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Help! Pickups in AL muddy

I

imastratoholic

Well-known member
Joined
May 9, 2013
Messages
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Location
Phx,Az
I love my Albert Lee, but I'm finding the pickups to be really muddy. I've adjusted the height with no real change. Has anybody swapped out their pups in an AL? What do you all recommend?
 
Sorry about not including the essentials. It is the 2011 H/H configuration. African Mahogany/rosewood. I'm playing blues, rock, country.
 
Never considered the HH AL pups muddy pretty high output to me, I am sure someone might have but do not remember seeing a thread on it.

What sound are you looking for??
 
When I plug different guitars into the same amp, the AL sounds muddy. It's not unbearable, but unusual. The other guitars are Gibsons. SG Standard and 335.
 
You could try changing your tone pot for a no-load one- this usually opens things up just a little.
 
Skoorbdooh said:
You could try changing your tone pot for a no-load one- this usually opens things up just a little.
Click to expand...

I haven't pulled the pick guard on my AL yet, so I don't know what pots and caps are in there. Does anybody know what the wiring specs are?
Bassier may be the better description than muddy.
 
imastratoholic said:
I haven't pulled the pick guard on my AL yet, so I don't know what pots and caps are in there. Does anybody know what the wiring specs are?
Bassier may be the better description than muddy.
Click to expand...

According to the MM website - you have 2 500k pots in there and a .047uf cap. If the information I am finding on the net is correct then the pickups you have are the same as in the Axis and those pickups IMNHO really don´t sound "right" with a tone control in the circuit - hence my suggestion on the no-load tone pot. I had to do the exact same thing to my ASS when I got it because I could not get the same tone out of it as I do my EVH. Once I had put a no-load tone pot in there - it was as close as it could be between two guitars that are not 100% identical (different bridge, different weight, etc.)
 
The AL HH, Reflex and Super Sport have the same pickups and a 250k load (2 x 500k pots), while the EVH has a 500k load (just the one pot). You'll find a a subtle difference in the resonant peak when you remove the tone control. It's not life-changing but it can open things up a bit.

What's great with those pickups is wiring them in parallel, like on the Reflex :)

If you find 'em too muddy, though, not the worst idea to try something else out with lower inductance. There have probably never been more pickups to choose from.
 
beej said:
The AL HH, Reflex and Super Sport have the same pickups and a 250k load (2 x 500k pots), while the EVH has a 500k load (just the one pot). You'll find a a subtle difference in the resonant peak when you remove the tone control. It's not life-changing but it can open things up a bit.

What's great with those pickups is wiring them in parallel, like on the Reflex :)

If you find 'em too muddy, though, not the worst idea to try something else out with lower inductance. There have probably never been more pickups to choose from.
Click to expand...

Great points that you bring up. Very impressive how the fact that reducing the inductance by nearly 75% while having humbuckers wired in parallel vs. series really opens up the sound by nearly doubling the resonant peak. Makes the almost 3dB change between a 250k and 500k load seem not so big except for the fact that those particular pickups have two dissimilar coils making the change more apparent than in a more matched coil humbucker design. I have always been most intrigued with the fact that these changes in wiring and load affect only the resonant peak and really have no effect on any other part of the sound spectrum of the pickup. That, coupled with the fact that the resonant peak really tells our ears how the pickup sounds more than anything else, means that the smallest tweaks can really "make or break" your tone.
Cool stuff.
 
Does anyone have a wiring diagram that shows how to add parallel option to an AL HH using a mini switch similar to the reflex? Is it possible to do this AND add a coil tap for positions 1 and 5 using a push/pull on the tone pot?

It's something I've been thinking about for a while. (Hope I'm not hijacking this thread but it seems fairly relevant to the OP).
 
Are you looking for a more vintage sound? I thought the Humbuckers in the AL sound really good? For a replacement, I love the Dimarzio 36th Anniversaries. Great balance, not hot at all, and they have nice clarity. Check them out.
 
Raise the pole pieces.
If that doesn't work, try the no load pot with a .022uF cap.
I have never played a really dark EBMM guitar before.
 
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