Using a Magnetic Pickup for Lead

Scoredog

So our band just landed a 2x month gig for the seeable future. The place is LOUD, hard surfaces, glass, tall ceilings, 3 people sound like a crowd in there. I have a magnetic pickup, Peche to combat the noise. I have not tried it with a tube amp yet but ran it through my Scherlter and it sounds a bit brittle to me. What do some of you use with magnetic pickups?

Stringswinger

I use my Krivo through an AER Compact 60 and it sounds fine. I have also owned three Stimers (original Stimer, Dupont Stimer and Miller Stimer) and used them through the same amp. TheStimers had a warm, almost Dearmond sound (and Dearmonds sound fine through the AER as well). The Krivo is more of a P-90 sound which is brighter, but still fine. For a loud venue (which most paying gigs are these days), a magnetic pickup is the way to go.

Buco

I use Krivo pickups with ZT lunchbox and sometimes with a tube combo, 20W Hughes and Ketnner. Sounds good with both, former takes it to slightly more acoustic sound and letter is more of a jazz box sound, just depends on how I feel like for the occasion.

Scoredog

How balanced is the Krivo? My Peche's B string is way louder than the E.

Buco

I think it's pretty balanced. I never critically listed for it but it never turned my attention towards B string being much louder than the rest when I use it.

Stringswinger

I have both Krivo pickups. The Djangobucker has adjustable pole pieces and can be used with any type of strings with perfect string to string balance. The Nuevo is well balanced across the strings but only with Gypsy jazz strings. I had a vintage Stimer and a Dupont Stimer that had the hot B string issue. Away they went. I found it to interfere with my playing.

Scoredog

Thanks so much Marc, I'll pick one up.
Hopefully i'll get to check you guys out on one of my trips north from SB.

Buco

I picked up the Djangobucker first but went with the single coil. I felt the adjustable pole pieces didn't have enough travel given the slimness of the pickup to offer much benefit, I didn't hear the difference whether the screw was at the highest or lowest thread. I also preffered the sound of the single coil and the humbucker output was too weak for me.

By the way there's a guy on the forum taking offers for his used Krivo single coil.

Stringswinger

Krivo does not pot his pickups so they do pick up some acoustic sound. Strangely I find the Djangobucker to be more acoustic sounding than the single coil Nuevo (which has a P-90 sound to my ears). The Nuevo is slimmer which my Dupont oval hole requires. The output is about the same on both pickups that I have. The single coil Nuevo does buzz in some rooms. I use a Hum-debugger pedal for that. I use the Djangobucker with my D hole. It is a good solution for playing a Gypsy guitar in a loud restaurant setting. I have pretty much given up on clip on mikes or piezos.

@Scoredog (Craig) Let me know if you are going to be in Santa Cruz or San Francisco. I gig regularly in both places and would love to have you sit in for a tune or two!

Cheers,

Marc
www.hotclubpacific.com

Buco

I found the Djangobucker to have more of acoustic sound than the single coil as well.
Single coil will buzz some but it hasn't been the issue for me. I've since came up with my own frankenstein humbucker setup using two single coil Krivos so now it's dead silent.

adrian

Try the Peche A La Mouche through a tube amp. I use that pickup on my own gigs, and it sounds lame when it goes through a solid-state (AER) amp. Through a tube amp, it's lovely.