Stop now or keep going(Micawber content)

[cowboyfan1969]

Hey, all.

I have a 2019 Fender FSR BSB that I have semi-transformed into a Micawber. It came with “Hot Tele” pickups. A buddy gave me a Bridge pickup from a Gibson SG to put in the neck for the look. I wired it up as the typical Blend as described on here. It sounds pretty good on the bridge with a bit of the “neck” blended in.

My amp is a Blues Deluxe Reissue and i use a Catalinbread Formula 5 for my Stones sound(gain at 0)
Just wondering how much of an improvement I’ll get by putting a Seth Lover(or similar) and a SD STL-1 in the bridge. Probably stay in the Duncan realm due to they are sold at our chain store (L&M) and I’ve got gift cards piling up.

 

[Fenderdad1950]

OMG .... stop talking about Keef, my avatar says never

 

[cowboyfan1969]

OMG .... stop talking about Keef, my avatar says never

Well now that Betty White has passed, who else is left to talk about?

 

[BGLeduc]

Hey, all.

I have a 2019 Fender FSR BSB that I have semi-transformed into a Micawber. It came with “Hot Tele” pickups. A buddy gave me a Bridge pickup from a Gibson SG to put in the neck for the look. I wired it up as the typical Blend as described on here. It sounds pretty good on the bridge with a bit of the “neck” blended in.

My amp is a Blues Deluxe Reissue and i use a Catalinbread Formula 5 for my Stones sound(gain at 0)
Just wondering how much of an improvement I’ll get by putting a Seth Lover(or similar) and a SD STL-1 in the bridge. Probably stay in the Duncan realm due to they are sold at our chain store (L&M) and I’ve got gift cards piling up. View attachment 940411

Looks like you have already done the most important mod, and with it unlocked the true secret to Micawber’s tone…….the white selector switch tip.

I’d stop there.

 

[BerkshireDuncan]

Lover + JD = awesomeness. True story.

 

[Minivan Megafun]

I guarantee there's no blend on the actual Micawber. It's an urban legend from people who don't understand what a tone knob is for.

 

[jamesepowell]

I guarantee there's no blend on the actual Micawber. It's an urban legend from people who don't understand what a tone knob is for.

Do you have a source for that or are you just talking?

My understanding of the "Micawber blend theory" is that it was an inference that grew out of a need to explain why every photo of Keith playing Micawber has the pickup switch in the bridge position. I could be wrong, but that's what I read.

 

[jvin248]

.

The blend theory can be a reality. There was some discussion on his guitar starting with an Esquire circuit or early Broadcaster circuit. It's possible the guitar is hard wired to one of the pickups and the rest done up like EVH did his Frankenstrat just to throw off the copy companies.

.

 

[middy]

Well now that Betty White has passed, who else is left to talk about?

Willie

 

[PCollen]

Looks like you have already done the most important mod, and with it unlocked the true secret to Micawber’s tone…….the white selector switch tip.

I’d stop there.

I think that the "true secret" is the old Twin amp....

 

[JL_LI]

You can do what you like with your guitar. Will changing one humbucker for another make a difference? Some. But the important question is, do you like what you have now? If you do, leave it alone. There's nothing to fix if there's nothing broken. If what you have now is lacking, get a purpose wound pickup from a custom winder. Something that gets you half way there leaves you half way from your goal.

 

[viking]

He probably dont know himself what the knobs do.... Keef , I mean
I think its a stupid guitar to copy , but by all means go ahead , if you like... But , help me understand :
Do you only play in non standard tuning on this one as well ?

 

[televillian]

Well now that Betty White has passed, who else is left to talk about?

there`s Willie and of course the Queen herself

 

[cowboyfan1969]

He probably dont know himself what the knobs do.... Keef , I mean
I think its a stupid guitar to copy , but by all means go ahead , if you like... But , help me understand :
Do you only play in non standard tuning on this one as well ?

Open G only. My band does 4 Open G Stones songs in our set plus a couple originals. I play around with more plus the Black Crowes.

 

[cowboyfan1969]

You can do what you like with your guitar. Will changing one humbucker for another make a difference? Some. But the important question is, do you like what you have now? If you do, leave it alone. There's nothing to fix if there's nothing broken. If what you have now is lacking, get a purpose wound pickup from a custom winder. Something that gets you half way there leaves you half way from your goal.

The factory pickups are described as “over-wound, hot single coils.
Having a bridge HB instead of a neck HB(it was a free Gibson the other guitar player had) will be brighter/louder…?
I’m happy with the guitars, playability-wise, and would rather tweak the ones i have.
These 3 are my gigging guitars

 

[cowboyfan1969]

I think that the "true secret" is the old Twin amp....

I agree…. A Blues Deluxe reissue is all i can afford and has the look, though if Fender comes out with a Tonemaster Tweed Twin…….
I had to put up with daily emails from Joe Bonamassa’s site in hopes of winning his signature twin, but no luck….

 

[jamesepowell]

I think its a stupid guitar to copy

 

[Minivan Megafun]

Do you have a source for that or are you just talking?

My understanding of the "Micawber blend theory" is that it was an inference that grew out of a need to explain why every photo of Keith playing Micawber has the pickup switch in the bridge position. I could be wrong, but that's what I read.

Use your ears. Every photo of Keith has the selector on the bridge because that's what he's playing. Watch any live footage and it's the bridge pickup. Roll back the tone knob, add a low gain OD, and you've got the exact Keith tone.

Sometimes the simplest explanation is the correct one. The blend knob is an internet theory to explain why he's not playing the neck HB.

 

[jamesepowell]

there`s Willie and of course the Queen herself

Mel Brooks and Tony Bennett

 

[jamesepowell]

The blend knob is an internet theory to explain why he's not playing the neck HB.

Pretty sure that's what I said.