Adjusting Filtertron PUP's

[Willabe]

Anybody know anything on adjusting Filter tron PUP's?

My Gretsch Falcon has TV Jones classic Filter tron's in it. 

TV Jones site gives a height adjust from the PUP cover to the bottom of the 2 E strings, but I don't see anything on the pole pieces.

They recommend setting them pretty high. 

And they show the pole pieces flat across the top of the PUP cover, instead of going with the strings radius.

I play on the clean side, some break up, but not heavy distortion.

I have never had a guitar with Filter tron's in it.      

[Toxophilite]

I like an evenly balanced pickup so I usually set my pole pieces to roughly match the fretboard curvature.
I use 12-52s with a wound G so I set the G higher, the B quite low and the E a little higher. With  a plain G string I believe it would be the D high the G low.

To fine tune them I use the input VU meter on my space echo and my ears

As far as pickup body heights go. If it's the standard filtertron mount (ie mounted to the top and or braces) then I would shim the bridge pickup so it is producing roughly the same amount of output as the neck. generally the bridge pickup needs to raised a bit, you can use foam, mouse pad, wood shims whathaveyou. I typically use more solid material as I like the idea of the pickup being firmly mounted to the top and potentially picking up body sound via the pickup being microphonic (and they all are a little)
I have adjusted a few vintage filtertron equipped Gretsch's.  I believe TV JOnes modelled his pickups after the vintage ones.
I'll put up a picture of my Deluxe Chet's setup (It's the only filtertron gretsch I currently have). It has filtertrons (albeit with one role of poles removed) and as it's a 72 it has the advantage of the filtertrons being English mount and easily adustable for pickup height. Still you can kind of see the setup


I believe people that want a fatter more aggressive sound (rock) have the pickups and pole pieces close to the strings.
people that want a cleaner less fat sound keep the pickups farther away and raise the pole pieces.

I tend to play completely clean and use pedals for distortion. This sort of setup works fine for that, for me.


I would experiment and see what you like. It's all relatively easy stuff and you can't wreck anything adjusting them, unless you use a hammer...

As these have metal pole pieces rather than magnets one can get them closer to the strings without the pickups magnetism affecting sustain etc.

[jjasilli]

http://www.gretsch-talk.com/threads/filtertron-pickup-adjustment-advice.164960/

[Toxophilite]

To tell you the truth I have had guitars with hilotrons, Filtertrons, DeArmonds(50s) humbuckers, strat pickups. jazzmaster pickups, P-90s, Alnico staples P-90s coils with alnico rods and i would say they are all pickups and I adjust them in the same way, mostly using my ears, with a slight radius as a starting point.

The ones that were the most different were generally the DeArmonds and the Staples and to a lesser extent the P-90s coils with alnico rods. These pickups pick up heaps of bottom end from round wound steel strings, especially the neck pickup so I always needed to sink the pole pieces on the bass side to keep a decent balance. This was one of Chet Atkins Pet peeves with DeArmonds.



I really don't think there is a special Gretsch pickups ,setup, though other people certainly think there is. That is my opinion, please do not incinerate me for it. I have owned and restored probably about a dozen vintage Gretschs in the past 5 years. I still have 4 which is 4/5ths of my electric guitars. My main guitar for my entire music career has been a 65 Tennessean. I like them.


Check out the pole pieces on the neck pickup of my 52 Electro 2.....which actually had another serial number card underneath the electro 2 one showing that it was originally a Constellation that had been factory converted as one is essentially a pickupless version of the other. It also got factory renecked in 54. It's an odd duck but a nice guitar...and dusty..oops, It actually get's played a fair bit. I'll probably take it my gig tomorrow night.

[Willabe]

Thanks guys. 

Filter tron PUP's have a tall narrow bobbin, with the magnet further away from the strings than a HB. Magnetic flux field is going to be different.

Different animal.   

[Toxophilite]

I'm familiar with their construction having put many in and out of guitars and I've wound and assembled one myself for fun.


I put it in my restored 64 Country Club when I sold it, and the buyer, who had owned some vintage Gretsch's and was very particular said I had nailed the sound. I think I got thoroughly bashed here for daring to say that I could make one that sounded like an original which I thought was strange.
I did make a comparison myself and found it to be pretty bang on.


They're essentially a mini humbucker with each coil wound to about 2k in series making about 4k. This makes it brighter and less muddy.


I prefer low impedance pickups, and of the gretsch pickups I would have to say hilotrons are my favourite


I did play my filtertron equipped Deluxe Chet at an all night show last night and I was enjoying it a lot.

[Toxophilite]

Oh and just so you know though filtertron bobbins are smaller in width and length, but I don't believe they're  any taller than a standard humbucker. They might even be a bit shorter.