L4 HH pickup questions

[opaz]

I am looking into picking up a L4 HH and noticed that the L4 HH uses the new HT pickups. Are those the same ones used in the Sabre HT? Anyone owning both the L4 and the L3 could share their experience on the tonal similarities and differences between the L3 humbuckers and the L4 HT humbuckers?

Thanks.

 

[Epiplatys]

I can only speak to the bridge pickup. I got the 30th anniversary L4 (HSS) and the recent Sabre BRF (HH). Only the bridge pickup on the Sabre is HT. But both have the black limba body wood, with maple necks (however the Sabre is maple fretboard, L4 is ebony). The Sabre has much thicker maple top, L4 maple top can be ignored as it is thin veneer.

Anyway, with this out of the door: the bridge pickups on these two sound similar, but not identical:
- the overall volume (signal strength is similar/identical)
- overall these pickpus are similar, they are certainly closely related (I don't know if they are the same or not)
- high frequency character sounds similar
- low frequencies sound similar
- pick attack/headroom sounds identical
- the Sabre has a little more upper mid emphasis, and one would call it brighter. While it is not night and day difference, it is pronounced and absolutely noticeable immediately. You would not mistake it blindfolded.
- the L4 is more restrained, flatter with so slightly pushed low-mid/mid frequencies. I would say it sounds more polite, more restrained. Again, while it is not a huge difference you will know which one is which blindfolded 10 times out of 10.

So I don't know if these two pickups are the same - could be, but I would say they are minimally of the same family and not a huge distance apart from each other.

 

[opaz]

Thanks, have put an order in. Really looking forward to owning my first EBMM.

 

[LilSteve1]

Another question on the L4 HH. Are thr pu pole adjustment screws under the cover. What would be the purpose to access them easily?

 

[Epiplatys]

afaik the cover is removable, but not easily removable. You'd need to unsolder it, and there is only so much clearance under the cover for pole adjustment, and you'd need to solder the cover back and bake the bee wax back in etc.
So I guess I'm saying I don't think this is something you would do practically speaking. I would not personally.

 

[opaz]

Hi friends, some updates I got from the EBMM customer service:

The "HT" describes heat treated components of the pickups, and pickups are different between models.

Different windings, gauges of wire, and magnets are still used to accentuate the tonal characteristics of each model.

So in this case, the actual winds for the pickups will still be different across the models.