MFD difference between SC and ASAT?

Are the soapbar MFD pickups different between the early '80s SC series and the mid-late '80s ASATs?

A friend of mine has a bunch of SC-1s and SC-2s. Those guitars are much more aggressive/biting/trebly than my '86 ASAT, even though they appear to have the same pickups. Similarly my '87 SC-3 is much more raw/raunchy sounding than my '87 ASAT III, even though they appear to have the same kinds of pickups.

My friend attributes it to the maple bodies of the SC guitars. I know that wood can be a factor, but the differences seem dramatic.

Anyone else have an opinion on this? Different pickup windings? Is it just the wood? Some combination?

there are other way more qualified than me but the pups were hand wound back then , maybe that and the wood equals difference ??..... Jos will know for sure

[Craig]

Are the soapbar MFD pickups different between the early '80s SC series and the mid-late '80s ASATs?

A friend of mine has a bunch of SC-1s and SC-2s. Those guitars are much more aggressive/biting/trebly than my '86 ASAT, even though they appear to have the same pickups. Similarly my '87 SC-3 is much more raw/raunchy sounding than my '87 ASAT III, even though they appear to have the same kinds of pickups.

My friend attributes it to the maple bodies of the SC guitars. I know that wood can be a factor, but the differences seem dramatic.

Anyone else have an opinion on this? Different pickup windings? Is it just the wood? Some combination?

See: pre-BBE ASAT vs. '07 ASAT Special: Differences?, List of pickups used in G&L guitars, and some good background material: March 28, 2013, A Very Sad Day in History.

Hope this helps.

Last edited by Craig on Sat Oct 10, 2015 9:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: corrected 3rd link.

there are other way more qualified than me but the pups were hand wound back then , maybe that and the wood equals difference ??..... Jos will know for sure

I have only a few things to add to what one can read on wire used, number of windings, bobbin aperture, etc. in the references in Craig's post.

In those days, the pickups were hand wound and showed more variation. Pole heights have more effect in balance between strings than innate frequency response but clearly make a difference how a guitar sounds. Woods make a BIG difference, more than one might suspect. The body of your '86 ASAT more than likely is still maple, but is thicker than the SC's. The tone circuit intentionally is different between SC and ASAT guitars contributing to a difference in sound.

A few ASAT III have S-500 pickups whereas the SC-3 has the Nighthawk/Skyhawk pups. In the list of pickups it seems like they are completely identical, but by using magnets of different strength, they actually are voiced slightly different because lower Gauss not only lower the resonance frequency but also reduces the power in that peak. Beyond differences in body material and dimensions, this might explain the difference in sound there.

- Jos

Last edited by yowhatsshakin on Sun Oct 11, 2015 11:44 am, edited 1 time in total.

[ I apparently do not have permission to access the last reference but get to it in this way.

- Jos

Link corrected to the member viewable post, which is the same post you linked to. I had accidently grab the wrong link which was in a private forum, viewable only by me.

Thanks, Jos.

Thanks for the great info. All these guitars sound and play great. My '86 blonde ASAT is my go-to for a variety of reasons, but the rawness of the SC-3, where you have to play the treble control with authority, is something I really love.

A friend of mine has a bunch of SC-1s and SC-2s. Those guitars are much more aggressive/biting/trebly than my '86 ASAT, even though they appear to have the same pickups. Similarly my '87 SC-3 is much more raw/raunchy sounding than my '87 ASAT III, even though they appear to have the same kinds of pickups.

That has also been my experience. The SC-1s and SC-2s are more aggressive than the early ASATs to my ears. I have the same impression of my SC-3 and ASAT III - both from late '87, and with the same Skyhawk pups - the ASAT III is much mellower.

Ken