I’m lucky, my brother loves the single coils and Humbuckers. I love the p90s and filtertrons. My brother uses a Marshall I use the vox. So we can play the identical riff and have wildly different sounds.
I just bought the None trem gold top Electromatic pro jet for $275 w/orig hsc mint So my opinion may seem biased but the Black Tops really caught my ears in this shootout Chinese made guitars have come a long ass way with quality and performance Nice review and great playing!
The TV Jones Classics sound amazing. What surprises me is how much I like the sound of the Blacktop FilterTrons. I like them more then the TV Jones PowerTrons and the higher end Gretsch FliterTrons, Great video, Darrell. Thanks.
I own a nick 13 edition G5230T and ill tell you they ive been using a headset amp and the lows are just right now too thumpy and the highs aren't to high I have hooked it to rocksmith and it sounds great getting my Marshall 15 today let you know how it sounds
I love the black top Filter’Trons too. I didn’t think I would like them more than TV Jones, but I do... there’s just something about them. I was on the fence of changing mine from blacktops to regular toasters, but I fell in love with them.
I agree with the op. Classics sound best to me. Black tops sounded surprisingly good. Power trons sounded good too but a little more like a Gibson humbucker
I'm a gretsch fan and I had 2 of their guitars. One very entry-level, cheap instrument. Neck pickup died and I had to get a new one. Never did, sold the guitar with the issue. The other is an electromatic G5556TG. Great guitar. Even though is not built with a high-end wood, it certainly is a great guitar. But I also had issues with the neck pickup. Now, one might say "hey, I think the problem is you"... I had Fenders, Gibsons, Ibanezs, Epiphones, Memphis (reeeeaaaally cheap, Brazilian guitar, 10000000% entry level)... And the Gretschs were the only ones that I had issues with the pickups. I'm a student, so I don't take my instruments here and there all the time, I don't have gigs, I don't play in a band... My guitars stay at home... I think it's possible to say there's a chance I have bad luck... But I think it's fair to say I have all the right to be suspicious about Gretsch Filter'tron pickups. At least about the entry-level ones. 😅😂
Any filtertron fans out there? Which ones did you like best? 1. The guitars - 1:10 2. What makes them different - 3:35 3. The tones - 5:18 4. Final thoughts - 10:03
A man after my heart! My son gave me a HH Tele that he had a Filtertron put in the neck and a Gibson Dirty Fingers pup in the bridge. I never used the neck pup before but now I'm loving it!
Darrell, many thanks to you and your website! Without a doubt, your U-Tube contributions are among my favorites, due to your objectives and never-ending positive attitude. I may be grumpy as hell when I login, but within minutes of you being you, my negativity melts away, and I can enjoy the positivity and honesty that you portray in your videos. That being said, my most honest thanks and gratitude fo both r this video. More years ago than I'd like to admit, I fell in love with a Dean Stylist hollow body guitar that was definitely more acoustic than electric, and with it's twin high output humbuckers, it did nothing well, but I saw the potential this guitar had, so I bought it. .After 2 years of research and experimenting, I bought a set of Gretch Blackface pickups, installed them, along with a piezo under-bridge P/U, along with an internally mounted condenser mic. The result is that this poor little orphaned guitar has gone from ugly duckling to being my favorite are out of my seven guitars. It definitely has a unique voicing, and truth be told, if I had to choose just a single guitar, it would be 'Dino', my name for this hybrid Dean guitar, simply because with its Gretch Blackface Filtertron pickups, undersaddle p/u and internal condense condenser mike, it has made this guitar my absolute favorite go-to guitar, being able to play nearly all genre's of music , with both Cass and Distinction. Again, Thank you for your positive and obgectivness in your postings. Way too often many of us are surviving through many medical issues, the most common being anxiety and/or depression, a situation that feeds upon itself.
The blacktops are what's installed in the Gretsch guitar I just ordered. (I had to special order it because I need a left-handed guitar and no one stocks this particular model in lefty form, apparently). I can't wait for it to get here in a few weeks! I was quite happy to hear how well the blacktops held up against the others. Not quite as brite as a "real" Filtertron, but still very good and quite versatile -- clean when you want them to be; raunchy enough when you throw some gain at them. I think I'll be quite happy with them. And worst case, if I want to, I can always upgrade to some "real" Filtetrons. Thanks for the comparo!! Good video!
I'm really glad that you introduced the guitars one-by-one but waited to play tones back-to-back with no breaks! That made the differences really stand out! But now I want to buy all of these!
Hi Darrell ! The big surprise for me came from the Blacktops: great sounding in clear as well as crunch tones. The less pleasing to me were the PowerTrons and the most were the FilterTrons. One has to take into account that those were mounted on a large, hollow body which modifies the result quite a bit. I personnally have a Classic mounted on the bridge position of a Tele, with a series/parallel switch that sounds amazing ! Cheers
The tv Jones classics were my favorite. They sounded the most tone rich to my ears, with the black tops being a close second. Just sold my Gretsch pro jet, but I may try and find some second hand black tops now.
They ALL sounded good! None were bad, all in the same ball park! I found the black tops quite surprising! BETTER than I was expecting! Competes well with the others! Good comparison Daz! \m/
Hi Darrell, long-time listener, first time caller. I'm in the middle of trying to decide between powertrons and filtertrons. Thanks the comparison, it's gonna be powertron. Thanks for saving me time!
Compare a P90 (it's a single coil, reallly!) to a Dynasonic or Dearmond single coil. A P90 has more hum compared to a Filtertron. A Filtertron has beautyful highs like a P90 but is a little more creamy due to the humbucking double coils
I felt like the sound was very similar to my mini humbuckers in my firebirds. I love that sound personality because it's bright and tight but it's also full. Not chimney but like a compressed bucker with the Treble turned up a bit.
@@DRock1779 firebird pickups are different to mini humbuckers, even though they're the same size. A comparison video between firebird style pickups and mini humbuckers would be good. And maybe have the filtertrons compared to that too in the same video. I'd also like to see a vid about comparing current modern gretsch filtertrons and 2 seymour duncan filtertron style pickups (they have a vintage one and a modern one that has higher output)
While all of those 'Trons sounded terrific, my (bass player) ears found the tone of the Green Beast most appealing. Great work, Darrell...as usual. And yet, as far as eye candy is concerned, the candy apple red Gretsch goosed my drool glands the most.
Im 60 years old. My favorite sound i ever got was a '76 strat, dod compressor, mini muff fuzz and a Boss DM-2 analog delay played through a 1 watt Harmony tube amp. Love the pickups though. I was 17 then. Still trying to find that sound.
Thanks for this. Great info! I have a duo jet with classics and im not bonding with it. Going through this I think the classics are the best sounding though....
A fascinating exercise, well-researched and impeccably presented as usual... but I do have to remind us all that unless the same guitar was installed with each separate test pickup in turn, this can not really be a true pickup comparison... but we knew that didn't we! That said, this is an awesome showcase of Filtertron tones, and I am getting some dangerous ideas looking at my Samick Royale semi-hollow after this - thanks, Darrell!
Another really cool take on this pickup is what Reverend is doing with the Jetstream with its Retroblast pickups [they use two different voiced pickups], neck and bridge. Combined with their fantastic electronics, which includes the bass roll off, can range anywhere from a very traditional sounding filtertron to a traditional humbucker tone. Thanks for your videos, always top notch content.
I love the Creamsicle, man. I've got a TV Jones Classic in the bridge of my 5120. I will say, I've never heard another pickup in anything that sounded as good as the ones in my old 1971 Superchet. I think they were microphonic, but man, those tones were the richest thing you ever heard.
Hi Darrell ! I was looking forward for this video and indeed it is very informative. However there are some issues in the method used for comparing these pickups: Firstly the scale lenght in the guitars used, Fender 25.5 vs Gretsch 24.75 inches - this affects tone to a great degree; Secondly the pot values in the guitars may be different, as well as wiring scheme with the master volume on the Gretsches. The ideal method would be testing all pickups on the same guitar with the same electronics, yet I see why that would be a problem especially with the hollowbody Gretsch. As it is I see it more like a comparison between Tele type Guitars and Gretsch types, wich is a good thing nonetheless. Thanks and keep the videos coming! I love them! Cheers!
Wish you had the Brian Setzer TVJones Filtertron's. Wasn't sure if they were just a marketing version using his name, quickly changed my mind after trying them, awesome pickup, so crisp when clean and bite when ya want it. Cheers
Good comparison, but I'm curious how these would sound next to Reverend filtertron style pickups. I just played on them for the first time this week, and they're amazing.
@@johndurban1442 I think Scott doesn't mean The Gretsch Reverend Horton, but Rveverend guitars with RevTrons (Joe Naylor's take on the FilterTrons) in them.
I’ve got a used Gretsch G5230T with Filtertrons arriving today so I’m excited to check them out. I did recently upgrade a new Michael Kelly 53DB (double humbucker T style) with Seymour Duncan Psyclones and OMG they sound amazing! I have coil splitting and it can sound like anything you want it to by using the volume, tone, and coil splitting controls.
I am contemplating a Gretsch purchase and this video was vastly helpful in guiding my decision. Of the four I liked the BlackTop FT as it was closest to the tones I'm looking for. Thanks for a great review.
Great shootout !! Thanks so much for making this. I have a Gretsch Black Panther with HS Filtertrons and I like them but they are missing that high end chime I associate with Gretsch. I do love the “compressed” tone of them and that’s what the Powertron sounded like in your video. I’m thinking about getting the Brian Setzer TV Jones set for my guitar, since they seem to be right in between the Classics and the Powertrons.
Yeah, I've been planning to mod a tele, routing it out and getting a different pick guard and bridge to put some of the seymour duncan filtertron style pickups in it. Though then I discovered Harley Benton guitars, and they sell telecasters that already have filtertron style pickups in them, so that saves a lot of work, I'd just have to replace the pickups with seymour duncan, no routing needed
Even with critical listening to this on Amphion One18's ($4k monitors in a tuned environment) I was shocked how great these all sound and as I always say, "if it sounds good it is good." The only ones I don't like are the entry level Gretsch pickups as much but still great. Incredible!
I've gotta disagree about the best rhythm guitarist. For me, that's Pete Townshend, but he used Filtertrons too so there you go. His best tone ever was the who's next tone, when he used that big orange hollowbody Gretsch. Then he destroyed it at a live gig cos that was still the gimmick of the Who, but he said he forever regretted destroying that guitar as it was the best one he ever owned. Then he switched to using Les Pauls, but again nothing beats that big power chord tone of Who's Next snd Quadrophenia. Filtertrons are the best pickups for classic Rock.
That helped a lot. I have just bought a Gretsch Duo Jet with BlackTops, and have a TV Jones Classic bridge sitting on the shelf, so I think I need to buy a Classic Neck. I like the chimey high end.
I like the TVJ powers and the Gretsch blacktops, but those JBE Trons from a while back were the goat. I can't get over that blues solo you did with them in that mint-colored tele.
I changed out the pups on my Epiphone LP Special ( the guitar I use for experimentation) to GFS Filtertrons, Hot Nashville. Excellent sound! WAY cheaper than the "boo teek" models and I doubt, on stage, anyone could tell any difference. I am 73, been playing guitar since I was 12. Lead guitar player for two big bands been touring for decades. Yeah...not a bedroom strummer.
I could not help but notice the sunburst, black guard maple neck Tele on your wall! I still have the "78 that I bought 2nd hand ($300) 32 years ago! :)
Also goldfoils, the lapsteel horseshoe, dearmond, hofner diamond and staple, mosrite, jazzmaster, asat style, widerange, oversized single coils and more. Endless fun, plus Japanese, Italian, German and Russian guitars affordable and come with weird pickups.
TV Jones Power'Tron are one of my favorite pickups ever, i have a bridge position one in a "TV Master" that was put together by a friend, using the Savalas bridge as well, this thing goes from classic rock, clean spanking tone and brutal metal sounds when dialed in the Mesa MKIV.... beastly and versatile pickups.
Great Vid! It's important for folks to know that Filtertron's have many different types and tones. Similar to that of a single coil on a Tele or Strat (a truckload of versions ). Whether it's the inexpey Chinese made versions or American Made TV Jones, pretty much every model has a different (yet similar) pickup in them. Really appreciate this video. Became a HUGE Fan or the Filtertron's a few years back, never before realizing how versatile they are. Kudos!!
One of my favorite shoot outs! Except my Jaguar i got min. one Filtertron in every guitar. I run Classics, Duncans, Häussels and Dynasonics. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Darrell!!! I've been wanting to trade out the blacktop filtertrons on my 2014 Gretsch 5420t. You made this such an easy choice!! HS Filtertrons for me!!! The blacktops are a little too bright for a rhythm player. Thank you for yet another great video brother!!!
I agree with you that the high end pup was the warmest. Seemed like no chime at all. But I liked the black tops the best of all. Of course it's got to be very different in the room with the amp.
Great review, as usual! I discovered your videos not long ago Darrell and I am a subscribed fan now, keep ‘em coming, you are doing a great job man thanks a lot. Another huge user of the Filtertron/TV Jones pickups is Billy Duffy from The Cult... Gretsch into a JCM800 through those pick-ups give a great idea of their sound on the album Electric. I am not 100% sure about this combo but it certainly sounds like it! Malcom Yound also made their sound known worldwide! Cheers
So I just ordered a Gretsch with HiLo'Trons which are humbuckers meant to emulate the spark of the traditional Filtertrons. I'm eager to see how I like them.
This channel consistently provides outstanding, detailed information as well as the fact that You a monster guitar player. Thanks for all you do. Kevin O'Rourke
the gretsch filtertron is my favorite from the video! i don’t know why but i gravitated to that sound the most even though the differences are slight. the blacktop would be my next pick.
Man, proof that more money doesn’t necessarily mean better tone, those blacktop trons are fantastic! Gretsch Electromatic line is the best value for money out there!
Great video. To my ears, the green Gretsch sounds best. Just such a warmer rounded tone, but still has the twangy high end on it. Just my opinion, but i only really hear a distinct filtertron sound on clean amp settings. Once you dirty it up, it sounds like it could be any other style of pickup. Not bad, but it loses what makes it a unique style of pickup.
I recently acquired a 1998 Gretsch Tennessee Rose with the high end filtertrons, and a 2014 Korean Electromatic with Black tops, and I was curious about TV Jones. Thanks! Awesome guitars BTW.
The Filtertron was my personal favorite i like how it had just enough snarl but never overpowered the tone.
I’m lucky, my brother loves the single coils and Humbuckers. I love the p90s and filtertrons. My brother uses a Marshall I use the vox. So we can play the identical riff and have wildly different sounds.
@@keithclark486 LOL
The overdriven sound from those blacktops was really, really nice.
A cool raunchy tone if you want it to be. Can be toned down as well. Great bang for your buck.
I agree! I felt it had great mid range definition👍
I just bought the None trem gold top Electromatic pro jet for $275 w/orig hsc mint
So my opinion may seem biased but the Black Tops really caught my ears in this shootout
Chinese made guitars have come a long ass way with quality and performance
Nice review and great playing!
Out of all gretschs the pro jet is the most like a les paul
Highly recommend the Gretsch G5420T!
I never knew what the story was with Filtertrons. Now I do. Thanks.
The TV Jones Classics sound amazing. What surprises me is how much I like the sound of the Blacktop FilterTrons. I like them more then the TV Jones PowerTrons and the higher end Gretsch FliterTrons, Great video, Darrell. Thanks.
I own a nick 13 edition G5230T and ill tell you they ive been using a headset amp and the lows are just right now too thumpy and the highs aren't to high I have hooked it to rocksmith and it sounds great getting my Marshall 15 today let you know how it sounds
I love the black top Filter’Trons too. I didn’t think I would like them more than TV Jones, but I do... there’s just something about them. I was on the fence of changing mine from blacktops to regular toasters, but I fell in love with them.
I agree with the op. Classics sound best to me. Black tops sounded surprisingly good. Power trons sounded good too but a little more like a Gibson humbucker
Wow
I'm a gretsch fan and I had 2 of their guitars. One very entry-level, cheap instrument. Neck pickup died and I had to get a new one. Never did, sold the guitar with the issue. The other is an electromatic G5556TG. Great guitar. Even though is not built with a high-end wood, it certainly is a great guitar. But I also had issues with the neck pickup. Now, one might say "hey, I think the problem is you"... I had Fenders, Gibsons, Ibanezs, Epiphones, Memphis (reeeeaaaally cheap, Brazilian guitar, 10000000% entry level)... And the Gretschs were the only ones that I had issues with the pickups.
I'm a student, so I don't take my instruments here and there all the time, I don't have gigs, I don't play in a band... My guitars stay at home... I think it's possible to say there's a chance I have bad luck... But I think it's fair to say I have all the right to be suspicious about Gretsch Filter'tron pickups. At least about the entry-level ones. 😅😂
Any filtertron fans out there? Which ones did you like best?
1. The guitars - 1:10
2. What makes them different - 3:35
3. The tones - 5:18
4. Final thoughts - 10:03
A man after my heart! My son gave me a HH Tele that he had a Filtertron put in the neck and a Gibson Dirty Fingers pup in the bridge. I never used the neck pup before but now I'm loving it!
1-Tvj powertron
2-Tvj classics
3-Gretsch blacktops
I think the filtertrons sounded best.
Powertron for me I like that bluesy tone
For me the TV Jones Classic in a Tele. I'm also curious to the sound of a TV Jones Magna'Tron
Darrell, many thanks to you and your website! Without a doubt, your U-Tube contributions are among my favorites, due to your objectives and never-ending positive attitude. I may be grumpy as hell when I login, but within minutes of you being you, my negativity melts away, and I can enjoy the positivity and honesty that you portray in your videos.
That being said, my most honest thanks and gratitude fo both r this video. More years ago than I'd like to admit, I fell in love with a Dean Stylist hollow body guitar that was definitely more acoustic than electric, and with it's twin high output humbuckers, it did nothing well, but I saw the potential this guitar had, so I bought it.
.After 2 years of research and experimenting, I bought a set of Gretch Blackface pickups, installed them, along with a piezo under-bridge P/U, along with an internally mounted condenser mic.
The result is that this poor little orphaned guitar has gone from ugly duckling to being my favorite are out of my seven guitars. It definitely has a unique voicing, and truth be told, if I had to choose just a single guitar, it would be 'Dino', my name for this hybrid Dean guitar, simply because with its Gretch Blackface Filtertron pickups, undersaddle p/u and internal condense condenser mike, it has made this guitar my absolute favorite go-to guitar, being able to play nearly all genre's of music , with both Cass and Distinction.
Again, Thank you for your positive and obgectivness in your postings. Way too often many of us are surviving through many medical issues, the most common being anxiety and/or depression, a situation that feeds upon itself.
The blacktops were my favorite overall.
The blacktops are what's installed in the Gretsch guitar I just ordered. (I had to special order it because I need a left-handed guitar and no one stocks this particular model in lefty form, apparently). I can't wait for it to get here in a few weeks! I was quite happy to hear how well the blacktops held up against the others. Not quite as brite as a "real" Filtertron, but still very good and quite versatile -- clean when you want them to be; raunchy enough when you throw some gain at them. I think I'll be quite happy with them. And worst case, if I want to, I can always upgrade to some "real" Filtetrons. Thanks for the comparo!! Good video!
Can you do a video showing us how long it takes to do your dusting every week?
Darrell's a guy. He doesn't do dusting, since every woman knows we are slobs ... ;)
@@ToddSauve:😁😆😂🤣!!!!
dusting is only for donuts or fingerprintz
@@roxilulu I was just kidding. 😉
@@roxilulu
*whoosh*
I'm really glad that you introduced the guitars one-by-one but waited to play tones back-to-back with no breaks! That made the differences really stand out! But now I want to buy all of these!
Hi Darrell ! The big surprise for me came from the Blacktops: great sounding in clear as well as crunch tones. The less pleasing to me were the PowerTrons and the most were the FilterTrons. One has to take into account that those were mounted on a large, hollow body which modifies the result quite a bit. I personnally have a Classic mounted on the bridge position of a Tele, with a series/parallel switch that sounds amazing ! Cheers
Darrell's channel is just perfect; his voice is ASMR calm, great GUITAR content & great PLAYING. Perfect guitar channel. 👌🤘👌
I like the sound of the Blacktop FilterTrons the best. I also like the Jet the best of the guitars.
As the "Budget" option, it certainly held its own.
Loving that orange tele! Powertrons for me. Very informative great watch.
The tv Jones classics were my favorite. They sounded the most tone rich to my ears, with the black tops being a close second. Just sold my Gretsch pro jet, but I may try and find some second hand black tops now.
I have to admit I was actually quite surprised how well the blacktops held up to the classics.
Oh how I want that red Gretsch! I love that thing, sounds great & is absolutely stunning!
Rich Johnson I agree, I like the red ones sounds the most too.
I managed to find a red gretsch identical to this one for sale not far from me! So glad I bought it!
@@thetattedpharmacist3215 I'm looking at that red Gretsch or the Epiphone ES-339 P-90 Pro.
Yeah, I'm inclined to agree.
Totally agree! I think it sounds the best and not to mention looks amazing.
They simply aesthetically look amazing indeed! Sound has so much potential to go about! Makes me wanna go out and try one now, Cheers!
I have to say that the most pleasing pickups to my ears were the Gretsch Filtertrons and not the TVJones.
They ALL sounded good! None were bad, all in the same ball park! I found the black tops quite surprising! BETTER than I was expecting! Competes well with the others! Good comparison Daz! \m/
I love the Orange Tele it sounds as good as it looks.
Hi Darrell, long-time listener, first time caller. I'm in the middle of trying to decide between powertrons and filtertrons. Thanks the comparison, it's gonna be powertron. Thanks for saving me time!
Glad to help!
You always have great content. Im a Gretsch owner and the tones are gorgeous. TY for the comparison and TY FOR DOING IT with no backing tracks.
"The bite and chime of a single coil + the power and silence of a humbucker = the FILTERTRON!" ... ok, P-90 vs. filtertron.
Yes! Would love to see a p90 vs filtertron video.
Trons have some compression in the chime zone to my ear. P90 can do that too by digging in, easier to control.
Compare a P90 (it's a single coil, reallly!) to a Dynasonic or Dearmond single coil. A P90 has more hum compared to a Filtertron. A Filtertron has beautyful highs like a P90 but is a little more creamy due to the humbucking double coils
They all sound great. The classics definitely stand out of the bunch as the most distinct any unique sounding.
So excited to see this video. The only guitar-related clothing I own is a Filtertron shirt, and I wear it PROUD.
Great comparison! I wonder where a mini humbucker compares or fits in to the equation?
I felt like the sound was very similar to my mini humbuckers in my firebirds. I love that sound personality because it's bright and tight but it's also full. Not chimney but like a compressed bucker with the Treble turned up a bit.
The minis are quite tighter with a stronger low response.
@@DRock1779 firebird pickups are different to mini humbuckers, even though they're the same size. A comparison video between firebird style pickups and mini humbuckers would be good. And maybe have the filtertrons compared to that too in the same video. I'd also like to see a vid about comparing current modern gretsch filtertrons and 2 seymour duncan filtertron style pickups (they have a vintage one and a modern one that has higher output)
While all of those 'Trons sounded terrific, my (bass player) ears found the tone of the Green Beast most appealing. Great work, Darrell...as usual. And yet, as far as eye candy is concerned, the candy apple red Gretsch goosed my drool glands the most.
Gretsch filtertrons smoked the others IMO. Extremely warm while delivering all of the classic Gretsch tones. Gorgeous sound!
I had Blacktop FilterTrons on my Pro Jet. Sounded great! Switched them out with a pair of TV Jones Classics. Sounded even better!
Darrell is my favorite RUclipsr. Always positive and great content. Love the videos.👍👍👍👍
Thanks so much LB!
Luke Bierman
Yes, always entertaining and educational straight shooter no bs or hype.
A good man... He's Canadian right?
Great Video! 👍🎸
The classics definitely have it all!
Im 60 years old. My favorite sound i ever got was a '76 strat, dod compressor, mini muff fuzz and a Boss DM-2 analog delay played through a 1 watt Harmony tube amp. Love the pickups though. I was 17 then. Still trying to find that sound.
Thanks for this. Great info! I have a duo jet with classics and im not bonding with it. Going through this I think the classics are the best sounding though....
A fascinating exercise, well-researched and impeccably presented as usual... but I do have to remind us all that unless the same guitar was installed with each separate test pickup in turn, this can not really be a true pickup comparison... but we knew that didn't we! That said, this is an awesome showcase of Filtertron tones, and I am getting some dangerous ideas looking at my Samick Royale semi-hollow after this - thanks, Darrell!
100%. The guitars have a LOT to do with the sound.
Love the tone of the Green Beast. That's my vote.
Another really cool take on this pickup is what Reverend is doing with the Jetstream with its Retroblast pickups [they use two different voiced pickups], neck and bridge. Combined with their fantastic electronics, which includes the bass roll off, can range anywhere from a very traditional sounding filtertron to a traditional humbucker tone. Thanks for your videos, always top notch content.
I love the Creamsicle, man. I've got a TV Jones Classic in the bridge of my 5120. I will say, I've never heard another pickup in anything that sounded as good as the ones in my old 1971 Superchet. I think they were microphonic, but man, those tones were the richest thing you ever heard.
Hi Darrell !
I was looking forward for this video and indeed it is very informative.
However there are some issues in the method used for comparing these pickups:
Firstly the scale lenght in the guitars used, Fender 25.5 vs Gretsch 24.75 inches - this affects tone to a great degree;
Secondly the pot values in the guitars may be different, as well as wiring scheme with the master volume on the Gretsches.
The ideal method would be testing all pickups on the same guitar with the same electronics, yet I see why that would be a problem especially with the hollowbody Gretsch.
As it is I see it more like a comparison between Tele type Guitars and Gretsch types, wich is a good thing nonetheless.
Thanks and keep the videos coming! I love them!
Cheers!
Wish you had the Brian Setzer TVJones Filtertron's. Wasn't sure if they were just a marketing version using his name, quickly changed my mind after trying them, awesome pickup, so crisp when clean and bite when ya want it. Cheers
Good comparison, but I'm curious how these would sound next to Reverend filtertron style pickups. I just played on them for the first time this week, and they're amazing.
Scott, if you mean the 6120RHH then they have the TVJ Classics, so like the orange tele in the vid. IMO they are pick of the crop.
@@johndurban1442 I think Scott doesn't mean The Gretsch Reverend Horton, but Rveverend guitars with RevTrons (Joe Naylor's take on the FilterTrons) in them.
@@allatsea2746 Doh! My bad. Thanks. Something for me to investigate. Thanks.
I’ve got a used Gretsch G5230T with Filtertrons arriving today so I’m excited to check them out. I did recently upgrade a new Michael Kelly 53DB (double humbucker T style) with Seymour Duncan Psyclones and OMG they sound amazing! I have coil splitting and it can sound like anything you want it to by using the volume, tone, and coil splitting controls.
I've been wondering this lately. Perfect timing! Thank you.
I am contemplating a Gretsch purchase and this video was vastly helpful in guiding my decision. Of the four I liked the BlackTop FT as it was closest to the tones I'm looking for. Thanks for a great review.
Great shootout !! Thanks so much for making this. I have a Gretsch Black Panther with HS Filtertrons and I like them but they are missing that high end chime I associate with Gretsch. I do love the “compressed” tone of them and that’s what the Powertron sounded like in your video. I’m thinking about getting the Brian Setzer TV Jones set for my guitar, since they seem to be right in between the Classics and the Powertrons.
keep in mind that the fullness of the gretsch high-senses could be due to the fact that the guitar is fully hollow, as opposed to semi
Absolutely! I wish he would’ve pointed that out
The Jet is semi hollow, it has a a very bare bones frame inside of it, but it doesn’t have F holes.
That red one has the best sound by far in my opinion but I watched the video on my iPad with its tiny speaker and I also have partial hearing loss.
Surprisingly enough the black top pick ups were very bright and clear. IMO it held it's own
Love Filter'trons. Most versatile pickups I know.
Filtertron’s and Tele’s are a great match, I love the TV Classics. I have 2 with them installed. Really great pickups!
Yeah, I've been planning to mod a tele, routing it out and getting a different pick guard and bridge to put some of the seymour duncan filtertron style pickups in it. Though then I discovered Harley Benton guitars, and they sell telecasters that already have filtertron style pickups in them, so that saves a lot of work, I'd just have to replace the pickups with seymour duncan, no routing needed
Good demo! Id love to hear the classics vs TV Jones Ray Butts
Even with critical listening to this on Amphion One18's ($4k monitors in a tuned environment) I was shocked how great these all sound and as I always say, "if it sounds good it is good." The only ones I don't like are the entry level Gretsch pickups as much but still great. Incredible!
Why Filtertron's rock? Well the best Rhythm player of all rock used them: Malcom young!
George Harrison used it for a long period too.
Bernardo Soares Ime glad u mentioned George Harrison, he’s my favourite guitarist.
I've gotta disagree about the best rhythm guitarist. For me, that's Pete Townshend, but he used Filtertrons too so there you go. His best tone ever was the who's next tone, when he used that big orange hollowbody Gretsch. Then he destroyed it at a live gig cos that was still the gimmick of the Who, but he said he forever regretted destroying that guitar as it was the best one he ever owned. Then he switched to using Les Pauls, but again nothing beats that big power chord tone of Who's Next snd Quadrophenia. Filtertrons are the best pickups for classic Rock.
Best rhythm guitarist would be John Lennon.
Guys, music isn't a competition event.
Tv Jones in the green tele is so awesome. Both clean and overdrive tone were amazing!
I am looking at ideas to give a bit of Fender chime to my DIY es-355, and this video helped me on my journey. Thanks!
That helped a lot. I have just bought a Gretsch Duo Jet with BlackTops, and have a TV Jones Classic bridge sitting on the shelf, so I think I need to buy
a Classic Neck. I like the chimey high end.
I like the TVJ powers and the Gretsch blacktops, but those JBE Trons from a while back were the goat. I can't get over that blues solo you did with them in that mint-colored tele.
The Powertron and Blacktop sounded fantastic to my ears
No wonder I always grab one of the guitars that has them at guitar center
Another one that hasn’t been shown a lot of love . Was Malcom Young’s Signature - 62
Gretsch. Three filtering pickups .
Thanks a bunch!! Im trying to upgrade my black tops to something with just a bit more high end info- powertrons!
I changed out the pups on my Epiphone LP Special ( the guitar I use for experimentation) to GFS Filtertrons, Hot Nashville.
Excellent sound!
WAY cheaper than the "boo teek" models and I doubt, on stage, anyone could tell any difference.
I am 73, been playing guitar since I was 12. Lead guitar player for two big bands been touring for decades.
Yeah...not a bedroom strummer.
I never had this great chance to compare them so I bought a neck TV Jones Classic. What luck I nailed the sound I wanted.
I could not help but notice the sunburst, black guard maple neck Tele on your wall! I still have the "78 that I bought 2nd hand ($300) 32 years ago! :)
Dude, once again your content is perfectly timed with what I am wondering. TV Classics, FTW
They all sound great to me :-) I basically love all the oddball pickups. Mini humbuckers, filtertrons and P-90s ftw!
Also goldfoils, the lapsteel horseshoe, dearmond, hofner diamond and staple, mosrite, jazzmaster, asat style, widerange, oversized single coils and more. Endless fun, plus Japanese, Italian, German and Russian guitars affordable and come with weird pickups.
@@pastorkev777 Yes indeed! I see you're a fellow oddball pickup appreciator. Love that stuff.
@@thedondeluxe6941 you guessed right. You can't go wrong with tele bridge pickups and PAFs either, but the unique stuff is what get me going.
Thank you for this info, I like Gretch Guitars, but you told me more about them
TV Jones Power'Tron are one of my favorite pickups ever, i have a bridge position one in a "TV Master" that was put together by a friend, using the Savalas bridge as well, this thing goes from classic rock, clean spanking tone and brutal metal sounds when dialed in the Mesa MKIV.... beastly and versatile pickups.
Love the pickups in the orange Tele, think I'd go with putting those pickups in an Elecromatic
Great Job...I love Gretsch guitars. I've played them for over 30yrs. love you channel..
Great Vid! It's important for folks to know that Filtertron's have many different types and tones. Similar to that of a single coil on a Tele or Strat (a truckload of versions ). Whether it's the inexpey Chinese made versions or American Made TV Jones, pretty much every model has a different (yet similar) pickup in them. Really appreciate this video. Became a HUGE Fan or the Filtertron's a few years back, never before realizing how versatile they are. Kudos!!
Best sound for me on the orange Fender beauty! Thanks for the nice video!
Wow, that was awesome 👏 That opened my eyes to a whole world of possibilities! Thanks, as always! I hope y’all are loving the new place 👍
One of my favorite shoot outs!
Except my Jaguar i got min. one Filtertron in every guitar.
I run Classics, Duncans, Häussels and Dynasonics.
Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the great comparison! I love the TV Jones Classic the most for the clarity especially for a Tele
Thanks for another great and original vid, Darrell. I was quite surprised that I prefer the fuller sounding HS Gretsch, they really rock imo.
Thank you Darrell!!! I've been wanting to trade out the blacktop filtertrons on my 2014 Gretsch 5420t. You made this such an easy choice!! HS Filtertrons for me!!! The blacktops are a little too bright for a rhythm player. Thank you for yet another great video brother!!!
GREAT INFORMATIVE clip . . . thank you very much Darrell.
Cool video! But what about Seymour Duncan psyclone filtertrones? 🤔🤔🤔 I am thinking to buy these ones but I would like to hear your opinion about them
I agree with you that the high end pup was the warmest. Seemed like no chime at all. But I liked the black tops the best of all. Of course it's got to be very different in the room with the amp.
Great review, as usual! I discovered your videos not long ago Darrell and I am a subscribed fan now, keep ‘em coming, you are doing a great job man thanks a lot. Another huge user of the Filtertron/TV Jones pickups is Billy Duffy from The Cult... Gretsch into a JCM800 through those pick-ups give a great idea of their sound on the album Electric. I am not 100% sure about this combo but it certainly sounds like it! Malcom Yound also made their sound known worldwide! Cheers
Love the display in the background Darrell, it's given me some ideas
Cheers
Son of Nun
Would have to be in a windowless room or one with the curtains always closed. Don’t want to advertise to thieves crazing the area.
nice back to back tone comparison, and the crossed pairing was nice. favorites: tvj classics, but the blacktops were also nice.
So I just ordered a Gretsch with HiLo'Trons which are humbuckers meant to emulate the spark of the traditional Filtertrons. I'm eager to see how I like them.
Hi, the orange Fender is so nice i want this Guitar. LG Detlev
This channel consistently provides outstanding, detailed information as well as the fact that You a monster guitar player. Thanks for all you do.
Kevin O'Rourke
the gretsch filtertron is my favorite from the video! i don’t know why but i gravitated to that sound the most even though the differences are slight. the blacktop would be my next pick.
Seriously good demo Darrell, much appreciated!
I LOVE the sound of filtertrons, thanks for this vid!
Great comparison since I have a 5120and find it's pups a bit muddy. Do you ever review an Ibanez Artcore expressionist with Super 58 Custom pups?
The green Gretsch is phenomenal. They all sound great but that one just really stands out.
Man, proof that more money doesn’t necessarily mean better tone, those blacktop trons are fantastic! Gretsch Electromatic line is the best value for money out there!
Nice video! Very interesting, great tones!
Great video Darell, I learned a lot. Thank you!
So now I am looking for an Electromatic in Silver Sparkle with those blacktop trons and a Bigsby.
Great video. To my ears, the green Gretsch sounds best. Just such a warmer rounded tone, but still has the twangy high end on it. Just my opinion, but i only really hear a distinct filtertron sound on clean amp settings. Once you dirty it up, it sounds like it could be any other style of pickup. Not bad, but it loses what makes it a unique style of pickup.
Nice video, i would like a comparission betwen gold foil pickups and single coils or maybe humbuker.
Like the Orange Tele sound, could use that one for my world tour
love the black tops and the red gretsch they are attached to.
Thumbnail is epic since in German pups means fart. So I read it and understood: the coolest fart
I recently acquired a 1998 Gretsch Tennessee Rose with the high end filtertrons, and a 2014 Korean Electromatic with Black tops, and I was curious about TV Jones. Thanks! Awesome guitars BTW.