Starfire III, LB 1 or Dynasonics?

[JackNangle]

Hello all, first post here. I tried using the search function but couldn’t find much useful info. I’m looking at getting a Newark Street Starfire III later this year and would like opinions on whether to go for a LB 1 equipped model or a Dynasonic one.
I have two guitars with Guild Dynasonics - a Gretsch Electromatic Jet and a partscaster Esquire so I know that I like them (even if they’re not that accurate to old ones). I have a HS Filtertron equipped Gretsch G5422 and an Epiphone Riviera with mini humbuckers also.
I was initially drawn to a Dyna Starfire III for the light weight and similar tones to my Jet, but the more I read about the LB-1 pickups, the more curious I get, even with the volume difference people complain about. So what’s people’s preference in these guitars? Any comparison videos of the two pickup types in a Starfire III?
Thanks in advance

 

[Walter Broes]

the logicial question is "what kind of sound are you after/what kind of music do you play?"

 

[JackNangle]

the logicial question is "what kind of sound are you after/what kind of music do you play?"

Thanks for the reply and a good point - gritty almost clean up to Neil Young lead. My main amp is a Supro Black Magic

 

[HeyMikey]

That sounds fairly broad. Are you looking for one guitar to do it all, or do you switch off for certain songs/tones?

 

[JackNangle]

I have a number of guitars to cover different ground, mostly for recording. My initial idea was something lighter than my Jet that could cover similar ground (mostly overdubbed jangly stuff or dirty lead) but with its own voice

 

[JackNangle]

I should also add I’m not a big fan of Gibson PAF style pickups, and have an Epiphone Wilshire with P90s also. I guess what I’m asking is which type of pickup do you feel is more suited to the Starfire III?

 

[Walter Broes]

I've yet to meet a Starfire III that sounds objectively bad or wrong or off, from dynasonics to minibuckers to full size buckers to P90's, it's just a matter of taste/what fits your music better

 

[JackNangle]

Am I right in thinking the LB-1 and Guild dynasonics are a straight swap? So if I got a regular SFIII I could swap Dynasonics in later if I felt the need to?

 

[Smiert Spionam]

Am I right in thinking the LB-1 and Guild dynasonics are a straight swap? So if I got a regular SFIII I could swap Dynasonics in later if I felt the need to?

No, they're mounted differently. But you do have some flexibility in each direction -- if you get it with the regular humbuckers, you can make Dynas work later if you use a small spacer (or you can use a ring-mounted tv jones that will work ok with the humbucker rings). If you go with the Dyna mount, you can use any top-mount TV Jones pickups, which would allow you to use a more vintage-accurate Dyna, his filter'trons, etc.

 

[parker_knoll]

Dynasonics x 1000. And I even like the new ones.

 

[HeyMikey]

No, they're mounted differently. But you do have some flexibility in each direction -- if you get it with the regular humbuckers, you can make Dynas work later if you use a small spacer (or you can use a ring-mounted tv jones that will work ok with the humbucker rings). If you go with the Dyna mount, you can use any top-mount TV Jones pickups, which would allow you to use a more vintage-accurate Dyna, his filter'trons, etc.

That’s good to know. I’ve thought the same thing since finding one with good Dyna’s is harder/pricier than with buckers.

 

[GGJaguar]

And I even like the new ones.

Me too, even though they aren't true Dynasonics.

 

[HeyMikey]

What is different wrt the new ones? Less sensitive, not as hot, less mirophonic?

How would you rate them compared to the earlier 2000’s and to the 2K’s ?

 

[parker_knoll]

the new ones are the same as the second round of ‘90s ones. i think they’re fine, personally, and i own 60s ones as well. Construction is different from the originals but it’s ballpark. Very well covered on GAD’s Guild pages website.

NB 2000 is the correct designation. Dynasonic was Gretsch’s rebranding. So these are 2000s, as are the 60s ones. The 2Ks look the same but have bar magnets under the bobbins.

 

[HeyMikey]

Thanks Parker.

So from this old post by Neal the new DeArmond 2000’s would be similar to #3 from the mid 2000’s, correct? If so it seems like a good idea to just grab a set now for possible use down the road.

GAD would know better than I about fit.

My point is that there are six different “Dynasonics”

1. The original ‘’50’s DeArmond Dynasonics
2. Early 2000’s DeAmond 2K
3. Mid 2000’s DeArmond 2000
4. Gretsch Dynasonics for their Proline Series
5. TV Jones T-Armand
6. Seymour Duncan Dynasonics

 

[parker_knoll]

Gary has what you need:

Identifying DeArmond 200, 2000, and 2K Pickups | GAD's Ramblings

Originally a part of my review of a Guild X160 Rockabilly guitar. I felt that the subject was asked about enough to warrant its own aritcle. The pickups in Guild X160 Rockabilly guitars are DeArmond 2000s, and yes, this is about to get very confusing. If you’ve done even a little bit of reading...

www.gad.net

The current 2000s are the same as the 2000s 2000s. Confused yet? Read the post

 

[parker_knoll]

the new ones are the same as the second round of ‘90s ones. i think they’re fine, personally, and i own 60s ones as well. Construction is different from the originals but it’s ballpark. Very well covered on GAD’s Guild pages website.

NB 2000 is the correct designation. Dynasonic was Gretsch’s rebranding. So these are 2000s, as are the 60s ones. The 2Ks look the same but have bar magnets under the bobbins.

But to clarify further, the current Gretsch Dynasonics and TV Jones/Seymour Duncan production are reissues of the '60s model with the huge polepieces. The current Guild is a reissue of the early 00s model and appears to be identifical to the 2000 of that era with short polepieces. They all look basically the same from the top which doesn't help. Price is your best guide. They are all very tall pickups and will NOT substitute for a P90 or a humbucker in most cases due to height.

 

[Walter Broes]

The current ones are wound hotter than the 90's ones, and you can hear it and feel it in the way they hit an amp. It doesn't make them sound like the originals though - they have a bit of a severely overwound Fender sound - the midrange takes over. And they're not as loud and huge sounding

The TV Jones pickups are not copies of the originals either - the magnets are the same diameter, but much shorter. Compared to the originals, they compress a little. The originals mantain that "Clang!" no matter how hard you play.

The Gabojo pickups áre copies of the originals, same coil wire, same long magnets - but you can only get them humbucker, P90, or Filtertron sized.

The current Gretsch ones have the long magnets, but they're wound less hot than the originals. I don't know if that's because they're using bigger coil wire or just less of the correct stuff. (44 awg) They actually sound great as a neck pickup, but they're impossible to balance as a set. I had a buddy wind one to almost 12K years ago, and it sounded great!

 

[Smiert Spionam]

The current ones are wound hotter than the 90's ones, and you can hear it and feel it in the way they hit an amp. It doesn't make them sound like the originals though - they have a bit of a severely overwound Fender sound - the midrange takes over. And they're not as loud and huge sounding

The TV Jones pickups are not copies of the originals either - the magnets are the same diameter, but much shorter. Compared to the originals, they compress a little. The originals mantain that "Clang!" no matter how hard you play.

The Gabojo pickups áre copies of the originals, same coil wire, same long magnets - but you can only get them humbucker, P90, or Filtertron sized.

The current Gretsch ones have the long magnets, but they're wound less hot than the originals. I don't know if that's because they're using bigger coil wire or just less of the correct stuff. (44 awg) They actually sound great as a neck pickup, but they're impossible to balance as a set. I had a buddy wind one to almost 12K years ago, and it sounded great!

It’s been a long time since I’ve been inside it, but I’m almost certain that the TVJ T’Armond pickups I installed in my Duo Jet ~10 years ago hd full-sized magnets, just like the Gretsch pickups I pulled out. I wonder if they changed to a single unified (and smaller) design for consistency and cost across their different mounts.

I wonder if that accounts for my different experience of them compared to some of you.

 

[Walter Broes]