Got my NS X175!!

[Synchro]

I think you really have to adjust the amp controls going from one type of pickup to another, especially when changing from humbuckers to single coils. The NS Franz's are bright but can be tamed somewhat.

Yeah, I have heard some anecdotal evidence about how Franz pickups "are like P90s but hotter" which came as a surprise when I got my CE100D as they are definately not hotter than even the most vintage, low output P90. Perhaps those guys were refferring to earlier Franz pickups? The 55 pickup in my X50 is definitely hotter than the 63 pickups but it's fair way from the strings so you don't really hear it.

Inductance is measured with a multi-meter with an inductance setting. I made sure when I bought a new meter a few years back that it had that function. Very useful & and an eye opener at times.

A question, are all the NS Franz original & reissues the same under the cover - i.e. would an NS Aristocrat pickup be able to fit under the dog ear cover of a vintage CE100D or an NS X-175?

That very well could be. The dealer where I tested the Aristocrat was low on amps at the time and I played through a Bugera V22, IIRC. I usually play through a Winfield Cyclone or a Winfield Typhoon. I am also comfortable with a Blackface Fender but don't even have a starting point with something like the Bugera.

I need to get a new DVM one of these days. The Smithsonian has been hinting that they'd like to borrow my Fluke 77 for a display on Stone Age technology. Hopeful I can find something with an inductance meter. I assume that there's a standard reference frequency used for such measurements because inductance increases with frequency.

 

[dhdfoster]

Well, I just heard my guy's leaving for a vacation trip on saturday, so it'll have to wait awhile. But yes, it looks like I'm definitely going to ask for 5 and 6K, degauss the magnets, and the whole nine -scatterwound, not too tidy" yards.

That honky midrange thing is really the only thing that bothers me about the guitar - today I noticed I was even getting some "quacky" almost "two strat pickups" or filtertron thing out of the lead pickup, which is downright weird for having just the one coil. And I might move that lead pickup back a little too if the pickup redo doesn't get me what I want - I'm missing some of that agressive trebly thing on the lead and middle switch positions, it doesn't get "ugly in a great way" as much as I'm used to.

Did you ever get these rewound?

I really hate to be negative, but I just don't love the reissue Franzes. I've really tried. They sound "good", but there is dullness and a congested sound that I can't get passed. The rewind improved things, but not a whole lot. Maybe it's the guitar itself...I don't know.

 

[Walter Broes]

No, not yet. I'm on vacation now, haha. (I'm in NYC) I'm gonna contact my guy as soon as I get home, I'll keep you posted.

 

[dhdfoster]

No, not yet. I'm on vacation now, haha. (I'm in NYC) I'm gonna contact my guy as soon as I get home, I'll keep you posted.

Have fun. Go see Jim Campilongo!

 

[Walter Broes]

That's the plan - too tired yesterday night, but he plays again next monday, and we're still here then!

 

[Walter Broes]

OK, I finally sent off the pickups to my tech last week, he'll get started on them this week I think.

A rehearsal with the NS 175 right after a rehearsal with my old CE100D convinced that I'm really not crazy at all about the RI Franz pickups, they're too plump, thick, and midrangey sounding for me. Can't get the agressive treble and steely twang out of them I'm used to, and they overdrive my amp too much. More soon, I hope.

 

[Default]

Plump, thick and midrangy sounds like my kind o' woman, err, pickup!

 

[Walter Broes]

Ha! I did have that thought, it's not a bad pickup, and I'm sure plenty of people would actually prefer the reissue to the original!

 

[Walter Broes]

Got my rewound Newark Street Franz pickups! Just got them in the mail from my tech (www.steffsen.be), and have them in the guitar. I spliced them in for now, will do a proper install soon, because I'm going to re-do the insides of the guitar, the pots have gone scratchy already, and the switch rattles a little in the middle position, so it's getting a CTS/Switchcraft harness as soon as I have the parts. I'm also putting in a push pull pot then to get both pickups out of phase as an option, to access some of those T-Bone Walker/Jimmy Nolen tones.

As for the rewound pickups, I rehearsed with them briefly tonight, and it looks as if my guy nailed it! I'm not sure what he did, whether he used different size wire, or changed the magnets at all, haven't measured the DC resistance yet either.

But so far, I'm getting more of that Franz pickup treble, much less of that particular mid-frequency that annoyed me so much in the stock pickups, and with an amp turned up to "blues", I'm getting that delicious growly thing Franz pickups do if you play double or triple stops.
They're slightly lower output than they were, and that's another thing I wanted - I shimmed them a little bit with some mousepad material, just a hair, and so far, so good.

Definitely happier than I was with this guitar.

 

[dhdfoster]

Got my rewound Newark Street Franz pickups! Just got them in the mail from my tech (www.steffsen.be), and have them in the guitar. I spliced them in for now, will do a proper install soon, because I'm going to re-do the insides of the guitar, the pots have gone scratchy already, and the switch rattles a little in the middle position, so it's getting a CTS/Switchcraft harness as soon as I have the parts. I'm also putting in a push pull pot then to get both pickups out of phase as an option, to access some of those T-Bone Walker/Jimmy Nolen tones.

As for the rewound pickups, I rehearsed with them briefly tonight, and it looks as if my guy nailed it! I'm not sure what he did, whether he used different size wire, or changed the magnets at all, haven't measured the DC resistance yet either.

But so far, I'm getting more of that Franz pickup treble, much less of that particular mid-frequency that annoyed me so much in the stock pickups, and with an amp turned up to "blues", I'm getting that delicious growly thing Franz pickups do if you play double or triple stops.
They're slightly lower output than they were, and that's another thing I wanted - I shimmed them a little bit with some mousepad material, just a hair, and so far, so good.

Definitely happier than I was with this guitar.

Good news!

 

[Zelja]

I'm getting my re-issue Franz pickups (from NS Aristocrat) sent to a pickup guy for a rewind & probable magnet swap as well. One thing I noticed is that the magnets on the re-issues are wider than they appear to be on my vintage Franz PUs (at least on my X50). I think this could be a key thing as well.

 

[drc]

how much does all the reworking of the pickups cost? Why not just buy different pickups?

 

[Walter Broes]

how much does all the reworking of the pickups cost? Why not just buy different pickups?

You'd have to ask him what he charges for the rewind, pretty sure it's less than a new pickup. I talked to him just now, and he kept the magnets that came in the pickups, so what he did is a rewind and a wax dip.

Why not buy new pickups? Different reasons. First one is, nothing mounts exactly like a Franz pickup, new or old, so for a new pickup to fit, I'd have to modifiy the guitar or the pickup.
Another reason is this guy is my long-time friend who doesn't mind re-doing a pickup until I'm happy, so with that luxury, why would I not go this way? I knew he'd repaired an old Franz pickup for a friend, so these things weren't alien to him at all.
Third reason is a new, quality pickup is almost always going to be more expensive than rewinding an existing pickup.

 

[drc]

a new, quality pickup is almost always going to be more expensive than rewinding an existing pickup.

that's reason enough for me.

 

[Walter Broes]

Did some more A/B testing today, and it really gets awful close. They're staying for now.

 

[woodamand]

I guess I am glad I never played a Guild with the original pups - one of the many reasons I bought the NS175 is that I really love the sounds of the pups, especially the neck. To each their own, and I am glad for you that you got the sound you like.
This whole interesting discussion is sort of like what you see on the clarinet boards - I play the black stick at least as much as the guitar, and clarinet players drive themselves crazy with different reeds and mouthpieces - it can get really out of hand. I'm lucky, as my teacher gave me this great piece of advice: the clarinet is a perfectly designed instrument, and if you have a good horn and a decent mouthpiece, the only thing that can sound bad is - you.
That piece of wisdom has saved me tons of money and time!

 

[mcflavin]

Sweet!!!!!! Congrats! (Ok, i see the purchase was 6 months ago but hey, looks nice!!)

 

[SFIV1967]

Walter! I spotted an upside down TRC!!!

Ralf

 

[Walter Broes]

I guess I am glad I never played a Guild with the original pups - one of the many reasons I bought the NS175 is that I really love the sounds of the pups, especially the neck. To each their own, and I am glad for you that you got the sound you like.
This whole interesting discussion is sort of like what you see on the clarinet boards - I play the black stick at least as much as the guitar, and clarinet players drive themselves crazy with different reeds and mouthpieces - it can get really out of hand. I'm lucky, as my teacher gave me this great piece of advice: the clarinet is a perfectly designed instrument, and if you have a good horn and a decent mouthpiece, the only thing that can sound bad is - you.
That piece of wisdom has saved me tons of money and time!

I'm not driving myself crazy with Gizmos I'm trying out. I jumped at the chance to have a guitar that sounds and feels like my vintage ones I love so much, but isn't vintage, and is relatively cheap. It's great to have something I don't mind taking in a gig bag, checking on airplanes, leaving in the rehearsal room overnight, etc.... that's replaceable or even "expendable".

It took a couple of small tweaks to get it closer to what I'm used to, and now I have what I hoped to be getting.

 

[richly harmonic]

Holy smokes...that looks superb!!!! Looks like a million bucks to me, especially with the Bigsby and Tru-arc. So how does that stainless steel sound, by the way?

I can't wait to get my Guild by end of the year (or maybe beginning of next year depending on how things go). All this Guild-ness is giving me GAS...whew!