Ray Butts Ful-Fidelity Pickup Disappointment

[Cryin_Caleb_Aaron]

that looks great! My 99' 6120 I got in 00' for $750 and its seen a grip of changes over the eons too I'd say its well worth buying a used pro line gretsch and fixing it up rather than spending money on a new electromatic and upgrading stuff.

Thanx!
It began as a 6120-60. I purchased it in Feb of 2020. I wasn’t in love with the bright white binding, but I got over it.

It seems since then, pre-FMIC Nashvilles have gone from $1500-2k to $2k-3k.
I think I got mine at just the right time. I’m not so sure I’d pay 2 grand for a guitar I’d need to modify.

I agree. After sinking $$$$ into a 5420T, it didn’t magically become a 6120. I didn’t really think it would, but I guess maybe I did. I vowed to never do that again. A 5420T can be a great instrument, but, in my eyes, it’s not a forever guitar like a Nashville or a Falcon.

 

[ModPopRumble]

View attachment 207268

Daaang….my wallet just screamed and hid under the couch!!

 

[ZackyDog]

That looks like a prototype Filtertron in Chet's G6120.

 

[ZackyDog]

I almost bought a set of The Ray Butts/TV Jones pickups. I think they're a good fit for guys who want a more balanced output (3.8 DCR neck, 4.2 DCR bridge, no wax potting).

View attachment 203610

(Sorry, here I go again)

But...my favorite Filtertron sounds (Harrison, Stray Cats Setzer) came from a single, ~4k DCR Filtertron (alnico V magnets, 42 AWG, regular pole spacing, no wax potting, etc.) used in the neck---and bridge--positions. TV Jones duplicated that pickup in the TV Classic neck pickup. So, I use that pickup and removed the wax potting by soaking the pickup for a few hours in Naphtha.

I think that the Gretsch HS Filtertron neck pickup (4.1 DCR, alnico V magnets, etc.) is pretty comparable to a vintage Filtertron and a TV Jones Classic neck pickup.

Yeah---I ate humble pie, so to speak. Hearing was believing. If you want the closest sound to the original PAF Filtertron, get the Ray Butts Ful-Fidelity. The HS Filtertron and TV Jones neck pickups are also very good options.

 

[TV the Wired Turtle]

Yeah---I ate humble pie, so to speak. Hearing was believing. If you want the closest sound to the original PAF Filtertron, get the Ray Butts Ful-Fidelity. The HS Filtertron and TV Jones neck pickups are also very good options.

I dont see you eating any humble pie, I see you getting to enjoy something that makes you happier with your gretsch!

 

[ZackyDog]

My 2 cents:

I think it's better to start with a pickup that never had wax potting when it was built, than try to remove wax potting with a hair dryer or Naphtha. The 'Ray Butts' pickups are so clear that they have (at least temporarily) scratched my itch (so to speak) for HiloTrons.

 

[Byron]

Or try a Vistatone pickup. Designed by Ralph Keller for Supro guitars and has the same construction as the Gretsch Hilotron. Except it was designed a few years before and just sounds better. Stronger and has its own character. It's a single coil and there's modern versions available in a humbucker case. Rays Butt pickups were emperor's New clothes for me, I was glad to step away.

 

[Cryin_Caleb_Aaron]

Or try a Vistatone pickup. Designed by Ralph Keller for Supro guitars and has the same construction as the Gretsch Hilotron. Except it was designed a few years before and just sounds better. Stronger and has its own character. It's a single coil and there's modern versions available in a humbucker case. Rays Butt pickups were emperor's New clothes for me, I was glad to step away.

My Supro with Vistatones thru my Surpo amulet with the volume dimed is all I wanna hear! It’s like a tonic! A
Lil’ slapback echo and the amp’s swampy tremolo…. Oh man….
Nothing finer.

 

[TV the Wired Turtle]

Or try a Vistatone pickup. Designed by Ralph Keller for Supro guitars and has the same construction as the Gretsch Hilotron. Except it was designed a few years before and just sounds better. Stronger and has its own character. It's a single coil and there's modern versions available in a humbucker case. Rays Butt pickups were emperor's New clothes for me, I was glad to step away.

you tend to like a dirty tone though, Ray Butts are not that sort of thing. Defo chet meets beatles and eats at straycats cafe

 

[Byron]

you tend to like a dirty tone though, Ray Butts are not that sort of thing. Defo chet meets beatles and eats at straycats cafe

There's no rules though, I wouldn't expect the Ray Butts to only ever be used for clean. Or Vistatones for just dirty jobs. Basically the RBs are Filtertrons by definition and there's tons of recordings of filthy Filters!