705 Pick up on Emmons P/P?

Bill Simmons · Post by **Bill Simmons** » 28 Jan 2003 1:09 pm

What tonal difference would the old BL-705(Chrome) pickup have compared to the stock Emmons single coil on the E9th neck of a '78 Emmons p/p? I have an old BL 705 but have never tried it in any steel. Thanks in advance for your valuable experience and advice...
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'79 Zum D-10; 8+5 Birdseye Maple; '78 Emmons S-10 Rosewood Mica; 3+5 on a double body; Webb Amp

Buck Grantham R.I.P. · Post by **Buck Grantham R.I.P.** » 28 Jan 2003 6:53 pm

I don't believe that pickup would improve your sound. I would not get rid of the stock pickup. I put a lawrence pickup on my push pull and it sounded thinner and was too hot for me,so I put the stock one back on. Those pickups were wound at about 17.5 and now they are winding them about 20.0 I think.That Webb amp should make that p/p sing!!!!!![This message was edited by Buck Grantham on 28 January 2003 at 06:55 PM.]

Jeff Peterson · Post by **Jeff Peterson** » 28 Jan 2003 8:16 pm

'Winding' has nothing to do with the comparison between pickups and is misleading. Just listen to 'em...you don't like it?....change them. 705's are the old Bill Lawrence blade/humbucking design...the blade style still produced by George Lewis. Bill's new designs..much better quality sound-better response-smoother output-noise free and no equal anywhere. Skeptical? A-B these all at Steel Guitar Nashville. Bobbe's got 'em all on the floor to test for yourself.

Larry Behm · Post by **Larry Behm** » 29 Jan 2003 5:00 am

Jeff what is the model number of the new BL pickup?

Larry Behm

Jeff Peterson · Post by **Jeff Peterson** » 29 Jan 2003 5:43 pm

BL-710, BL-910, LXR-16, SNP-6/8(Fender replacement-lap steel). Twist his arm, he may make a low impedance lap steel or resonator pickup. His 6-string guitar pickups also make fabulous replacements for lap steel applications. I use his 'Tele' set ups on 2 of my lap steels...just the best available. On my other 6 string laps I use his low impedance/humbuckers. On my 8-strings, I use 710/8's.[This message was edited by Jeff Peterson on 29 January 2003 at 05:49 PM.]

John Lacey · Post by **John Lacey** » 30 Jan 2003 8:04 am

I put 705's on my Legrande replacing the stock pickups. Little difference in tone, but I found the harmonics a little weaker with the BL pu.

Jeff Peterson · Post by **Jeff Peterson** » 30 Jan 2003 7:29 pm

The harmonics were weaker, 'cause you're too close to the magnetic end of the planet.

Bob Snelgrove · Post by **Bob Snelgrove** » 31 Jan 2003 6:59 am

I put them on my 78 P/P and immediately took them off. My P/P pu's are wound at about 18.5K if I remember.

(Forgot to add that I have them on my Franklin and love them!)

To me it's like putting humbuckers on a Strat or sigle coils on a Les Paul

bob[This message was edited by Bob Snelgrove on 31 January 2003 at 07:23 AM.]

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 31 Jan 2003 7:14 am

Both the 705 and 710 are too thin and brittle for my taste. I found the 910 to be warmer and more reminiscent of the single coil without the noise. Just my experience.

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2000 Fessenden S-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro

John Lacey · Post by **John Lacey** » 31 Jan 2003 7:55 am

Ah, the north pole syndrome.

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 31 Jan 2003 5:55 pm

It's a taste thing. I prefer the 705 on my Franklins (at least on the E neck) to the newer BL pickups.

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www.tyack.com

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 31 Jan 2003 6:29 pm

Yeah, but Dan, that's on a Franklin -- quite a different tonal beast from a push-pull. I've tried 710's (or 712's) on both Fessenden and Emmons push-pull guitars and . . . what's Buddy's expression? blister a beagle's ear at 100 paces? The 900 series is not nearly so top-heavy, in my experience. Of course, your mileage may vary.

And, FWIW, neither sounds better than the Emmons single coil -- the 910 is close, but the advantage is it's SILENT.
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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2000 Fessenden S-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro[This message was edited by Larry Bell on 31 January 2003 at 06:30 PM.]

Bruce Bouton · Post by **Bruce Bouton** » 31 Jan 2003 8:33 pm

In 1978 Buddy Emmons played a show at one of the Nashville Hotels. He and Bill had just come out with the 705. I put them in my Push Pull and used them on my first recording session with Ricky Skaggs("Waiting for the Sun to Shine")After a few months on tour I put the single coils back in and stuck with them until the late eighties when I put George L"s E 66 in.I started using all pull guitars in the mid nineties. As soon as Bill Lawrence came out with the 710 I started using them on my Le Grande and Franklin.I'm going to start fooling with my push pull again. I'm planning on trying one of the truetone single coils on the push pull,however, I'll keep the lawrence's on the other guitars.
BB

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 31 Jan 2003 9:02 pm

On my formica Franklin I think I have an 805 on my C neck, definitely fatter than the 705.

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www.tyack.com

James Quackenbush · Post by **James Quackenbush** » 1 Feb 2003 6:29 am

Bruce,
I have a TrueTone in my early 70's S-10 wooden neck Emmons ....How sweet it is !!!..
If you like the Emmons single coil tone, you are gonna LOVE the TrueTone pickups...You will find a very balanced sound across the strings, and a VERY sweet high end !!..Just my opinion.. YMMV....Jim

James Quackenbush · Post by **James Quackenbush** » 1 Feb 2003 6:31 am

Bob,
I have a Les Paul with single coil P-90's on it, and it's one of the best sounding guitars I own...Jim

Bob Snelgrove · Post by **Bob Snelgrove** » 2 Feb 2003 5:04 pm

James,

It may be the best sounding, but how could it still have the Paul sound?

bob

Greg Derksen · Post by **Greg Derksen** » 3 Feb 2003 6:08 am

Bill told
me for example that the 910 sounds better
on Mullen and Zum, its a slightly darker tone
than the 710, on a Legrande or Franklin he
prefers the 710 , which seem to mate well with the brighter tone of the pick-up,Greg