Hank Marvin's Pickups - 1989?

[geoff1711]

these days I only play at gig volume, not because we're gigging but because we play in a scout hut out in a field once a week so can turn it up nice and loud and I seem not to get the time to play at home any more.

So for what it's worth, for a bigger sound I use Hank Moderns (about 15 years old now) and for twangier sounds I use Fender Vintage Noiseless.

Geoff

[dave robinson]

I have received a reply from Dick who remembers working on that album in 1989, but can only tell me that Hank used the old fifties Strat that was sourced for him by Patrice Bastien in Paris. He believed the pickups to be original. Perhaps Didier will be able to add more ?

[Minishadow]

Fender Vintage Noiseless.

I've given up with them things now...

Dear Fender, please stick to making Guitars?

[dave robinson]

There's nothing wrong with Fender Vintage Noiseless pickups. I have some on a Fender USA Deluxe Strat and they sound terrific and possess the sound and soul that my Kinman set lacked.
It may be something to do with the fact that they are factory fitted on this guitar and are set up with the correct value pots & wiring.

[Minishadow]

There's nothing wrong with Fender Vintage Noiseless pickups. I have some on a Fender USA Deluxe Strat and they sound terrific and possess the sound and soul that my Kinman set lacked.
It may be something to do with the fact that they are factory fitted on this guitar and are set up with the correct value pots & wiring.

Quite possibly. They don't give you the correct information on wiring when you buy the pack. Like I said, the middle pickup has give up on life, so, I'm considering these Gold Grade pickups. I've got some Kinman HX's in my new Marvin Classic Strat and I think they sound better than the Vintage Noiseless ever did, and the Kinman HBM's that I've heard before (that may have been just the recording quality though!).

Robson

[dave robinson]

I once changed the pickup covers on my Vintage Noiseless from black to white and broke the neck pickup wiring whilst doing so. Kent Armstrong repaired the pickup for £25 and it's now as good as new. You can Google him or call Rainbow Guitars should you wish to use his services. By the way, you should have received a set of pots, wiring and a couple of small components (capacitor/resistor) with those pickups if they were new, along with a wiring diagram and explanation how to install. A friend of mine bought some and all of those we present in the box.
The Ironestone Gold Grade pickups are as good as I have heard and are very inexpensive, though you'll need to experiment with the pickup height screws to find the 'sweet spot', as you do with all pickups.

[Minishadow]

I once changed the pickup covers on my Vintage Noiseless from black to white and broke the neck pickup wiring whilst doing so. Kent Armstrong repaired the pickup for £25 and it's now as good as new. You can Google him or call Rainbow Guitars should you wish to use his services. By the way, you should have received a set of pots, wiring and a couple of small components (capacitor/resistor) with those pickups if they were new, along with a wiring diagram and explanation how to install. A friend of mine bought some and all of those we present in the box.
The Ironestone Gold Grade pickups are as good as I have heard and are very inexpensive, though you'll need to experiment with the pickup height screws to find the 'sweet spot', as you do with all pickups.

Just purchased the Ironstone ones! Thanks for all the help guys!

Robson

[Uncle Fiesta]

I bought Ironstone Golds and hated them! Try as I might I could not make them sound any better than the original pickups (Mex Classic 50's Strat). I even did an A/B test alongside an identical guitar that still had its original pickups fitted.

The guitar now has Fender 57/62s fitted. They might cost more but they sound perfect.

P'S. Another guitar of mine that has attracted much praise from fellow Shadsfans is a Japanese 60's Strat with Seymour Duncan Vintage Staggered pickups (think they're called SSL-1's.

[roger bayliss]

I have received a reply from Dick who remembers working on that album in 1989, but can only tell me that Hank used the old fifties Strat that was sourced for him by Patrice Bastien in Paris. He believed the pickups to be original. Perhaps Didier will be able to add more ?

That probably makes sense Dave . I did have reservations about what I said and should have known that the stage guitar and the studio guitar have different sounds and purposes and HBM would need a vintage sound for those old numbers and no doubt the heavy strings too.

That French sourced Strat was his stage and recording guitar for years. Why people try to make a science out of it all, heaven only knows.

[Hank2k]

P'S. Another guitar of mine that has attracted much praise from fellow Shadsfans is a Japanese 60's Strat with Seymour Duncan Vintage Staggered pickups (think they're called SSL-1's.

They are the pickups hank had in the autograph models, I have them fitted in my Alan Brason strat and they are really good