BL 705 reissue

David Nugent · From: Gum Spring, Va.

My recently purchased Show Pro came with a BL 705 reissue installed. After playing it through a few different amps, cannot seem to find a tone that I care for. For all intents and purposes, this guitar should be a tone monster!..Anyone using this pickup in either a Show Pro or Sho-Bud, would be interested in your impressions or suggestions...Thanks.

Steve Spitz · From: New Orleans, LA, USA

David.
Mine came with truetones, and it sounded decent. As it was the only one I tried, I have no comparison to the 705 , but as the showpro is somewhat 'shobud like"
single coils and 710s might be worth consideration.
Hope that helps.

Anyone try anything else ?

Damir Besic · From: Nashville,TN.

I hate to tell you this, but it is my experience that Sho~Bud will always sound like Sho~Bud, Emmons like Emmons and etc...no matter the pickup, while different pick up may or may not, slightly change the tone of the guitar, I believe that the tone is mostly in the guitar... if you tried your Show Pro with different setups, and amps, and you still don't like it, it is probably the tone of the guitar that you don't like, not a pick up... 705 is a wonderful pickup, and many players use it...it may be little hot, but that shouldn't be problem... I don't think changing the pick up will solve your problem....YMMV
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Eddy Dunlap · From: Nashville, Tn

The 705 is my favorite pickup in my Show-Pros. To me it suited the guitar better than single coils and the 710(not there's that much difference between the 705 and 710. Yet the 710 is a touch darker/more compressed.) I also use the 705 in my Franklin guitar as well. Jeff builds an incredible instrument!

Here's a closeup of the Show-Pro with 705's from a couple of weeks ago. (1:05 is a solo)

https://www.facebook.com/995thewolfdfw/videos/10155036565490973/

John Goux · From: California, USA

I'm in the minority of players who don't care for the 705. I like the 710 better.
I realized after exploring this on the forum, that most of the people who love the 705 use solid state amps. I use tube amps. I think there is something about the 705 that is a bit too much for the vintage preamp. This has been discussed here at length. I like an Emmons SC. You might try one of those, or a truetone, before you make any judgements about your guitar.
John

David Nugent · From: Gum Spring, Va.

John...That is a point I had not considered as the amps that I tried were all vintage or high end tube models..Thanks to all for your input...FWIW: This is my fourth Show Pro and all previous units had Truetones installed. I was very pleased with the tone of all of them but not so with the latest. In all fairness however, this is a 'Lloyd Green II' model and the '705' has a split coil feature as well as a tone control, perhaps I have not discovered the correct combination of adjustments to suit my taste.

Bill Miller · From: Gaspe, Quebec, Canada

I will be interested to hear whether you find a pickup that changes how you feel about the guitar. There is a lot in what Damir said about pickups and guitars. If you happen to get a guitar with a tone you don't care for, switching pickups makes a very subtle or often imperceptible difference. I'm fond of this analogy : any given instrument has a voice just as a human has a voice. If the human sings through a variety of microphones most people won't hear an earth shattering difference from one to another. Certainly not enough to make him/her sound like a different person. The same holds true for instruments and pickups. That isn't to say there is no difference at all, but I've never found pickup switching to be much a game changer.

Johnie King · From: Tennessee, USA

Eddy cut thru, I agree with Damir but Emmons would sound like Emmons if he had played a Sho Pro, those pros just know how, too getter done. Tommy white made those Sho pro talk. 99 percent player 0ne percent Steel.

David Nugent · From: Gum Spring, Va.

To make myself clear; I am not dissatisfied with the guitar by any means! The instrument is absolutely beautiful, the workmanship impeccable, and it plays very, very smoothly. Some further experimentation may result in solving what is essentially my personal issue with the tone..FYI: Had a friend over, he played it and loved it. Perhaps the fault lies with me and I have become too accustomed to the "In your face" sound of my Emmons SKH, this guitar has a much more subtle tone.

John Goux · From: California, USA

I agree that all brands of steels have their own "character". Even among models there can be a difference.

But I disagree, that the differences between pickups are subtle. A pickup change can make a substantial difference in the EQ and tone. Finding the right match between your guitar/pickup/amp is a worthwhile endeavor.

Using the analogy of the microphone, the piece of equipment in the recording chain that makes the most dramatic difference, is the microphone. Changing the mic won't make Sinatra sound like Sting. But there are mics that are flattering to each, and mics that will make each sound harsh or nasally. That is why recording engineers will put up multiple mics, and listen to each, to find the best sound for the singer.

Will the audience notice the difference in your pickup? Maybe not. But you want to be happy with your own sound. Your performance and enjoyment depend on it.
John

Ken Byng · From: Southampton, England

I like my Show Pro guitars with the 710's that they came with. My personal preference is for 710's in lacquer bodies and 705 in mica guitars. Whichever way they are both great pickups.
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Show Pro D10 - amber (8+6), MSA D10 Legend XL Signature - redburst (9+6), Sho-Bud Pro 111 Custom (8+6), Emmons black Push-Pull D10 (8+5), Zum D10 (8x8), Hudson pedal resonator. Telonics TCA-500, Webb 614-E,

Larry Weaver · From: Asheville, North Carolina, USA

I agree with Damir in that the pickup won't change a Sho~Bud to an Emmons or anything else for that matter. However, I do belive John Goux is spot on about the pickup making a serious difference in solid state amps, modeling rigs, or tube amps. I have a couple of old Sho~Buds and a Marlen all with classic single coils. They sound amazing through my 70's Dual Showman Reverb and also my Port City Pearl - both 6l6 based amps. On the other hand, they sound like total poop through my Fractal Axe Fx rig. In contrast, I have an Excel Superb with a Lace Alumitone pickup. It sounds very good through the tube amps, but nowhere near the tonal love of the Buds and Marlen. On the other hand, the Excel with the Alumatone sounds absolutely amazing with the Fractal rig! I had the exact same experience with a Williams 700 with an Alumitone.

Steve Spitz · From: New Orleans, LA, USA

Im not sure how anyone got the idea I suggested a pickup change would make one guitar sound like another. I know better

Like David, Ive owned Showpro and many Shobuds. I mentioned I found , for purpose of comparison, the Showpro to be " Somewhat ShoBud Like", which is what I stated.

Another piece of the puzzle is: What sound is the player looking for ?

When I first started experimenting with Buds, and looking for a specific sound, I wasnt finding it.
Good ? , yes, but not quite the sound I was searching for. I eventually came across the combination that came closest. Tube amp, Pot pedal, Bud with single coil pickup. Bam! Simple, but it had escaped me.

I also believe John Goux is spot on. I think the different Pickups and different amps can make a diffence, which I believe is more than subtle.

Yes, of course each instrument has its own voice, which is the foundation of the sound. But I believe each component that voice goes through, (pickup,volume pedal,amp,and speaker) has an effect on the overall sound, and to my ear, its more than subtle.

Dean Holman · From: Branson MO

I'm sort of in the agreement that if your used to the Emmons tone it's hard to get used to other tones. I'm not saying other tones from other guitars aren't great, but it's more of a preference. There can be a specific sound that you like to hear and for the most part, that usually lies with the instrument. Can pickups make a difference, it can to a degree, but it will not change the inherited tone built into that instrument. As far as the 705's go, I have those pickups in my Zum and my lacquered body Rittenberry and I absolutely love them. You can try different pickups if you like. There are pickups that will give you darker or brighter sounds but the 705's are about the most balanced humbucking pickup that doesn't sound too compressed. You might try the 710, to me, those pickups have a little more bite to them and maybe a little more dominant note separation. But if you end up changing pickups 3 or 4 times, and your still not getting what you want, chances are the guitar just ain't working out for you. There's nothing wrong with that. Not being able to not make an instrument work for you, doesn't make it a bad instrument. We all have different preferences and certain needs when it comes to instruments. I hope you come across something that will work for you.

J R Rose · From: Keota, Oklahoma, USA

I agree with John Goux. Pickups do make a difference. But I think the end result is what each one of us hear in our head or what we expect. The end sound is in your hands. You can have a rig set up and have ten different pickers play it as is and you will have ten different sounds. I am talking about same guitar, same amp, same settings, same pedal and cords, same room and crowd. It is all a mystery!! J.R.
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