# Singlecoils: Noisy or Noiseless?



## Gilles (Jan 9, 2008)

I'm talking about singlecoils, any kind, brand, etc.


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

I assume we're voting on whether we use regular or noiseless singles in our guitars? Or are we voting on whether we think single coils are noisy ie Yes or No?


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

I don't know if we are voting on which we prefer or not. If that is the case, I prefer normal single coils. I have tried a few noiseless pickups in Teles in the past. It's not that I thought they sounded bad, I just thought they sounded kind of 'sterile'. Not much identity to them.


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## Rugburn (Jan 14, 2009)

A friend has a Jeff Beck signature Strat with the noiseless pickups. It's a lovely guitar, but mine sounds fuller and the middle pickup blows the JB model away.


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## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

I prefer regular singles myself. I have a Beck strat that had the ceramic noiseless pickups which I replaced with a good set of true singles. Much better.


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## FrankyFarGone (Dec 8, 2008)

I use normal singlecoils with a electro harmonix "Humdebugger",it really cut down on unwanted noise and hum.It is NOT a noisegate.

Frank:smile:


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

Anyone here try Kinmans? I'm not sure if they're stacked or not, but I have a set of Kinman AVN Blues in my CS strat, and they sound great. I used to the Texas Specials in there but they were noisy as heck and a bit too shrill/harsh for my tastes.


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## Gene Machine (Sep 22, 2007)

*Noisy*

I think regular single coils are noisy. It can be mitigated, but they will still be noisy.

I have used and stilluse Fender noisless and Lace Sensors. I have Lace Sensors on 2 guitars and really like them.

g.


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## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

vds5000 said:


> Anyone here try Kinmans? I'm not sure if they're stacked or not, but I have a set of Kinman AVN Blues in my CS strat, and they sound great. I used to the Texas Specials in there but they were noisy as heck and a bit too shrill/harsh for my tastes.


I have a guitar with Kinmans. Awesome pickups, they are 99.9 % there....best stacked singles out there.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

The stock noisy pups on my CV Tele sound better than the SCN pups in my Deluxe Strat. I really should get around to changing those.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

I just replaced the Tex-Mex pickups in my strat with Fender Hot Noiseless pickups - I'll be picking it up Saturday. Let you know next week.


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

regular single coils here-
i used the dimarzio stacked hs2 and hs3 when i used to play loud-
i found that those pickups, with the coil split, where quieter still than regular singles, yet regained a bit of tone. thats how i liked to use them.
however i dont worry about that anymore and just use the noisy ones. lots of shielding, wax potting etc- but still noisy. its all good.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I use mostly EMGs.

They're noiseless.


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

...i voted noisy.

up until a couple of years ago, my vote would have been noiseless as the ONLY option.

since then, however, my preference in less gain, more tone.

that said, however, i will always have at least one guitar that is hum free.

at the moment, its a g&l legacy with traditional (noisy) single coils, but with a suhr silent backplate system installed.

you never know when you're going to end up in a venue with ancient wiring and an excessive amount of neon lights, dimmers etc etc etc

-dh


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

I think the "gig or not" is an important point to raise. I don't gig any more, so I now go with regular singles. I did have a set of Bill Lawrence pickups installed in my Strat, and they are great for noisy venues etc. However, it was easy for me to hear the difference when I removed them and installed the regular pickups - much more high end and chime.


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

I don't like the noiseless pups that came in my Deluxe strat, but I've got a set of Dimarzio Area 58/61 in my Mayer strat that sound fantastic.


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## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

Having tried a variety of noiseless single coils (Dimarzio, Seymour Duncan, Kinman, EMG, Fender, etc.) and ultimately I just like 'real' single coils better. Of all of them, the Kinmans did the best job of sounding like traditional single coils.

Right now I've got strats with Fralins (Real 54's and Vintage Hots), Fender (Fat 50's) and Dimarzio (Blue Velvet, Red Velvet) singles... for my purposes they do the trick.

gtrguy


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

bagpipe said:


> I think the "gig or not" is an important point to raise. I don't gig any more, so I now go with regular singles. I did have a set of Bill Lawrence pickups installed in my Strat, and they are great for noisy venues etc. However, it was easy for me to hear the difference when I removed them and installed the regular pickups - much more high end and chime.



...yep. to really hear how dramatic the difference is, you have to do a direct comparison. just take two strats, for example, one with noiseless pickups, and swap them back and forth. i was astounded by how much real tone i had been missing with noiseless pickups.

-dh


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

bagpipe said:


> I think the "gig or not" is an important point to raise. I don't gig any more, so I now go with regular singles. I did have a set of Bill Lawrence pickups installed in my Strat, and they are great for noisy venues etc. However, it was easy for me to hear the difference when I removed them and installed the regular pickups - much more high end and chime.


exactly- 
i dont even jam electric anymore, and the benefits of noiseless are no longer relevant. i play electric through 5 watt or less amps now, or use a pod- you just dont hear the noise that way- so using regular noisy types just sounds better.



> ...yep. to really hear how dramatic the difference is, you have to do a direct comparison. just take two strats, for example, one with noiseless pickups, and swap them back and forth. i was astounded by how much real tone i had been missing with noiseless pickups.
> 
> -dh


indeed- its a real obvious difference tonewise- theres just no choosing between the two for better tone.
seemed like at one point tho- just aiming for the quietest spot on stage and putting my mic stand there wasnt cutting it anymore, cant explain why- going with quieter pickups was an easy fix, and really, the difference at those volumes was negligable. still had the definition and clarity i wanted, less noise, good enough. i do hear the difference in the recordings made tho- 
but id figure its something only a guitar player would hear.


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## Andy (Sep 23, 2007)

Hope this isn't a hijack, but has anyone used the Vintage Rails or Duckbuckers by Seymour Duncan?

From the online soundclips (through extremely accurate sounding headphones), they sound fantastic, but I know that soundclips can be very deceiving.


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## Ti-Ron (Mar 21, 2007)

I now it will sound stupid but I really love the noise behind wha I play! It adds an effect of realistim! I always love when a band is recoded live or straight without any cleaning! Maybe it's like vintage is better, it's just a fashion, don't know, maybe there's a link between that and my first love: Nirvana! ;P


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

...if there is a worthy compromise, it is (at least in my experience) the suhr silent backplate system. unfortunately, it is only available for strat/trem type guitars, and then only if you replace the middle pickup with a non reverse wound pickup.
-dh




fraser said:


> indeed- its a real obvious difference tonewise- theres just no choosing between the two for better tone.
> seemed like at one point tho- just aiming for the quietest spot on stage and putting my mic stand there wasnt cutting it anymore, cant explain why- going with quieter pickups was an easy fix, and really, the difference at those volumes was negligable. still had the definition and clarity i wanted, less noise, good enough. i do hear the difference in the recordings made tho-
> but id figure its something only a guitar player would hear.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Tone is a very personal thing.

I use EMGs because they sound better to my ear than any other pickups, passive OR active.

The fact that they're much quieter than passives is a bonus.


I've been through the revolving door of boutique and mass production pups.

It's a matter of finding what you like. What others think is of little consequence.


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## Geek (Jun 5, 2007)

Tried both types in the store (good ones) and have noisy ones on my Strat knockoff.

Gimmie noisy singles anyday 

Cheers!


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## allhypedup (Nov 2, 2008)

my samarium cobalt noiseless are noiseless kkjuw


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

I don't object to the noiseless pickups, but given the choice I go for noise. It's hard to define why, other than I dig the sound and have learned to ignore the noise. 

Peace, Mooh.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Just got my Jimmie Vaughan Strat back - had the Tex Mex pickups replaced with Hot Noiseless Pickups. So far, I like them better. I admit to having a low tolerance for single coil hum. They also have much more sustain than the previous set.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Yes, I am liking the Fender Hot Noiseless pickups more. They may not be as vintage sounding as some would like, but then again, I wasn't interested in a vintage sound as much as one I liked. The biggest improvement was in the bridge. I never used the bridge pickup before. This one is meatier and not ice picky. The middle pup doesn't have tone control - before it was little tinny. I only noticed this in hindsight.

And as I mentioned before. Improved sustain. The volume from each string is balanced too - I am not a fan of staggered poles in a pickup.


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## Guest (Mar 4, 2009)

I have an '88 Standard US Strat that's had everything, Gibson PAF, Evans single, Fender TX-Mex single, Bill Lawrence you name it. The last set I put in were noiseless Fenders from a Stratosphere E-bay auction, all three pickups and harness for $100. I tried playing the noisy pups on stage years ago and the neon lighting just made it impossible. The noiseless set I have now is not as bright but it ain't bad if your using a BBE sonic maximizer in your loop. The noiseless as far as I know are stacked humbuckers so they aren't going to sound exactly like true singles. I think you get away with less windings on the pups because of the increased magnetic field of samarium cobalt mags. The higher the number of turns, the greater the sacrifice to the high end frequencies.


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

*Noisy pick-ups*

This is my first Strat with Fender Noiseless pick-ups and i am very much a fan.All the other Strats and Teles before just hummed at high volume so its kind of nice especially if your doing the soft Jazz gig.As far as sound is concerned it all depends on your amp.They sound pretty sweet to me.I would recommend them any time.:smilie_flagge17:


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

...sometimes you just don't have a choice, as konasexone has discovered.

but i disagree with marcos - the amp has nothing to do with this.

-dh


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

*Single coils*

I guess i did not explain myself.What i mean is the amp will have something to do with the overall sound,but the pick-ups determine the brightness of the guitar,along with the type of wood etc...If we are talking about a buzzing noise when you turn and face your amp then the noiseless pick-ups get the job done.As far as the sound i guess thats a matter of preference. 






david henman said:


> ...sometimes you just don't have a choice, as konasexone has discovered.
> 
> but i disagree with marcos - the amp has nothing to do with this.
> 
> -dh


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## valriver40 (Oct 22, 2007)

Since i'm only a bed room guitar player i have noiseless pickups in all my 14 guitars. The 60 cycle hum is to much for me.


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## whammybar (May 7, 2008)

Noiseless single coils lack some sparkle that comes standard with the regular 60 cycle hum single coils. An example. When Fender brought out the 50th anniversary strat, the deluxe version, it had noiseless pickups and it gave a pretty sweet sound. Sort of a Clapton kind of tone, but when the regular production model hit the streets it blew the noiseless version out of the water. Check out the Fender forum if you need convincing. I'll take the hum tone with a hand that's pretty fast on the volume control, than a toneless noiseless single coil any day of the week.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

whammybar said:


> Noiseless single coils lack some sparkle that comes standard with the regular 60 cycle hum single coils.



I agree. I once had Kinman noiseless in a tele. They were actually pretty good and I was quite happy for sometime. Until I picked up a friends older tele with stock pups and played it through my amp. My eyes were suddenly opened.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Yep. After two weeks, I definitely like the Fender Hot Noiseless pickups better. I am using all five positions - what a range of sounds.


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## Luke98 (Mar 4, 2007)

C'mon feel the noise!


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Noise is not an absolute. It varies with the wind and design of a SC. I wound myself a small Tele-style neck pickup for my 64 Epi Coronet and it is much quieter than the Mighty Mite P-90 I have at the bridge. The 3 SC pickups I have on my Turser Tele also vary in noise-immunity.

Conservely, hum-rejection is not an absolute. Some players swear by HBs with mismatched coils. These will introduce small amounts of hum (i.e., not cancel hum perfectly) but presumably improve tonal richness. 

So, the overaching question is not whether one sticks with the noisy or noise-free side, but rather whether the tone you like is available in a noisier or quieter package. 

As for me, I do the brunt of my private playing and noodling around in a small office that has fluorescent fixtures and a CRT monitor. Occasionally it can get noisy, but a simple tilt of the guitar can often reduce hum.

In past, I have worked with dummy coils, and those can be helpful. They do not need to be directly adjacent to the "live" coil, either, as the Suhr system shows nicely. I tried out a Suhr backplate-equipped guitar a few years ago at the Montreal Guitar Expo, and took the bold step of standing up next to the transformer side of a high gain tube amp. The guitar was not dead silent, but compared to the hum I *should* have expected, it did a great job for something so otherwise unobtrusive. I have a whole whack of magnet wire gauges in the garage. I should try making myself something under a Tele pickguard that attempts to do the same thing.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I don't like noise. Every opportunity I have to eliminate it, I take.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

You don't know what you are missing with noisy pickups,... until you try noiseless pickups, and it ain't tone you are missing.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Robert1950 said:


> You don't know what you are missing with noisy pickups,... until you try noiseless pickups, and it ain't tone you are missing.



If I'd wanted a humbucker, I'd of ordered a humbucker. Noiseless = Humbucker and hence has that humbucker sound. Single coils are noisier but have that single coil sound. Companies like Kinman claim to have noiseless but single coil sound. They're pretty close but they are noticeably different. Whether single coil or noiseless doesn't' make one better than the other. Just different.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

guitarman2 said:


> . Whether single coil or noiseless doesn't' make one better than the other. Just different.


Yes. You are right. It is different. I just happen to like the noiseless "single coil" better.


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## Guest (Apr 4, 2009)

I would record with a true single coil. I play live with noiseless humbucker singles. I can't stand fighting with the 60hz from the ballasts. Its bad enough that I have to fight with my own lack of musicality.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Robert1950 said:


> Yes. You are right. It is different. I just happen to like the noiseless "single coil" better.


I don't like it better but I do like it. I am sorry I got rid of my American standard that I had put the kinmans in. It was great in the recording studio. I recorded a couple of songs with them. I really should have kept that guitar.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

konasexone said:


> I would record with a true single coil. I play live with noiseless humbucker singles. I can't stand fighting with the 60hz from the ballasts. Its bad enough that I have to fight with my own lack of musicality.


I feel the opposite. There is so much other noise live the hums and buzzes tend to get lost or not noticed really. But in the studio I found the noiseless valuable.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

I've had Lace Sensors on my Tele which is not bad in itself, but I just had this feeling I'm missing something. I've had a noisy bridge pickup and a Lace sensor neck pickup on it and I gigged with that thing for over 10 years. I dealt with the noise by grabbing on to the strings or turning the volume down. But when I changed it to the Lace set that I got, it just didn't have the bite and attack I get from that noisy pickup. I've replaced those lace pups with Jon Moore's Tele set recently.


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## GUInessTARS (Dec 28, 2007)

Noiseless singlecoils are like a fart that doesn't stink, kind of fun but it's missing something.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Like some others here--they are noisy, but so what?

I do prefer the sound of humbuckers, but sometimes you need a single coil.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

A little while back I swapped out the Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickups in my Strat for a set of JS Moore 60's and I much prefer them to the noiseless. I have another Strat with a Fender Vintage Noiseless in the neck and middle, which I keep around in case of inescapable hum from dirty AC, but the tone from the Moores is so much nicer.

Also, I added a thin aluminum shield underneath the pickguard and that really helped cut down the noise. I plan on shielding the cavities as well, but the noise isn't enough for it to be a huge concern for me right now. At home, my Strat only generates a little noise when compared to my LP, but in position 2 and 4, it's pretty much silent. At the jam space, the AC is pretty bad, so it's pretty loud, but so is my LP.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

I voted noisy because it's always good to hear your guitar. Noiseless coils are just not worth a darn on a guitar.:food-smiley-004:


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## copperhead (May 24, 2006)

true singles rock & very well put GUInessTARS .......SOME FUNNY S_IT there
:food-smiley-004:


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## Hired Goon (Mar 4, 2008)

I'll take the noise thanks. Used to hate noise and also had no tolerance for being even the tiniest amount out of tune. As I get older I don't give a s**t - I can live with the imperfections, and in fact sometimes enjoy them. I like it when I can hear a lot of finger string noise on recordings now too. Just seems more real and raw in an all too perfect world.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

I've had my Fender Hot Noiseless pickups for 15 months now and still think in was a good decision to make the switch.


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

Robert1950 said:


> I've had my Fender Hot Noiseless pickups for 15 months now and still think in was a good decision to make the switch.


...i get a little irritated by the "real men uses real single coils" attitude i've encountered, especially when all i used was noiseless single coils. i'm a recent convert, especially since i learned how to play with less gain and distortion masking my tone, but i still have one guitar equipped with a suhr silent backplate system, and an ernie ball music man with their proprietary hum-cancelling circuitry.

and the truth is, the only time i was actually able to hear the difference in tone between noisy and noiseless was in a direct, side-by-side comparison.


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## HappyHourHero (Apr 9, 2007)

I have a strat with Kinmans that I don't care for in a live setting (not hot enough maybe? I'm more of a humbucker guy anyway), but I love their sound for recording.


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

Andy said:


> Hope this isn't a hijack, but has anyone used the Vintage Rails or Duckbuckers by Seymour Duncan?
> 
> From the online soundclips (through extremely accurate sounding headphones), they sound fantastic, but I know that soundclips can be very deceiving.


I had a Godin equipped with the Duckbuckers. I really, really miss that guitar. I thought they were a great pickup and especially practical for playing live. I had the opportunity to play her last week (sold to a friend) and she still sounds sweet.

For the record, my Am Dlx Tele has the SCNs and I see no need to change them out. I had an Std with the stock pups and also tried various others (Kinmans, Lollars) and FWIW I've never had a problem adjusting to the difference - especially once the drums kick in.


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## Samsquantch (Mar 5, 2009)

I think the Suhr SSC or BPSSC system is a much better option than noiseless pickups.


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

...i agree, wholeheartedly!

unfortunately, it only works on guitars with a trem and a backplate.



Samsquantch said:


> I think the Suhr SSC or BPSSC system is a much better option than noiseless pickups.


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## knottyhotman (Dec 4, 2009)

I had "toneless" on my Deluxes. They sounded sterile, not bite, no life. I couldnt get them off fast enough. 
Part of the tone is the "noise".

Craig


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

knottyhotman said:


> I had "toneless" on my Deluxes. They sounded sterile, not bite, no life. I couldnt get them off fast enough.
> Part of the tone is the "noise".
> Craig


...obviously, you haven't tried the suhr backplate system.

-dh


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