It does sound better before. Filter Tron, pick ups distort if you get them too close to the strings. Basically you should keep it at the stock setting and do slight increases in the string screw height to taste but not too much. Thank you for the video you did a great job.
@@munta1967 Agreed, before was better. I would like to pick one of these up, but I want it for what it is. I have plenty of high output guitars already.
Sounded better before IMO. More clarity and articulation. I think your result would have been more positive had you simply adjusted the pole adjustment screws. A Tru-Arc bridge makes a noticeable difference on these guitars also.
This video is SO good. I came here because I wanted to learn how to adjust string height on my Streamliner and also its pickups, and although your situation is different to mine (as far as I know), this was so cool to watch. I’m not even high! Gorgeous guitar, too.
Would not the other option be as stated in the Gretch manual - adjust the pickup keeping tention on foam. The adjust the pole pieces to suit. Actually is says - just do the pole pieces and now you can adjust each string for sound.
I just raised the blacktop stock filtertrons in my electromatic (china-made), From 4and a half mm to about 3mm. The sparkling heights I get now from the pickups make me feel easy again. Before that they sounded dull and uneven. Thank you so much man!
The first Gretsch I bought (now number one of five) was my firebird red 6228T 59 Duo Jet which has TV Jones pickups. The second was my black Rat Rod, which I tried in a music shop because I liked the look of it, and ended up buying. That's got Black Tops (with red tops, just to confuse things 😄), and when I got it home they seemed quite underpowered compared to the TV Jones pickups. I adjusted them to get them closer to the strings, and that brought them to life. They're still not as powerful as the TV Jones pickups, but they have a sound all their own which I love, and I wouldn't swap them!
Thanks a lot for this vid, as I wasn’t able to find any info about how to mount some filtertrons I am trying to put in a tele deluxe. Pretty simple solution, but it’ll works fine so it seems. The pick ups came without the screws so now I only need to find the right screws and no springs. Foam it is👍🏻
Love Japanese guitars man, they know how to build good ones. I have a 1984 52' reissue Telecaster and it plays like a dream. I would take it head to head against a custom shop tele any day
Like the system on the present blacktop filtertrons. Like the gibson/epiphone adjustment screws only 2 screws on the bass side so you can tilt forward and back to get a more single cioly tone by raising one set of of poles and lowering the other. unfortunately (imo) you loose output on already lo output humbuckers. Guess that's what the ds-1 is for.
Sorry if I’m asking a question that somebody else asked… but… can’t you just take out those screws and put in new ones that are slightly longer ? (however long enough to get your pickups mounted higher).
to me the sound is perfect, don't change! :p raising up was an improvement i think. I had a '97 duojet with the ceramic filtertrons and the bridge pickup sounded dull but after raising it a bit up and swapping out the 'tonesucker' bridge and put in a rockingbar bridge, the ceramic came to life and I fell in love with the sound.
I like them as they were before. You can get the sound of the PU as after using a pedal (boost, bluesbreaker, etc). But once you put the PU higher then you cant go back to a cleaner sound.
TV Jones classics are really nice. I have a sparkle jet with regular filtertrons ... newer than yours (2014) and a 6120 SSU with TVJones. The regular ones are nice but the TV Jones are way more dynamic and brighter.
HW- you have the ceramic Filtertrons. They ran until 2003ish. Yes, you will see a big difference with TVJ classics. Many people like the ceramics, do a search to hear the difference. They are very distinctive. Powertrons lean much more towards PAFs than the Filtertrons.
TV Jones Classic Neck and Classic Plus Bridge. Absolute FIRE!!! Tom Jones says the Classic Plus is his favorite bridge. It balances extremely well with the Classic Neck. I had Powertrons before and they sounded like a really great PAF, good, but not as Gretschy like the Classics!!!
Late to the party but honestly, higher is better imo. Gives you more options. You can roll back the volume for the more clean/articulate sound, but you can't turn a pot up past 100%. It's kinda like how guitars come stock with lower value pots because higher is "too harsh". Which is fine...right up until you're buying pedals to get more high end when you could just be turning a pot. More options = better.
I agree. New Gretsch guitars have a treble bleed so it’s easy to clean up a crunch setting like this with a quarter turn of the volume knob. The output in my Gretsch was so low and dull sounding at factory setup, but after raising really close (1.5mm on bass side and 1mm on treble side) the output was closer to my other guitars.
Thanks for that I got the opposite problem... mud and my pups are nearly touching the strings!! Guess i'll be shaving foam and maybe raising pole pieces
I got same guitar model couple about a month ago I feel that on my guitar, the sound is not bright ..I'll check the pots Great video,,, i put i little spring to raise the pickups
Raise the individual screws on the pickups. I have a 2001 Sparkle Jet with the Horseshoe and whale back inlays. They changed the design in the year or two later. My Sparkle Jet has the ultra cool Blue Pearl drum finish. Get a Gretsch Rocking Bar bridge to replace that problematic roller bridge. My roller sits in the case as I hated digging out strings that would pop out of the grooves. Also add a no treble loss circuit on the master volume. The stock pickups were cool but TV Jones classics were better in my Jet. Cool guitars.
I play a harley benton big tone giutar. With quite similar pickups. Can I turn the magnets counter clockwise that they`nearer to the strings, without distroying the pickups? How far can I turn the magnets?
This sounds really awesome! I just got a gretsch g5323t with blacktop filtertrons and I’d love to replicate your tone. What amp/modeler are you running through?
A week ago I changed the bridge for a Gotoh on my Gretsch G5220 and the pickups for a Gretsch Filter'tron. I expected more difference in the sound, now it sounds more crunchy, but not much more. I still haven't figured out the exact distance the strings have to be. For the sixth it is 2.5 mm and for the first it is 2 mm. holding down the last fret. Could you tell me how far away you put them. Thank you.
Yooo bro. I am about to put a tv Jones classic plus in my bridge to try to make mine sing a little bit more. I might also shim the bridge to get it fuller sounding. But I like the neck farther away and airy sounding personally. My only complaint with these guitars is how the bridge pickup sounds. I have one with the mud switch. What should I do with that? I’d rather have a tone knob....
I just recently got into learning about and comparing Gretsch guitars and I have to say that I find myself obsessing over the same issues. Part of this obsession is by the design of the Gretsch company. This is why they offer each line of their guitars with different pickups. In the end kids, it's not about the pickups - it's what is in your hands. I know you don't believe me, and will keep spending money and watching product placements on RUclips. Just know that you are on a timeline to your ultimate demise. Learn how to write good songs and the guitar won't matter. Having said that, in my view the raise in pickup height sounded very over driven and wrecked the nice chimey sound you were getting with the original height. Both sounds are useful so keep them both in your toolbox. And, please stop butchering that nice Sparkle Jet. It's fine that way it is.
Very nice Braddah but you don’t need to over explain and layer the explanation of the pickup height…..you hit the point home with the first few sentences. Not slamming you, just helping you out with my two cents. Mahalo nui loa for sharing your time with us. Great playing!
Instead of just an arbitrary " I raised the pickups" it would have been helpful to know by how much. If you had taken measurements before and after, we would have some useful data. All we know now is they are "super high".
Late to the party here. Sounds much better raised. Great comparison. I love tv jones pick ups. I have swapped mine several times. It’s a 6120 Classics are great and the Magna’Tron. I’m going to keep the magnatron in the neck and put the classic in the bridge. Might even do a t90 in the bridge.
Me, being a boomer, would just say "unscrew the pickup and put more foam underneath". But alas, we are not the same people we were when Take 5 was actually pop music. We probably won't be producing any Elon Musks either, we have to import them now
I have the exact same problem with my Gretsch. I dont have the same pickups you have.. I think mine are Broadtrons... In mine I think they tried to retain the "Gretsch" tone, but tried to move a little in the humbucker direction at the same time. Makes sense, right? The problem I'm having is that I'm not getting quite enough punch. Not by a lot...but it just seems lacking and it bothers me. Also, on my guitar the pickups each have 12 adjustable poles and I dont think they were touched at the factory.... So that means 12 "never adjusted poles" to contend with on each pickup. That's a problem because adjusting them correctly will be a long process and I dont have much experience in that area. Then if adjusting the poles doesnt get the results Im after I'll have to change the pickups anyway....and will have wasted several hours of my time...and spent more money. I love the guitar til death do us part..but all that effort and money into a practically brand new guitar is a lot to ask. Now, its not like I dont love the Gretsch sound... I do. I just want MORE of it. Bigger. Punchier. Well, I'm pretty sure this is how TV Jones stays in business. If Gretsch made great pickups he'd be out of business! : )
Bro you can adjust the poles pieces to your preference. I adjusted mine to how I like em and have mine the bass side low poles and the G and B string highest poles that's just how I want em to sound. You can make any combination as long as it doesn't sound bad. Not too high. But I think u can go very low if so.
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It does sound better before. Filter Tron, pick ups distort if you get them too close to the strings. Basically you should keep it at the stock setting and do slight increases in the string screw height to taste but not too much. Thank you for the video you did a great job.
Ha! Just acquired my first Gretsch, a ‘89 Duo Jet & this is exactly the vid I was looking for. Thanks HW! 👍 3/26/23
I think I like them better before. They seem a bit unwieldy in the “after” clips.
me too...after clips seem to have lost it :)
@@munta1967 Agreed, before was better. I would like to pick one of these up, but I want it for what it is. I have plenty of high output guitars already.
.......goes to reverb to look at sparkle jets for the 100th time....
Sounded better before IMO. More clarity and articulation.
I think your result would have been more positive had you simply adjusted the pole adjustment screws.
A Tru-Arc bridge makes a noticeable difference on these guitars also.
It sounds incredible after. I noticed a big difference in articulation and a big high mid gain.
You can also raise the screwa to achieve the same exact result. I did yhaf on my fiktertron guitar and love tye sound it provides.
This video is SO good. I came here because I wanted to learn how to adjust string height on my Streamliner and also its pickups, and although your situation is different to mine (as far as I know), this was so cool to watch. I’m not even high! Gorgeous guitar, too.
Hi Brad. I have a G2655T Streamliner. Are the pickups adjustable like the guitar in the video? Thanks.
Would not the other option be as stated in the Gretch manual - adjust the pickup keeping tention on foam. The adjust the pole pieces to suit. Actually is says - just do the pole pieces and now you can adjust each string for sound.
I like the Power'tron in the bridge and the Classic in the neck. It's a great combo.
I just raised the blacktop stock filtertrons in my electromatic (china-made), From 4and a half mm to about 3mm. The sparkling heights I get now from the pickups make me feel easy again. Before that they sounded dull and uneven. Thank you so much man!
The first Gretsch I bought (now number one of five) was my firebird red 6228T 59 Duo Jet which has TV Jones pickups. The second was my black Rat Rod, which I tried in a music shop because I liked the look of it, and ended up buying.
That's got Black Tops (with red tops, just to confuse things 😄), and when I got it home they seemed quite underpowered compared to the TV Jones pickups. I adjusted them to get them closer to the strings, and that brought them to life.
They're still not as powerful as the TV Jones pickups, but they have a sound all their own which I love, and I wouldn't swap them!
Thanks a lot for this vid, as I wasn’t able to find any info about how to mount some filtertrons I am trying to put in a tele deluxe. Pretty simple solution, but it’ll works fine so it seems. The pick ups came without the screws so now I only need to find the right screws and no springs. Foam it is👍🏻
Love Japanese guitars man, they know how to build good ones. I have a 1984 52' reissue Telecaster and it plays like a dream. I would take it head to head against a custom shop tele any day
Filtertrons love being close to the strings.
Like the system on the present blacktop filtertrons. Like the gibson/epiphone adjustment screws only 2 screws on the bass side so you can tilt forward and back to get a more single cioly tone by raising one set of of poles and lowering the other. unfortunately (imo) you loose output on already lo output humbuckers. Guess that's what the ds-1 is for.
oh man, I'd love to see a video about swapping the pickups out!
Ya think???? Maybe the neck pickup is farther away from the strings for a reason? Like, because the guitar puts out more volume than near the bridge?
Sorry if I’m asking a question that somebody else asked… but… can’t you just take out those screws and put in new ones that are slightly longer ? (however long enough to get your pickups mounted higher).
to me the sound is perfect, don't change! :p raising up was an improvement i think. I had a '97 duojet with the ceramic filtertrons and the bridge pickup sounded dull but after raising it a bit up and swapping out the 'tonesucker' bridge and put in a rockingbar bridge, the ceramic came to life and I fell in love with the sound.
I like the original sound, they have a dry, open sound, the new set-up is too saturated. Good vid
🙌🏻 ✨
I like them as they were before. You can get the sound of the PU as after using a pedal (boost, bluesbreaker, etc). But once you put the PU higher then you cant go back to a cleaner sound.
Gonna say the same. You can always add volume, nice transparent boost, but once you rig it for hot pickups, there's no dialing that back.
I have a Player's edition Sparkle Jet. It sounds and plays great.
TV Jones classics are really nice. I have a sparkle jet with regular filtertrons ... newer than yours (2014) and a 6120 SSU with TVJones. The regular ones are nice but the TV Jones are way more dynamic and brighter.
Nice video! I really wonder how these pickups compare to de TV Classics, or to the HS Filtertrons for that matter!
HW- you have the ceramic Filtertrons. They ran until 2003ish. Yes, you will see a big difference with TVJ classics. Many people like the ceramics, do a search to hear the difference. They are very distinctive. Powertrons lean much more towards PAFs than the Filtertrons.
TV Jones Classic Neck and Classic Plus Bridge. Absolute FIRE!!! Tom Jones says the Classic Plus is his favorite bridge. It balances extremely well with the Classic Neck. I had Powertrons before and they sounded like a really great PAF, good, but not as Gretschy like the Classics!!!
Hear, hear!
Every time you said anything about getting the pickup higher there was something about the way you said it that made me think of Creed. 😂
Sounded better before.
Yeah, I think the before sounds better to me.
Late to the party but honestly, higher is better imo. Gives you more options. You can roll back the volume for the more clean/articulate sound, but you can't turn a pot up past 100%. It's kinda like how guitars come stock with lower value pots because higher is "too harsh". Which is fine...right up until you're buying pedals to get more high end when you could just be turning a pot. More options = better.
I agree. New Gretsch guitars have a treble bleed so it’s easy to clean up a crunch setting like this with a quarter turn of the volume knob.
The output in my Gretsch was so low and dull sounding at factory setup, but after raising really close (1.5mm on bass side and 1mm on treble side) the output was closer to my other guitars.
Thanks for that I got the opposite problem... mud and my pups are nearly touching the strings!! Guess i'll be shaving foam and maybe raising pole pieces
Sounds like it's just running hotter. It would probably be cool if it weren't picking up so much of the sound of your pick attack.
I got same guitar model couple about a month ago
I feel that on my guitar, the sound is not bright ..I'll check the pots
Great video,,, i put i little spring to raise the pickups
Raise the individual screws on the pickups. I have a 2001 Sparkle Jet with the Horseshoe and whale back inlays. They changed the design in the year or two later. My Sparkle Jet has the ultra cool Blue Pearl drum finish. Get a Gretsch Rocking Bar bridge to replace that problematic roller bridge. My roller sits in the case as I hated digging out strings that would pop out of the grooves. Also add a no treble loss circuit on the master volume. The stock pickups were cool but TV Jones classics were better in my Jet. Cool guitars.
Beautiful guitar. Probly could’ve used a treble booster to get the same results, no?
The newer HS Filter’trons have alnico magnets and sound a lot better. A little more mids than tv classics but still clear on top
I play a harley benton big tone giutar. With quite similar pickups. Can I turn the magnets counter clockwise that they`nearer to the strings, without distroying the pickups? How far can I turn the magnets?
I....LOVE the Powertrons in my Power Jet!!!
This sounds really awesome! I just got a gretsch g5323t with blacktop filtertrons and I’d love to replicate your tone. What amp/modeler are you running through?
A week ago I changed the bridge for a Gotoh on my Gretsch G5220 and the pickups for a Gretsch Filter'tron.
I expected more difference in the sound, now it sounds more crunchy, but not much more.
I still haven't figured out the exact distance the strings have to be. For the sixth it is 2.5 mm and for the first it is 2 mm. holding down the last fret.
Could you tell me how far away you put them.
Thank you.
Is that to the body of the pick up or the pole piece? Thanks
Yooo bro. I am about to put a tv Jones classic plus in my bridge to try to make mine sing a little bit more. I might also shim the bridge to get it fuller sounding. But I like the neck farther away and airy sounding personally. My only complaint with these guitars is how the bridge pickup sounds.
I have one with the mud switch. What should I do with that? I’d rather have a tone knob....
i liked the neck pu before better, but the bridge pu went from ok to awesome after.
That's a SICK GUITAR!! 😍😍
Sounds Malcom young tone what are the exact bridge pick up you have here
both sound good
...or, perhaps, try the Brian Setzer Signature TV Jones set? Great video, HW, thanks!
Did you just get a TV Jones Spectra Sonic (aka the new toy)???
I just recently got into learning about and comparing Gretsch guitars and I have to say that I find myself obsessing over the same issues. Part of this obsession is by the design of the Gretsch company. This is why they offer each line of their guitars with different pickups. In the end kids, it's not about the pickups - it's what is in your hands. I know you don't believe me, and will keep spending money and watching product placements on RUclips. Just know that you are on a timeline to your ultimate demise. Learn how to write good songs and the guitar won't matter. Having said that, in my view the raise in pickup height sounded very over driven and wrecked the nice chimey sound you were getting with the original height. Both sounds are useful so keep them both in your toolbox. And, please stop butchering that nice Sparkle Jet. It's fine that way it is.
Your strat is shoreline gold.
I think he grew up watching blues clues
Much better after you raised the pickup heights. They are fuller. It's better imo.
Cool, but after it soundedmore fuzzy.Best sound before😉
What heights did you finally arrive on?
I like them better before. The after sound like a bad humbucker to me.
Very nice Braddah but you don’t need to over explain and layer the explanation of the pickup height…..you hit the point home with the first few sentences. Not slamming you, just helping you out with my two cents. Mahalo nui loa for sharing your time with us. Great playing!
Just get a set of humbucker springs off ebay and the you can raise them the same way as humbuckers.
You can buy a foam block with a spring in it just for this purpose.
Do you have a brand name to search for?
Instead of just an arbitrary " I raised the pickups" it would have been helpful to know by how much. If you had taken measurements before and after, we would have some useful data. All we know now is they are "super high".
What are you playing through?
Late to the party here. Sounds much better raised. Great comparison.
I love tv jones pick ups.
I have swapped mine several times. It’s a 6120
Classics are great and the Magna’Tron.
I’m going to keep the magnatron in the neck and put the classic in the bridge. Might even do a t90 in the bridge.
How long is the scale length???
I know you asked a long time ago but it’s 24.6”
Take this as a compliment btw, your like the Bob Ross of Filtertron videos,
Me, being a boomer, would just say "unscrew the pickup and put more foam underneath". But alas, we are not the same people we were when Take 5 was actually pop music. We probably won't be producing any Elon Musks either, we have to import them now
Don't have them too close to the strings.
Why is he whispering like it is a secret?
Haha, I thought the same
Probably , because of the wife and kids.
I have the exact same problem with my Gretsch.
I dont have the same pickups you have.. I think mine are Broadtrons... In mine I think they tried to retain the "Gretsch" tone, but tried to move a little in the humbucker direction at the same time. Makes sense, right?
The problem I'm having is that I'm not getting quite enough punch. Not by a lot...but it just seems lacking and it bothers me.
Also, on my guitar the pickups each have 12 adjustable poles and I dont think they were touched at the factory.... So that means 12 "never adjusted poles" to contend with on each pickup.
That's a problem because adjusting them correctly will be a long process and I dont have much experience in that area. Then if adjusting the poles doesnt get the results Im after I'll have to change the pickups anyway....and will have wasted several hours of my time...and spent more money.
I love the guitar til death do us part..but all that effort and money into a practically brand new guitar is a lot to ask.
Now, its not like I dont love the Gretsch sound... I do. I just want MORE of it. Bigger. Punchier.
Well, I'm pretty sure this is how TV Jones stays in business. If Gretsch made great pickups he'd be out of business! : )
Do you have a Jet model too? I have a Streamliner with the Broadtrons and plan to raise mine a bit too to get louder output.
Bro you can adjust the poles pieces to your preference. I adjusted mine to how I like em and have mine the bass side low poles and the G and B string highest poles that's just how I want em to sound. You can make any combination as long as it doesn't sound bad. Not too high. But I think u can go very low if so.
Wow
Too close and the magnets can pull your strings out of tune when played open.
im not sure what ones but some filtertrons are fakes in a way there just basic humbuckers with the filtertron looks.
7:24
Better intonation before than after, so a waste of time.
#unintentionalASMR
Get some fishman fluence
why do you whisper? hahaha
Byron Beltran wife alert?
Bro, lower the bridge 1st
G-H-E-Y, GHEY!
This was insufferable. Stop whispering to me like you are trying to sleep with me.
This is horrible. WTF is this guy doing? The camera work is hideous.
Da fuck...where's your RUclips video! ?