Pickup (mini-humbucker) thoughts?

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GrunfeldGrunfeld Frets: 4027
edited August 2017 in Guitar
What do I do with this?


It’s an Eastwood Breadwinner — their take on the Ovation Breadwinner.
It plays pretty good as it happens.
But f**ck me the pickups are shockers.
Dreadful.
The Ovation, apparently, had active pickups.
I’m not sure the Eastwood is exactly active.
You can stick a 9v battery into it and, with the flick of a switch, the pickups get more lively.
I think it’s an active tone circuit.  [This could be bollox.]
But,
Active, passive, or submissive — the pickups are shrill, nasty, horrid buggers.
So…
What do I replace them with?

They are mini-humbucker sized.  So I’m guessing that’s the size of replacement I’m looking for.

Regardless of the fact that the guitar looks like it has melted in front of your radiator what could I stick in it?
I like the sound of:
Michael Schenker
David Gilmour
Brian Aubert (Silversun PIckups)
The Joy Division / New Order bloke

Side note:  I was thinking, maybe EMG mini humbuckers. There are no YouTube reviews.  That's odd!  Any experience?





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Comments

  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71957
    Forget the pickups, just get a better stage outfit!

    http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/photo-of-annifrid-lyngstad-and-bjorn-ulvaeus-and-abba-bjorn-ulvaeus-picture-id85239959


    :)

    Since they do actually look 'right', maybe see what Ash at Oil City would recommend doing for a rebuild in the existing casings?

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • GrunfeldGrunfeld Frets: 4027
    @ICBM ; the glittery onesie is not a go2od look!  The lady with the hat, yes; the onesie, no.

    I've had a look @TheGuitarWeasel ; Oil City site and I'm curious.
    Is there a mini-humbucker which sounds, I guess, like a BKP Stormy Monday?
    ish?

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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14323
    Learn Carruthers-era Siouxsie & The Banshees cover versions.

    The Eastwood pickups look suspiciously Filter'Tron-esque. The active circuitry is probably a simple booster pre-amp. Next string change, unfasten the pickguard and take a look.
    Be seeing you.
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27580
    DiMarzio do P90 sized buckers that sound very decent.
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • Oil City would be my first port of call - I dare say Ash could rustle you up some hotter/fatter-than-standard mini HB's either in the existing casings or new ones. 

    I might have mentioned t'other night over a steaming trough of gravysalad that I recently salvaged a Seymour Duncan Vintage Mini Humbucker for use in my tele neck - comparing it directly to the Classic 57's in my 335 (which in themselves aren't a million miles soundwise from Stormy Mondays) I'd say the mini HB is a bit brighter and more 'flutey' but still gratifyingly grunty. Presuming the Oil City mini HB is in that sonic ballpark then I imagine some judicious tweaking of the coil and magnet spec would yield further girth and poke, and still set you back less than most US manufacturers.
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  • RavenousRavenous Frets: 1484
    Grunfeld said:
    Regardless of the fact that the guitar looks like it has melted in front of your radiator...
    Can't help with the pickups, but I just want to say I've always thought the body shape on those is WELL cool.  (There, that's me out of the closet.)
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14323
    Sporky said:
    DiMarzio do P90 sized buckers that sound very decent.
    Anything P90-sized would require wood and plastic to be removed.

    Since the guitar already has a battery compartment, EMG does active mini HB replacements. http://www.emgpickups.com/guitar/mini-hums.html Good luck finding a UK stockist at the moment.

    On some original Ovations, the polepieces were rod magnets and the coils could be split to emulate Fender tones. 

    Oil City
    Winterizer neck. Something a tad beefier for the bridge/Treble position. No cissy coil splitting.
    Be seeing you.
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  • GrunfeldGrunfeld Frets: 4027
    Funkfingers said:

    Since the guitar already has a battery compartment, EMG does active mini HB replacements. http://www.emgpickups.com/guitar/mini-hums.html Good luck finding a UK stockist at the moment.

    On some original Ovations, the polepieces were rod magnets and the coils could be split to emulate Fender tones.
    noisepolluter said:
    Oil City
    Winterizer neck. Something a tad beefier for the bridge/Treble position. No cissy coil splitting.
    Re the original Ovations:  iirc the pickups had some shonky idea which, although "original," meant that you couldn't get a single useable sound from them.

    I think I have made a decision...
    I've never been a fan of the Johnny Winter sound.
    I'm going to go EMG. 
    This is also prompted by the fact that the Eastwood's volume and tone pots are rubbish and I'd have to bin them anyway.
    Just got to see if I can get a pair now. 
    Got someone coming back from the States in a fortnight and I'm sure they won't mind bringing me back a couple of small black boxes with wires sticking out. 

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  • OilCityPickupsOilCityPickups Frets: 9983
    tFB Trader
    Grunfeld said:
    @ICBM ; the glittery onesie is not a go2od look!  The lady with the hat, yes; the onesie, no.

    I've had a look @TheGuitarWeasel ; Oil City site and I'm curious.
    Is there a mini-humbucker which sounds, I guess, like a BKP Stormy Monday?
    ish?

    I've already built my Marlene Mini as an alnico 2 PAF version to special order ... always happy to build more :-)
    Professional pickup winder, horse-testpilot and recovering Chocolate Hobnob addict.
    Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups  ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message  

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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27580
    Funkfingers said: 
    Sporky said:
    DiMarzio do P90 sized buckers that sound very decent.
    Anything P90-sized would require wood and plastic to be removed.

    Ah - good point, I didn't look closely enough at the picture.

    So I'd go to Ash for some Oil City loveliness.
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • GrunfeldGrunfeld Frets: 4027
    edited August 2017
    I've splurged on the EMGs -- and I'm a bit dubious, not least because I can't find any youtube examples of the EMG mini-humbuckers.  I've gone for the M-50 and the M-60.  (Ordered directly from EMG and sent to someone in the States which was a bit of a one-off, more-affordable option).  I'll make a review video once they're in. 
    I think it comes down to not really having a clear idea in my head what this guitar is "supposed" to sound like. 
    I didn't really do my homework listening to other players with mini-humbuckers.  In fact other than Johnny Winter I can't think of one.  And even that way of thinking is seriously flawed because it's not like changing a pickup is going to change the way I play. 
    I want to gig this guitar, I've had it long enough(!) and the stock pickups are really not up to the job so I'll be doing my own mini-hum journey of discovery to see what they can do.  I'm quite curious!
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  • OilCityPickupsOilCityPickups Frets: 9983
    tFB Trader
    Grunfeld said:
    I've splurged on the EMGs -- and I'm a bit dubious, not least because I can't find any youtube examples of the EMG mini-humbuckers.  I've gone for the M-50 and the M-60.  (Ordered directly from EMG and sent to someone in the States which was a bit of a one-off, more-affordable option).  I'll make a review video once they're in. 
    I think it comes down to not really having a clear idea in my head what this guitar is "supposed" to sound like. 
    I didn't really do my homework listening to other players with mini-humbuckers.  In fact other than Johnny Winter I can't think of one.  And even that way of thinking is seriously flawed because it's not like changing a pickup is going to change the way I play. 
    I want to gig this guitar, I've had it long enough(!) and the stock pickups are really not up to the job so I'll be doing my own mini-hum journey of discovery to see what they can do.  I'm quite curious!
    Johnny Winter used Firebird pickups ... these are a totally different, and in my opinion, way better design than a 'mini humbucker'. They are fatter and less scratchy, while keeping that 'Tele on steroids' vibe.
    Professional pickup winder, horse-testpilot and recovering Chocolate Hobnob addict.
    Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups  ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message  

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  • GrunfeldGrunfeld Frets: 4027
    Johnny Winter used Firebird pickups ... these are a totally different, and in my opinion, way better design than a 'mini humbucker'. They are fatter and less scratchy, while keeping that 'Tele on steroids' vibe.
    Ah, my brain, of course it was a Firebird. 
    Well, the existing mini-humbuckers in the Breadwinner definitely tick the thin and scratchy boxes. 
    Gawd help us, maybe they're supposed to sound like that?
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  • Excuse the necro bump. Just wondering how you got on with the emgs? Curious about them myself as a closet active fan. (I also have some silver spandex but that's another story)
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  • GrunfeldGrunfeld Frets: 4027
    I haven't used them!  They're still in their boxes. 
    Long story short:  got some custom alnico pickups made because the guitar is non-standard and the EMGs wouldn't fit.

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