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Location: garland tx | Help... the pickups on my 73 breadwinner have finally gotten bad enough that i can't use it for live performances anymore. The Ovation CS dept has told me that they can't be rebuilt. my Luthier confirmed. They could not recommend replacement pickups. Can anyone reommend replacement pickups that will give me similar sounds of the originals? |
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Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | If they are the original big single coils there's nothing before or since exactly like them. I also think they are a slightly odd size for drop-in replacements. A humbucker-sized single-coil such as the Seymour Duncan Fat Cats would probably work. If it has the later mini-humbuckers anything would be an improvement, they are pretty damn poor. |
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Location: NW Washington State | I like the mini-humbuckers, and there's nothing quite like them either. They need a good preamp, not necessarily the original.
If your has a preamp, I'd suggest relatively low output pickups, not the high output supermetaldistortion type.
One pickup that is similar in construction to the original minis is the Rio Grande Teenybucker. It is supposed to be a lower-output version of their Babybucker (the Babybucker probably has too much output for a preamp). They have very little info about it on their web page: http://www.riograndepickups.com/scart/ProductPage.asp?ImageLink=TYH...
When you say "the pickups have gotten bad enough", what do you mean? If they're still functioning maybe they can be salvaged by the right pickup specialist.
- Steve W. |
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Location: Scotland | If a standard high-impedance pickup,"needs a good preamp" then it is by definition unfit for purpose.
The Ovation mini-humbucker even by the standards of the time, with or without the active electronics is at best quirky and can be bettered by a ton of cheap pickups readily available now. One of the many reasons why the Breadwinners, Deacons and Preachers failed is that those mini-humbuckers, while technically good, sounded like crap, with or without a preamp. Conversely, the Viper single-coils are killer |
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Location: NW Washington State | Paul, I don't think you've actually spent much time with those mini pickups. I don't blame you- they don't sound that great with the standard preamp and they probably are the reason the passive Preacher failed. The minis are high impedance, but have low magnetic pull and low output. I've found they work best with a high input impedance and without the balancing and phase adjustment crap built into the front end of the original preamp.
But I can understand how a dyed-in-the wool traditionalist would like clanky sound of the overwound Viper pickup with its too-strong Alnico polepieces.
-Steve W. |
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Location: Scotland | Over the last 25 years I've owned and gigged professionally with just about every model of Ovation Solidbody. So I've spent as much time with those particular pickups as I need to to know that for my purposes they don't work for me. As for me being "traditionalist" you couldn't be further from the mark |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | 
Ooooo! We haven't had a good one-a these
in FAR to long!
I love a good short, uh sort, um...
"ShhhhhHHHSHHH! Down in front!" |
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Posts: 7247
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Back to the original question... I still have several, some unused, Ovation Breadwinner single coil pickups.
As far as the mini's... that came later on the Deacon, Preacher and Preacher Deluxe... I gots to mostly agree with Temp on this. With enough tweaking you can get a decent sound out of'em, but for me it was one of those situations where the sun had to be in the right place in the sky, right time of year, temp, humidity... you get the point.
The Viper pickups are just amazing and one of my favorite pickups of any guitar. I have a Preacher that has Viper pickups in it, and it's far superior in overall tone to the one I used to have with the mini-hums.
If you are serious about the comment "clanky sound of the overwound Viper pickup" I am curious to know your setup cause sometimes "clanky" is the sound one wants and I can't get a decent clank with any Viper pickup I've ever owned.. too smooth.. but those mini-humbuckers were my definition of clank... lots of upper mid's. |
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Location: NW Washington State | Miles-
I agree that the minis are more trouble than they're worth for most people. But some people like them. Maybe even the original poster, who wants pickups that sound similar to his originals. I wonder which ones he has?
I don't really dislike the Viper pickups, just stirring the pot. Somehow I haven't bonded with my Viper even though I've had it for 25 years. I probably don't understand how people use the word "clanky" to describe pickups.
-Steve W. |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Actually the original poster has responded yet as to which pickups he needs. Based on the year, It could be either, but I'm guessing the large Toroidal single coils and as stated above, I have those. |
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Location: garland tx | Thanks for the responses. My '73 has the large, actually oversized, active pickups. Definitely NOT the small, crappy pickups with the little circles on them. I am not technical enough to know what they are called, but in their day, they were as sweet as tupelo honey. the 'out of phase' sound was unmatched and I have not been able to duplicate it with any other guitar I have. They have always hummed a little, especially when played through the newer, hotter amps and pedalboards. For the last 10 years, the humming has been getting progressively worse. It is bad enough now that it is distracting, and is 'out of commission' until I replace them. I want to be able to take advantage of all of the switch settings on the guitar, especially using both pickups and taking them out of phase, so I am asking for advice on which pickups to get.
I have many other guitars, with many types of pickups and can get any sound I need for the music I play, so I don;t want this guitar to end up sounding like my PRS, or my Les Paul, or my Tele or Strat, or my Godin. I want it to sound like my Breadwinner. Thanks... |
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Location: garland tx | Fyi to those trying to help me..... definitely the Toroidal pickups...I did a little research and found some pics and descriptions online. My guitar is white and looks just like the one on the promotional poster Ovation used back in the day. |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | dobber... Go ahead and email me at mileskb at aol.com. I have the pickups you need. |
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Location: Scotland | You might find that when if you replace the pickups the problem is still there. Pickups tend to either work or not, they generally do not break down over time. It's just as likely to be a fault with the preamp. |
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Location: garland tx | Paul, it would almost be a relief if you were right about the preamp. My previous experience with pickups has been that they either work, or not. However, I am being told from my luthier, and from the helpdesk over at Ovation that the preamp is fine and that the issue I am experiencing is a known one with these pickups. That is why I am hoping to find the 'right' pickups to replace these, then if the issue persists, I will have eliminated the pickups from the equation.
Thanks for your input... |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Love the sound of my Viper III, but abhor the weight. At just a tick under 9 lbs 13 ounces, this pig is the heaviest guitar I own. Anything heavier would likely have to be a double neck. |
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Location: NW Washington State | Dobber, Paul's suggestion about the preamp is a good one and worth checking out. Most luthiers aren't familiar with the Breadwinner electronics, and it's hard to diagnose problems over the phone.
Try this: remove the preamp, then connect each pickup directly to an output jack. You could temporarily mount two jacks in place of the volume and tone controls on the pickguard. If there's still hum, then it's the pickups. If not, then the preamp is suspect.
Be careful when desoldering the preamp connections. It's easy to overheat and the traces on the preamp board will lift. This might be a job for a good amp repairman instead of a luthier (if your luthier only works on guitars).
-Steve W. |
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Location: garland tx | numbfingers.... thanks . you guys have given me something to pursue. I have a good amp man as well and will get his input and hopefully we can get this thing figured out. I will definitely update when I have a resolution.
BTW.... should it be the preamp, anyone have any suggetions as to how to get hold of one to replace it? Again, I am tech challenged, so I have to ask.... |
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Location: Scotland | Preamps are tricky. There's a lot of Breadwinners and Deacons which have lost their electronics, so there are preamps out there and they turn up on ebay occasionally, and usually sell for relatively big bucks. There are schematics available and repairs can be done by a competent tech. Miles may even have NOS preamps so it's worth checking with him. There are 2 versions, a later one with the jack hardwired to the circuit board and bolted through the pickguard, and the original where the jack was mounted on a plate in the rear cutaway. They are essentially the same electronically but not interchangeable without mods |
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Location: San Bernardino, California | The pickups CAN be rewound, it's just a real bitch and I doubt you'll find someone willing to do it.
If you're willing to send the whole pickguard assembly with pickups & preamp, I'll look at it for you. I've repaired a few. If so; send me a private message and I'll send you my address. |
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pickups '73 breadwinner
