track 1 (B), Area 67's (M/N). Dig the Area 67's, the jury is still out on the FT1.
4) Tried 500k pots. Not it. Didn't like how they limited the sweep - went back to 250K's.
3) Something was still holding it back.... I wired in some long leads with alligator clips and tried a boat load of tone caps. Got to the .022 Hovland and it REALLY opened things up. The properties (paper & oil) of that cap achieved the satisfaction my ears wanted to hear. I just put one in my Axis Super Sport too.

Had I tried the tone cap first ($9), I may have left everything else.. who knows for sure. But I am getting a thrill from those Area 67's.

 

[candid_x]

I had Fralin blues specials in an SSS S Special. I liked them, but it also seemed to make the Silo less versatile than with the stock p'ups, more of a one trick pony. I've since sold it.

I've had a DiMarzio (bridge) Breed HB in my main Silo Special for around a year, I guess, and I've no plans to replace it, nor to change out the stock single coils in it... they go too well together, and it makes for the most versatile guitar I've ever owned.

 

[whitestrat]

They sound really nice, Lionel. Would prefer hearing without so much reverb and compression, unless the compression is from alnico 2 magnets?

I don't know... But I was very impressed with hearing the Classic 57 clips. Thing is, these clips are not done by the winder. They're all contributed by his customers... Check out the youtube clips of the 59s in action.

57s: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWHwu7JwH60"]YouTube - Fender "The Strat" (1980) with Slider's Vintage Pickups[/ame]
59s: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en8PY-lv8pU"]YouTube - Riviera Paradise - Tommy Katona[/ame]

 

[skerwo]

I also changed the stock pus in my silo spec into a set of sss-pus of one of the most popular german guitarbuilders (Staufer Guitars). It changed a really good guitar in a killer guitar. Since this time the silo is my one and only guitar from everything between rock, blues, country, funky and soul things. I´m no metal player but love the good hardrock sounds of the 70s, so up to this level of gain the silo is the perfect guitar.

So try to change the pus, it really can be a big surprise.



Rainer

 

[candid_x]

Lionel, I hear what you're saying. They do sound awfully nice. Have you gotten them yet? Are they spendy?

 

[whitestrat]

Lionel, I hear what you're saying. They do sound awfully nice. Have you gotten them yet? Are they spendy?

Not yet. have ordered the 59s... Will let you know... But they're not cheap. $290 for a set. OUCH!

 

[candid_x]

Yikers! Tone sluts! lol

Hope it works out, lemme know if you like.

 

[menvafaan]

So, how do I change the pickups practically on my Silo Special?

Should I buy a new pickguard and go from there, or is it just as easy to switch the pickups on the existing one?

I've decided on trying the Suhr Fletcher-Landau pickups and a SSV or SSV+ in the bridge position!

 

[candid_x]

So, how do I change the pickups practically on my Silo Special?

Should I buy a new pickguard and go from there, or is it just as easy to switch the pickups on the existing one?

I've decided on trying the Suhr Fletcher-Landau pickups and a SSV or SSV+ in the bridge position!

If you have good eyes, a steady hand and a some soldering skill, you could just look carefully at the innards and change whichever pickups you wish. If your eyes are dim, and you are dangerous with a soldering iron, and don't have knack for following schematics, do as I do and have a qualified tech do it for you.

Whether you buy a new pickguard or just transfer the hardware over to your current one is completely up to what you want.

There's no way to explain it with just words. You have to look at it and see if you want to take it on or have it done for you. No shame in the latter.

 

[beej]

I had a set of the FLs for a while and really liked them. Probably my favourite set of single coils. I ended up going noiseless and settled on Lawrence L200s. But for true singles the FLs are excellent. (If only they let you play like Landau ...)

If you want to keep the originals and be able to swap back 'n forth quickly, get another p/g, pots, switches, etc. But it's a factor of cost.

Wiring should all be straight-forward. Just email CS for an original wiring diagram, and make sure you make changes to account for the different wire colours of the new pickups.