Just bought a used guitar with Noiseless installed. Damn. Impressed. Clear strings under distortion. Will def buy for another guitar. Subscribed. Best Regards and Best Wishes for 2022!
I've used Lace Sensors, EMGs, Noiseless and have found great tones in all of them. I find the cork sniffing 'authentic' end of the market to be full of microphonics and noise, because that's how they were made 'back then'. Noiseless is the only way when touring the ancient pubs of Britain ;-)
I think you're right too. I still have the 'odd set' of 69 pickups which as you might know sound different than the regular every day later Fender pickups... but I like the n4's in particular of these types. Those SD Antiquities I pulled out don't have what I could even call close to Texas output IMO. I just had to change them... they were for me at least a mistake. I used to use Lace Holy Grails which were a notable pickup. On the 'The Dream' strat ( www.dreamstrat.com ) Jeff Lace hand made those pickups for the guitar which was used by Awesome John (Asim Can Gunduz) RIP Asim. He loved them and I thought they were pretty unique in sounds too. Thanks for watching.
@@tonymckenzieofficial hey, man, thanks for the video! In your experience have you enjoyed the Lace Holy Grail pickups, or the Gen4 Noiseless more? Im debating between which i should install into my strat.
Indeed I have used both. I used the Lace Holy Grails for about two years a long time ago. They do sound pretty good, but are not of the highest output (but acceptable) while the V4 Noiseless from Fender (seem to) have more higher output - but that could be just my recollection. I was looking at Holy Grails just the other day re a new build but have decided to opt for different pickups altogether for that one. Remember that the Gen4 are slightly deeper than the HG's and that could cause problems (or not) depending on the exact guitar layout. Thanks for watching.
Did you use 250k pots and .022 uf cap? I've read conflicting things online where some people treat them like humbuckers and up everything to 500k/.047uf
So Tony, did you happen to note the actual height of those N4 pickups..how tall they were ? And what is the depth of your pickup cavities in that guitar ? I'm asking because I was considering getting some Fender Hot Noiseless pickups but learned that they are a full 1- inch (25mm) tall, and I don't think my American Standard or my CP50 is routed deep enough to accomodate them. I am not going to route either of these guitars deeper, so would probably have to consider another pickup choice, i.e., the N4 perhaps
I'm afraid I did not actually measure the pickup depth but I do show it closely here: ua-cam.com/video/xIHHkusr9bo/v-deo.html if I remember correctly. You will see overall there's probably around 1/8 inch more needed to fit the pickup properly in to a routed body (rather than a pick guard where there is no real issue (I don't think). It can be accommodated on the routed body by drilling where the two screws stick out on the back of the pickup - but only just. I did fit them as you can see in this video. I think I have one kicking around here somewhere and if I find it I'll come back and show the measurements. Hope it helps.
Well noiseless pickups ARE humbuckers! Personally I don't use germanium fuzz and I can't answer that other than to say they are humbuckers... anyone else here have experience they can call on for Ashley? Great question. Thanks for watching and stay safe.
Greetings from California, wishing you a Happy New Year! Looking forward to 2018 and your awesome guitar videos, equipment reviews and original music. Thank you!
Man its either late there or in the night! :) I guess around 11 PM? so maybe not too bad. Thanks for those kind words... appreciated and I'm hoping to get some more videos out in due course... but I need time they can take substantial effort to complete. Thanks and remember that I would sooner be there than here in the rain :)
Interesting Video! On the Pickups: I can´t say anything to the N3s, cause i´ve never played them but i got the N4s in my 2016 HSS Elite Strat and i agree. These Pickups sound fantastic. They loose a bit of Highs against a regular Strat but to be honest, a Strat has Highs enough. Doesn´t really matter if you loose 5% or whatever. Still sounds like a bright and clear Strat with the typical bell-like Sound.
I had the N3 in a 2008 strat and they were very good... and these N4's for me were even a step up from the N3... literally. Good to know that you think they are cool too. Users opinions do matter - so thanks for posting your experience here as it will undoubtedly help other guys decide about what they are watching. Thanks for watching.
Should be OK - I can't guarantee that. I fitted these later to a front routed strat with no scratch plate and that was VERY tight. but with the plate maybe OK. Take a good look at the videos around this time on my channel because I do show the pickups also as a close up...
(Open ended question for those experience with both pickups) In your experience have you enjoyed the Lace Holy Grail pickups, or the Gen4 Noiseless more? Im debating between which i should install into my strat.
I did experience both and the Gen4 might be (of the two) a nearer tone for me today, but they are all so subjective depending on what you play. Thanks.
Tony, just received my N4 pickups last Friday, and this video and your comments had a great impact on my decision, thank you sir. Which pots are you using for volume and tone? 250K for all 3? Have you tried differente ones?
I stayed with the standard Strat pots 250k. This guitar had Seymour Antiquity pickups fitted originally. To me it sounded very good like that. If I remember correctly the elite had 250k pots too. Do let me know how yours turned out and what you think of those tones Joao...
Well I have been making these videos... 7 in total I have posted in about a few days... but they took some time with one thing and another... Yes have a wonderful new year too :) Thanks for watching.
Not at all. The guitars that you mention I created with Warmoth and Fender parts myself. If you check here: ua-cam.com/play/PLD38427759E821683.html this play list will show you how I have made them. Some necks are Fender genuine, while all bodies and necks are at a minimum Fender Licensed. They cost far less than Fender making them and to be honest its likely that Fender would not make them... or they would be way too expensive. I made some 'Strats' and a few Telecasters and I think they all came out pretty spectacular. Thanks.
Hi Tony! I've got one of these Gen4 set and I want to put them on a 50th-anniversary strat edition, but I don't need the switch system. Could I install them connecting just two wires for each pickup? In that case, which should I leave unsoldered, the middle green ones or the black ones?
OMG a while since I did this and don't easily have the info at hand (blame age!) but found this: www.fmicassets.com/Damroot/Original/10001/Fender%20Am%20Elite%20Stratocaster%20011400XXXX%20SM%20REV%20B%203-24-17.pdf which shows an elite diagram and what they do... you should be able to figure it out from that... and remember they are 1/4 inch deeper... Thanks.
@@tonymckenzieofficial Just changed the pickups and connected each of the three wires to each pickup as they were originally. I discovered it doesn't work that way..., doesn't split the sounds from the three pickups (neck/middle/bridge) as it was supposed to with the five way selector. Now I´ll have to try another configuration...Hope I can solve it
Glad to see you back, Tony! (Just sent ya an email to ask if you were okay, hadn't heard from ya in a while! I'm supposed to get notifications on new vids from the sites I subscribe to, but the Evil Machine seems to have left yours out! Waaah!) Okay, that said ... Beautiful Strats! I've not had occasion to use either of the pickups (3 or 4) but only 'cuz I've just never run into 'em. Love your web site, by the way; your opening rant is SO near my own views! Best wishes, and have a good one. (Damn, I do love listening to you play!)
Yes I saw it and replied... Indeed, the evil machine does NOT notify everyone who is subscribed and has not done for some time. I complained and complained as also I don't any longer get post notifications and I KNOW its not the email server as I own it and checked the logs.. they are not sending them out. It gets extremely frustrating when a company offers a service but (unless I allow them to make money from my videos) they offer absolutely ZERO support in any way. It does frustrate me and you would think that a guy with over 230 videos as I have they would at least offer support when its their system that is failing... but they don't! It's one of the things that's wrong with the internet for sure. Companies that only have a single minded thought about money can be at best a distraction and at worst make me want to close the account and stuff them. Then I would simply put everything on my website. As my recent info about how I was treated by Apple shows once again companies don't seem to care about a thing called service - especially the big companies... they in general seem to think that does not matter. What a mistake and over time there is no doubt that it will backfire. You can only fool some of the people some of the time but they will not fool all of the people all of the time. Rant over ;-) But anyway I'm still here and you and all subscribers should check my channel regularly because of the UA-cam issues. I appreciate your concern.. thanks... and check these vids out.
I never left :) just a time thing. Yes I liked those too... some guys don't like the noiseless pickups for some reason, but I do and these N4's (if you have the space to fit them) are very good indeed. Thanks for that opinion it does matter... and thanks for watching.
I’m just revisiting this Tony. I bought a Sire S7….and I like it…apart from the pickups….I was thinking I’ll have a really good guitar if I put different pickups in…but what to choose…🤔?
Indeed there ARE a lot of pickups out there. They have a version five of these pickups now. But remember that these pickups are deeper than the standard ones. Thanks.
Usually single coil pots are 250k and humbuckers are 500k. I left the pots as original fitting on that guitar and they sounded fine to me. But you can fit 500k pots if you want... maybe slightly more control … thanks for watching.
tonymckenziecom Awesome. Thanks for the reply. The rest of the internet started to scare me into thinking it wasnt going to sound good without replacing the pots that I've already upgraded once. Your demo and others sound good to me, so I will keep my 250 pots. Thanks to you my new gen4s are being shipped now.
Ahh. Got the pickups today. Ive turned an amazing sounding fender into an hum creating crazy noisy strat. Even swapped back in the original pickups and noise is still there. Epic failure! Checked all connections, jack, and ground. If I touch the jack the noise lessens, but still much more noise than before.
Thank you. I liked these gen4 pickups, because that track with the tapping is often hard to do on a strat, but these worked very well for it. I also liked the Zexcoil pickups too which are not exactly the same, but also have great tone. Thanks.
@@tonymckenzieofficial Hi Tony. As I said above, you helped me to buy those. Bought them 3 months ago. They were assembled by a guitar tech who is known for his electrical knowledge. I love the sound of them but Tony... something seems WAY wrong. They have noise, AND A LOT! Question: did you use the Fender electrical wiring diagram or did you install by your own knowledge? I'm so disappointed with the noise, but reminding of you makes me think that Fender wiring diagram may not be the best way to wire them or I have some earthing issues on my guitar. What are your thoughts? Would you like to take a look at the electrical wiring and videos of the noise?
@@tonymckenzieofficial I'm really frustrated but you're the only one who shows the technical issues, the assembly and your thoughts. I don't know anyone with the Gen4 Noiseless pickups that I could match my guitar with and compare the noises or even compare the wiring as these pickups are pretty different from the electrical installation point of view. If you have the time would you please try to give me a help? Thank you!
@@JoaoGomesYYZ Hmmm... they work noiseless for me? and I DID use the Fender wiring if I remember correctly (although this was nearly two years ago). Are there any problems with the grounding etc.? I would certainly look closer again if that was me.
Just looked again and it seems I DID use that diagram. Honestly, these are quiet pickups - I play through (usually) overdriven tube amps with fluorescent lighting everywhere and those are known to give me hum on some guitars but not with these pickups? I would recheck that wiring - and as importantly, the components very carefully. Does the hum only appear in one pickup position? is it there on other amps? those sort of things can help determine how the problem exists... let me know... tony
A cork sniffers question I know, but do you know the depth in mm of the N4s Tony? From the bottom of the pickup cavity to the top of the scratchplate is 22mm on my Am Std. I've ordered a set from the USA for that Strat, then saw this video. The Fat 50s hum like hell with any amount of gain. If the N4s are too deep I'll return them as new. Cheers, and excellent video and demo.
That's OK. You just need to ensure that you countersink those black screws and you should be fine... the depth from the top of the plastic to the bottom of the pcb is exactly 23mm but remember that some of the plastic will be above the top of the scratch plate... my guess is around 4-5 mm minimum which then makes the bottom protrusion no more than about 19mm or less. Fender include a diagram (in the video) for a regular Stratocaster with a scratch plate and I see no reason whatsoever why they would not fit. If like this guitar it was a rear route it's still possible to fit but tight. Do come back and let me know what happens I'm sure you'll be OK. Thanks for watching.
Just to let you know Tony, the Gen 4s fitted into my Am Std Strat without a problem. I'll get technical for a minute if you don't mind as this is the only video on UA-cam about fitting these excellent pickups. From the bottom of the screws on the base of the Gen 4s, to the top of the pickup cover measured 24mm. The pickup routing in my American Standard measured exactly 20mm, and the 3 ply scratchplate 2.4mm, giving me 22.4mm depth, so I reckoned that I'd best fit the Gen 4s with the top of the covers at least 2-3 mm above the scratchplate to allow for a little space below. I like my pickups set fairly high to the strings, 2mm/1.6mm Bass/Treble side from the top of the pole pieces to the bottom of the low/high E strings. This adjustment left the top of the neck pickup cover 5mm above the scratchplate, the middle 5.5mm, and the bridge 6.5 mm, so plenty of space below. It helped that the low/high E string pole pieces on the Gen 4s are almost flush with the pickup cover, whereas something like the Fat 50s they replaced are 2.5 mm above. Hopefully anyone else who like me wanted to watch your excellent video to get more info on the Gen 4s will find these measurements helpful. Great sounding pickups btw, cheers!
Great to know they fitted OK - I thought they would. Thanks for the measurements too and as you say all useful info. The N4's sound particularly good I think and while some guys might flip their hat because they are stacked pickups, IMO they are as good as it gets of the type and brilliant for rock. Thanks again for the info... really appreciated.
You can use 0.47 of course. Personally I would try a few different values just to see how they sound to you. I kept the originals that I fitted to the antiquities but forgot what they were... likely 0.47... good question and thanks for watching.
Good question. Actually I like them both equally. For example that 2008 I showed has a particularly nice vibe and that does inspire me sometimes. The Elite I also liked a great deal although the switching was too much so I use it like a regular strat. The Warmoth I like because I can compile (great word) exactly what I want in a guitar usually without compromise and certainly lower cost than what a Fender equivalent would cost. There really are no 'losers' in that battle... great question. Thanks for watching.
Hi Tony, I hadn't been on your channel in a while and just picked a video at random. Very interesting as always and the playing is great. I wanted to ask a question about the playing. The tapping section sounded good. It looks like you are using your finger to tap as many do (Van Halen for one), but I wondered if you have tried using the edge of the pick to get a more cutting attack.
Actually my 'tapping' is way different than anyone else I have ever seen. It's because I was self taught with that in about 1995 to 1997. If you notice where I tap is way different than what guys play. Somehow (don't ask how!) the tapping finger sort of follows the scale gap (if you get what I mean), where as most will tap where they should :) - me, I'm just more lucky than what others might be if they followed me as it should sound very wrong. The wah is also a massive contributor to my tapping style and I'll far more often than not use the wah. Indeed I have tried the pick and many other ideas but they don't work for me in general because I guess that weird tap positioning I use. Hope that explains it :) and thanks for watching.
Pickups sound great Tony. I recently had a chance to try out a strat with Dimarzio area pickups and i have to say they were pretty great. Being an Ibanez guy they ticked something in my like box as well. Noiseless and clear as a bell. Nice video and playing m8 :)
I have also used dimarzio fast track pickups that are cool and quiet. But the N4 I thought were a bit better. I also used JBE but are expensive. Price for Price the N4 were good... just mind that depth of the pickup it really is about at least 1/4 inch deeper. The track was from Eniac album I did in 2006 and is called Lightpipe AI. Took me 30 minutes to pick it up again and I used the original track minus lead guitar. I got near :) but I still have an left arm problem so am careful right now. Anyway thanks for watching and glad you liked it all.
I was pleasantly surprised how good the N4's in my Strat Elite were. Totally silent, and they sound indistinguishable from normal single coils. I didn't expect to prefer them to the Kinman 62s in my other guitar, but I do. I don't bother with the S1 switching, just the straight 5 way.
Oh I don't use the switching either on my Elite. As you can see on this guitar they seem to drive really well and for me that's the great thing about them. Thanks for that info and for watching.
Yes happy new year to you too. Actually I don't write that fast... I need a bit of motivation to create music that ends up on a CD (as opposed to just being recorded) and the ideas for it all take time. I believe the next thing is an Album that will mainly be Alan Bruce who also plays in bands and that sort of stuff which should be interesting but will also take time. Thanks for watching.
Happy New Year, Tony. Sounds like those guitar lessons are starting to pay off! My Fender has the S1 preamp but I mostly leave the battery out and play straight Strat out of the Texas Specials, which I still prefer over the Noiseless (which sound a bit round/dull to my ears). Maybe they finally got the 'chili' heat right in the Gen4 p/u's.
Yes happy new year to you too. Ha... I played the real music I write on this video :) often I simply play backing tracks from others but as I wanted to show this guitar in a specific style I chose my own music. Guitar was low in the mix (drat), but there is no doubt that I can't easily play that track on any old strat - they simply don't do it. I probably play a different style than you... as I need that drive to get the guitar where it needs to be for a track like that. The Texas Specials are good pickups. But the SD Antiquity Texas pickups to my mind could never hack a track like this one. Each to what suits best for their music of course and for some the N4 would not be what they want. I liked them since I reviewed the Fender Elite. Ha not sure about the chilis :) Its more like nitrous oxide without any fizz :) boom and away these N4's go. But they can be nice and clean too. Thanks for watching and I hope it was interesting stuff.
I was very pessimistic with the N4 Strat pups. I hated the N3s. The earlier Deluxe Strats I hated. Until I played a new Elite. Boy what a nice change...I fully agree. Oh Lordy, depth issues. I've been down that road. You bust your bum and spend a ton of money and you get to the end and hit the wall. After all this time, i think I would just rout out them cavities, if there was room. But you need the tools. (Then getting into templates and blah, blah, blah. ) but that's a nice solution. (Does the string catch on the middle pup?.). Nice job man. The N4s I would def swap out of any N3. And I'm glad you shared about the Antiquities. Thanks Happy New Year.
Ha I thought the N3 were an good improvement over what came before really. But the N4 are really great and noiseless near enough too. The depth of the pickups dictate enough room in the pickup route as you say. On this guitar I rewired the pickups to the top of the board rather than how they come wired underneath. That helps dramatically and a bit of a hole for those two screws also is important. In fact for me the worst position was the neck position... mainly because this guitar had the .720 neck pocket mod as opposed to the standard .625 depth. It was a pain and the truth is later really that cost me a replacement neck pickup. :( but I learned my lesson with that and I will be dissecting the old N3 neck pickup on camera so we can really see what's going on inside them. Overall though it really was worth the effort. Thanks Tom for your feedback and for watching.
tonymckenziecom yea we all blow stuff up from here to there. I just blew up a crappy BBE Green Screamer trying to put an Opamp Coupler in. Damn board was so cheaply made as I was drawing the old solder out the whole board cracked. That never happened before. That sucked ass. Hey, it’s mine and was a piece of garbage anyway. I was putting a coupler in and changing some components like I always do. BBE, this was a first. I’ve never worked on their stuff before and figured I’d try to make it better. Well is better. (Better in the parts pile than my board). I still stand firm that the Strat N3s were garbage. The Tele ones I like a lot. I put them in my MIM nashville Tele. Great videos Tony.
Ouch! But some stuff is not made that well inside... its only then we see it... right? No that's OK about the N3's my point was they were better than the hum I used to get :) Those older fender single coil hummers (lets call them that - 3 gallons a mile) I never liked and can still never understand how Hendrix sounded like that on 'machine gun' with pickups that hummed as his must have. I have some 69 pickups and because they sound so different I 'put up' with the hum but try and minimise it as best I can. Glad you like the videos... se I have not been sitting around idling :) Thanks Tom.
I agree with you the noiseless pickups are fab no noise great cleans and ballsy drive sounds and the n4s are great !! Have you tried the scn noiseless I thought they were even better than the n3s and n4s
Aloha from Waianae, Hawaii....what kind of blue monster strat is that? I like the idea of electronics cavities.. I see it's copper shielded as well....luv that color mate....
It just shows the power of the internet :) The Strat comes from here: ua-cam.com/video/GmNerhTLaro/v-deo.html and you might find this playlist useful too: ua-cam.com/play/PLD38427759E821683.html but be careful as you might be there a while :) checking the links will get everything in to focus for you :) and thanks for watching.
I can get by with a good Squirer neck but the Warmouth body costing nearly a 1000 US dollars is too rich for my taste... I can get Fender locks for 45 US and very good PUP's on ebay if I shop around, usually custom shop for around 100 for all three....I'm thinking of doing a Tele or a Jag build.....sorry to here of the 20% tax over there....just get a US friend to mail it to ya after they purchase them for you...
I have all the time in the world to see your vids....I'm interested in your wiring especially pots and capacitors...I'm using 250k CTS dish backs audio tapers and using Russian paper in oil caps... what values are you using on your tone controls.... .022, .047, .033 and maybe a lower value on the bridge circuit if you have that wired into the tone control circuit.... Since you like the hot pups, do you use higher value pots, like 500 or 1 meg....sorry for all the questions..probably get all that info on your vids...
Cheers is a bit old fashioned :) Here where I live the dialect is far worse and likely you would not understand it. I hide it, but the raw dialect is honestly atrocious!
Hi Tony, A very Happy New Year, to you, I thought it was just me re:Seymour Duncan Antiquity Texas Hot Pups, quite expensive but to me a little lifeless, I have a Clapton Strat with N3 Pups I think I will try the N4's. Excellent video thank you.
Yes happy new year to you too! No I thought they were not really 'rock' pickups at least in my case as I like the drive for the wah thing. They are expensive as you say and thankfully I did not buy them new. The N4's are really good... BTW I have a short video coming up presently that shows the inside of one and how to get rid of the Fender logo etc. that is worthwhile to watch because I have not seen anyone showing that stuff. Thanks for watching.
This is a strat I made from Warmoth body, Fender Parts and a Fender Jeff Beck neck :) You can check out how I made it exactly here: Part one: ua-cam.com/video/GmNerhTLaro/v-deo.html Part Two: ua-cam.com/video/pVvRXUF63Rw/v-deo.html and Part Three: ua-cam.com/video/AqVMzNtT9kA/v-deo.html I also made a video separate from this one showing the guitar with Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups fitted and played here: ua-cam.com/video/-f5n3jQwb1s/v-deo.html Lastly, heres a close up review of the guitar: ua-cam.com/video/JguPJUincBI/v-deo.html and since that time I have made a few more with different components and options. You can see all the builds here: ua-cam.com/play/PLD38427759E821683.html Hope you like it all and you'll be busy for some while. Thanks...
The Fishmans are interesting. Your second tone pot is a push-pull. Down you get a great traditional Fender tine but better. What I like about it is the touch sensitivity. The harder you strike the strings the more the pickups respond. I’m not good at explaining sorry. With the pot pulled you get more of a modern sound. When you get a chance do try them. I purchased the trem cover battery which makes a cleaner installation. Battery life is like forever. I’ll look forward to a review when you can. 👍👍👀
Thanks for that I wanted someone to confirm what they are like. I'll have another look next time I'm in the USA for sure. I was going to get the battery too :). Thanks again and when I do get them they will be on here of course.
Michael, they are not single coils! They are called 'stacked' coils. There are two coils on there and it works rather like a humbucker, but it still sounds like a single coil when you play it... wizardry afoot! Thanks for watching.
Ha see its all down to what works for you. Check the playing they worked for me... before this guitar was a wimp! Anyway thanks for that input it helps many... and thanks for watching Brian.
Nice rockin' near the end. When you have kit that gets you in the zone then are nearly there :) . Lots of great info on these pu's. Good to know that they are quite deep. People who are comfortable with a router may be ok - perhaps not something I would do on a "real" guitar but I have several "custom" (ie home-built) ones which I wouldn't have an issue with hacking.
Yes it surprised me and I certainly did not know that beforehand... at one stage I was going to refit the SD pickups. Then decided it would not beat me. I also considered routing the holes but after thought removed the noise suppression as not needed on these and rewired the wires from underneath on to the top of the bottom pcb. Makes sense... but the neck pickup remained the closest and I tried hard to solve that. In the end I did but I screwed the pickup :( and had to buy another. But we'll dissect that online some other time. My neck pocket was custom and lower than a regular strat so no problems if the neck pocket is 0.625 of an inch. That track is called Lightpipe AI and I wrote that back in 2006... to me its a really driven piece of music and so powerful (just my opinion). Thanks for watching and for the info.
Tony, You should try Fender Tex-Mex pickups. Less than $100 dollars US for a set of three and they sound great. They are the best kept secret in the pickup world.
Maybe I should! I tried many pickups over the years though and some are really cool (it is all subjective of course) and others I disliked. The SD Antiquities that were in this guitar I had bought second user, but that was for me a mistake. I think they are probably good for Bert Weedon (nothing wrong with his playing of course) low drive styles than the sort of high gain stuff I typically play. My original guitar build shows the antiquities being used... they were very smooth in a rock situation. These N4's on the other hand are really 'right' for this guitar and that style... indeed I did not think I could play that track on a strat... it was recorded on an Ibanez HB driven guitar. Now I have a 'great' guitar instead of a pussy cat :) I certainly will bear your comments in mind though... and if I find a set at the right price I'll get some to try. Thanks for the info and for watching.
The N4 work wonderfully for the stuff I play... and I did also use Joe Barden pickups which I think are exceptional but very expensive to get here. I also like Fenders CS 69 pickups - a pickup all on its own... brilliant tone :). I did not try the Tex Mex but no doubt will get there :) Actually if you watch the video this is not quite how I play... it's the right track, but its on a strat and this track was written on the Ibanez Black RG550LTD I also just showed with the purple one. The strat stood up to it (bit low in the mix my mistake) but you will note that I drive hard the signal with a wah which typically for me on a strat they don't hack it... but the N4 just about do. If you check this other playing, I played it correct on this one here: ua-cam.com/video/nWt6hq706q8/v-deo.htmlm24s then that is what I really expect my guitar to do (again low in the mix because I just swapped guitars only) but you will see that the Ibanez is actually supreme of the two. I like the strat with these pickups - it changes what was a 'wimp' in to a rock axe :). There are basically 'two' Bill Lawrence pickup companies last time I looked at them and neither would really relinquish who was who although it was clear who was who once you checked it out. For me the BL were not what I wanted and they (to be honest) like most pickups for the strat I tried to date don't result in such as shown on this video with the N4's. Thanks for the info GC.... and for watching!
Thanks for the info on Bill Lawrence (Wilde) pickups I was not aware they were called Wilde... and its a while ago since I looked at them (years literally). I checked Wilde website (I liked the 'Wilde Bill' :) made me smile. I see they make dual coil cancelling stuff these days - I'm pretty sure when I checked them I had single coils. But I actually tried both of the 'Bill Lawrence' companies pickups at the time and I forgot more about BL (whichever) than I remember. Very interesting that he was at Gibson guitars - you are a mine of very interesting stuff GC.
Ha ... see even in Hawaii I'm an old rocker - but you and I must both remember that we're as old as our mind allows and we have often incredible information that some have yet to experience to draw on :) now then - see you don't feel so old at all :) me neither... and thanks for the sub... I really hope you like my channel it has taken since 2009 to get it that way. My website tonymckenzie.com is also very interesting.
I'm still a kid at heart at 63....Just found out I have to get my right hip replaced and check a spot on my right kidney..(hope it's nothing I'll find out in a week or so after my ultrasound)..looks like I'll be home bound for awhile recuperating, so, I'll just play my guitars and work on some builds that I have in the works....
Indeed Vincent we all are and I'm sure that you would be as excited as I often am with guitar gear whatever it is :) I sincerely hope you're OK with the health side of things. People that have never had problems often don't 'get it' but once you do.... I had prostate cancer in 2013 but they solved it with a Da'vinci robot. It took some time to get past that but here I am. As we get older there is no doubt that it does get harder and even sometimes remembering things that are 'on the tip of my tongue' usually get remembered about two minutes after I need them :)
same here with memory...Just had an ultrasound on my right kidney to see what the spot is...could be a small cyst and that would be OK. I have to get e new right hip, probably in time for my birthday in late April....LOL I'm having too much fun...Hey I saw a Marshall 8080 on ebay for 250 US dollars...Good Buy? Have a great day
Good to know that it's likely a cyst Vincent. Ouch on the hip my friend and hang in there while they fix it. The 8080 is a valvestate where they use a tube in the preamp. They don't sound too bad at all but I have seen a few fail over the years. Make sure the condition is good... I don't really know the USA price - they tend to be cheaper in the UK and USA cost more often... but reversed when I look at USA gear here...
Great question... I have been asleep since I fitted them! I would have most likely fitted 500k pots... no doubt on the instructions but it was 2 1/2/ years ago. Sorry my fail on that. Stay safe.
Ha we have all been there for sure! I still like the 69 CS ones as they have a different tone, but the others are long in the tooth (some will disagree for sure). I used Barden pickups that are great and these N4's are cool but you just have to watch the depth in the guitar route. Pickups don't have to be the most expensive any more really. I can see why the N4's cost a bit more and the same with Bardens but some I don't see the value in personally... and the SD Antiquity pickups don't hack it for me. Thanks for watching.
I like how 90% of people think that Powerage is AC DC's best album, and then the band itself says "it was a bit formulaic, we just banged it out in the studio" lol
I don't know... back in black and shoot to thrill are great tracks but some of the rest ... well lets just say they are on the album :). Incredible sales though whether someone likes them or not of that there is no denying... and that's really why they are there... sales!. Thanks for watching.
Yeah I’m also 28 up there too. I like my N3s. I have used all different brands at all price points. Yes I’ve spent a lot of dollars. I would probably like the N4s. Not always but mostly in cases where people say oh this sucks or that sucks it says more about them and not the product. Have you tried Fishman Singles? I like those too. By the way I watched the build on that guitar and I love it. Happy days Tony 👍👍👀
:) all the good guitarists are that way :) You know what, I tried very hard to get a set of Fishman pickups in September last year (just a few months ago!) but no one not a single store had them in stock. Those pickups look exciting. What's the Fishman pickup output like? and what is your opinion of them? Do let me know. Ah the last one 'The incredible guitar' ... I like that guitar a lot and I did have to go back and forth a little on the setup but now it's pretty perfect even compared to the video. I do think that was the genius of Leo Fender... getting a guitar that can be cut, carved and generally bent in to anything you might want. Fender have over the years done a wonderful job of reinventing the Strat and selling 'the same thing' over and over they deserve a commendation. Mine was not a Fender guitar but it did have loads of Fender parts and Fender authorised parts so it's pretty near. I have real Fenders too and like those. Glad you liked the stuff.. it takes so long to do all this stuff. Thanks for watching.
I just tried noiseless 4th gen and they buzz/ hum almost as much as anything.. Noiseless my ass.. Let's hear it to prove it.. Nothing like the real thing baby.. Buyer beware..
Sorry you had an issue Jack... the ones in this reviewed guitar were not like you describe. Trust me, if they were I would tell you... I sell nothing! Thanks for watching.
Thanks. Actually I played it here: ua-cam.com/video/C4WLh0vYaIs/v-deo.htmlm25s almost exactly as the track from an album called Eniac from 2006 and the guitar was the one I used to originally record the track on - Lightpipe AI - one of my favourites :) Thanks for watching.
Not a fan of the N4 at all. I suppose if you're playing with Distortion and effects it's not as obvious but if you play it out of a clean Fender amp you can clearly hear these pickups have no identity
Hey jimi… you're right I do play rock, but I don't use a clean Fender amp (nothing wrong with them!) but usually a Mesa or Marshall, with some other brands like Diezel thrown in for good measure. I believe you of course and I did not try the guitar in a Fender amp. For rock like I play they sounded very good actually. Thanks.
@@tonymckenzieofficial you're a gentleman sir and I quite enjoyed your playing I am just not a fan of those pickups whatsoever. Earlier this year I purchased a Telecaster Elite and was so disappointed with the tone I had to dish out additional money and purchase some Lindy fralin Blues specials. Feel free to check out a few of my videos I'm not a very popular guy
@@BITESIZEJONES Well I guess that is the thing about sounds etc. its pretty subjective. I have had gear that I have positively disliked and thought of as 'trash' but then someone say hey this 'whateveritis' is great have you tried one! Needless to say I get over it :) But I do try hard to point out what I think is pretty good as to what is really bad. Sure jimi… I'll take a look at your channel no problem. Lindy Fralin pickups are pretty cool stuff... but here in the UK are very expensive really.
Ha thanks Dan. While I have not been in any band for some years (in any regular way) I still work with Alan Bruce who is really brilliant at lyrics, vocals and bass. He 'claims' to play guitar :) So on the band front I'm getting older and older and it gets harder to do that stuff. Alan is approaching the age where it gets harder too so no doubt he will catch up with me :). So less likely Dan that could happen, but I appreciate your comments. And thanks for watching!
That's true. I used to use Lace sensors (Holy Grail) pickups which are very nice. I used to own 'the dream' Stratocaster with Lace custom pickups.. learn all about that guitar and Jeff Lace here: www.dreamstrat.com Jeff was very helpful when I was getting the guitar back in to as original condition that I could... check it out its all interesting stuff.
No it does not work :) Ha... I used to have an Aston Martin Vanquish (sort of 007 if you will) here: photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipOtUCqXEeiVEj3oAOIw3mIG_Rt5c2z7s9ScThTx but strangely enough it did not make me say 'cheerio old bean' :) not sure if you can see the image... so if it does not work blame Google...
Did not think it would I'm going to purchase a used Les Paul Jr and upgrade it. What kind of pick up would you slap in it. Looking for the Green Day sound. Would you use 500 k pots or something different?
Depends what's in it now? P90, Humbucker? Epi or real deal... I still tend to stick with 500k for the humbucker pickups and the 250 for the singles... not sure if you checked this: www.toneshapers.com/ but those guys make multiple different things and on the newest stuff you can create some VERY unique setups... check them out...
yeah, just what I thought, 500 k pots...epi's have stock humbucker's nothing special...I think a P90 would be right for this build and paper in oil cap.
Just bought a used guitar with Noiseless installed. Damn. Impressed. Clear strings under distortion. Will def buy for another guitar. Subscribed. Best Regards and Best Wishes for 2022!
Yes I think they are good. Some people don't like them but a definite improvement. Thanks for the sub... they all matter. Tks for watching too.
I've used Lace Sensors, EMGs, Noiseless and have found great tones in all of them. I find the cork sniffing 'authentic' end of the market to be full of microphonics and noise, because that's how they were made 'back then'. Noiseless is the only way when touring the ancient pubs of Britain ;-)
I think you're right too. I still have the 'odd set' of 69 pickups which as you might know sound different than the regular every day later Fender pickups... but I like the n4's in particular of these types. Those SD Antiquities I pulled out don't have what I could even call close to Texas output IMO. I just had to change them... they were for me at least a mistake. I used to use Lace Holy Grails which were a notable pickup. On the 'The Dream' strat ( www.dreamstrat.com ) Jeff Lace hand made those pickups for the guitar which was used by Awesome John (Asim Can Gunduz) RIP Asim. He loved them and I thought they were pretty unique in sounds too. Thanks for watching.
@@tonymckenzieofficial hey, man, thanks for the video! In your experience have you enjoyed the Lace Holy Grail pickups, or the Gen4 Noiseless more? Im debating between which i should install into my strat.
Indeed I have used both. I used the Lace Holy Grails for about two years a long time ago. They do sound pretty good, but are not of the highest output (but acceptable) while the V4 Noiseless from Fender (seem to) have more higher output - but that could be just my recollection. I was looking at Holy Grails just the other day re a new build but have decided to opt for different pickups altogether for that one. Remember that the Gen4 are slightly deeper than the HG's and that could cause problems (or not) depending on the exact guitar layout. Thanks for watching.
Tony, you do the BEST reviews. Always amazingly in-depth and honest. Quite entertaining as well. Rock on my friend!
Thanks for those very kind words mixville2 - they are really appreciated. And thank you for watching.
Did you use 250k pots and .022 uf cap? I've read conflicting things online where some people treat them like humbuckers and up everything to 500k/.047uf
Too long ago don't remember :( sorry about that. I should have covered that in the vid maybe somewhere... and thanks for watching.
So Tony, did you happen to note the actual height of those N4 pickups..how tall they were ? And what is the depth of your pickup cavities in that guitar ? I'm asking because I was considering getting some Fender Hot Noiseless pickups but learned that they are a full 1- inch (25mm) tall, and I don't think my American Standard or my CP50 is routed deep enough to accomodate them. I am not going to route either of these guitars deeper, so would probably have to consider another pickup choice, i.e., the N4 perhaps
I'm afraid I did not actually measure the pickup depth but I do show it closely here: ua-cam.com/video/xIHHkusr9bo/v-deo.html if I remember correctly. You will see overall there's probably around 1/8 inch more needed to fit the pickup properly in to a routed body (rather than a pick guard where there is no real issue (I don't think). It can be accommodated on the routed body by drilling where the two screws stick out on the back of the pickup - but only just. I did fit them as you can see in this video. I think I have one kicking around here somewhere and if I find it I'll come back and show the measurements.
Hope it helps.
Do noiseless pickups react the same way as single coils do with a germanium fuzz or are they more like humbuckers.
Thanks
Well noiseless pickups ARE humbuckers! Personally I don't use germanium fuzz and I can't answer that other than to say they are humbuckers... anyone else here have experience they can call on for Ashley? Great question. Thanks for watching and stay safe.
Thanks for your reply
Greetings from California, wishing you a Happy New Year! Looking forward to 2018 and your awesome guitar videos, equipment reviews and original music. Thank you!
Man its either late there or in the night! :) I guess around 11 PM? so maybe not too bad. Thanks for those kind words... appreciated and I'm hoping to get some more videos out in due course... but I need time they can take substantial effort to complete. Thanks and remember that I would sooner be there than here in the rain :)
Interesting Video! On the Pickups: I can´t say anything to the N3s, cause i´ve never played them but i got the N4s in my 2016 HSS Elite Strat and i agree. These Pickups sound fantastic. They loose a bit of Highs against a regular Strat but to be honest, a Strat has Highs enough. Doesn´t really matter if you loose 5% or whatever. Still sounds like a bright and clear Strat with the typical bell-like Sound.
I had the N3 in a 2008 strat and they were very good... and these N4's for me were even a step up from the N3... literally. Good to know that you think they are cool too. Users opinions do matter - so thanks for posting your experience here as it will undoubtedly help other guys decide about what they are watching. Thanks for watching.
I bought the vintage noiseless. They sound fantastic. I’m slapping n4’s in my other strat next.
Well I agree with that... I have used those too and many others :) all pretty cool. Thanks and stay safe.
Do you know if the 4th Gen Noiseless Pickups require the body of a MIM Strat to be routed to accommodate the extra pickup height?
Should be OK - I can't guarantee that. I fitted these later to a front routed strat with no scratch plate and that was VERY tight. but with the plate maybe OK. Take a good look at the videos around this time on my channel because I do show the pickups also as a close up...
(Open ended question for those experience with both pickups) In your experience have you enjoyed the Lace Holy Grail pickups, or the Gen4 Noiseless more? Im debating between which i should install into my strat.
I did experience both and the Gen4 might be (of the two) a nearer tone for me today, but they are all so subjective depending on what you play. Thanks.
Tony, just received my N4 pickups last Friday, and this video and your comments had a great impact on my decision, thank you sir. Which pots are you using for volume and tone? 250K for all 3? Have you tried differente ones?
I stayed with the standard Strat pots 250k. This guitar had Seymour Antiquity pickups fitted originally. To me it sounded very good like that. If I remember correctly the elite had 250k pots too. Do let me know how yours turned out and what you think of those tones Joao...
Great to see your back Tony dude. Hope all is well with you and your family.Happy new year my friend!
Well I have been making these videos... 7 in total I have posted in about a few days... but they took some time with one thing and another... Yes have a wonderful new year too :) Thanks for watching.
How do these compare to the N3? Do they have as much output?
I think these are a little more output. Overall I liked the V4's. Stay safe.
tonymckenziecom Thanks Tony. Are they darker, warmer, brighter sounding?
I think similar sound IMO but just that bit more drive...
@@tonymckenzieofficial BTW, you have the most beautiful guitars... Are they custom made for you Fender custom shops?
Not at all. The guitars that you mention I created with Warmoth and Fender parts myself. If you check here: ua-cam.com/play/PLD38427759E821683.html this play list will show you how I have made them. Some necks are Fender genuine, while all bodies and necks are at a minimum Fender Licensed. They cost far less than Fender making them and to be honest its likely that Fender would not make them... or they would be way too expensive. I made some 'Strats' and a few Telecasters and I think they all came out pretty spectacular. Thanks.
Hi Tony!
I've got one of these Gen4 set and I want to put them on a 50th-anniversary strat edition, but I don't need the switch system.
Could I install them connecting just two wires for each pickup?
In that case, which should I leave unsoldered, the middle green ones or the black ones?
OMG a while since I did this and don't easily have the info at hand (blame age!) but found this: www.fmicassets.com/Damroot/Original/10001/Fender%20Am%20Elite%20Stratocaster%20011400XXXX%20SM%20REV%20B%203-24-17.pdf which shows an elite diagram and what they do... you should be able to figure it out from that... and remember they are 1/4 inch deeper... Thanks.
@@tonymckenzieofficial Thanks Tony for the detailed wired diagram!
I'm gonna try to get some sounds out of it!
Lat me know how it goes :)
@@tonymckenzieofficial Just changed the pickups and connected each of the three wires to each pickup as they were originally.
I discovered it doesn't work that way..., doesn't split the sounds from the three pickups (neck/middle/bridge) as it was supposed to with the five way selector.
Now I´ll have to try another configuration...Hope I can solve it
@@aintnothinbutdablues I'm looking to get a set did you ever figure it out?
Glad to see you back, Tony! (Just sent ya an email to ask if you were okay, hadn't heard from ya in a while! I'm supposed to get notifications on new vids from the sites I subscribe to, but the Evil Machine seems to have left yours out! Waaah!) Okay, that said ... Beautiful Strats! I've not had occasion to use either of the pickups (3 or 4) but only 'cuz I've just never run into 'em. Love your web site, by the way; your opening rant is SO near my own views! Best wishes, and have a good one. (Damn, I do love listening to you play!)
Yes I saw it and replied... Indeed, the evil machine does NOT notify everyone who is subscribed and has not done for some time. I complained and complained as also I don't any longer get post notifications and I KNOW its not the email server as I own it and checked the logs.. they are not sending them out. It gets extremely frustrating when a company offers a service but (unless I allow them to make money from my videos) they offer absolutely ZERO support in any way. It does frustrate me and you would think that a guy with over 230 videos as I have they would at least offer support when its their system that is failing... but they don't!
It's one of the things that's wrong with the internet for sure. Companies that only have a single minded thought about money can be at best a distraction and at worst make me want to close the account and stuff them. Then I would simply put everything on my website.
As my recent info about how I was treated by Apple shows once again companies don't seem to care about a thing called service - especially the big companies... they in general seem to think that does not matter. What a mistake and over time there is no doubt that it will backfire. You can only fool some of the people some of the time but they will not fool all of the people all of the time. Rant over ;-)
But anyway I'm still here and you and all subscribers should check my channel regularly because of the UA-cam issues.
I appreciate your concern.. thanks... and check these vids out.
Good to see you back on UA-cam Tony. I liked N3 Pickups and these sound great.
I never left :) just a time thing. Yes I liked those too... some guys don't like the noiseless pickups for some reason, but I do and these N4's (if you have the space to fit them) are very good indeed. Thanks for that opinion it does matter... and thanks for watching.
I’m just revisiting this Tony. I bought a Sire S7….and I like it…apart from the pickups….I was thinking I’ll have a really good guitar if I put different pickups in…but what to choose…🤔?
Indeed there ARE a lot of pickups out there. They have a version five of these pickups now. But remember that these pickups are deeper than the standard ones. Thanks.
Whats the deal with replacing pots, that some people say needs to be done? Did you change anything other than the pickups?
Usually single coil pots are 250k and humbuckers are 500k. I left the pots as original fitting on that guitar and they sounded fine to me. But you can fit 500k pots if you want... maybe slightly more control … thanks for watching.
Lastly, I changed nothing else at all.
tonymckenziecom Awesome. Thanks for the reply. The rest of the internet started to scare me into thinking it wasnt going to sound good without replacing the pots that I've already upgraded once. Your demo and others sound good to me, so I will keep my 250 pots. Thanks to you my new gen4s are being shipped now.
Let me know what you think.
Ahh. Got the pickups today. Ive turned an amazing sounding fender into an hum creating crazy noisy strat. Even swapped back in the original pickups and noise is still there. Epic failure! Checked all connections, jack, and ground. If I touch the jack the noise lessens, but still much more noise than before.
Great! Great job, great comparison, rocking playing! You helped me leaning towards the Gen4
Thank you. I liked these gen4 pickups, because that track with the tapping is often hard to do on a strat, but these worked very well for it. I also liked the Zexcoil pickups too which are not exactly the same, but also have great tone. Thanks.
@@tonymckenzieofficial Hi Tony. As I said above, you helped me to buy those. Bought them 3 months ago. They were assembled by a guitar tech who is known for his electrical knowledge. I love the sound of them but Tony... something seems WAY wrong. They have noise, AND A LOT! Question: did you use the Fender electrical wiring diagram or did you install by your own knowledge? I'm so disappointed with the noise, but reminding of you makes me think that Fender wiring diagram may not be the best way to wire them or I have some earthing issues on my guitar. What are your thoughts? Would you like to take a look at the electrical wiring and videos of the noise?
@@tonymckenzieofficial I'm really frustrated but you're the only one who shows the technical issues, the assembly and your thoughts. I don't know anyone with the Gen4 Noiseless pickups that I could match my guitar with and compare the noises or even compare the wiring as these pickups are pretty different from the electrical installation point of view. If you have the time would you please try to give me a help? Thank you!
@@JoaoGomesYYZ Hmmm... they work noiseless for me? and I DID use the Fender wiring if I remember correctly (although this was nearly two years ago). Are there any problems with the grounding etc.? I would certainly look closer again if that was me.
Just looked again and it seems I DID use that diagram. Honestly, these are quiet pickups - I play through (usually) overdriven tube amps with fluorescent lighting everywhere and those are known to give me hum on some guitars but not with these pickups? I would recheck that wiring - and as importantly, the components very carefully. Does the hum only appear in one pickup position? is it there on other amps? those sort of things can help determine how the problem exists... let me know...
tony
A cork sniffers question I know, but do you know the depth in mm of the N4s Tony? From the bottom of the pickup cavity to the top of the scratchplate is 22mm on my Am Std. I've ordered a set from the USA for that Strat, then saw this video. The Fat 50s hum like hell with any amount of gain. If the N4s are too deep I'll return them as new. Cheers, and excellent video and demo.
That's OK. You just need to ensure that you countersink those black screws and you should be fine... the depth from the top of the plastic to the bottom of the pcb is exactly 23mm but remember that some of the plastic will be above the top of the scratch plate... my guess is around 4-5 mm minimum which then makes the bottom protrusion no more than about 19mm or less. Fender include a diagram (in the video) for a regular Stratocaster with a scratch plate and I see no reason whatsoever why they would not fit.
If like this guitar it was a rear route it's still possible to fit but tight.
Do come back and let me know what happens I'm sure you'll be OK. Thanks for watching.
Just to let you know Tony, the Gen 4s fitted into my Am Std Strat without a problem. I'll get technical for a minute if you don't mind as this is the only video on UA-cam about fitting these excellent pickups. From the bottom of the screws on the base of the Gen 4s, to the top of the pickup cover measured 24mm. The pickup routing in my American Standard measured exactly 20mm, and the 3 ply scratchplate 2.4mm, giving me 22.4mm depth, so I reckoned that I'd best fit the Gen 4s with the top of the covers at least 2-3 mm above the scratchplate to allow for a little space below. I like my pickups set fairly high to the strings, 2mm/1.6mm Bass/Treble side from the top of the pole pieces to the bottom of the low/high E strings. This adjustment left the top of the neck pickup cover 5mm above the scratchplate, the middle 5.5mm, and the bridge 6.5 mm, so plenty of space below. It helped that the low/high E string pole pieces on the Gen 4s are almost flush with the pickup cover, whereas something like the Fat 50s they replaced are 2.5 mm above. Hopefully anyone else who like me wanted to watch your excellent video to get more info on the Gen 4s will find these measurements helpful. Great sounding pickups btw, cheers!
Great to know they fitted OK - I thought they would. Thanks for the measurements too and as you say all useful info. The N4's sound particularly good I think and while some guys might flip their hat because they are stacked pickups, IMO they are as good as it gets of the type and brilliant for rock. Thanks again for the info... really appreciated.
Which capacitors I should use for the Fender GEN4 strat? 0.47 uf?
You can use 0.47 of course. Personally I would try a few different values just to see how they sound to you. I kept the originals that I fitted to the antiquities but forgot what they were... likely 0.47... good question and thanks for watching.
My apologies indeed I did mean 047... Thanks.
BTW thanks for posting the info... all very useful to many guys.
Reggie... thanks for posting this stuff and I'm sure that loads of guys will appreciate it as I do. And thanks for watching.
Glad to see you Tony, merry new year to you. Warmoth vs fender, which do you prefer?
Good question. Actually I like them both equally. For example that 2008 I showed has a particularly nice vibe and that does inspire me sometimes. The Elite I also liked a great deal although the switching was too much so I use it like a regular strat. The Warmoth I like because I can compile (great word) exactly what I want in a guitar usually without compromise and certainly lower cost than what a Fender equivalent would cost.
There really are no 'losers' in that battle... great question. Thanks for watching.
Happy New Year Tony! Another great review!
Thanks James and the same to you of course... thanks for watching too.
Hi Tony, I hadn't been on your channel in a while and just picked a video at random. Very interesting as always and the playing is great. I wanted to ask a question about the playing. The tapping section sounded good. It looks like you are using your finger to tap as many do (Van Halen for one), but I wondered if you have tried using the edge of the pick to get a more cutting attack.
Actually my 'tapping' is way different than anyone else I have ever seen. It's because I was self taught with that in about 1995 to 1997. If you notice where I tap is way different than what guys play. Somehow (don't ask how!) the tapping finger sort of follows the scale gap (if you get what I mean), where as most will tap where they should :) - me, I'm just more lucky than what others might be if they followed me as it should sound very wrong. The wah is also a massive contributor to my tapping style and I'll far more often than not use the wah.
Indeed I have tried the pick and many other ideas but they don't work for me in general because I guess that weird tap positioning I use.
Hope that explains it :) and thanks for watching.
Got it. That's why the guitar is probably the most expressive instrument. There are so many options for individuality.
Pickups sound great Tony. I recently had a chance to try out a strat with Dimarzio area pickups and i have to say they were pretty great. Being an Ibanez guy they ticked something in my like box as well. Noiseless and clear as a bell. Nice video and playing m8 :)
I have also used dimarzio fast track pickups that are cool and quiet. But the N4 I thought were a bit better. I also used JBE but are expensive. Price for Price the N4 were good... just mind that depth of the pickup it really is about at least 1/4 inch deeper. The track was from Eniac album I did in 2006 and is called Lightpipe AI. Took me 30 minutes to pick it up again and I used the original track minus lead guitar. I got near :) but I still have an left arm problem so am careful right now. Anyway thanks for watching and glad you liked it all.
I was pleasantly surprised how good the N4's in my Strat Elite were. Totally silent, and they sound indistinguishable from normal single coils. I didn't expect to prefer them to the Kinman 62s in my other guitar, but I do. I don't bother with the S1 switching, just the straight 5 way.
Oh I don't use the switching either on my Elite. As you can see on this guitar they seem to drive really well and for me that's the great thing about them. Thanks for that info and for watching.
hi Tony all the best for the new year great playing at the end awaiting your next album hope it's soon
Yes happy new year to you too. Actually I don't write that fast... I need a bit of motivation to create music that ends up on a CD (as opposed to just being recorded) and the ideas for it all take time. I believe the next thing is an Album that will mainly be Alan Bruce who also plays in bands and that sort of stuff which should be interesting but will also take time. Thanks for watching.
Happy New Year, Tony. Sounds like those guitar lessons are starting to pay off! My Fender has the S1 preamp but I mostly leave the battery out and play straight Strat out of the Texas Specials, which I still prefer over the Noiseless (which sound a bit round/dull to my ears). Maybe they finally got the 'chili' heat right in the Gen4 p/u's.
Yes happy new year to you too. Ha... I played the real music I write on this video :) often I simply play backing tracks from others but as I wanted to show this guitar in a specific style I chose my own music. Guitar was low in the mix (drat), but there is no doubt that I can't easily play that track on any old strat - they simply don't do it. I probably play a different style than you... as I need that drive to get the guitar where it needs to be for a track like that. The Texas Specials are good pickups. But the SD Antiquity Texas pickups to my mind could never hack a track like this one. Each to what suits best for their music of course and for some the N4 would not be what they want. I liked them since I reviewed the Fender Elite.
Ha not sure about the chilis :) Its more like nitrous oxide without any fizz :) boom and away these N4's go. But they can be nice and clean too.
Thanks for watching and I hope it was interesting stuff.
I was very pessimistic with the N4 Strat pups. I hated the N3s. The earlier Deluxe Strats I hated. Until I played a new Elite. Boy what a nice change...I fully agree. Oh Lordy, depth issues. I've been down that road. You bust your bum and spend a ton of money and you get to the end and hit the wall. After all this time, i think I would just rout out them cavities, if there was room. But you need the tools. (Then getting into templates and blah, blah, blah. ) but that's a nice solution. (Does the string catch on the middle pup?.).
Nice job man. The N4s I would def swap out of any N3. And I'm glad you shared about the Antiquities. Thanks Happy New Year.
Ha I thought the N3 were an good improvement over what came before really. But the N4 are really great and noiseless near enough too. The depth of the pickups dictate enough room in the pickup route as you say. On this guitar I rewired the pickups to the top of the board rather than how they come wired underneath. That helps dramatically and a bit of a hole for those two screws also is important. In fact for me the worst position was the neck position... mainly because this guitar had the .720 neck pocket mod as opposed to the standard .625 depth. It was a pain and the truth is later really that cost me a replacement neck pickup. :( but I learned my lesson with that and I will be dissecting the old N3 neck pickup on camera so we can really see what's going on inside them. Overall though it really was worth the effort. Thanks Tom for your feedback and for watching.
tonymckenziecom yea we all blow stuff up from here to there. I just blew up a crappy BBE Green Screamer trying to put an Opamp Coupler in. Damn board was so cheaply made as I was drawing the old solder out the whole board cracked. That never happened before. That sucked ass. Hey, it’s mine and was a piece of garbage anyway. I was putting a coupler in and changing some components like I always do. BBE, this was a first. I’ve never worked on their stuff before and figured I’d try to make it better. Well is better. (Better in the parts pile than my board).
I still stand firm that the Strat N3s were garbage. The Tele ones I like a lot. I put them in my MIM nashville Tele. Great videos Tony.
Ouch! But some stuff is not made that well inside... its only then we see it... right? No that's OK about the N3's my point was they were better than the hum I used to get :) Those older fender single coil hummers (lets call them that - 3 gallons a mile) I never liked and can still never understand how Hendrix sounded like that on 'machine gun' with pickups that hummed as his must have. I have some 69 pickups and because they sound so different I 'put up' with the hum but try and minimise it as best I can.
Glad you like the videos... se I have not been sitting around idling :) Thanks Tom.
I agree with you the noiseless pickups are fab no noise great cleans and ballsy drive sounds and the n4s are great !!
Have you tried the scn noiseless I thought they were even better than the n3s and n4s
No I have not tried the SCN pickups yet... no doubt Ill get around to it ... too many pickups too little time :) Thanks for watching.
Aloha from Waianae, Hawaii....what kind of blue monster strat is that? I like the idea of electronics cavities.. I see it's copper shielded as well....luv that color mate....
It just shows the power of the internet :) The Strat comes from here: ua-cam.com/video/GmNerhTLaro/v-deo.html and you might find this playlist useful too: ua-cam.com/play/PLD38427759E821683.html but be careful as you might be there a while :) checking the links will get everything in to focus for you :) and thanks for watching.
Aloha
thanks mate as you say in merry ole England...cheers
I can get by with a good Squirer neck but the Warmouth body costing nearly a 1000 US dollars is too rich for my taste... I can get Fender locks for 45 US and very good PUP's on ebay if I shop around, usually custom shop for around 100 for all three....I'm thinking of doing a Tele or a Jag build.....sorry to here of the 20% tax over there....just get a US friend to mail it to ya after they purchase them for you...
I have all the time in the world to see your vids....I'm interested in your wiring especially pots and capacitors...I'm using 250k CTS dish backs audio tapers and using Russian paper in oil caps... what values are you using on your tone controls.... .022, .047, .033 and maybe a lower value on the bridge circuit if you have that wired into the tone control circuit....
Since you like the hot pups, do you use higher value pots, like 500 or 1 meg....sorry for all the questions..probably get all that info on your vids...
Cheers is a bit old fashioned :) Here where I live the dialect is far worse and likely you would not understand it. I hide it, but the raw dialect is honestly atrocious!
Hi Tony, A very Happy New Year, to you, I thought it was just me re:Seymour Duncan Antiquity Texas Hot Pups, quite expensive but to me a little lifeless, I have a Clapton Strat with N3 Pups I think I will try the N4's. Excellent video thank you.
Yes happy new year to you too! No I thought they were not really 'rock' pickups at least in my case as I like the drive for the wah thing. They are expensive as you say and thankfully I did not buy them new. The N4's are really good... BTW I have a short video coming up presently that shows the inside of one and how to get rid of the Fender logo etc. that is worthwhile to watch because I have not seen anyone showing that stuff. Thanks for watching.
What model the strat u r playing sir ???
This is a strat I made from Warmoth body, Fender Parts and a Fender Jeff Beck neck :) You can check out how I made it exactly here: Part one: ua-cam.com/video/GmNerhTLaro/v-deo.html Part Two: ua-cam.com/video/pVvRXUF63Rw/v-deo.html and Part Three: ua-cam.com/video/AqVMzNtT9kA/v-deo.html I also made a video separate from this one showing the guitar with Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups fitted and played here: ua-cam.com/video/-f5n3jQwb1s/v-deo.html Lastly, heres a close up review of the guitar: ua-cam.com/video/JguPJUincBI/v-deo.html and since that time I have made a few more with different components and options. You can see all the builds here: ua-cam.com/play/PLD38427759E821683.html Hope you like it all and you'll be busy for some while. Thanks...
The Fishmans are interesting. Your second tone pot is a push-pull. Down you get a great traditional Fender tine but better. What I like about it is the touch sensitivity. The harder you strike the strings the more the pickups respond. I’m not good at explaining sorry. With the pot pulled you get more of a modern sound. When you get a chance do try them. I purchased the trem cover battery which makes a cleaner installation. Battery life is like forever. I’ll look forward to a review when you can. 👍👍👀
Thanks for that I wanted someone to confirm what they are like. I'll have another look next time I'm in the USA for sure. I was going to get the battery too :). Thanks again and when I do get them they will be on here of course.
Your up late. Happy New Years
Indeed I was... now up early :) sleep ah I remember it well... ;-)
I like the 'no noise' bit, i wonder how they achieve that with single coils? hmmm
Michael, they are not single coils! They are called 'stacked' coils. There are two coils on there and it works rather like a humbucker, but it still sounds like a single coil when you play it... wizardry afoot! Thanks for watching.
Ahhh right! This is new to me, I still love P90's! Thanks for clearing that up Tony
Yes I made the video because no one else has done that and shown how the two stacked coils are within the pickup. All interesting stuff.
Aye it certainly is
Pulled the N4 pickups out of my elite tele and put in Texas Specials. Hated those N4s
Ha see its all down to what works for you. Check the playing they worked for me... before this guitar was a wimp! Anyway thanks for that input it helps many... and thanks for watching Brian.
Nice rockin' near the end. When you have kit that gets you in the zone then are nearly there :) . Lots of great info on these pu's. Good to know that they are quite deep. People who are comfortable with a router may be ok - perhaps not something I would do on a "real" guitar but I have several "custom" (ie home-built) ones which I wouldn't have an issue with hacking.
*then you are nearly there*
Hmm - putting asterisks around comments (to correct/update a previous comment) turns them into bold on UA-cam. We live and learn :)
Yes it surprised me and I certainly did not know that beforehand... at one stage I was going to refit the SD pickups. Then decided it would not beat me. I also considered routing the holes but after thought removed the noise suppression as not needed on these and rewired the wires from underneath on to the top of the bottom pcb. Makes sense... but the neck pickup remained the closest and I tried hard to solve that. In the end I did but I screwed the pickup :( and had to buy another. But we'll dissect that online some other time. My neck pocket was custom and lower than a regular strat so no problems if the neck pocket is 0.625 of an inch. That track is called Lightpipe AI and I wrote that back in 2006... to me its a really driven piece of music and so powerful (just my opinion). Thanks for watching and for the info.
Actually that's an interesting discovery.... well found :)
I have the Antiquity pickups in one of my strats and a set of fender Texas specials. SD sounds alot better to me.
Thanks for the info Mike... always good to hear opinion of a user.... thanks.
Tony, You should try Fender Tex-Mex pickups. Less than $100 dollars US for a set of three and they sound great. They are the best kept secret in the pickup world.
Maybe I should! I tried many pickups over the years though and some are really cool (it is all subjective of course) and others I disliked. The SD Antiquities that were in this guitar I had bought second user, but that was for me a mistake. I think they are probably good for Bert Weedon (nothing wrong with his playing of course) low drive styles than the sort of high gain stuff I typically play. My original guitar build shows the antiquities being used... they were very smooth in a rock situation. These N4's on the other hand are really 'right' for this guitar and that style... indeed I did not think I could play that track on a strat... it was recorded on an Ibanez HB driven guitar. Now I have a 'great' guitar instead of a pussy cat :)
I certainly will bear your comments in mind though... and if I find a set at the right price I'll get some to try. Thanks for the info and for watching.
The N4 work wonderfully for the stuff I play... and I did also use Joe Barden pickups which I think are exceptional but very expensive to get here. I also like Fenders CS 69 pickups - a pickup all on its own... brilliant tone :). I did not try the Tex Mex but no doubt will get there :)
Actually if you watch the video this is not quite how I play... it's the right track, but its on a strat and this track was written on the Ibanez Black RG550LTD I also just showed with the purple one. The strat stood up to it (bit low in the mix my mistake) but you will note that I drive hard the signal with a wah which typically for me on a strat they don't hack it... but the N4 just about do. If you check this other playing, I played it correct on this one here: ua-cam.com/video/nWt6hq706q8/v-deo.htmlm24s then that is what I really expect my guitar to do (again low in the mix because I just swapped guitars only) but you will see that the Ibanez is actually supreme of the two. I like the strat with these pickups - it changes what was a 'wimp' in to a rock axe :).
There are basically 'two' Bill Lawrence pickup companies last time I looked at them and neither would really relinquish who was who although it was clear who was who once you checked it out. For me the BL were not what I wanted and they (to be honest) like most pickups for the strat I tried to date don't result in such as shown on this video with the N4's.
Thanks for the info GC.... and for watching!
Thanks for the info on Bill Lawrence (Wilde) pickups I was not aware they were called Wilde... and its a while ago since I looked at them (years literally). I checked Wilde website (I liked the 'Wilde Bill' :) made me smile. I see they make dual coil cancelling stuff these days - I'm pretty sure when I checked them I had single coils. But I actually tried both of the 'Bill Lawrence' companies pickups at the time and I forgot more about BL (whichever) than I remember. Very interesting that he was at Gibson guitars - you are a mine of very interesting stuff GC.
Thanks GC I'll check that out further and it was confusing to say the least.
you play well just subscribed to see what an old rocker have in common with a old punk and blues rocker
Ha ... see even in Hawaii I'm an old rocker - but you and I must both remember that we're as old as our mind allows and we have often incredible information that some have yet to experience to draw on :) now then - see you don't feel so old at all :) me neither... and thanks for the sub... I really hope you like my channel it has taken since 2009 to get it that way. My website tonymckenzie.com is also very interesting.
I'm still a kid at heart at 63....Just found out I have to get my right hip replaced and check a spot on my right kidney..(hope it's nothing I'll find out in a week or so after my ultrasound)..looks like I'll be home bound for awhile recuperating, so, I'll just play my guitars and work on some builds that I have in the works....
Indeed Vincent we all are and I'm sure that you would be as excited as I often am with guitar gear whatever it is :)
I sincerely hope you're OK with the health side of things. People that have never had problems often don't 'get it' but once you do.... I had prostate cancer in 2013 but they solved it with a Da'vinci robot. It took some time to get past that but here I am. As we get older there is no doubt that it does get harder and even sometimes remembering things that are 'on the tip of my tongue' usually get remembered about two minutes after I need them :)
same here with memory...Just had an ultrasound on my right kidney to see what the spot is...could be a small cyst and that would be OK. I have to get e new right hip, probably in time for my birthday in late April....LOL I'm having too much fun...Hey I saw a Marshall 8080 on ebay for 250 US dollars...Good Buy? Have a great day
Good to know that it's likely a cyst Vincent. Ouch on the hip my friend and hang in there while they fix it. The 8080 is a valvestate where they use a tube in the preamp. They don't sound too bad at all but I have seen a few fail over the years. Make sure the condition is good... I don't really know the USA price - they tend to be cheaper in the UK and USA cost more often... but reversed when I look at USA gear here...
250k or 500k in all pots?
Great question... I have been asleep since I fitted them! I would have most likely fitted 500k pots... no doubt on the instructions but it was 2 1/2/ years ago. Sorry my fail on that. Stay safe.
Amen, i was always into old school pickups had the most expensive ones . Settled on EMG SA pickups lol quite the oposite 🤣
Ha we have all been there for sure! I still like the 69 CS ones as they have a different tone, but the others are long in the tooth (some will disagree for sure). I used Barden pickups that are great and these N4's are cool but you just have to watch the depth in the guitar route. Pickups don't have to be the most expensive any more really. I can see why the N4's cost a bit more and the same with Bardens but some I don't see the value in personally... and the SD Antiquity pickups don't hack it for me. Thanks for watching.
Backing track too LOUD!!! 🎵🎸
I know Ed... I simply flipped the guitar and did not change the mix settings... sorry my friend... better next time. Thanks for watching.
I like how 90% of people think that Powerage is AC DC's best album, and then the band itself says "it was a bit formulaic, we just banged it out in the studio" lol
I don't know... back in black and shoot to thrill are great tracks but some of the rest ... well lets just say they are on the album :). Incredible sales though whether someone likes them or not of that there is no denying... and that's really why they are there... sales!. Thanks for watching.
Yeah I’m also 28 up there too. I like my N3s. I have used all different brands at all price points. Yes I’ve spent a lot of dollars. I would probably like the N4s. Not always but mostly in cases where people say oh this sucks or that sucks it says more about them and not the product. Have you tried Fishman Singles? I like those too. By the way I watched the build on that guitar and I love it. Happy days Tony 👍👍👀
:) all the good guitarists are that way :) You know what, I tried very hard to get a set of Fishman pickups in September last year (just a few months ago!) but no one not a single store had them in stock. Those pickups look exciting. What's the Fishman pickup output like? and what is your opinion of them? Do let me know. Ah the last one 'The incredible guitar' ... I like that guitar a lot and I did have to go back and forth a little on the setup but now it's pretty perfect even compared to the video. I do think that was the genius of Leo Fender... getting a guitar that can be cut, carved and generally bent in to anything you might want. Fender have over the years done a wonderful job of reinventing the Strat and selling 'the same thing' over and over they deserve a commendation. Mine was not a Fender guitar but it did have loads of Fender parts and Fender authorised parts so it's pretty near. I have real Fenders too and like those. Glad you liked the stuff.. it takes so long to do all this stuff. Thanks for watching.
"I'll wait for the hate mail, and then just ban you!" Hehehehe
Ha... my dodgy sense of humour creeping in there :) I sincerely hope you smiled :) I did. Thanks for watching.
I just tried noiseless 4th gen and they buzz/ hum almost as much as anything.. Noiseless my ass.. Let's hear it to prove it.. Nothing like the real thing baby.. Buyer beware..
Sorry you had an issue Jack... the ones in this reviewed guitar were not like you describe. Trust me, if they were I would tell you... I sell nothing! Thanks for watching.
not bieng critical, but lace sensors are cool
No I agree... but I like the V4 of these because they suit my style a bit better and seem to work very well with the wah.
10:50 that is not accurate. That's the neck pickup.
Hmmm seemed right at the time? In any case they come with the instructions :) Thanks for watching.
Thanks for making a detailed review. I wanted to know which one was the neck pickup, so I got a little confused until you read the instructions.
It's OK Dan and if you asked me now I would have to get the paperwork out :) easy to forget the colours for sure. Thanks for watching.
Dude you rock
Thanks for the kind words.
Wow, nice playing ....
Thanks. Actually I played it here: ua-cam.com/video/C4WLh0vYaIs/v-deo.htmlm25s almost exactly as the track from an album called Eniac from 2006 and the guitar was the one I used to originally record the track on - Lightpipe AI - one of my favourites :) Thanks for watching.
Cheers tony
Thanks for watching...
Not a fan of the N4 at all. I suppose if you're playing with Distortion and effects it's not as obvious but if you play it out of a clean Fender amp you can clearly hear these pickups have no identity
Hey jimi… you're right I do play rock, but I don't use a clean Fender amp (nothing wrong with them!) but usually a Mesa or Marshall, with some other brands like Diezel thrown in for good measure. I believe you of course and I did not try the guitar in a Fender amp. For rock like I play they sounded very good actually. Thanks.
@@tonymckenzieofficial you're a gentleman sir and I quite enjoyed your playing I am just not a fan of those pickups whatsoever. Earlier this year I purchased a Telecaster Elite and was so disappointed with the tone I had to dish out additional money and purchase some Lindy fralin Blues specials. Feel free to check out a few of my videos I'm not a very popular guy
@@BITESIZEJONES Well I guess that is the thing about sounds etc. its pretty subjective. I have had gear that I have positively disliked and thought of as 'trash' but then someone say hey this 'whateveritis' is great have you tried one! Needless to say I get over it :) But I do try hard to point out what I think is pretty good as to what is really bad. Sure jimi… I'll take a look at your channel no problem. Lindy Fralin pickups are pretty cool stuff... but here in the UK are very expensive really.
your back in black" mate👍😮😋😀
:) Thanks for watching.
I would love to start a band with you, Tony.
Ha thanks Dan. While I have not been in any band for some years (in any regular way) I still work with Alan Bruce who is really brilliant at lyrics, vocals and bass. He 'claims' to play guitar :)
So on the band front I'm getting older and older and it gets harder to do that stuff. Alan is approaching the age where it gets harder too so no doubt he will catch up with me :). So less likely Dan that could happen, but I appreciate your comments. And thanks for watching!
I understand, Tony. If we were younger I know we would get along great. God bless you in all you do.
Yes and you too Dan....
Awesome
Glad you like it all and thanks for watching.
Not Lace Sensors
That's true. I used to use Lace sensors (Holy Grail) pickups which are very nice. I used to own 'the dream' Stratocaster with Lace custom pickups.. learn all about that guitar and Jeff Lace here: www.dreamstrat.com Jeff was very helpful when I was getting the guitar back in to as original condition that I could... check it out its all interesting stuff.
Sales don't ensure that something is good. People wait on lines for professional wrestling-doesn't make it real. And AC/DC suck. albums sales or not.
The truth is it's all subjective really, what one person might like, another might literally hate. Take my wife.... please :)
Thanks for watching.
WHY the hell do you need noiseless pickups dude with all that noise.
Sorry can't hear you... its noisy in here :)
@@tonymckenzieofficial Ah, well versed
@@rudedawg5087 :)
your jolly great guitar player tony 👍😀
Thank you for those very kind words Frankie... appreciated.
Rout. It’s pronounced rowt not root.
Thanks Dave... but it does depend where you come from! I've heard many versions :) But thanks for that input and for watching.
some Judas Priest...please?!
Wish I could :)
Well spotted... I missed that one! Thanks for watching.
how about cheerio ole bean? :)
No it does not work :) Ha... I used to have an Aston Martin Vanquish (sort of 007 if you will) here: photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipOtUCqXEeiVEj3oAOIw3mIG_Rt5c2z7s9ScThTx but strangely enough it did not make me say 'cheerio old bean' :) not sure if you can see the image... so if it does not work blame Google...
Did not think it would I'm going to purchase a used Les Paul Jr and upgrade it. What kind of pick up would you slap in it. Looking for the Green Day sound. Would you use 500 k pots or something different?
Depends what's in it now? P90, Humbucker? Epi or real deal... I still tend to stick with 500k for the humbucker pickups and the 250 for the singles... not sure if you checked this: www.toneshapers.com/ but those guys make multiple different things and on the newest stuff you can create some VERY unique setups... check them out...
yeah, just what I thought, 500 k pots...epi's have stock humbucker's nothing special...I think a P90 would be right for this build and paper in oil cap.