DSD First impressions!

[dirtycooter]

I think its the squeal factor he tried to work around. Pete states he had to put the cab in the other room or it was just ridiculous insane screamin like a jipped whore. Still have yet to get off my lazy ass and pot mine. Its brand new and came potted but must be not potted deep enough into the windings. But come to think of it, you know you don't hear any controlled feedback on vh1 and maybe this is why??? And maybe why he is in interviews talkin about potting. The paf vh2 connection pete demonstrates is very convincing for that era, and its that record and later ones we hear some feedback and less drive and sizzle. The dsd is over 2x's the output of the standard paf. Windings and dc resistance mean jack squat. Its ouput and voice. More windings need brighter magnet to maintain top end. Then there is mag strength. Paf's are very sparkly and open. They were designed at a time when the single coil was all there was, but they wanted to buck the hum. So naturally they went for that single coil brightness as a voice to shoot for in design. They wanted a better "single coil" traditional voice without buzz and stuff. In turn they found fatter higher output as well in doin so. Overdriven sounds soon started poppin up more.
We all know hittin the input louder and harder makes shit happen. Thats just rule of thumb. Its shocking the drive the dsd added. No wonder people think there is a od box. But there isn't. I can easily see all those mind boggling textures are simply Ed bein a pickup whore. I think he has loved the paf, and everything else he got his mittens on and the new evh pickup is probably a fine tuned middle ground that gets the most of what all the wide range of p/u's he used over the years got. I think this is Ed's p/u quest in a nutshell. Get that paf sparkle and dsd push with a controllable feedback. Not too hot, not to wimpy, with just the right voicing.

[motrock]

I think its the squeal factor he tried to work around. Pete states he had to put the cab in the other room or it was just ridiculous insane screamin like a jipped whore. Still have yet to get off my lazy ass and pot mine. Its brand new and came potted but must be not potted deep enough into the windings. But come to think of it, you know you don't hear any controlled feedback on vh1 and maybe this is why??? And maybe why he is in interviews talkin about potting. The paf vh2 connection pete demonstrates is very convincing for that era, and its that record and later ones we hear some feedback and less drive and sizzle. The dsd is over 2x's the output of the standard paf. Windings and dc resistance mean jack squat. Its ouput and voice. More windings need brighter magnet to maintain top end. Then there is mag strength. Paf's are very sparkly and open. They were designed at a time when the single coil was all there was, but they wanted to buck the hum. So naturally they went for that single coil brightness as a voice to shoot for in design. They wanted a better "single coil" traditional voice without buzz and stuff. In turn they found fatter higher output as well in doin so. Overdriven sounds soon started poppin up more.
We all know hittin the input louder and harder makes shit happen. Thats just rule of thumb. Its shocking the drive the dsd added. No wonder people think there is a od box. But there isn't. I can easily see all those mind boggling textures are simply Ed bein a pickup whore. I think he has loved the paf, and everything else he got his mittens on and the new evh pickup is probably a fine tuned middle ground that gets the most of what all the wide range of p/u's he used over the years got. I think this is Ed's p/u quest in a nutshell. Get that paf sparkle and dsd push with a controllable feedback. Not too hot, not to wimpy, with just the right voicing.

Thats a great way of summing things up. I am going to do some clips MAYBE this weekend! I need to swap around preamp tubes first!

[dirtycooter]

The other things, and i know this is classic rambling DC style , when i listen to rockstahs epi clips-remeber that amp just has a single volume knob-no e.q.
Ed stated-those old marshalls, if you touch any of the controls your just taking away things. So runnin everything on 10 wide open gave him this one window to look through for tone basically. I think this gave him a better way of lookin at what p/u's can do. If he had everything wide open, the pu was gonna sound only one way. He uses that volume knob for different gain and texture. While the voice was what it was. Remember he didn't come from clean, crunch, and lead gain channels. He had one and that was it.
I like the mid peak of some a2 mags but not the soft attack and soft top. I like the dsd but not the feedback. I like the paf but could use a little more mids and balls while i enjoy musical controllable feedback in the lower output it gives. There is generally somethin i like about every p/u. Ideal is tough to find. That is what Ed i believe tries to do and has always done. Though now he has 3 channels of very similar voice in different levels of gain to broaden the horizon even more what he can get from one pu
When i hear ed today-he goes from classic marshallesque type tones, to spanky round fendery jtm like cleans, to over the top smokin SLO territory ala high gain, classic rock crunch tones seemingly straight outta the 70's, 90's 00's metal-I mean fuck just listen to all this shit on the new snippets!!! It is indeed a pallet and mixture of insane variety so much it makes my fricken head swim!
Overtones
resonant peak
Drive
Ability to clean up
Overall voice and eq balance
Harmonics
Feedback
Sustain or perceived sustain

Alot of this comes from the p/u alone
Even
texture of whatever amp your driving
attack

[fivecoyote]

Posting DC's latest as a poem. needs a title.

Overtones
Resonant peak
Drive, ability to
Clean up
Overall voice, EQ
Balance
Harmonics
Feedback
Sustain perceived
Sustain

A lot
From the pickup
Alone even
Texture
Whatever amp
You are driving
Attack!

[motrock]

Posting DC's latest as a poem. needs a title.

Overtones
Resonant peak
Drive, ability to
Clean up
Overall voice, EQ
Balance
Harmonics
Feedback
Sustain perceived
Sustain

A lot
From the pickup
Alone even
Texture
Whatever amp
You are driving
Attack!

LOL

[Brad737]

I used to have an old Les Paul with a DSD. It sounded great with all that mahogany. I found the DSD to sound too bright and nasally in a Floyd equipped Kramer. Like I said though, sure sounded nice in that Lester.

[popskull]

I to like the DSD for early VH--my DSD does squeal and needs to be potted which I plan on doing soon--Ive got the Franky and EVH S.D p.up and my ears say DSD for early VH

[hammered]

The DSDs that are squealing are these the olds ones that supposedly weren't potted or one of the newer ones ?

[cary chilton]

Glad you finally tried it, I told u to try it a year ago as you probably remember?
The Gibsoqn 500T is also similar

[Harold]

I own 4 or 5 70's/80's Super Distortions (2 conductor wire) and recently ordered 2 of the new DP100N's. I sure hope the unpotted squeels will be gone with the new DSD's.

They do look killer:

http://img.sait.nl/gitaarnet/dp100n.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (800px wide... )

[dirtycooter]

Bought mine new last winter bout this time-still a squealer. I think its so over wound that maybe it just can't soak enough wax into the coils deep enough maybe??

[rgorke]

Yeah, if I remember correctly, my new one squealed as well. But maybe that was with the A8.

Anyway, I think Lindy Fralin will pot pickups for like $10. I am going to contact them and see. I am nervous to try it with my vintage pickups.

Although it may look cool, I am not going for the melted Franky pick up look.

[Harold]

I am nervous to try it with my vintage pickups.

I'm still reading into doing it myself. Our oven can be set as low as 50' C so I can probably get it to around 65' C which should be ideal to melt candlewax.

Hang a pickup in there for 10 minutes and it should be waxed to the bone!

[rgorke]

I am nervous to try it with my vintage pickups.

I'm still reading into doing it myself. Our oven can be set as low as 50' C so I can probably get it to around 65' C which should be ideal to melt candlewax.

Hang a pickup in there for 10 minutes and it should be waxed to the bone!

This may be helpful.

http://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/Electro ... ralin.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[sherman]

Potting at home is no big deal, really. Here's how I do it:

-Get a large mason jar and attach a vacuum fitting to the center of the lid

-Fill it about 3/4 of the way with an 80/20 mix of paraffin/beeswax

-Fill wifey's crock pot with water and use it like a double boiler to melt the wax in the jar

-Bend a wire frame(coat hanger) that will fit inside the jar for the pickup to hang from

-Stick the wire frame with the pickup hanging from it in the jar of melted wax and screw the lid on. Make sure the lead is coiled up on the frame in the air gap above the wax

-Stick your Mityvac hand pump on the jar and pull a decent vacuum (15-20 inHg work just fine) until the bubbles stop. Giggling the jar around a little seems to help dislodge the stubborn ones.


I get the wax from the local craft store for cheap. The hand pumps go for about $20. Using the crock pot keeps the temp ultra low so its just enough to fully melt the wax but nowhere near enough to hurt anything on the pickup. The vacuum is the key to getting penetration not high heat or long soak time.

*EDIT* I just read that stewmac article and the method I use takes about 30 seconds at 140F.