Wolfgang / EBMM Pickups

AT · 11.29.06, 01:57 AM

Hey Folks:

I'm the proud owner of many Peavey Wolfgangs, and I'd been lead to believe since buying my first one in '98 that the pickups were ceramic magnets. Recently someone at Peavey informed me that they were in fact Alnico V magnets. After doing numerous searches on the internet, I found no mention of the Wolfie's pickups being Alnico V and a few writings about them being ceramic. Does anyone know for sure? What were the DiMarzios in the Ernie Ball Music Man?

**tommywho5150** · 11.29.06, 11:20 AM

the ebmm pickups were custom wound dimarzios you could get them seperatly for a while i even considered using one in my kramer until i stumped for a pearly gates. as for the wolfie pickups im not sure what they are but if u check out my myspace page and then go to the guy on my friends list called "gj" (he's the guy with the purple wolfie) he may be able to help coz he recently spoke to some guys at peavey about a replacement and a ton of other companies about rewinds
sorry i haven't been much help mate

**gproud5150** · 11.29.06, 04:37 PM

Although I can't quite remember where, I did read that the Wolfgang pickups are indeed Alnico V, and I'm pretty sure the EBMM ones are too. But I could be very wrong.

**Majestic** · 11.29.06, 06:32 PM

The EBMMs use Alnico 5 and are wound to about 17k.

The Wolf pickups use Alnico 5 and are wound to about 14.3k

**tommywho5150** · 11.30.06, 12:49 AM

Originally Posted by Majestic

The EBMMs use Alnico 5 and are wound to about 17k.

The Wolf pickups use Alnico 5 and are wound to about 14.3k

i always thought eds pups were wound lower than that, i remember seeing an interview with a guy from seymor duncan and he said that the custom wound ones they made for him were around 8k (apparently you can still order them from the sd custom shop) 17 seems to be a very high output

**Majestic** · 11.30.06, 06:04 PM

My figures are correct.

The pickups in the EBMM and Wolf aren't duplicates of what Eddie used during the "Brown Sound" days. It's a totally different angle. Even those two pickups sound different from each other.

As far as the EBMM goes, Eddie was obsessing between the Tone Zone, and a "modified" Tone Zone with identical coils, before Lukather supposedly got impatient and pointed to the modded TZ. It's a Tone Zone with each coil wound to 8.5k, as opposed to a slight mismatch.

AT · 12.01.06, 01:14 AM

Helpful... thanks, guys.

**tommywho5150** · 12.01.06, 01:24 AM

Originally Posted by Majestic

My figures are correct.

The pickups in the EBMM and Wolf aren't duplicates of what Eddie used during the "Brown Sound" days. It's a totally different angle. Even those two pickups sound different from each other.

As far as the EBMM goes, Eddie was obsessing between the Tone Zone, and a "modified" Tone Zone with identical coils, before Lukather supposedly got impatient and pointed to the modded TZ. It's a Tone Zone with each coil wound to 8.5k, as opposed to a slight mismatch.

cool thanks for that info mate i never knew i just guessed he tried to emulate the original pup he used in frankie and use the high gain of the 5150 to achieve the sounds he was after. many thanks for the insight

AT · 12.01.06, 11:22 AM

Originally Posted by tommywho5150

cool thanks for that info mate i never knew i just guessed he tried to emulate the original pup he used in frankie and use the high gain of the 5150 to achieve the sounds he was after. many thanks for the insight

Well even the 5150 is not all that characteristic of the brown sound days. It is more modeled after the Soldano SLO-100 he played on most of F.U.C.K. Ed played with much less gain in the earlier days (1984, for example).

**STC5150** · 12.15.06, 10:40 PM

Originally Posted by tommywho5150

i always thought eds pups were wound lower than that, i remember seeing an interview with a guy from seymor duncan and he said that the custom wound ones they made for him were around 8k (apparently you can still order them from the sd custom shop) 17 seems to be a very high output

Speaking of these pickups from duncan (the '78 model, for evenly voiced harmonics) has anyone tried one ? Do you like them ? I thought about buying one to put in my OLP MM1, but @ 160 a pop they seem kinda steep. The other thing I am afraid of is installing it, because I have no idea. Is it worth it ?

**tommywho5150** · 12.16.06, 01:12 AM

Originally Posted by STC5150

Speaking of these pickups from duncan (the '78 model, for evenly voiced harmonics) has anyone tried one ? Do you like them ? I thought about buying one to put in my OLP MM1, but @ 160 a pop they seem kinda steep. The other thing I am afraid of is installing it, because I have no idea. Is it worth it ?

i ordered one just after my last post in this thread its now sitting in my original 84 kramer. it sounds pretty good a lot like a paf, it quite low output but i think it makes it more versitile plus it cleans up really well when u back the volume off too.
$160...lol u should try buying them in the uk i payed £190 which works out at just under $380!!! i should really get a friend in the stsates to buy them for me and post it over here i could save tons..lol
but i would say buy one and fit it or have u tried the "pearly gates" from sd thats a pretty nice sounding pup i used to have one in a strat till i sold it

**Majestic** · 12.16.06, 06:55 AM

Originally Posted by STC5150

Speaking of these pickups from duncan (the '78 model, for evenly voiced harmonics) has anyone tried one ? @ 160 a pop they seem kinda steep. Is it worth it ?

If price is an issue, then for a 1/3rd of that price have BachToRock over in the Duncan forums sell you one of his 59/Custom Hybrids (with an A2 magnet).

Output is around 11k, has the "push" of the Custom Custom pickup, but the "clarity" of the '59. The A2 magnet keeps it warm.

**STC5150** · 12.16.06, 07:39 AM

Originally Posted by Majestic

If price is an issue, then for a 1/3rd of that price have BachToRock over in the Duncan forums sell you one of his 59/Custom Hybrids (with an A2 magnet).

Output is around 11k, has the "push" of the Custom Custom pickup, but the "clarity" of the '59. The A2 magnet keeps it warm.

Price isn't much of an issue, i'd only buy one (cause I rarely use the neck pickup). I just want to know if theyare as good as they say they are. The overall tone I am looking for would be comparable to ed's "Balance" tone......

**Majestic** · 12.16.06, 10:21 PM

OK, I totally misunderstood you. There isn't ANYTHING "1978" about the "Balance" tone. Or the "Unlawful" tone, or anything since 1988 for that matter.

The tone you're talking about started in 1991, although Balance came about in 1994. Unless you can buy the actual Axis pickup from EBay, your best best is the Tone Zone, or even the Air Zone.

That's nitpicking, though, because what you're really referring to is the super compressed, super pre-amp distorted, sterile & super bassey 5150 tone. The 5150 is the most huge part of that tone, period. Worry about THAT before you sweat the pickups.

**STC5150** · 12.17.06, 12:25 AM

Originally Posted by Majestic

OK, I totally misunderstood you. There isn't ANYTHING "1978" about the "Balance" tone. Or the "Unlawful" tone, or anything since 1988 for that matter.

The tone you're talking about started in 1991, although Balance came about in 1994. Unless you can buy the actual Axis pickup from EBay, your best best is the Tone Zone, or even the Air Zone.

That's nitpicking, though, because what you're really referring to is the super compressed, super pre-amp distorted, sterile & super bassey 5150 tone. The 5150 is the most huge part of that tone, period. Worry about THAT before you sweat the pickups.

I wish I could afford a 5150, or anything remotely close to it (just bought a house). There's a good chance I am getting a Peavey Transtube 25 watt amp today..... i'll see how that works. Would you recommend a eq pedal, or anything ? also, how about compression ? I honestly don't know much about it. As far as pickups go.... my main guitar is an OLP MM1, I like the pickups in it, and I have heard that a lot of people like them, aren't they close to the original axis pickups ?