hawkfanatic Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Sorry to ask this again, but i never got an answer and i know theres at least one person here who's tried them. But i PM'd them and no answer. Can somebody please give me their thoughts on either one, the slant JB or 59? Please ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eccod Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 I just received my slanted '59 in the mail, gonna put it in my NH tonight if I can figure out the wiring. I've never swapped humbuckers before, and the diagram in the booklet doesn't seem to match the wiring in the cavity... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfanatic Posted April 19, 2012 Author Share Posted April 19, 2012 I just received my slanted '59 in the mail, gonna put it in my NH tonight if I can figure out the wiring. I've never swapped humbuckers before, and the diagram in the booklet doesn't seem to match the wiring in the cavity... Excellent ! Can't wait to hear what you think. If u need help i can answer any questions you have, but simply put it goes like this. With duncan you want to solder the green and bare wires to ground, the red and white soldered together, and the black to the hot. So when you remove the stock pickup, just note where it is attached to the 5 way switch and thats where you will solder the black wire of the duncan. When you see where the splitter wire used to split the stock pickup goes, solder the duncans white and red together to that point. (that will be on the switch thats attached to the tone pot) And like i said green and bare to ground. Then before you screw the back plate back on give the guitar a test to see if the bridge+ middle settings sounds in phase. If not, reverse the black and green wires. Tie the black to ground along with the bare shield wire and the green to the hot of the switch. Then play that thang and let me know cuz i'm dyin' hea !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfanatic Posted April 19, 2012 Author Share Posted April 19, 2012 Well, i just bought one. But i still want to hear what you think. I happened to find a music store, i think it was musiciansfriend, but they had like 50 reviews and every one raved about the '59. Not the slant version, but they are the same thing. It sounded so good from all i read i just couldn't help myself. However, if it doesn't work out i will call on their 21 day return policy and try the JB slanted. But i've owned JB's in the past and i don't particularly care for them in strats. But maybe i will in the NH, who knows. I just hope the '59 is all they said in those reviews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eccod Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 I figured out the wiring with the wire color conversion chart on SD's website. Silly me to think that wire colors would be standardized! As for how it sounds... it definitely lives up to the reviews. I am not experienced enough to compare it to other pickups (I'm mainly an acoustic player), but it's a huge upgrade to my ears. Distortion sounds like it came from a major label album, and clean is, well, clean and beautiful. Chords ring out wonderfully, both clean and dirty. I don't play much lead, so I can't really comment on its soloing abilities. The Epi NH Reissue was a gorgeous guitar that plays well but sounded a bit uninspired... not anymore. It now sounds like I always imagined an electric should sound. I couldn't be happier. Where did you buy yours? I picked up mine for $73 + shipping here: http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/pickups_sdhumsh1.htm Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfanatic Posted April 19, 2012 Author Share Posted April 19, 2012 Fantastic, thats great to hear ! Especially if you are an acoustic player and therefore might not notice the difference unless it's very obvious. And from how glowing your review is i imagine this is an awesome upgrade. I got mine at the same place. $73. Also, another thing i feel has a negative affect on the tone are the saddles, as those pot metal block saddles are usually really bad at least on fenders. So today i put a set of vintage fender style saddles on. I will let you know once i have a chance to plug in how they sound. (not near my amp right now) But acoustically they sound obviously chimier and crisper. That could potentially go either way when amplified, but i will post back here and let you know later tonite when i'm able to plug it in. Anyways, thanks for the review, i'm excited ! By the way, how long did it take from the day u ordered till it arrived? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eccod Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Ordered Sunday, shipped Monday, received Wednesday. Can't beat that! One thing I forgot to mention - the polepiece and mounting screws are way, way too long for the cavity, so keep a dremel handy. Also, the stings are too tall for the mounting plate (fully compressed, it still sits below the surface), but the stock springs worked fine. Think Jimmy Eat World for the sound I'm going for. No blues, no shredding - just solid dirt, glassy/chimey cleans, and layer upon layer of sweet droning goodness. I've been messing around with Guitar Rig 5 and Amplitube 3, and I've noticed an improvement. Again, I can't tell you if it makes it sound more like a "real" amp or not, as I've never actually played through a tube amp. If $1000 falls on my lap I'll be grabbing an AC30 at my earliest convenience, but for now it's software. I was close to selling the NH and picking up a Jim Adkins Tele (with the P90s), but for now I'm intrigued by the new sounds coming from this strange bird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfanatic Posted April 21, 2012 Author Share Posted April 21, 2012 Look at the other thread i started. I would HIGHLY recommend you get the saddles. The difference is probably as big an improvement you got from the pickup but it will improve the entire guitar. Go read it. I was so thrilled i ordered the callaham saddles today. That will improve it even more. Those stock pot metal saddles are killing the hawks resonance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfanatic Posted May 1, 2012 Author Share Posted May 1, 2012 Well, i can't say i'm 100% happy with the '59. In fact, thats putting it mildly. Don't like it in the least. I love vintage output single coils, but i've never got along with vintage output humbuckers and this one is no exception. But theres only 2 models that fit the nighthawk and the other is a JB which is one of my least liked hi output HB's, so it was my only choice aside from making my own out of a regular HB. So the '59 is going back to duncan in trade for a different HB for a different guitar, and i will look for something else that sounds like it would be good for the hawk and disassemble it and mount it on the stock pickup's base plate. I will have to determine which of the pickups that sound like they may do the trick tonally also will fit physically on the plate, but it's the only remaining option aside from rewinding the stock HB or trying different magnets, all of which is really a shot in the dark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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