The Humbucker KILLER? | Friday Fretworks

[@broncoxy]

bro casually dropped one of the most hard going solos in youtube demo history and thought we wouldn't notice

[@yodasecondave]

Literally the first video I’ve ever see by this guy, talk about a gut punch lol.

[@syncro16se]

I agree! 👍

[@fivewattworld]

Great history Chris. Very cool to see/hear the two pickups in basically the same style guitar.

[@mauricekaysen9783]

I dont mean to be so off topic but does someone know a tool to get back into an Instagram account? I stupidly forgot the account password. I love any tricks you can give me.

[@mauricekaysen9783]

@Hezekiah Skyler thanks for your reply. I found the site thru google and im trying it out atm. Takes a while so I will get back to you later with my results.

[@mauricekaysen9783]

@Hezekiah Skyler It worked and I finally got access to my account again. I am so happy! Thanks so much, you really help me out!

[@hezekiahskyler9105]

@Maurice Kaysen you are welcome =)

[@ericlittle2369]

These are like cleaner, hum-free, lower output P-90s. 🔥

[@kevindecamp9087]

Was thinking the same thing but with a little less detail 😂 those cabronita teles sound insanely badass

[@metallicmonkey4519]

I feel like they have more output and gain than P90's tho, they're humbucking pickups after all

[@deepwaterrehab7685]

@@metallicmonkey4519 not at all in my experience. They take extra gain very well but they’re quite low output compared to typical humbuckers.

[@justiceforall6412]

I was a single coil-P90 guy until I got my first Gretsch. Now I have 3 and no turning back

[@bryanherward4679]

@@deepwaterrehab7685 that's why you should go with TV Jones and pick your output level

[@SimpleManGuitars1973]

There are some incredible players on youtube. I mean really great players. However, when I watch their videos I just basically feel like they all pretty "sound" the same. Chris, I genuinely believe you might be the only guitarist on here that when I hear you I know it's you. If someone blindly turned on a video and told me to guess who the player was I really believe I could pick you out of a lineup and that's what sets you apart from the rest of the youtube players. Great work dude! Finding your own voice on guitar is a phenomenal accomplishment.

[@LennyJohnson5]

Spot on; I agree completely.

[@joetorrez6333]

I agree, we'll said.

[@JohannesLabusch]

He's in a class of his own. Gilmour with extra balls. People often talk about players making the guitar "sing". This dude is the Pavarotti (or the Maria Callas?) of the electric guitar. I wonder if at some point a big time producer will give him his shot.

[@philfyphil]

Whilst I love Chris’ playing I think it is also a bit daft to single out players in this way. As you said there are many great players on KZbin! Guthrie Govan and Sam Coulson to name just two more.

[@SuicideVan]

He's not only a technically brilliant player, but has excellent musical sensibilities and taste. I think that's what separates him from the pack.

[@chris_beasley]

Geeesh that intro playing made me forget about the pickups at all. Lol

[@timothycormier3494]

Haha I know right! This kid is rapidly becoming (in my opinion) one of the best young guitarist in the world! He plays with so much feeling and soul! Not something that we hear a lot of these days

[@gbt722]

Just insanity wasn't it. My friend ask me recently 2 great guitarists, I said Chris Buck and Michael Lemmo. He just look at me perplexed

[@timothycormier3494]

gheddi right! I listen to so many young guitarist and the older ones from my generation. Chris really has a good soul and it shines through in his playing like many of my favorite guitarist. When I say that it’s something that we don’t hear a lot of. I mean in mainstream music

[@yiranimal]

I only learned about Chris a week ago. He's the best I've ever heard.

[@roscius6204]

very cool

[@pensdrawblood]

“And thus, cancelled, or maybe more appropriately, ‘bucked’...” Dude was waiting his whole career to say that in a video.

[@tylerdurden5122]

He delivered that line like a boss😎

[@jamesmcgrath1952]

Good vid, great playing. I'll never be that good. I'm 68 years old and a beginner. Just bought my first guitar. I bought a Gretsch G5420T. I'm enjoying it.

[@BenState]

practice 3 hours per day, in 12 months you'll be amazed. Learn to play clean first.

[@jamesmcgrath1952]

@@BenState I'm 70 now (in June) but that's pretty much what I'm doing. Thanks.

[@Jeffcatbuckeye]

CSNY-Ohio….Neil young on the white falcon

[@didamnesia3575]

​@jamesmcgrath1952 how are you and your playing now?

[@guitarkirby]

Chris, you need a signature humbucker called the "Chris Bucker 'er" ...just do it. I see that Catherine Faulkner beat me to that one in a previous comment.

[@gastank43]

Or he could just switch his first name to Hum

[@lcglazer]

or just call it the motherbucker

[@mattcampbell5915]

that opening solo sounds like if you gave gilmour some speed then said, "play the solo to 'time'"... i love it!

[@Hickeroar]

Filter'Trons just sound a lot better than PAFs in general, imo. Lots more clarity and balance. PAFs just tend to be muddy, though I suppose for some kinds of music that's what you want.

[@barkupatree6871]

i just get lost in your playing and the frenetic, fidgety fingers on that fretboard...

[@chrisdrake447]

Another absolutely awesome guitarist called Chris, is Chris Cheney of the Aussie three-piece The Living End. Punk, ska, jazz, rockabilly, metal prog, folk - that guy plays it all on Filtertron-powdered Gretches. And live!!!!! Simply stunning plating. His voice is pretty good too.

[@BenState]

oh yeah, The Living End is amazing. kzbin.info/www/bejne/r4KafoF7p9iAfc0&ab_channel=TheLivingEnd

[@57Joe]

Chris Cheney is an unreal player, makes that Gretsch scream. I happened into them in 1999 when TLE opened for The Offspring, I was blown away.

[@davidkieltyka9]

One thing about the old PAFs and early Patent No. pickups: they’re really bright! Lotsa air and presence in the treble frequencies. Filter’Trons have more upper-mid snap but actually *less* high treble response than (most) PAFs. When the ‘Trons start rolling off the PAFs just keep going. “Telecaster on steroids” is an accurate description.

[@pappyodanial]

Nothing does a mid position honk like two hot PAFs. I have Wizz and Arcane both imo best out there after trying too many.

[@PeterPug]

I'd say that my 1960 Filter'Trons are not the brightest PU's in town! :)

[@davidkieltyka9]

Peter Pug My favorite set, in a Duo Jet from the same year, are really punchy. Also not that bright. But I like ‘em a lot anyway.

[@PeterPug]

David Kieltyka mine is a Jet Firebird!

[@chrisact9601]

Love your playing style, Chris. So distinctive and musical.

[@MiguelLumberto]

“Ferrari Fratworks” is what KZbin’s closed captioning software thought you said. Vroom vroom bro!!! 😆

[@ryanjackman3001]

Lolololololol

[@DMSProduktions]

The bots do NOT understand WELSH me boy! ;o)

[@alexstefan8515]

Another great episode Chris! Cheers! When can we expect a Friday Fretworks T-shirt? I would definitely buy one.

[@19peter96]

God I love filtertrons. They're so much more fuzzy and lively than humbuckers. Reminds me of the difference between Orange vs Marshall.

[@HAKJOBSautomotive]

Is orange better than Marshall? Or is it the other way around?

[@19peter96]

@@HAKJOBSautomotive Depends on what kind of sound you're after, and they each have lots of different models too. But generally they sound similar (both are good for metal and heavier music), Marshalls are very dark but precise sounding, Orange amps are 'dirtier' and kind of lo-fi which I prefer.

[@Craig52-zq1bt]

I use a Marshall DSL and Crate VFX5212 on stage. Many times people have come to me and commented on the wide range of sounds those two amps cover. Nothing handles slide like the VFX. It has tight, precise tone spanked out through two Tone Tubby greens. While the DSL delivers delightful cleans and classic '80s rock through the Greenbacks. The VFX handels Southern Rock duty with aplomb. I have played crying blues through the VFX and had people come to me and say they had tears in their eyes from the sound. Custom shop Tele with Pearly Gates bridge and '59 neck. Stratocaster with hot quarter pound GFS pickups. NOW, I am making a Strat with Filtertrons at neck & bridge with lipstick in the middle.😊 I am 71 and have been playing for 58 years, a lot of that in clubs and tours.

[@DrClaw78]

TBH while I don't think one is 'better' - rather 'different' - I think the filtertron's greater range suits your playing style more.

[@TeleCathster]

So does this mean we’re getting a ChrisBucker?!😃

[@chrisdrake447]

Catherine Faulkner - or a BuckBucker???

[@andym5027]

That’s a DAD joke, if I’ve ever heard one🙈

[@mattgilbert7347]

Beat me too it!

[@mattgilbert7347]

A Peter Bucker: it puts you into deep REM sleep.

[@DMSProduktions]

@@andym5027 Idiot! Disparaging fathers again!

[@DavidDiMuzio]

Wow, can't believe how much better I like the Filter'Tron pick-ups in the demo. I never would have thought about using them until this video.

[@checkpointcovid8021]

You owe it to yourself to try them. Don't get the Blacktops as they only have an 1/8" thick magnet in them. The sweet sauce lies in the original design with the 1/4" thick magnet. I emailed GFS guitar fetish and asked about their Filter'Tron copies to see if there was a 1/4" magnet inside. They have yet to respond. So stay away from them if you wanted to try Filters. I don't want to go back to normie humbuckers since Filter'Trons sound so good.

[@armandomorales3809]

@@checkpointcovid8021 until you add any high gain distortion...

[@checkpointcovid8021]

@@armandomorales3809 Eventually you'll grow out of that phase, and part ways with that music you used to love so much as a teenager. Put on your producer ears and really listen to great guitar tone that isn't saturated with gain and drowning in reverb and other effects. Try to find guitar players who were plugged straight into their amps. High output & high DC resistance pickups have their place, as do low output pickups. I plan to keep at least one guitar with "normie" humbuckers as I like variety. All my guitars have different pickups in them. I think of them as different tools for the job. I like experimenting and playing with new sounds. Variety is a good thing.

[@checkpointcovid8021]

@@armandomorales3809 pedalboardplanet.com/improve-your-guitar-tone/ Learn To Play Cleanly This is by far the quickest and most cost-effective way to improve your tone - learn to play cleanly. I don’t mean turn off your overdrive pedals and go on a jazz vision quest, but honestly, this is not too far off from what I’m talking about. Like jazz, the emphasis is on attack and articulation. The cleaner your notes come out as you play them, the better it sounds. Learn how to play as close behind the fret as possible. This will help eliminate buzz and other unwanted noises. Not only will this clean up your sound, but also helps with your accuracy Try recording yourself playing a lick with no distortion or drive at all, and listen back to it. Can you make out what you are doing over the string noise and poorly picked notes? I’ve found this to be an eye-opening exercise because it lays the cards on the table and says; this is what the distortion is masking for ya buddy. Clean It UP! Don’t Scoop The Mids This one is a little subjective. You will see scooped mids quite a lot in metal bands, Dimebag Darell of Pantera is a prime example of a scooped mid that actually works well. If that’s the type of sound you are going for, ignore this tip. But again, the guitar is a mid-range instrument, removing all of the mids takes away some of the naturally resonating tones from the guitar itself. Turn Down the Gain You would be surprised how much gain you actually don’t need. Dial your gain down as low as it goes, and gradually increase until you get the sound you want.

[@checkpointcovid8021]

@@armandomorales3809 1. CLEAN IT UP WITH LOW GAIN. Many tube amps have two inputs: one for high gain and one for low. As the pros know, plugging into the low-gain input can clean up those fat-sounding humbuckers and can even sweeten your tone. www.guitarplayer.com/lessons/13-pro-tips-to-make-your-guitar-and-gear-sound-great “So what’s the secret of that huge AC/DC guitar tone? You guessed it: raw talent aside, the Young brothers both use way less gain on their amps than you’d think.” blog.hughes-and-kettner.com/acdc-and-the-no-gain-no-pain-secret-for-great-guitar-tone/

[@MooCow2X2]

Now.... if I could just find a Chris Buck instrumental album. (Hint) Now. Back to repeating that last jam!

[@somethingbl]

Also Chris that clip you showed playing the Squier, I'm pretty sure you were using the bridge single coil the whole time :P

[@MusicWeRemember]

I was gonna say, it looks like the toggle was set to the bridge pickup, not the filtertron... then figured I should check to see if someone else made the observation.

[@dustincole3152]

You’ve quickly became my favorite guitarist in a while! You’re in a league all your own! Keep up the good work! And your knowledge of guitar history is on point.

[@darwinsaye]

A worthy topic, but I’m not sure of the value of using an aftermarket filter’tron *style* pickup instead of an actual classic Filter’tron for the comparison.

[@TorToroPorco]

I love the sustain on Chris' s solo in "Sunrise", definitely one of my faves from his albums. For years I never clued into the fact that the Humbucker name was derived from the cancellation of the hum and noise from the pickups. I always thought that the "bucker" part was a just a reference to the kick ass tone. I always find it odd to see a Bigsby on a Tele body, they seem more suited and at home in a larger curvier guitar like a Gretsch to the point that I find it odd to see a Gretsch without one.

[@Gary-zq3pz]

The Cult rocked the Hell out of their Gretsch guitars. Most think rockabilly, but the filtertrons can get Very,very heavy.

[@javiersds8081]

You've really inspired me to appreciate more Filtertrons and P90s.

[@electron7373]

OMG That intro playing was amazing! Chris + FT pups = Awesomeness :)

[@VMV8622]

Man you're definitely one of those legends who blows minds with any pickup. In your case it all comes from your fingers.

[@dejct]

Hey Chris! I'm a massive fan and admire your playing SO much, and I would really really love to know how you actually learnt guitar and got good? I've seen footage of you years ago playing and you're amazing, did you just learn songs you love? Theory? Lessons? School? Anyways thank you for the endless amounts of inspiration!!! :)

[@EightNineOne]

I've become a full-on filtertron convert. I have two humbucking guitars, a Gretsch Electromatic pro jet and a USA Les Paul with Burstbuckers in them. The gretsch sounds to my ear, far better, clearer and most of the power of the humbuckers but a bit more controllable. Worth mentioning the electromatics use the cheaper and "Worse" blacktop filtertrons, they're great. IMO they're more versatile and I kinda love them. I don't think the Les Paul is staying around much longer.

[@davidflint12]

The Filter’Tron to my ear has much more clarity and presence. I’ve always been a humbucker guy. Lately I’ve been thinking about switching.

[@lessthanpinochet]

Filtertrons, mini-humbuckers and Firebird pickups are amazing if you want a pronounced attack with the warmth of a regular sized humbucker.

[@MaxNafeHorsemanship]

When I was you it was the Humbucker. Now give me another HS Fitertron.

[@werkspartsllc7856]

I very MUCH prefer the sound of the filter tron!!!!

[@DMSProduktions]

'Trons bloody ROCK! They give a clarity under crunch that regular PAF style hum buckers do not!

[@LollarJason]

Nice job- very easy to hear the difference! Good playing too. We worked with Yamaha alot in 2018 and 2019 and they gave us one of those Revstars- the frets are so nice and its just a really fine playing guitar and very useable in every way. Thanks for the well produced video

[@21stcenturymetal31]

Wow those filtertrons sound incredible.

[@MichaelZola]

Very well done Chris. Your playing is phenomenal and it was a pleasure to hear the comparison demos. This video was so well put together. The history timeline is so interesting. I’m fascinated to learn that a lot of these innovations came from ideas of the players!

[@BrentAlanBeck]

I just got my first Filtertrons, and I agree with most when they say it's a sound sort of between a single coil & a humbucker. TROUBLE is though to my ear all the tone settings of any variation settings of the two pickups, sound identical! If you want me to feign those arpeggios you were playing above sound different, I CANNOT do it. All of them sound to similar! Filtertrons similar to a Fender Twin Amplifier, need all knobs put on ten to open the sound up. But I'm finding any tone & pickup position I find, is all the same. Way different than a Strat where the neck pickup isolated has a way different sound than the bridge pickup isolated!!!!! With my Filtertrons why bother adjusting knobs or switches, just put everything on ten, whereby the three way switch almost sounds identical anyway in any of three positions. So yes sounds great, but I'm not necessarily finding a wide ranging sound, to explore with Filtertrons. Plug it in, turn it on, and GO! Thank you

[@MaxNafeHorsemanship]

OK, forget the controls and learn how to play. That applies to most people, but I think you have a hearing problem. The Filtertron can be a VERY versatile pickup with some very different sounds.

[@BrentAlanBeck]

@@MaxNafeHorsemanship You are, as everyone, entitled to your opinion.

[@BrentAlanBeck]

There is obviously more to this subject than what you falsely claim to know. Do you even own any Gretsch guitar? And yes there are tone knobs on a Gretsch for the filtertrons pickups, but not comparable as to Strat or Les Paul tone. "I am thinking about re wiring my 5420 like a hot rod. I don’t use the lower three pots anyway. Not sure how to go about it. Below is a tv Jones diagram. Could someone explain what the two shielded black wires are connected to is this diagram? White is your hot/signal wire. Black + shielding to ground. I applaud your choice of circuits. I know that I never use individual pickup volumes and hardly ever use tone controls, so the Hot Rod scheme is all I really need. The ground lug of the pickup switch, one lug of the volume pot and the “ring” side of the jack are all connected to a common ground point, along with a small single conductor wire which is captured under the tailpiece and serves to ground the strings. The guitar actually has its ultimate path to ground through the patch cord, which ties the “ring” side of the patch cable to ground. On most guitars, there are several wires that are soldered to the back of the volume pot, which usually serves as the common ground point inside the guitar." "Somewhere along the line in life college intellectuals learned how that "the power of suggestion works for promoting their bands. Then there are those who favor monogamy."

[@MaxNafeHorsemanship]

@@BrentAlanBeck "Falsely claiming to know". Um...who is that comment directed at?

[@somethingbl]

I think the "clarity" people keep hearing is simply the Filtertrons being more compressed sounding. You can really hear it in the arpeggios how much louder the higher strings are. In the PAFs they're so quiet and drowned out by the lower strings.

[@takaokutsu2980]

Great play! Interesting to learn the way you use finger and pick interchangeably. I did not ever think about it to do it in the middle of solo work such frequently to make differences in nuances and tones. That style inspires me about more freedom in guitar plays. Beautifully done, excellent melody, too. I am very impressed!!

[@thebreakfastmenu]

I didn't recognize you without the Levi's jacket.

[@gabrieloalgo]

Damn!! I never heard of those... I´ve seen them around but thought of them as a re styling on the usual humbucker... Just the looks... I´m gonna get a set of filtertrons for my Mockingbird project... And a Bigsby too... Greetings from Colombia bro! New sub here.

[@kikimajik]

Nice intro song and beautiful playing!! You're the only guitar player that I watch right hand more than the left one !!!! Beautiful !!!!!

[@noahtenshen]

Some day I hope to make my Filter'Trons sound remotely as beautiful as yours. Stay Well Groovy One!

[@onewayoutnine]

Put a set of Brian Setzer model TVJ’ in an Epiphone dot and a pair of Powertrons in my Faux Paul. Both guitars went from the dog house to the fun house.

[@MaxNafeHorsemanship]

Seldom found in solid body guitars, and even then, seldom real Gretsch. I bought a G2215, threw the Broadtron in the garbage and installed (NOT a "drop in" part) a HS Filter'Tron and WOW. P90 and HS compliment each other so well and I was blown away by the high gain sounds of the HS. At least a half dozen brands now and several have more than one model. A Filtertron for everyone no matter the sound you want...and they are versatile.

[@paulricketts1089]

....Harry DeArmond invented pick ups along with a few other little gems.......the first Les Pauls had DeArmond Dynasonics.........

[@andrewwilliamson4064]

Chris, great video. I am so excited to see you grow as a musician, as you are a young man growing up in a crazy world. You certainly have the tone, technique, passion, and aptitude to be an amazing player, who will give memories to other great Guitarists souls. I hear so much David G, in your delicate touch and bending, and wish that you lead a great Prog Rock band with your atmospheric guitar playing and tones, alas maybe thats just the ramblings of an older player still looking for the new Floyd in our times. Stay safe, keep playing and whatever musical journey you follow, know that players will be watching.

[@videovuer]

The passion, the drama... and a good time was had by all!

[@greatkingrat]

What a great intro! What I love about this pickup is it’s the best of both worlds. All of the clarity of a single coil without the hum.

[@Jeffcatbuckeye]

You want clean: Chet Atkins: “Mister Sandman” You want dirty: CSNY(Neil Young): “Ohio” Same exact filtertrons

[@DMSProduktions]

IF you want affordable alternatives, GFS in the US or B&G in S Korea, (Who make all the p/u for PRS SE line) make a great, vintage spec Filter'tron pick up for around $60 each!

[@reubenmeicke]

Excellent episode, killer tones, killer chops-just another Friday Fretworks🤷‍♂️

[@Matthewtaylorn]

Hey Chris, quick question if this gets to you. I know Lollar makes a humbucker sized lollartron, and a traditional filtertron sized lollartron. Which one is this? Thanks!

[@leelossi1257]

Hi chris, greetings from Calif. I love your in depth guitar videos! I think you have the best videos on youtube. Looking forward to seeing you in concert some time!

[@NoBSMusicReviews]

I love single coils, from lipstcks to tele pups, to P-90s. I've always loved how P-90s seem to almost straddle single coil and humbucker. My favorite pup if I had to choose. Trons are without a doubt, the most 'single coil' sounding humbuckers I've ever heard! And they remind me of P90s. I may become a convert! Just bought a set from Guitar fetish to put into a 335 clone. We shall see.

[@rkharper]

Fender has NOT taken over Gretsch!!! Fender works FOR Gretsch. Gretsch is still family owned. Fender does distribution and advertising.

[@mattgilbert7347]

Love my PAF equipped Schecter, my Gretsch (Streamliner w/Broadtrons - not quite Filtertrons but close enough), and my heavily modded SG with splitable Duncan P90 'Buckers. Fascinating video mate. Hey..a pickup called a Chris Bucker. Patent that, my dude!

[@checkpointcovid8021]

In my opinion the biggest factor in the Filter'Tron sound is the 1/4" thick magnet. My Gretsch came with Blacktops which have an 1/8" thick magnet. I put some 1/4" magnets in them and that's the sweet stuff right there.

[@lcglazer]

Sorry I dont understand. How do you change the magnet? Did you just stack another 1/8' on top? Where did you buy the magnet? And what does a thicker magnet do to the tone?

[@RaxFx]

Filtertrons are the better Humbuckers

[@garystackhouse5787]

If Seymour Duncan makes a Ray Butts-Designed Filtertron, what should it be called?? Maybe the Ray/Duncan?..... no wait... I have a feeling we can do better than that.....

[@januszmynarczyk7108]

OMG that song at the end is BACK!!! Love it, absolutely brilliant melody and superb playing mate. AFAIC you could put this song at the end of every video of yours , only played on a different guitar :D so we could enjoy the tonal array and your immaculate style. Cheers and rock on!

[@philtron1969]

Another great, educational clip from this fantastic player. Some of you may enjoy this shootout. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oIXVkHp5fp17mNU

[@saraofnorthwales]

These pickups have a special sound - think Neil Young / Buffalo Springfield / For What It's Worth

[@clipdump]

Intro is gonna bring me back to this video many times I can tell you that...

[@oncameramastery]

Gotta love that classic Filter'Tron tone, great vid man, keep em coming! :-)

[@LennyJohnson5]

Superb content, as ever. Your videos are never less than impressively researched and entertaining, and your playing is always sublime 🎸👍

[@leonardgould6657]

CHRIS BUCK. KUDOS TO YOU FROM CANADA. Unlike the run-of-the-mill American "pablum & porridge" that typically gets served up on these YT Guitar sites (much like "The Short Bus" emptying out its eager passengers at a WWF wrestling tent, or such!) - you clearly seek to understand NOT JUST THE MUSIC YOU "JAM ON" TODAY - you also display that keen English thirst for knowing where the Hell all of this magical shit came from! That is why I watch, Dude; - yeah, you display the wild chops and keen musical sensibility - but you aso honour your craft! and those who went before - and brought us all this magical shit! Kudos to you, Bud! Rock on!

[@johnroberts838]

Hi Chris, Brilliant Video 👍👍👍. The Pickups sound really nice, the design shape reminds me of the Bartolini Pickups. Excellent playing, Thank you. Take care, Melbourne, Australia.

[@jacoblewis3845]

Came for the info, stayed for the phenomenal guitar playing. You are an inspiring player! Thank you! Your Technique is so good and never sterile…somehow exact AND lively.

[@briansrecordingarchive6579]

I find the Filtertron pups to be a bit too bright, and the PAFs a bit woofy, which brings me back to my favorite pup, the P90. Yet the P90 can have some associated hum…which lead me to my current choice in pups, the Lindy Fralin Hum-cancelling P90 (stock wound). It is the Goldilocks pickup!

[@noname1st139]

Did you take inspiration for the finger plucking From Mark knopfler or Lyndsey Buckingham? I don't know why I look at your hand position, the way you play & it just reminds me of knopfler lol, I only use a plectrum, I'm pretty new in the electric guitar world so forgive the lack of terminology for styles lol

[@thejonathandoan]

Todd Nichols of Toad The Wet Sprocket is a huge TV Jones fan and uses plenty of the Filter'tron style pickups in his own hand-made guitars. They definitely had a lot of presence and more prominent transient response when you compared them to the humbuckers.

[@rhykko77]

The recording of the "PAF"s you demonstrated on the Yamaha are really muffled sounding to me .......the Filtertrons are much clearer, hence the reason why I have used mostly Wilde Pickups for over 10 years ......L500's and L90s.......I do have a great set of Gibson 57 Classics which I consider a superb example of an excellent humbucker ......but most of my playing is on my Wilde Pickup equipped guitars.....The Wilde's are super versatile, adapt very well to most existing guitar electronics and are never muddy

[@joeblankenship377]

Gimme a PAF bridge, P-90 middle, and a Filtertron neck. Call it the Hodgepodge.

[@carsgunsandguitars]

Your playing inspires me to be a better guitarist. Was that opening jam on the neck pickup? If so that's making me want a filtentron in the neck position of my thinline tele!

[@harounel-poussah6936]

You could have Filtertron styled PUs from Benedetti for decades. Benedetti, est.1965, is the Bugatti of guitar PUs... Main reason Stanley Jordan can't get rid from his Arpège-II (he has humbuckers on, not Filtertrons) The KZbin guitar trends in the last years : shaking the guitars neck and not knowing how to correctly hold your pick, oh, well, I forgot : artifcial lifeless digital amp modelling...

[@Drunken_Hamster]

To this day, one of the best sounds I've ever heard was Darrell Braun Guitar putting JBE Trons in his teal/aqua telecaster.

[@jonathannielsen3546]

Signifacantly clearer, less muddy and mroe precise tonality. A p90 thats a humbucker as well. A tiny bit more of a rounded sound than a p90/singlecoil. best of both worlds i would say. this can play everything from jazz, funk, hard rock and even metal. My second guitra ever was a Squier Cabronita just like yours with the bigsby. Regeret every day that i sold it. Cant find another one like it other than from Harley Benton with filtertrons i HH setup. Considering buying that and using it as a platform for upgrading.

[@thebrysmith3]

And in my Gretsch G5410T Rat Rod I've got Blacktop Filter'trons which are designed to be more like PAF humbuckers. The lines, they blur.

[@MrFndrplyr9]

Sound great as always, Mr. Buck!!

[@jordanlucasthemusician]

a little EricJ and some duane with dash of jeff beck and peter frampton plus ur own thing your style is killer dude

[@ericrodriguez5615]

I know it’s an old video but wondering if you could give me some advice on squier cabronita mods! I actually have the same model you’ve been rocking on a few videos. I’ve thought of maybe upgrading the bridge but unsure what to go with and, I upgraded the bridge pick up to a fender gen4 noiseless. That pick up sounds so good that it makes the neck fidelitron sound like a joke now. Would you switch it to a Lollar?

[@JosephGallagher]

Anyone tried Guitar Fetish (GFS)' Dream180? It's supposed to sound like a Filtertron/Humbucker hybrid but Chris just said they're pretty much the same 😅

[@gringogreen4719]

CAUTION: Long AF post!!! Soooo... 2020 was a bad year. Everything was...and still is upside down. So what does a Tele player do but picks up a couple of Strats and a new Epi Les Paul Special.😄 Now this is a Filtertron tale of a very peculiar (or pick-culiar if you will) of a very oddball take on a Strat. I'm just going to answer about the other two guitars. The Epi got a replacement Wilkinson bridge and I swapped out the original capacitors for Orange Drops. A a pinup decal and straplocks...done. The partscaster Stat (Korean Squire maple neck, unknown body) got seymour Duncan pickups, Bournes pots, an Orange Drop capacitor and a Grigsbys switch. The pickups are Twangbanger, Reverse wound Alnico ll, a lV-ll in the neck. Plays awesome and sounds better. Now the Stat copy of the fabled guitar is a black Samick Malibu I picked up used for $75 out the door. My tech said "Silver Sky" when I sent him a picture of it. Ok, well if John can have his signature guitar so can I. Compared to a Stratocaster the Malibu is a bit more squat with the jack on the side of the guitar and not in the usual Strat location. First mod was to swap out the crap trem block for a GFS brass one. Holy crap what a difference even with the stock pickups! Next was what do I do electronically? I had a Seymour Duncan Little 59 neck pickup from another guitar I have. We can use that. What am I missing from my arsenal of guitars? I dont have a solid body with a bridge Filtertron. Ok, order that. What do I use in the neck to round up this lineup? Well I have a Tele Partscaster (the Little 59 came off of that) with a SD Quarter Pounder in the bridge and a Filtertron in the neck. Well let'ss reverse that. So now the pickups are Filtertron, Little 59, Quarter Pounder. I'm a Tele guy so let's just do a master volume and master tone. Ok. Lets do a Greasebucket mod on the tone pot with Bournes pots. Also let's coil tap that Little 59 with a cool looking T80 switch (looks like the big switches for the Fender Lead guitars). Also you should know the pots are 250k pots so these pickups really drive the pots, they are very dynamic. So how does it sound? Actually really good. I play punk, psychobilly, garage amoung a few other genres and they all do very well. The biggest surprise is that I have three very differently made and designed pickups that really interact well with one another. The neck is close to a P90 but with a touch of Strat clarity. The Little 59 sounds great with a split and playing with the neck in position 4. It also fills up the Filtertron when its not split and in position 2. Individually they all sound great through the Bournes pots and Fender 5 ways switch. The Samick was a concept guitar that plays well and sounds amazing. The guitar came with a great and dense body, great neck with 3+3 headstock and US Grover tuners. There is still a little work to be done. I have Bournes full size pots that will get swapped with Bournes mini pots because the pickguard is not flush with the full size pots. Those will go into a cool Squire Standard Telecaster with a new Grigsby switch. I will also replace the stock nut with bone and have a luthier do it so it will play as good as it can. These will be done with a few months, I have several guitars that are getting minor upgrades so it one after the other. Now what I want to do is pretty much do the same pickup and electronics layout but on a Fender Partscaster build. The body will be an American Strat and the neck a roasted maple Tele. Yes I know that the pocket has to be adjusted. I am toying with the idea of a TV Jones Classic Plus Filtertron and Fender locking tuners as upgraded parts for that build. Also a custom neckplate and pickguard that will be space themed. I also want to change the pots to 375k pots, so not sure who makes those. Essentially I want it to be a guitar that sits between an American Standard and a Custom Shop. Good for you if you made it this far. The Filtertron pickups are very loud but unlike a humbucker, they are not hot pickups. The Quarter Pounders really balance the out put of Filtertrons. The Little 59 was pretty comparable in output through the 250k pots. I am not sure if there would be a huge difference with 500k, no clue. I wanted this guitar to be driven from the get go which is why I went for the 250k pots. TV Jones Filtertrons are cleaner and balanced compare to the stock Gretsch Filtertrons. I have TV Jones in my Electromatic hollow body and I threw the Gretschbuckers in my Ibanez AK86 in my pic. Both guitars sound better for the changes. I have had played GFS pickups, I currently have a Surf 90 in a cheapo Strat knockoff build ($35 for the guitar and upgraded the pickguard to a pearl white with a bridge humbucker ala Tom DeLong-esque). I know thats jangle town witha DeArmond meets a P90 vibe. So not a Filtertron but pretty much around the corner. I had another guitar with the GFS Nashville humbuckers and those were a good Filtertron meets a humbucker style. I haven't tried the new Filterons GFS has and I haven't really gone for anyone elses take on a Filtertron. I have the Real McCoy, TV Jones and Gretschbuckers across four guitars and they sound and play great. If you read this far, I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to comment if you want any tips on Filtertron setups and Gretschbucker setups. Also you can ask about any of the other guitars I mentioned on here. I love talking guitars!😎👍✨

[@troystaunton254]

I built my brother a Strat with 2 filtertron pick ups and single coil. He loves it. Mixing the neck single coil and bridge filtertron creates a very near humbucker sound on his Marshall.

[@felwark616]

The humbucker killer to me is the often misunderstood wide range humbucker from the 1970's.

[@AnodyneHipsterInfluencer]

I'd be interested to hear a guitar with a "PAF" in the bridge and a Filter'Tron in the neck.

[@Cluless02]

Love it! Very emotionally expressive, beautiful style.

[@the_nondrive_side]

Filtertrons are a reactive Germanium Fuzz Faces best friend. But getting loud and clean would only be possible if you could series both pickups together and then turn it down. Somewhere between 3-4k loading is crazy oscillation doom metal fuzz. 7k vintage PAF or single coils are bleh with fuzz. 16-21k series parallel switching humbucker can open up a whole bunch of very good sounds. Filtertrons are like a parallel humbucker tone

[@Terribleguitarist89]

My dream tele: Bound sunburst Thinline body Rosewood neck with u shape Filtertrons (possibly a P90 neck) Bigsby w/ handle controlled b bender

[@PubertTheGreat]

Another great video Chris! Any chance you’ve posted about your watch collection? It appears you enjoy some quality watches my friend!

[@chipsterb4946]

I’m curious - are there any guitars with a Filtertron and a P-90 together? How does the output compare? Chris appears to have migrated to P-90s recently, but I like the sound/tone of both in different ways. Would you put the P-90 on the bridge and Filtertron in the bridge?

[@jamlemon]

Bought a pair on eBay about 15 years ago as the seller had upgraded to TV Jones, put them in a cheap 335 knockoff and they sounded great. Wish I’d kept them!

[@johncunningham4820]

The Filtertrons are Significantly Crisper than the PAF type . P-90-ish . Without the impedance hum .

[@terryjohinke8065]

Question? Why do almost all pickup/guitar demo clips played with pedals and/distortion. The Filtertron has a beautiful clean sound, thanks for showing it. Why do most Memos distort the hell out of a guitar. I played Jesus Christ Superstar on Teisco and 5 watt amp in the 70s ( got the job cause I can read music, and still can get that sh...y distorted sound.

[@JonNewquist]

Great episode, Chris! I recently modded the broad'tron HB size pickups in my Gretsch guitars to get more chime and clarity. I removed the three top right, and 3 bottom left pole pieces and replaced them with M3 x 12mm nylon screws. The transformation is incredible.

[@MrShadowofthewind]

Nylon as in plastic ?

[@chrisreich40]

Gretsch was not 'taken over' by Fender. Fred Gretsch, the owner of Gretsch guitars, and a hell of a nice guy, licensed to Fender the rights to manufacture and market guitars with the Gretsch name. I have been led to believe by industry insiders that Fred has some authority over the style of the guitars. At some point I suppose the agreement will expire and we may see changes in the future, but for now, this is a licensing agreement, not a takeover.

[@donald-parker]

Great review. I'm thinking FT neck and PAF bridge. Anybody make this?

[@fposmith]

Gretsch was not taken over by Fender ! Gretsch is wholly owned by the Fred Gretsch family ! Fender has a marketing and distribution agreement with Gretsch. Gretsch is owned by Gretsch ! The Filtertron was developed before the PAF. Gretsch just dragged it's feet on filing the patent paperwork.