Zhangliqun
New member
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2001
- Messages
- 5,204
Weighing in on your question about 57 Classics, for whatever it's worth.
I like them quite a bit. They can be a little bright or even brittle depending on what guitar you put them in and what amp you use, and of course, your playing/picking style.
To my ear they lack some warmth, particularly in the neck position but the peak frequency (in practical terms, the tonal character of the attack when you pick the string) is absolutely perfect for me. Normally you would think the answer to this problem is a hotter wound pickup to bring out the bass and low-mids. But even slightly hotter wound pu's, even its sister, the 57 C-Plus, have a peak freq that is unacceptably low for my ear. Such pu's are usually designed for the bridge position anyway, so that's no solution.
How to solve this dilemma? Replace the 57's Alnico 2 magnets with Alnico 5's. VOILA!
My 59 is set up with a 57C in the neck and a 57C-Plus in the bridge, both with Alnico 5 magnets. Warmth and punch from both ends while not sacrificing that classic crystal clear timbre on the attack. KILLER clean sounds.
My 3 cents anyway.
(Hey, we have to start adjusting even our cliches for inflation sooner or later)...
I like them quite a bit. They can be a little bright or even brittle depending on what guitar you put them in and what amp you use, and of course, your playing/picking style.
To my ear they lack some warmth, particularly in the neck position but the peak frequency (in practical terms, the tonal character of the attack when you pick the string) is absolutely perfect for me. Normally you would think the answer to this problem is a hotter wound pickup to bring out the bass and low-mids. But even slightly hotter wound pu's, even its sister, the 57 C-Plus, have a peak freq that is unacceptably low for my ear. Such pu's are usually designed for the bridge position anyway, so that's no solution.
How to solve this dilemma? Replace the 57's Alnico 2 magnets with Alnico 5's. VOILA!
My 59 is set up with a 57C in the neck and a 57C-Plus in the bridge, both with Alnico 5 magnets. Warmth and punch from both ends while not sacrificing that classic crystal clear timbre on the attack. KILLER clean sounds.
My 3 cents anyway.
(Hey, we have to start adjusting even our cliches for inflation sooner or later)...
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