Fender Noiseless pups - yay or nay?

Kiwiburger · 5th March 2007, 04:47 AM

What say ye

FFTT · 5th March 2007, 05:06 AM

I haven't heard anything much bad about them.

If they sound as good as vintage single coil pickups without humming every time you turn towards your amp, I guess that would be a good thing.

Some purists may disagree and some also didn't care for the Gold Lace Sensors on my
80's Strat Plus, but they sound fantastic to me and that's what counts.

I would try a few different guitars through a known good amp to compare the tone and sensitivity.

Kiwiburger · 5th March 2007, 09:02 AM

Thanks - yeah, I had a Strat Plus in the early 90's and the Lace sensors sounded good enough to me.

I'm deciding between Fender Noiseless and EMG vintage pups, which are extremely low noise, but require batteries. So i'm not really a purist. I miss those single coil sounds, but I can't tolerate hum.

SuperTorus · 5th March 2007, 10:20 AM

They don't sound like non noiseless PU's, and they are far away from a strat vintage sound. The bell and chime is still there, but to me they sound more aggressive than an aged vintage PU.

They aren't better or worse than the other PU's, just different. I love them for clean work. With distortion a old vintage PU sounds a bit more pleasant (to my ears at last).

And the hum is gone unless you play directly in front of your pc.

Blast9 · 5th March 2007, 10:22 AM

There's an interesting (probably biased) viewpoint/technical comparison on the Kinman website... He certainly knows his sh1t!

I really wanna get hold of some Kinmans meself.

You get a great deal down under on those through his site!

http://www.kinman.com/

I was dissuade re getting the EMG vintage. The guy at the shop had some, and said they were realy good with hi-gain tones, but not so good with crunchy tones.

He felt the best all-rounders were the Lindy Fralins --- full bodied vintage tone.

FFTT · 5th March 2007, 10:40 AM

Actually, I'm finding that a better quality amplifier is making more of a difference in my sound than anything before.

Go class A hand wired for sure!

My guitars are FINE and the Bad Cat is remarkable at showing off what they can do.

Kiwiburger · 5th March 2007, 12:03 PM

Thanks - I just found out about Kinman - looks very interesting.

Lindy Fralin - i'll check them out - do they do noiseless?

Blast9 · 5th March 2007, 01:30 PM

Looks like they may have a similar solution to what Jim Willias did to his gtrs:

http://www.fralinpickups.com/bpssc.asp

Opie Taylor · 5th March 2007, 04:47 PM

i would highly recomend the TBX tone control circuit to compliment the noiseless single coils in a strat.

GPl · 5th March 2007, 11:17 PM

I've heard good things about that Backplate Silent Single Coil System but have yet to hear a strat with one installed.

I did come across someone, Stan Hinesley Hand Wound Pickups that has a noiseless single coil for my J-Bass I was looking at changing up. Might be worth a look for ya

Daedalus77 · 6th March 2007, 03:02 AM

The noiseless are decent but a little sterile in my experience. I have them in my '05 Am. Tele Deluxe. Versatile and quiet and "fine." However the vintage pups in my buddy's mid-80s MIJ Tele sound considerably "better"—more guts, grit, and girth. (All good in Tele land.) Same friend has a mid-80s Am. Strat with Kinmans. VERY, very nice. I'd go with them or the Fralins, personally.

Best o' luck.

P.S. — As a previous poster (and fellow Bad Cat owner) said: It's really about the amp. My .02.

Chuck B · 17th March 2007, 03:57 AM

I have a strat with some vintage noiseless pice ups. I think they sound great. I'm not very familiar with real vintage pick ups.
c

GregP · 17th March 2007, 05:26 AM

Sorry to semi-hijack, but it seemed on-topic-ish...

What REALLY interests me right now are the Lace Alumitones. They make absolutely NO pretenses about sounding "vintage," but the description and reviews are compelling. I read about a dozen reviews, and only one of them claimed the sound as too strident.

The rest can be summed up as, "They don't sound vintage... they don't sound like anything you've ever heard before, really... but man, I just love'em!"

Greg

84K · 17th March 2007, 06:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blast9

There's an interesting (probably biased) viewpoint/technical comparison on the Kinman website... He certainly knows his sh1t!

I really wanna get hold of some Kinmans meself.

You get a great deal down under on those through his site!

http://www.kinman.com/

I was dissuade re getting the EMG vintage. The guy at the shop had some, and said they were realy good with hi-gain tones, but not so good with crunchy tones.

He felt the best all-rounders were the Lindy Fralins --- full bodied vintage tone.

+1 on the Kinman's.

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5th March 2007, 04:47 AM	#1
Kiwiburger Lives for gear Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 3,671	Fender Noiseless pups - yay or nay? What say ye __________________ Before you criticise a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way he'll be a mile away, and you'll have his shoes.

5th March 2007, 05:06 AM	#2
FFTT Lives for gear Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: A stoned throw from ground zero Posts: 2,932	I haven't heard anything much bad about them. If they sound as good as vintage single coil pickups without humming every time you turn towards your amp, I guess that would be a good thing. Some purists may disagree and some also didn't care for the Gold Lace Sensors on my 80's Strat Plus, but they sound fantastic to me and that's what counts. I would try a few different guitars through a known good amp to compare the tone and sensitivity. __________________ Don't look at me in that tone of voice

5th March 2007, 09:02 AM	#3
Kiwiburger Lives for gear Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 3,671	Thanks - yeah, I had a Strat Plus in the early 90's and the Lace sensors sounded good enough to me. I'm deciding between Fender Noiseless and EMG vintage pups, which are extremely low noise, but require batteries. So i'm not really a purist. I miss those single coil sounds, but I can't tolerate hum. __________________ Before you criticise a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way he'll be a mile away, and you'll have his shoes.

5th March 2007, 10:22 AM	#5
Blast9 Lives for gear Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: London Posts: 2,742	There's an interesting (probably biased) viewpoint/technical comparison on the Kinman website... He certainly knows his sh1t! I really wanna get hold of some Kinmans meself. You get a great deal down under on those through his site! http://www.kinman.com/ I was dissuade re getting the EMG vintage. The guy at the shop had some, and said they were realy good with hi-gain tones, but not so good with crunchy tones. He felt the best all-rounders were the Lindy Fralins --- full bodied vintage tone. __________________ :: my band is called protoangel My guitars: Atkin OM (sitka spruce top walnut back: sweet mids):: Atkin Small Jumbo (cedar top, rosewood back: big bottom, sparkly top):: Jap Tele with fat frets (rude and fat):: . My amps: 1973 Hiwatt DR504::Framus Dragon ... Latest purchases Kel Audio HM-2d TC Electronic Nova System, Chameleon Labs 7602 Digi 002 + PTLE, Addictive Drums

5th March 2007, 10:20 AM	#4
SuperTorus Gear Head Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Hamburg / germany Posts: 55	They don't sound like non noiseless PU's, and they are far away from a strat vintage sound. The bell and chime is still there, but to me they sound more aggressive than an aged vintage PU. They aren't better or worse than the other PU's, just different. I love them for clean work. With distortion a old vintage PU sounds a bit more pleasant (to my ears at last). And the hum is gone unless you play directly in front of your pc.

5th March 2007, 10:40 AM	#6
FFTT Lives for gear Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: A stoned throw from ground zero Posts: 2,932	Actually, I'm finding that a better quality amplifier is making more of a difference in my sound than anything before. Go class A hand wired for sure! My guitars are FINE and the Bad Cat is remarkable at showing off what they can do. __________________ Don't look at me in that tone of voice

5th March 2007, 12:03 PM	#7
Kiwiburger Lives for gear Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 3,671	Thanks - I just found out about Kinman - looks very interesting. Lindy Fralin - i'll check them out - do they do noiseless? __________________ Before you criticise a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way he'll be a mile away, and you'll have his shoes.

5th March 2007, 01:30 PM	#8
Blast9 Lives for gear Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: London Posts: 2,742	Looks like they may have a similar solution to what Jim Willias did to his gtrs: http://www.fralinpickups.com/bpssc.asp __________________ :: my band is called protoangel My guitars: Atkin OM (sitka spruce top walnut back: sweet mids):: Atkin Small Jumbo (cedar top, rosewood back: big bottom, sparkly top):: Jap Tele with fat frets (rude and fat):: . My amps: 1973 Hiwatt DR504::Framus Dragon ... Latest purchases Kel Audio HM-2d TC Electronic Nova System, Chameleon Labs 7602 Digi 002 + PTLE, Addictive Drums

5th March 2007, 04:47 PM	#9
Opie Taylor Gear Head Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Mayberry, NC Posts: 49	i would highly recomend the TBX tone control circuit to compliment the noiseless single coils in a strat.

5th March 2007, 11:17 PM	#10
GPl Lives for gear Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Ottawa Posts: 1,287	I've heard good things about that Backplate Silent Single Coil System but have yet to hear a strat with one installed. I did come across someone, Stan Hinesley Hand Wound Pickups that has a noiseless single coil for my J-Bass I was looking at changing up. Might be worth a look for ya __________________ Michael Scott --------------------------------------------- "Two degrees in bebop, a PHD in swing, he's the master of rhythm, he's a rock and roll king" -Lowell George-

6th March 2007, 03:02 AM	#11
Daedalus77 Lives for gear Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Connecticut, USA Posts: 519	The noiseless are decent but a little sterile in my experience. I have them in my '05 Am. Tele Deluxe. Versatile and quiet and "fine." However the vintage pups in my buddy's mid-80s MIJ Tele sound considerably "better"—more guts, grit, and girth. (All good in Tele land.) Same friend has a mid-80s Am. Strat with Kinmans. VERY, very nice. I'd go with them or the Fralins, personally. Best o' luck. P.S. — As a previous poster (and fellow Bad Cat owner) said: It's really about the amp. My .02.

17th March 2007, 03:57 AM	#12
Chuck B Gear nut Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: chicago Posts: 143	I have a strat with some vintage noiseless pice ups. I think they sound great. I'm not very familiar with real vintage pick ups. c __________________ Chuck ITB vs Analog "The two environments are so different that I have stopped trying to make them work or sound the same. I trust my instinct and my ability to make something sound pleasing ( very subjective here !!) and move forward." Kevin Killen

17th March 2007, 05:26 AM	#13
GregP Gear nut Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Auto-wah Posts: 128	Sorry to semi-hijack, but it seemed on-topic-ish... What REALLY interests me right now are the Lace Alumitones. They make absolutely NO pretenses about sounding "vintage," but the description and reviews are compelling. I read about a dozen reviews, and only one of them claimed the sound as too strident. The rest can be summed up as, "They don't sound vintage... they don't sound like anything you've ever heard before, really... but man, I just love'em!" Greg

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