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In the second part of our Filter’Tron focus, we talk to Tom Jones, head honcho of TV Jones, about how to get the most from this versatile humbucker…
Ever since plugging in Brian Setzer’s Gretsch 6120, Tom Jones has been smitten with the sound of Filter’Trons: “I worked on Brian Setzer’s guitars from 1993,” says Tom. “Brian’s guitar tech [Rich Modica] would bring them in to the shop I worked at in Long Beach, California, and so I got to plug them in. The first time I plugged in the Gretsch 6120 that [Brian] used in the late 80s and early 90s – the one Steve Miller gave him – I couldn’t believe the saturation and the growl I got out of it. And the dynamics: playing lightly and then hitting it harder changed its character, the sound kind of bloomed. It’s the same when you play further up the neck; there are no trouble spots. It’s a very musical pickup. They’re very expressive. I thought, ‘What a great pickup!’ And that’s what got me into Filter’Trons.”
When it comes to getting the most out of a Filter’Tron, the greatest tools at your disposal are simply a screwdriver and a good set of ears.
“The sound had a certain growl to it, especially in the bass strings,” recalls Tom, “because Rich had adjusted the bass side of Brian’s bridge pickup up a little higher than the treble side, and that’s what I do to this day. I recommend doing the opposite on the neck pickup, if it’s a little boom-y, and adjusting it closer to the strings on the treble side. That’s how you get that ‘middle’ tone. Lower the pole screws all the way to the bobbin and create a small arc. Have your D string as the highest pole – if you’re playing with a plain wound G string – and create a small radius. But make sure to drive the bobbins closer to the strings [using the two adjustment screws on either side of the pickup] to get more body in the sound. If you just raise all of the pole screws towards the strings, that will make it sound thinner.
“Adjusting Filter’Trons correctly is crucial,” Tom adds. “They’re so sensitive and you’ve really got to dial them in, mainly because of the large magnets and screws. I’d suggest using 500kohm or 1m[ohm] pots. I generally use 500k. Some 500k read lower, however, so you’ve really got to be careful and get one as close to 500k as possible.”
Filter’Trons tend to measure around 4kohms, though, so thinking of them purely in terms of DC resistance can be misleading.
“A Filter’Tron generally has about 3,000 winds per coil using 42-gauge wire, whereas a [Gibson] humbucker generally has about 5,000 winds of 42-gauge,” explains Tom. “The difference is that less wire means more clarity, and although there’s less power that way, it’s offset by using a larger quarter-inch sandcast Alnico magnet [by comparison, Gibson humbucker magnets generally measure half as thick at an eight of an inch]. Also, the Filter’Tron has a little more clarity to it because it has a narrower aperture than a [Gibson-style] humbucker. In other words, if you have two coils, the wider apart they are the less treble response, or clarity, you’re going to get.
“Another deal with a Filter’Tron versus a [Gibson-style] humbucker is that you have larger #6 screws, whereas [Gibson-style] humbuckers have smaller #5 screws. A larger #6 screw creates more inductance, which means there’s more power and less treble, so it’s kind of a weird balancing act.
“With a Filter’Tron, you’re getting natural treble, as opposed to the kind of treble that you might have heard from, say, a ceramic magnet. I like the natural treble you get from Filter’Trons with the bobbins being closer together and using less wire – then getting the power and dynamics out of the large magnet and screws. They’re wonderfully dynamic when you dig in. I like the way the sound blooms and fills up.
“I prefer Filter’Trons when they’re not dipped in wax – they’re more threedimensional. They’re more magical. [TV Jones] has a [non-wax-saturated] pickup called the Ray Butts Ful-Fidelity Filter’Tron. Although, if you’re playing loud or using high gain, then you might want to consider a wax-dipped pickup to avoid any squeal.”
Guitarist would like to thank Tom Jones of TV Jones (https://tvjones.com)