Question Silhouette

[mike_baugh]

I really, really like the pickups in my new Silhouette Special, I know they are Dimarzio, but which Dimarzio's are they?

Also, about the 'silent circuit' how does this actually work? Does it mean that the two single coils will be noisy when the 9v battery dies, or will the sound will weaken like it does when the battery is dying on the Luke?

 

[metalmarty]

The HSS has a virtual PAF in the bridge and SSS-3 custom wound singlecoils. With the silent circuit I really didn't notice a lot of difference when I took out the battery to be honest. If I'm recalling correctly it's a dummy coil that works when using a single coil which is disengaged when you use 2 (the in between positions).

Beej said this in an earlier thread about this:
"The Silent Circuit is in series with each pickup. Basically, you wire each p'up to the Silent Circuit, rather than ground.

The battery powers its onboard op-amp ... basically it picks up hum but no string vibration, that hum is then subtracted from the pickup's signal.

When you remove the battery, the Silent Circuit doesn't function and so has no effect. Essentially it's as if you'd just wired your pickups to ground and it wasn't there.

So yes, it's absolutely normal to have it sound just fine w/o a battery. You may notice a bit more hum than usual, that's all."

http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-guitars/46740-silhouette-special-no-battery-plays.html

 

[guitfiddle]

You may notice a bit more hum than usual, that's all."

Exactly what metalmarty said.

I will add that (and you can try this easily) the additional hum is minimal, they are pretty quiet by single coil standards and some people even prefer the sound without the battery in (so used to playing guitars that hum and they miss it).

 

[mike_baugh]

The HSS has a virtual PAF in the bridge and SSS-3 custom wound singlecoils. With the silent circuit I really didn't notice a lot of difference when I took out the battery to be honest. If I'm recalling correctly it's a dummy coil that works when using a single coil which is disengaged when you use 2 (the in between positions).

Beej said this in an earlier thread about this:
"The Silent Circuit is in series with each pickup. Basically, you wire each p'up to the Silent Circuit, rather than ground.

The battery powers its onboard op-amp ... basically it picks up hum but no string vibration, that hum is then subtracted from the pickup's signal.

When you remove the battery, the Silent Circuit doesn't function and so has no effect. Essentially it's as if you'd just wired your pickups to ground and it wasn't there.

So yes, it's absolutely normal to have it sound just fine w/o a battery. You may notice a bit more hum than usual, that's all."

http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-guitars/46740-silhouette-special-no-battery-plays.html

That's great!
Thanks for your help, the virtual PAF is a very good pickup. Does that mean that we cannot purchase the two single coils from Dimarzio as the are custom made for EBMM?
And if for example I wanted to put a Dimarzio Cruiser and AT1 in the neck and bridge position, would I earth it to the Silent Circuit?

 

[metalmarty]

That's great!
Thanks for your help, the virtual PAF is a very good pickup. Does that mean that we cannot purchase the two single coils from Dimarzio as the are custom made for EBMM?

I'm assuming that's the case, I haven't found it on the DiMarzio website.

 

[peterd79]

That's great!
Thanks for your help, the virtual PAF is a very good pickup. Does that mean that we cannot purchase the two single coils from Dimarzio as the are custom made for EBMM?
And if for example I wanted to put a Dimarzio Cruiser and AT1 in the neck and bridge position, would I earth it to the Silent Circuit?

That's correct... but the guys are DiMarzio are great and if you fire off a phone call or email they will put you in something as close to what you have as they can without selling the customs...

but now that i'm thinking cant we order preloaded pickguards from EBMM?

 

[mike_baugh]

That's correct... but the guys are DiMarzio are great and if you fire off a phone call or email they will put you in something as close to what you have as they can without selling the customs...

but now that i'm thinking cant we order preloaded pickguards from EBMM?

Preloaded pick guards would be great, yeah Dimarzio have been very helpful in the past

 

[Roubster]

On the Silo Special HSS, the silent circuit is only activated in the neck position. The middle single coil is never on by itself the way its wired. If you were to put in the cruiser in the neck slot it would not need the silent circuit as it is a hum canceling pickup. And yea, EBMM do sell prewired pickguards for specific models .

 

[beej]

Yep ... as Rob says, you wouldn't use it on noise-free pickups. Though you could wire it up anytime you have a single coil/split, etc.

The SC is a pretty handy little thing. I've put it in a few other guitars for coil splits and to quiet the singles (my Morse & Y2D, for example).

 

[peterd79]

Yep ... as Rob says, you wouldn't use it on noise-free pickups. Though you could wire it up anytime you have a single coil/split, etc.

The SC is a pretty handy little thing. I've put it in a few other guitars for coil splits and to quiet the singles (my Morse & Y2D, for example).

can we order SCs?

 

[beej]

can we order SCs?

No. You can find them used though ... I've found a few though forum members and you do see them on eBay or pickguard assemblies for sale.

 

[peterd79]

No. You can find them used though ... I've found a few though forum members and you do see them on eBay or pickguard assemblies for sale.

that's what i thought...

i have my coils split on my 20th and love it but thought heck if i could slient those babies up when they're tapped that might be an interesting trial... althought if i don't like it can i get it back identical to where it is now...
maybe i'll just hold off and see if my gas gets sooooo bad that i have to buy another guitar