I can't disagree more; however, I can also see your point. Still, really digging the Lollar's. They seem to cut right through, which is my preference with all the muddy Epiphone and Gibson pick ups I've worked through. Not all of either are bad, but enough have been. I tend to go for DiMarzio's, but I'd grab a set of Lollar's now.
I find this a common sentiment for people with boutique pickups. When you switch to lollars, fralin, throbak etc you'll get a much brighter, airy sound. The warmth and perceived fullness in a lot of stock pickups actually become wooly, mushy and lost live. If you ever isolated tracks on classic recordings you'll notice the guitar sounds have almost no bass and can sound quite odd, even if they sound fat and huge in the mix. So this is a question you have to ask yourself and also whether or not if it's relevant if you are a recording or touring musician
When he did the side by side, they both sounded good, but depending on what he was playing. I guess that goes to what Rhett was talking about for you to keep in mind.
I agree. Both sounded gr8 with the Lollars having more top end. I prefer the midrange of the filtertrons though. To my mind they had more character. All highly personal though!
Great job Rhett! A couple things I would add: 1. Before spending money on new pickups, If you aren’t that excited by your guitars sound, try adjusting your pickup height first! This can GREATLY affect the way your guitar sounds and reacts. I installed Duncan Seth Lovers in my 335 and afterwards, thought I had made a terrible mistake in choosing them. However, after adjusting both pickups just slightly from the “recommend” specs, it’s now one of my favorite guitars! Also, 2. Make sure when you tap your pickups, you do NOT use any tool that has been magnetized or that has a magnetic tip. You can change or even RUIN a good pickup! Beautiful guitar for sure, hope to see more of it now! 👍
I for one prefer the filtertrons, sounded more mellow to my ears. Anyway, if you got nothing to do with the old pickups, i'd be glad to give them a new home :P
Well... in the first couple of tunes I barely saw any difference, But in the more "fuzzy" ones at the end it's noticible the brightness of the filtertrons. I usually prefer te tone of my pickups to be darker... but in this case I also prefer the filtertrons. Maybe it's because I own a Gretsch and I am so used to them. But what matters is what te player likes orv feel confortable playing.
If anyone's confused about pickup output, it's measure in DC resistance. For example a 7.5K output humbucker will measure 7500 ohms at the output of your guitar. This is a good reading of how powerful/hot a pickup is because a higher resistance pickup will be able to capture the movement of the strings more than a low output. So, if you have a weird guitar and you can't find out what pickups are in it, try measuring with a multimeter. If your pickups are too hot, look for aftermarket ones with less DC resistance.
Filtertrons seemed more "even" sounding, having more midrange. Lollars sounded more scooped, as i usually hear in older pickups. Both sounded great, just different!! For that kind of guitar, i liked the Lollars better!!
Nice video as always. I think the swapping didn't make much difference to my taste. I can tell that the Lollars were an upgrade, but in my personal opinion I wouldn't have them changed. The stock Filtertrons sounded really nice to me. Congratz on the upgrade tho!
Very subtle difference. I found the Lollars a bit mellower and smoother. As a long time player I understand how that tiny difference in tone makes a world of difference to the person playing the guitar. Great video as always. In fact I just subscribed! :-)
The Filtertrons had more mid and low end, whereas the Lollars were a lot brighter. More bass'y low end with Filter...so maybe the Lollars will help it sit in the mix with bass and drums, more cut, and at high levels not boom out with the decreased lows and mid range frequencies. Its all dependent on what tone you are looking for as you said Rhet! Good video! :)
I, too, liked the original pickups. Maybe the recording brings out the tone of the filtertrons. The Lollars were flat and seemed to have less dynamics.
Hi, Rhett! I would say that the articulation of the Lollars is a bit more defined, yet a little smoother. I think you were right when you said it sounded more like something Chet would have played. I'm 63 years old and began with guitar on my 9th birthday in July of 1965. I still remember the iconic sound because I grew up with probably more than a thousand hours of music from Chet, George Harrison, John Knowles, Duane Eddy, and more. Later, I had my own Gretsch, a 1969 Streamliner. No relationship or even similarity to the new Streamliners except the body shape and the brand name on the headstock. And fortunately, it didn't have a centerblock to ruin "That Great Gretsch Sound".
I recently swapped to TV Jones Pups. They are a little pricey but definitely WORTH IT!!! The tone and output blew my mind. Now I am spoiled forever!!!!!
The question is, would you have replaced the pickups if you had to pay for the new ones? How much do they cost? I didn't hear that much difference. It still sounds like a Gretsch.
The new pickups are a little mellower. That being said, I don’t think it’s a mod that I would want to do. I can just picture one of those volume pots slipping off the fishing line 😣
I can hear what you say. The Lollards do sound brighter and less hot. I prefer the Lollards but I could see how some people could like the stock pickups.
The Lollar pickups took away some low end, which was a really good thing for this guitar and the tone you were going for. It also made the whole instrument sound a lot smoother because it didn't need spiky highs to combat overly pronounced lows.
For those of you saying you prefer the original pickups, I don't disagree completely, I preferred the stock ones on some of the clean tones. BUT you have to remember, that with all pickups, but specifically filtertron types (at least to me), the biggest difference a lot of the time is how they hit the amp and how it FEELS to play. I've played lots of different filtertron styles, lollar, TV Jones, gretsch, porter, etc.. and just like a set of 60's style Strat pickups are going to sound pretty similar between brands, they sounded similar but felt SO different. It was actually kind of crazy. You can always add a little high end to some of those tones to get a more similar sound to the original pickups. But if it feels better to play and they react more like you want them to, it's the better option.
I definitely like the change. To me, the Lollars sound more "open". Brighter when needed but still have a nice thickness at the bottom when you're overdriving it. Plus, that's a damn sharp guitar and will look great on stage.
I changed the pickups in my country classic to a TV jones supertron and classic plus. They sound amazing, but thankfully gretsch has done quite a bit of tweaking in their pickup designs in the last few years, and they are sounding pretty good.
+1 to doing this first thing if you want a certain sound from your fave guitar. I put SD Invaders in my LTD years ago and it has sounded bloody fantastic ever since! Those things shred!
I spent quite a long time working in stores and have swapped out many many pickups in guitars. The same pickups will not necessarily suit every example of that guitar. I actually got quite good at not only listening to the requirements of the player but also the individual resonance of the guitar. Each individual guitar is going to be slightly different. There can be a bit involved in finding the best match to redeem what is acoustically within the guitar as well as what suits the player's style.
Wow ! can't believe how many folks still like the filtertrons better.. I thought it was a no brainer as they were to bright and noisey for my taste. The Lollartrons really cleaned and smoothed out the tone.
the new pickups sounded great, You might also want to change that cloth while using the soldering tool since its made out of plastic fabric and it burns fast, You probably don´t want to stain that beautiful guitar or any other for that matter.
I have read most of the comments pros/cons. To me I got more out of watching the techniques of actually taking the pickups out, soldering the pots, The fishing line was a great tip. The difference in tone of the two types of pickups were a moot point to me. They both sounded great. Keep in mind you are listening to this video sound pumped through maybe a 2 inch speaker in your laptop or even through your plug in speakers. How can you evaluate the tones in that medium? The Gretsch pickups are high quality designed by engineers for that guitar. The Lollar Pickups are high quality engineered for after market replacement. It's apples to apples. Just a guess that they are Lollar Imperial pickups [top of the line], $175 each. Am I going to spend $350 for a slightly different sound that I possibly could come close to recreating with the tone knobs or amp settings.......No. If I was going to upgrade an Epi etc yes maybe.
The filtertrons sounds bigger with more low end and presence and the lollies are more focused, you can hear the mids more, both are vialbe sounds, it's simply a matter of the situation and the players taste.
I'm gonna have to give the W to the Filtertrons here after hearing the comparison. I love the richness of the low end. The Lollars are a bit more focus in the midrange, which will definitely cut through a mix well, but I find that the Filtertrons are doing a better job of sweeping the whole freq. spectrum.
I am genuinely surprised that I actually heard a difference, the new pickups sounded a little richer over you tube. Thanks for all the content Rhett, I always look forward to a new videos even as a non guitar player.
Great example of how a "how to..." Video should be done. Amazing side by side comparison at the end - must have taken some time in post-processing- but effort much appreciated. Thanks Rhett
Nice video! But... Telling your 66k subscribers that "K"s are a "measure" of output is misleading. "K" stands for Kilo-Ohm, which is a measure of resistance. Not ouput voltage (signal that is...). There are too many factors involved on how a pickup sound. Resistance, inductance, wire gauge used, type of magnet etc etc. Usually, (and I say it again, usually!) a pickup can get more output using more coils of wire (= more resistance), but it also will suffer from lack of hi-end frequencies (hence dull, dark sound). It's a compromise. That said, I have a set of single coils measuring 5.2K of resistance on my strat-type guitar. Low right? Compared to the usual 7k (even 6k) of single-coils pickups, its lower.. But the output is massive! Why? because they have inductance (not resistance, not "Ks"), and since they have less windings (= less "Ks") they have a clear frequency range. So don't go just for resistance please, it's dumb.
Also if you want the Chet Atkins sound. Go with a 6120 and a Magnatone style amp. He didn't really play falcons. Thr body on a falcon has a 17in bout vs 16in. Being a hollow body the bracing and size and thickness of the body also makes a HUGE difference in tone. Unlike a solid body guitar
The Filtertrons! For sure. Lollars sound like they do not have guts compared to the stock pickups. The bass of these Filtertrons on clean, the growl distorted-superior! The highs are very close so I think they are quite the same in this category. Ones again: the Filtertrons.👍
The filtertrons act totally different in a falcon vs a 6120. I would suggest TV Jones pickups as he makes some other filtertron style pickups that will make the falcons less muddy. I play mainly Gretch hollowbodies so I am speaking from experience. TV Jones responds to emails and I would suggest emailing him with a bit of a description of what you are going for. I find the black tops that are in billy duffy signature are great for falcons. Also the Brian Setzer filtertrons are great for falcons. The MagaTron would sound great too. Also TV Jones sells a kit for working with thr wire harness. I would also check out nocturn peals as they are built and meant to work specifically with filtertron pickups
At some point, especially if you are interrupted and can't do it all in one session, it is going to be really easy to be confused as to which pot is which. So I recommend putting a label on them as soon as you remove them. You also need to think about HOW to tie the line to those pots. It can be dicey getting the post through the hole when it is time to put them back. If you can use some tape to have the line basically coming from the centre of the post, life will be easier.
Amazed at the number of people preferring the stock pickups, they were very muddy at the lower end and lacked note definition across the range. The Lollars were much cleaner and had more harmonic upper mids for me.
Wow, The Lollars high end is much less brittle. The midrange feels more out front because of it.. really notice the difference strumming chords.. I'm sure this will "allow" for more clarity for vocals and cymbals in the mix and still have room to turn up the guitar without getting "fizzy" in the mix too....
Excellent video.. covers all the major bases. You're a braver man than I, changing on a hollow-body. Also love the point about buying a used set of pups, that's my #1 way to save money. The only downside to buying used can be if the wires have been cut too short - happens sometimes.
I like the Lollartrons better. The HS Filtertrons have a lot more low end response, which makes them sound "fuller" on the recording compared to the Lollar's, but they are also more tubby and muffled sounding lacking the clarity that I think you were dreaming about. I have a Player's Edition Black Falcon and I had to change the HS Filtertrons out as well as I found them too dark, and lacking clarity. I myself went with TV Jones Brian Setzers and I got the clarity and sparkle I was wanting. Anyway thanks for the video as now I know how to change out the pickups on my Falcon if I ever should want to!
If we’re talking about pickup change only in a hollow or semi hollow guitar the solution is one! 1. REMOVE THE OLD PICKUP 2. CUT THE CABLE OF THE OLD PUP (Near the pickup leave adequate wire from the pot!) 3. CONNECT AND SOLDER THE CABLES OF THE NEW PUP WITH THE CABLE OF THE OLD! 4. ENJOY YOUR NEW TONES!!! Works with every pickup both with the braided wire and the standard two cable style!
Prefer the Lollars for dirt and the Filtertrons for cleans. Lollars have less harsh highs and more mids which clears them up on the drive stuff but the Filtertrons sparkle and bass end sound nice clean.
Man that is one gorgeous ass guitar but I have to agree with everyone else. The filtertrons sounded FANTASTIC!! I have a cheapie set on my semi hollow and I absolutely love them but if the Lollartrons made the guitar more enjoyable to play, that's all that matters. Great video!
Sound and tone are VERY subjective! I have a white falcon and dig the stock Filter'trons. It is as he said though, it all depends on the sound you are trying to obtain. I fell in love with the Gretsch Filter'tron sound a long time ago and the first chord I struck on the Falcon I knew I was going to walk out of the store with her!
The lesson I learned by swapping pickups is that yes it can change the sound but what I was missing in two guitars of mine was percussiveness and clarity. It took me a couple of years of learning to find out that scale length matters more for this than anything else. I'm currently trying to get a 25.5" scale length Gretsch. A falcon is out of the budget but maybe an older county gentleman.
I imagine that the RUclips compression makes the difference less obvious than it is in the flesh. However, to my ears, the Lollars have a sweeter top end and are definitely less muddy in the lower registers that the Filtertrons, certainly less aggressive. Seeing this video makes me miss my old Streamliner that had had 'Trons retro fitted before I bought it. Maybe it's time to pick up a cheap (but nice playing) Gretsch Electromatic and fit some some decent pickups in it.
BTW, the stock “High Sensitivity” filtertrons are made in Korea on high speed machines and contributes to the overall brightness & harshness of those pickups...
Capacitors ($-$$) and their values can make a real difference too. I went down the new PUP route ($$$) on a Gibson LP Custom Florentine. Tried Dimarzio 36th anniversary and was really disappointed. Sounded weedy, nothing like sound/video clips and I was gutted. Well each guitar is unique I guess. I put the original Gibsons back in but swapped out capacitors for sweeter treble roll off and viola. Magic! Changing the electronics on your guitar can be an expensive and sometimes disappointing rabbit hole. Watch videos like this, ask around to find people’s experience of making changes to help your thought process as much as possible. If you find out you have some cheap components in the electronics signal path that can be bettered for $$, I would try this low cost option first. The PUPs will only be as good as the weakest link in the wiring signal path anyway. You might just love the slight change in feel and tone for a few dollars avoiding $$$ out of pocket for PUPs. If the wiring signal path is top draw and you still want to swap the PUPs then at least you know you have a solid foundation for doing so and nothing limiting new PUP performance :-) After watching more of this video I realise the tone comparison, Filtertron vs Lollar, is a good example of what I mean by swapping capacitors. I prefer the character of the Filtertron, but they are too brash in this video for my ears. So I would definitely experiment with capacitor values first to smooth the spiky edge while retaining the more open texture and character of the Filtertron. Cheap and quick work. Only if I was still unhappy would I go for new PUPs.
If you want clarity (and secondarily balance) the Lollartrons are perfect for that. But if you want balsy artifacts stick with the filertorns or TV Classic neck and TV Classic plus bridge.
I am glad to say there is no difference because when I heard it before u changed them I was terrified because it was beutiful already and I'm glad to see that it made no difference in my humble opinion but super helpful on how to go about it and what I should be looking for thanx
Rhett, no doubt REVERB rocks for new old pups, I grabbed a set of used Tremonti Sigs bass & treble for basically the price of ONE pup from Fret12!! Thanx, Cheech and Leo's Custom Creations!!
Medical tubing works really good as a substitute for the fishing line. The tubing is more rigid, which makes it easier to control inside the body of the guitar.
I've was just thinking about changing out the pickups in my Country Gentleman. I love the guitar, but the stock pickups aren't my cup of tea. I think the timing on this video is amazing! Thank you for all of your hard work, I love watching the content you produce.
Great video. I personally would have gone with TV Jones myself. TV and Jason Lolar are basically neighbors, both based out of the San Juan islands in the Puget Sound. TV has been and is a gretch and filtertron pickup wizard forever. For years Jason and TV stayed in their respective expertise areas, Jason the Paf gibson and single coil strat stuff, TV the gretsch and filtertron stuff. I have called TV's phone number and talked to him directly. He answered all the questions I had and gave me his expert advice based on what I wanted to achieve. They're both great pickup makers.
Don’t have an expensive Gretsch like yours but I did play my Aspen Green Electromatic thru my Seafoam green excelsior amp at my gig last Saturday evening. Everybody really Dug the sound. I think I liked the stock Pups better but I hear what you are sayin. Lower output pups can be sweeter!
Thanks for making the video. The change in sound that made you so happy must have been very subtle; on 1080HD RUclips, using a good sound card and Ultrasone headphones, these two pickup sets were virtually indistinguishable. I "sensed" that the Lollars may have been slightly brighter, by a vanishingly tiny increment. That's about it. Good thing they were "free."
Pickups are so subjective. It depends on the individual what sounds best to one’s ears. Some stock factory pickups sound great when you first get them, but later you may develop a love hate relationship with them. That’s the time to experiment with different pickups. I converted a single coil Strat, to two Lollar Imperial humbuckers. I love it. All the sound bites on Lollar pickups I have heard, both single coil and HB, sound great. I don’t care for the new pickups, that Fender put on the Gretsch guitars. Original TV Jones pickups are better, at least to my ears.
I’m listening on an iPhone 6 through Shure 215 earbuds. I did not prefer the Lollars but you’re in the room and I suspect RUclips streaming doesn’t do a great job.
You inspired me to change my stock pups in my G5420T. Love everything about that guitar except the sounds. I might go with TV jones but the point is you made me finally decide to go for it. Thanks!
I had a '63 Chet Atkins Tennessean that was marvelous to play but didnt like the sound. Put a hot-rodded humbucker in the bridge and used it live all thru the 70's/80's. Put the old pickup back in and sold it to a country player in '91 for 4x what I paid for it. Wish I'd kept it. It would be worth $$$ now. BTW, like the Lollars- JJ
I'm missing and edgier sound quality from the filtertrons...Also seemed that you were digging in & more inspired when you are playing with the Lollars , like purposely you restrained your "feeling" when playing with the filtertrons🧐 Anyway you're playing it's so enjoyable and right on the nail all the time, thanks for the videos.
I actually like the Filtertrons more! Taste is taste! I can see why you went to the Lollar though... The video was VERY helpful for me to not touch the Filtertrones. I came here cause I was thinking about changing my Gretsch pickups. Thanks bro, you're a legend
Noo Rhett don’t get rid of the bigsby!! Just swap out the stock bigsby string shaft for a Callaham String through bigsby! I did it on my Gretsch Duo Jet! BEST MOD EVER! After that mod is like stringing up a les paul lol It literally takes me like 5 mins to restring now and i still have the advantage of keeping the bigsby (i do have the upgraded Duo jet locking tuners which helps even more) but it’s a breeze to change strings now👌
Everyone is saying they prefer the dynamics of the Filtertrons. Personally, I don't want a lot of dynamics coming out of a semi-hollow or hollow, I'd rather have it be smooth with great sustain. The Lollars accomplish this on the clean channel, and they sound great with drive anyway. On the topic of drive, I can guarantee that the guitar as is now will sound incredible with drive for a blues arrangement.
While I much prefer the filtertrons, the lollaratrons would work so much better in a band mix or in a recording situation. They sound more midrange focused, less 'scooped'.
You definitely got the results you were wanting. The Lollar's sound much cleaner, the highs are crispier, and the tone cuts through the overdrive really well. Nice pickup.
I couldn't agree more. I've upgraded two guitars just this year with Lindy Fralins - a set of Pure PAFs in my Ibanez AS-73, and a set of his split blade Tele pickups in a Classic Vibe Tele. I just loved the feel and unplugged sound of both of them, but plugged in - bleh. With the Fralins - winners. They sound amazing now. But I do agree with some commenters below, I liked the sound of the original Filtertrons s a little better myself. For the Chet sound that you were looking for, Mr. Sandman, yes, absolutely. But on the dirtier stuff I think the originals were pretty sweet.
Nice, Rhett. The Lollars are lower output, and therefore have more dynamics, plus they definitely have more character. I had a chambered Les Paul copy for years for never sounded right with the DiMarzio PAFs. I swapped them for Duncan Phat Cats, which are P90's in a PAF format. They totally breathed new life into this instrument, and I now love P90s!
The originals were definitely hotter than the Lollartrons. The difference is so pronounced at 15.15 that I didn't believe my ears at first. Thanks for the video, happy you like the new tone of your great guitar!
I’ve been guitarin for 20+ years. I’m listening with some pretty descent SkullCandy headphones. Were it not for the labels on the screen I would not have been able to distinguish which pickups were in use during the playing. I hear the gentler attack on the Lollars, but not enough for that guitar to sound “upgraded” to my ears.
The Lollars sound good, but I actually prefer the stock filtertrons.
I can't disagree more; however, I can also see your point. Still, really digging the Lollar's. They seem to cut right through, which is my preference with all the muddy Epiphone and Gibson pick ups I've worked through. Not all of either are bad, but enough have been. I tend to go for DiMarzio's, but I'd grab a set of Lollar's now.
I find this a common sentiment for people with boutique pickups. When you switch to lollars, fralin, throbak etc you'll get a much brighter, airy sound. The warmth and perceived fullness in a lot of stock pickups actually become wooly, mushy and lost live. If you ever isolated tracks on classic recordings you'll notice the guitar sounds have almost no bass and can sound quite odd, even if they sound fat and huge in the mix. So this is a question you have to ask yourself and also whether or not if it's relevant if you are a recording or touring musician
Same: the Lollars sounded somewhat hollow, out of phase.
When he did the side by side, they both sounded good, but depending on what he was playing. I guess that goes to what Rhett was talking about for you to keep in mind.
I agree. Both sounded gr8 with the Lollars having more top end. I prefer the midrange of the filtertrons though. To my mind they had more character. All highly personal though!
Great job Rhett! A couple things I would add:
1. Before spending money on new pickups, If you aren’t that excited by your guitars sound, try adjusting your pickup height first! This can GREATLY affect the way your guitar sounds and reacts. I installed Duncan Seth Lovers in my 335 and afterwards, thought I had made a terrible mistake in choosing them. However, after adjusting both pickups just slightly from the “recommend” specs, it’s now one of my favorite guitars!
Also,
2. Make sure when you tap your pickups, you do NOT use any tool that has been magnetized or that has a magnetic tip. You can change or even RUIN a good pickup!
Beautiful guitar for sure, hope to see more of it now! 👍
I for one prefer the filtertrons, sounded more mellow to my ears. Anyway, if you got nothing to do with the old pickups, i'd be glad to give them a new home :P
Well... in the first couple of tunes I barely saw any difference, But in the more "fuzzy" ones at the end it's noticible the brightness of the filtertrons. I usually prefer te tone of my pickups to be darker... but in this case I also prefer the filtertrons. Maybe it's because I own a Gretsch and I am so used to them. But what matters is what te player likes orv feel confortable playing.
Same
"Pickups are the most easiest thing to change in your guitar!"
Strings: am I a joke to you?
Haha, got a great laugh from this comment.
Why would you change your strings?
Sincerely, a bass player
Could be the RUclips compression, but I REALLY dug the stock Gretsch pickups! But, It's not my guitar...
That cover of mr sandman was inspiring.
“Mr Sandman
Sand me a man
Make him so sandy
The sandiest man”
Sam Choate words of a true poet
Also, the worst of Padme Amidala's 3 wishes to her genie.
you live on a beach?
Give him the sand, like a silicon miner.
Just make sure the sand isn't iiiiiiin his vaaagiiiiinaaaaaa!
If anyone's confused about pickup output, it's measure in DC resistance. For example a 7.5K output humbucker will measure 7500 ohms at the output of your guitar.
This is a good reading of how powerful/hot a pickup is because a higher resistance pickup will be able to capture the movement of the strings more than a low output.
So, if you have a weird guitar and you can't find out what pickups are in it, try measuring with a multimeter. If your pickups are too hot, look for aftermarket ones with less DC resistance.
Filtertrons seemed more "even" sounding, having more midrange.
Lollars sounded more scooped, as i usually hear in older pickups.
Both sounded great, just different!!
For that kind of guitar, i liked the Lollars better!!
I love how Filtertrons sound. Honestly, even the Broadtrons sound fantastic.But If you really wanted a Chet sound wouldn't you use TV Jones?
Nice video as always.
I think the swapping didn't make much difference to my taste. I can tell that the Lollars were an upgrade, but in my personal opinion I wouldn't have them changed. The stock Filtertrons sounded really nice to me. Congratz on the upgrade tho!
The filtertrons have more sparkle on the top end. The lollartrons though seem clearer and fuller sounding to my ears.
TV Jones makes the Best FilterTrons Period!
Gotta say, I really prefer the Filtertrons to the Lollar pickups. But to each their own ✊
Very subtle difference. I found the Lollars a bit mellower and smoother. As a long time player I understand how that tiny difference in tone makes a world of difference to the person playing the guitar. Great video as always. In fact I just subscribed! :-)
The Filtertrons had more mid and low end, whereas the Lollars were a lot brighter. More bass'y low end with Filter...so maybe the Lollars will help it sit in the mix with bass and drums, more cut, and at high levels not boom out with the decreased lows and mid range frequencies. Its all dependent on what tone you are looking for as you said Rhet! Good video! :)
I, too, liked the original pickups. Maybe the recording brings out the tone of the filtertrons. The Lollars were flat and seemed to have less dynamics.
I use snowmobile gas line vinyl hoses on the pots' shafts. Works better than fishing line.
TFW when the stock pickups you didn’t like sound way better than the fancy aftermarket ones you just spent a bunch of time installing 🤨
i liked the stock filtertrons. sounds more like a gretsch. subjective, i know.
Filtertrons won for me - But you do you and go with the feel and sound you're going for.. because that's all that matters.
Your Chet Atkins style is great! I grew up on Chet and his Gretch Country Gentleman. This was interesting. Thanks for sharing with us.
Hi, Rhett! I would say that the articulation of the Lollars is a bit more defined, yet a little smoother. I think you were right when you said it sounded more like something Chet would have played. I'm 63 years old and began with guitar on my 9th birthday in July of 1965. I still remember the iconic sound because I grew up with probably more than a thousand hours of music from Chet, George Harrison, John Knowles, Duane Eddy, and more. Later, I had my own Gretsch, a 1969 Streamliner. No relationship or even similarity to the new Streamliners except the body shape and the brand name on the headstock. And fortunately, it didn't have a centerblock to ruin "That Great Gretsch Sound".
I recently swapped to TV Jones Pups. They are a little pricey but definitely WORTH IT!!! The tone and output blew my mind. Now I am spoiled forever!!!!!
Love the Raconteurs riff! Sounds unreal man, good move.
hey hi could u possibly tell me wats the name of the second last song he played before he stacked the pedals like the lil funky riff kinda
The question is, would you have replaced the pickups if you had to pay for the new ones? How much do they cost? I didn't hear that much difference. It still sounds like a Gretsch.
The new pickups are a little mellower. That being said, I don’t think it’s a mod that I would want to do. I can just picture one of those volume pots slipping off the fishing line 😣
I can hear what you say. The Lollards do sound brighter and less hot. I prefer the Lollards but I could see how some people could like the stock pickups.
The TV Jones kit comes with surgical tubing and a dowel for the input jack. Really helpful for working on thr wire harness of a hollow body
Both sets were good, but video's don't make themselves. Might as well have a nice demo on hollow body PUP change though. Very nice.
Love the Raconteurs song,it sounds so good with the hollow body.
The Lollar pickups took away some low end, which was a really good thing for this guitar and the tone you were going for. It also made the whole instrument sound a lot smoother because it didn't need spiky highs to combat overly pronounced lows.
For those of you saying you prefer the original pickups, I don't disagree completely, I preferred the stock ones on some of the clean tones. BUT you have to remember, that with all pickups, but specifically filtertron types (at least to me), the biggest difference a lot of the time is how they hit the amp and how it FEELS to play. I've played lots of different filtertron styles, lollar, TV Jones, gretsch, porter, etc.. and just like a set of 60's style Strat pickups are going to sound pretty similar between brands, they sounded similar but felt SO different. It was actually kind of crazy. You can always add a little high end to some of those tones to get a more similar sound to the original pickups. But if it feels better to play and they react more like you want them to, it's the better option.
I definitely like the change. To me, the Lollars sound more "open". Brighter when needed but still have a nice thickness at the bottom when you're overdriving it. Plus, that's a damn sharp guitar and will look great on stage.
I changed the pickups in my country classic to a TV jones supertron and classic plus. They sound amazing, but thankfully gretsch has done quite a bit of tweaking in their pickup designs in the last few years, and they are sounding pretty good.
+1 to doing this first thing if you want a certain sound from your fave guitar. I put SD Invaders in my LTD years ago and it has sounded bloody fantastic ever since! Those things shred!
I spent quite a long time working in stores and have swapped out many many pickups in guitars.
The same pickups will not necessarily suit every example of that guitar. I actually got quite good at not only listening to the requirements of the player but also the individual resonance of the guitar.
Each individual guitar is going to be slightly different. There can be a bit involved in finding the best match to redeem what is acoustically within the guitar as well as what suits the player's style.
Wow ! can't believe how many folks still like the filtertrons better.. I thought it was a no brainer as they were to bright and noisey for my taste. The Lollartrons really cleaned and smoothed out the tone.
the new pickups sounded great, You might also want to change that cloth while using the soldering tool since its made out of plastic fabric and it burns fast, You probably don´t want to stain that beautiful guitar or any other for that matter.
I have read most of the comments pros/cons. To me I got more out of watching the techniques of actually taking the pickups out, soldering the pots, The fishing line was a great tip. The difference in tone of the two types of pickups were a moot point to me. They both sounded great. Keep in mind you are listening to this video sound pumped through maybe a 2 inch speaker in your laptop or even through your plug in speakers. How can you evaluate the tones in that medium? The Gretsch pickups are high quality designed by engineers for that guitar. The Lollar Pickups are high quality engineered for after market replacement. It's apples to apples. Just a guess that they are Lollar Imperial pickups [top of the line], $175 each. Am I going to spend $350 for a slightly different sound that I possibly could come close to recreating with the tone knobs or amp settings.......No. If I was going to upgrade an Epi etc yes maybe.
I've noticed the best way to improve the sound of my guitars is to let a real guitarist play them. Rhett, are you available? :)
This must be why my guitar sounds like shit.
The filtertrons sounds bigger with more low end and presence and the lollies are more focused, you can hear the mids more, both are vialbe sounds, it's simply a matter of the situation and the players taste.
I'm gonna have to give the W to the Filtertrons here after hearing the comparison. I love the richness of the low end. The Lollars are a bit more focus in the midrange, which will definitely cut through a mix well, but I find that the Filtertrons are doing a better job of sweeping the whole freq. spectrum.
I am genuinely surprised that I actually heard a difference, the new pickups sounded a little richer over you tube. Thanks for all the content Rhett, I always look forward to a new videos even as a non guitar player.
Great example of how a "how to..." Video should be done. Amazing side by side comparison at the end - must have taken some time in post-processing- but effort much appreciated. Thanks Rhett
My Les Paul has pretty hot pickups so for a clean sound I turn down to about 8. That also reduces finger noise and harmonics too.
Nice video! But... Telling your 66k subscribers that "K"s are a "measure" of output is misleading. "K" stands for Kilo-Ohm, which is a measure of resistance. Not ouput voltage (signal that is...). There are too many factors involved on how a pickup sound. Resistance, inductance, wire gauge used, type of magnet etc etc. Usually, (and I say it again, usually!) a pickup can get more output using more coils of wire (= more resistance), but it also will suffer from lack of hi-end frequencies (hence dull, dark sound). It's a compromise. That said, I have a set of single coils measuring 5.2K of resistance on my strat-type guitar. Low right? Compared to the usual 7k (even 6k) of single-coils pickups, its lower.. But the output is massive! Why? because they have inductance (not resistance, not "Ks"), and since they have less windings (= less "Ks") they have a clear frequency range. So don't go just for resistance please, it's dumb.
Perfect explanation brother!
Also if you want the Chet Atkins sound. Go with a 6120 and a Magnatone style amp. He didn't really play falcons. Thr body on a falcon has a 17in bout vs 16in. Being a hollow body the bracing and size and thickness of the body also makes a HUGE difference in tone. Unlike a solid body guitar
The Filtertrons! For sure. Lollars sound like they do not have guts compared to the stock pickups. The bass of these Filtertrons on clean, the growl distorted-superior!
The highs are very close so I think they are quite the same in this category.
Ones again: the Filtertrons.👍
Weirdly enough I loved the original pickups. But Lollar does make incredible pickups. With Dirt the Lollars were less harsh.
Lollars? I thought for sure you were going with Bareknuckle Aftermaths! Lol.
Once again, top shelf content. Thnx boss!
I would actually love to hear those pickups in a hollowbody haha
@@gentlewolf1279 try converge ! Kurt ballou often use that type of pickups in hollowbodys
TV Jones Classic Filtertrons! That's what Setzer uses.
The filtertrons act totally different in a falcon vs a 6120. I would suggest TV Jones pickups as he makes some other filtertron style pickups that will make the falcons less muddy. I play mainly Gretch hollowbodies so I am speaking from experience. TV Jones responds to emails and I would suggest emailing him with a bit of a description of what you are going for.
I find the black tops that are in billy duffy signature are great for falcons. Also the Brian Setzer filtertrons are great for falcons.
The MagaTron would sound great too.
Also TV Jones sells a kit for working with thr wire harness.
I would also check out nocturn peals as they are built and meant to work specifically with filtertron pickups
At some point, especially if you are interrupted and can't do it all in one session, it is going to be really easy to be confused as to which pot is which. So I recommend putting a label on them as soon as you remove them. You also need to think about HOW to tie the line to those pots. It can be dicey getting the post through the hole when it is time to put them back. If you can use some tape to have the line basically coming from the centre of the post, life will be easier.
Amazed at the number of people preferring the stock pickups, they were very muddy at the lower end and lacked note definition across the range. The Lollars were much cleaner and had more harmonic upper mids for me.
The Lollar's were definitely an upgrade. More body, smoother top end. Great video Rhett!
Wow, The Lollars high end is much less brittle. The midrange feels more out front because of it.. really notice the difference strumming chords.. I'm sure this will "allow" for more clarity for vocals and cymbals in the mix and still have room to turn up the guitar without getting "fizzy" in the mix too....
Excellent video.. covers all the major bases. You're a braver man than I, changing on a hollow-body. Also love the point about buying a used set of pups, that's my #1 way to save money. The only downside to buying used can be if the wires have been cut too short - happens sometimes.
I like the Lollartrons better. The HS Filtertrons have a lot more low end response, which makes them sound "fuller" on the recording compared to the Lollar's, but they are also more tubby and muffled sounding lacking the clarity that I think you were dreaming about. I have a Player's Edition Black Falcon and I had to change the HS Filtertrons out as well as I found them too dark, and lacking clarity. I myself went with TV Jones Brian Setzers and I got the clarity and sparkle I was wanting. Anyway thanks for the video as now I know how to change out the pickups on my Falcon if I ever should want to!
Already did it with my ml warbird,went from what ever Dean put in to a 59 neck and a l500xl bridge
If we’re talking about pickup change only in a hollow or semi hollow guitar the solution is one! 1. REMOVE THE OLD PICKUP 2. CUT THE CABLE OF THE OLD PUP (Near the pickup leave adequate wire from the pot!) 3. CONNECT AND SOLDER THE CABLES OF THE NEW PUP WITH THE CABLE OF THE OLD! 4. ENJOY YOUR NEW TONES!!! Works with every pickup both with the braided wire and the standard two cable style!
The Lollars sound great - the stock ones were muddy. TV Jones puts tubing over the pot shafts FYI - seems easier than fishing line
The Lollars to my ears less brittle on the top and, better midrange and better clarity. Good choice.
Prefer the Lollars for dirt and the Filtertrons for cleans. Lollars have less harsh highs and more mids which clears them up on the drive stuff but the Filtertrons sparkle and bass end sound nice clean.
Brother, don’t hate on me, but, I dug the stock pups too.
“The grass is always greener....”
The Lollars were so much better with the overdrive. A lot more dynamic than the filtertrons in general.
Man that is one gorgeous ass guitar but I have to agree with everyone else. The filtertrons sounded FANTASTIC!! I have a cheapie set on my semi hollow and I absolutely love them but if the Lollartrons made the guitar more enjoyable to play, that's all that matters. Great video!
Sound and tone are VERY subjective! I have a white falcon and dig the stock Filter'trons. It is as he said though, it all depends on the sound you are trying to obtain. I fell in love with the Gretsch Filter'tron sound a long time ago and the first chord I struck on the Falcon I knew I was going to walk out of the store with her!
The lesson I learned by swapping pickups is that yes it can change the sound but what I was missing in two guitars of mine was percussiveness and clarity. It took me a couple of years of learning to find out that scale length matters more for this than anything else.
I'm currently trying to get a 25.5" scale length Gretsch. A falcon is out of the budget but maybe an older county gentleman.
I imagine that the RUclips compression makes the difference less obvious than it is in the flesh. However, to my ears, the Lollars have a sweeter top end and are definitely less muddy in the lower registers that the Filtertrons, certainly less aggressive. Seeing this video makes me miss my old Streamliner that had had 'Trons retro fitted before I bought it. Maybe it's time to pick up a cheap (but nice playing) Gretsch Electromatic and fit some some decent pickups in it.
Aquarium tubing works really good too for pulling pots through. Slide the tip of the pot in the tube and pull it through
BTW, the stock “High Sensitivity” filtertrons are made in Korea on high speed machines and contributes to the overall brightness & harshness of those pickups...
The Lollartrons sounded a bit more open and clearer to my Ears, Interesting episode 👍🏻⭐️🌞
Capacitors ($-$$) and their values can make a real difference too. I went down the new PUP route ($$$) on a Gibson LP Custom Florentine. Tried Dimarzio 36th anniversary and was really disappointed. Sounded weedy, nothing like sound/video clips and I was gutted. Well each guitar is unique I guess. I put the original Gibsons back in but swapped out capacitors for sweeter treble roll off and viola. Magic! Changing the electronics on your guitar can be an expensive and sometimes disappointing rabbit hole. Watch videos like this, ask around to find people’s experience of making changes to help your thought process as much as possible. If you find out you have some cheap components in the electronics signal path that can be bettered for $$, I would try this low cost option first. The PUPs will only be as good as the weakest link in the wiring signal path anyway. You might just love the slight change in feel and tone for a few dollars avoiding $$$ out of pocket for PUPs. If the wiring signal path is top draw and you still want to swap the PUPs then at least you know you have a solid foundation for doing so and nothing limiting new PUP performance :-)
After watching more of this video I realise the tone comparison, Filtertron vs Lollar, is a good example of what I mean by swapping capacitors. I prefer the character of the Filtertron, but they are too brash in this video for my ears. So I would definitely experiment with capacitor values first to smooth the spiky edge while retaining the more open texture and character of the Filtertron. Cheap and quick work. Only if I was still unhappy would I go for new PUPs.
If you want clarity (and secondarily balance) the Lollartrons are perfect for that. But if you want balsy artifacts stick with the filertorns or TV Classic neck and TV Classic plus bridge.
I am glad to say there is no difference because when I heard it before u changed them I was terrified because it was beutiful already and I'm glad to see that it made no difference in my humble opinion but super helpful on how to go about it and what I should be looking for thanx
Rhett, no doubt REVERB rocks for new old pups, I grabbed a set of used Tremonti Sigs bass & treble for basically the price of ONE pup from Fret12!! Thanx, Cheech and Leo's Custom Creations!!
Medical tubing works really good as a substitute for the fishing line. The tubing is more rigid, which makes it easier to control inside the body of the guitar.
I've was just thinking about changing out the pickups in my Country Gentleman. I love the guitar, but the stock pickups aren't my cup of tea. I think the timing on this video is amazing! Thank you for all of your hard work, I love watching the content you produce.
Great video. I personally would have gone with TV Jones myself. TV and Jason Lolar are basically neighbors, both based out of the San Juan islands in the Puget Sound. TV has been and is a gretch and filtertron pickup wizard forever. For years Jason and TV stayed in their respective expertise areas, Jason the Paf gibson and single coil strat stuff, TV the gretsch and filtertron stuff. I have called TV's phone number and talked to him directly. He answered all the questions I had and gave me his expert advice based on what I wanted to achieve. They're both great pickup makers.
If you're upgrading Gretsch pickups, TV Jones is the best choice in my humble opinion! Bought my first set back in 1999!
Love the insight you give guitarists! really gives me some ideas on what my next challenge should be!
Don’t have an expensive Gretsch like yours but I did play my Aspen Green Electromatic thru my Seafoam green excelsior amp at my gig last Saturday evening. Everybody really Dug the sound.
I think I liked the stock Pups better but I hear what you are sayin. Lower output pups can be sweeter!
Thanks for making the video. The change in sound that made you so happy must have been very subtle; on 1080HD RUclips, using a good sound card and Ultrasone headphones, these two pickup sets were virtually indistinguishable. I "sensed" that the Lollars may have been slightly brighter, by a vanishingly tiny increment. That's about it. Good thing they were "free."
Pickups are so subjective. It depends on the individual what sounds best to one’s ears.
Some stock factory pickups sound great when you first get them, but later you may develop a love hate relationship with them. That’s the time to experiment with different pickups.
I converted a single coil Strat, to two Lollar Imperial humbuckers. I love it. All the sound bites on Lollar pickups I have heard, both single coil and HB, sound great.
I don’t care for the new pickups, that Fender put on the Gretsch guitars. Original TV Jones pickups are better, at least to my ears.
I’m listening on an iPhone 6 through Shure 215 earbuds. I did not prefer the Lollars but you’re in the room and I suspect RUclips streaming doesn’t do a great job.
You inspired me to change my stock pups in my G5420T. Love everything about that guitar except the sounds. I might go with TV jones but the point is you made me finally decide to go for it. Thanks!
I had a '63 Chet Atkins Tennessean that was marvelous to play but didnt like the sound. Put a hot-rodded humbucker in the bridge and used it live all thru the 70's/80's. Put the old pickup back in and sold it to a country player in '91 for 4x what I paid for it. Wish I'd kept it. It would be worth $$$ now. BTW, like the Lollars- JJ
toss the mud switch, change it out to a rotary toggle and get some better options. You sound great no matter what you play!
New pickups sound well balanced. Old ones were pretty boomy on my speakers.
I'm missing and edgier sound quality from the filtertrons...Also seemed that you were digging in & more inspired when you are playing with the Lollars , like purposely you restrained your "feeling" when playing with the filtertrons🧐
Anyway you're playing it's so enjoyable and right on the nail all the time, thanks for the videos.
I actually like the Filtertrons more! Taste is taste! I can see why you went to the Lollar though...
The video was VERY helpful for me to not touch the Filtertrones. I came here cause I was thinking about changing my Gretsch pickups.
Thanks bro, you're a legend
Noo Rhett don’t get rid of the bigsby!! Just swap out the stock bigsby string shaft for a Callaham String through bigsby! I did it on my Gretsch Duo Jet! BEST MOD EVER! After that mod is like stringing up a les paul lol
It literally takes me like 5 mins to restring now and i still have the advantage of keeping the bigsby (i do have the upgraded Duo jet locking tuners which helps even more) but it’s a breeze to change strings now👌
Everyone is saying they prefer the dynamics of the Filtertrons. Personally, I don't want a lot of dynamics coming out of a semi-hollow or hollow, I'd rather have it be smooth with great sustain. The Lollars accomplish this on the clean channel, and they sound great with drive anyway. On the topic of drive, I can guarantee that the guitar as is now will sound incredible with drive for a blues arrangement.
I like the sound of the Lollars clean, but I prefer the Gretsch pickups on the dirty tones.
While I much prefer the filtertrons, the lollaratrons would work so much better in a band mix or in a recording situation. They sound more midrange focused, less 'scooped'.
You definitely got the results you were wanting. The Lollar's sound much cleaner, the highs are crispier, and the tone cuts through the overdrive really well. Nice pickup.
I couldn't agree more. I've upgraded two guitars just this year with Lindy Fralins - a set of Pure PAFs in my Ibanez AS-73, and a set of his split blade Tele pickups in a Classic Vibe Tele. I just loved the feel and unplugged sound of both of them, but plugged in - bleh. With the Fralins - winners. They sound amazing now.
But I do agree with some commenters below, I liked the sound of the original Filtertrons s a little better myself. For the Chet sound that you were looking for, Mr. Sandman, yes, absolutely. But on the dirtier stuff I think the originals were pretty sweet.
Nice, Rhett. The Lollars are lower output, and therefore have more dynamics, plus they definitely have more character. I had a chambered Les Paul copy for years for never sounded right with the DiMarzio PAFs. I swapped them for Duncan Phat Cats, which are P90's in a PAF format. They totally breathed new life into this instrument, and I now love P90s!
The originals were definitely hotter than the Lollartrons. The difference is so pronounced at 15.15 that I didn't believe my ears at first. Thanks for the video, happy you like the new tone of your great guitar!
I want to upgrade my Mexican Strat's pickups with Hendrix pickups because I love that tone and they did a great job replicating his sound
I’ve been guitarin for 20+ years. I’m listening with some pretty descent SkullCandy headphones. Were it not for the labels on the screen I would not have been able to distinguish which pickups were in use during the playing.
I hear the gentler attack on the Lollars, but not enough for that guitar to sound “upgraded” to my ears.
Yes, i thought the same, while i listened (same type of pickups, extremely similar sound). Good thing is > this was free "upgrade".