Two Filtertrons and a Humbucker?

[thebignono]

Hey guys I just have two questions. Would it be possible to half 2 Gretsch Filtertron pickups for the bridge and neck position while having a (Gibson Style) Humbucker for the middle? If so what wiring you recommend I should have? Thanks.

 

[ARandall]

Holy large font Batman!!

You can choose any pickup combo you like......people have done all sorts of 'odd' combos that others wouldn't consider - but have made work for them. Pete Townsend's Deluxe had something similar with a humbucker between 2 minis.
And indeed, the Filtertron pickups are pretty low output generally as well. So balance is something you might need to do work on once the guitar is together.

3 pickup guitars in a Gibson with the typical 3 way switch always compromise the available selections. I would check out a 'freeway' switch (I think Stewmac has them). You should be able to access more combinations that way.

The you have to decide what combinations of controls you go for. To get every pickup with its own controls (V+T) you'll probably need a few dual concentric pots. I think gretches have a pickup volume, then after the switch an overall master volume. You might be able to do that with the 4 control LP if 3 of them were the dual concentric and then the last was the regular pot for the MV.

 

[JohnK]

Hey guys I just have two questions. Would it be possible to half 2 Gretsch Filtertron pickups for the bridge and neck position while having a (Gibson Style) Humbucker for the middle? If so what wiring you recommend I should have? Thanks.

The DiMarzio EJ Customs are intended to sound like a Filter'trons. If you can find a guitar that is already set up for HHH, that might be easier than trying to fit actual Filter'trons. Also if you wire a hotter humbucker in parallel, it will get you that sound as well.

 

[thebignono]

The DiMarzio EJ Customs are intended to sound like a Filter'trons. If you can find a guitar that is already set up for HHH, that might be easier than trying to fit actual Filter'trons. Also if you wire a hotter humbucker in parallel, it will get you that sound as well.

I'm a guitar noob when it comes to pickups/wiring. Thanks for replying to my question. How would I find a middle pickup? would I just look for a neck or bridge pickup or does it have to be specifically made for the middle position?

 

[freefrog]

Generally, there's no humbucker dedicated to "middle" position... After all, there was not even bridge and neck models back in the days (I've worked on a vintage 3 pickups Gibson Black Beauty a while back and all its pickups measured the same).

Among contemporary models, a "neck" one would work fine in mid position.

Now and for the record, I've installed once a bridge FlterTron and a neck P.A.F. replica in a LP: this combo was hard to EQ properly as the "natural" EQing curve of the neck PU made it too loud... I've tried a switchable inductor in parallel with this P.A.F. clone (trick that I often use) but it thinned the tone too much in this case. The guitar ended with a pair of FT's, themselves coupled to a "mud switch" with caps able to make them more P.A.F. sounding - because a FilterTron in parallel with a 3,3nF cap sounds P.A.F.ish enough IME and IMHO: at least, it's more convincing than trying to make a P.A.F. Fitertron'ish sounding...

Regarding FilterTron clones: AFAIK, things like DiMarzio EJ's are extremely underwound P.A.F.'s more than FT copies... I'd rather consider TV Jones and his HB sized FT's (or even his "Classic" FT's with "English mount": there's not much sanding required to mount them in regular HB frames).

FWIW. Good luck in your choice...

 

[JohnK]

I'm a guitar noob when it comes to pickups/wiring. Thanks for replying to my question. How would I find a middle pickup? would I just look for a neck or bridge pickup or does it have to be specifically made for the middle position?

Pickups are pickups, they can be used anywhere, unless we're talking about an RW/RP single coil, but we're not. DiMarzio suggests a lot of their pickups be used in either neck or bridge, or middle as the case may be. A low output bridge pickup can make a good neck pickup, and vice versa. Generally speaking, people use neck pickups for the middle if there is any question about it.