NEW’TRON BRIDGE
Description: The classic
Filter’Tron sound resides somewhere between a Gibson ES-335 and a Fender
Telecaster on the guitar tone spectrum. These hum-canceling pickups were
designed by Ray Butts in the mid-50s, with input and direction from Chet Atkins
for the Gretsch company.
At that time, Atkins was working on an improved version of his
signature guitar and voiced concerns about the noise produced by the single-coil
pickups in the earlier iterations of his guitars.
The Filter’Tron™ is similar in
its basic design to the Gibson humbucker. It utilizes two coils to
generate the output and cancels unwanted noise when the coils are connected in
series (Gretsch patent no. 2892371).
By the early 60s, this
combination quickly became the choice for Rockabilly guitar players, and
the sound of this pickup became the go-to sound for George
Harrison on many of the Beatles' early
recordings.
DiMarzio’s New’Tron™ is our
modern take on a Filter’tron-style pickup and is a direct size
replacement. It is not a clone of a vintage Filter’Tron but rather a
modern twist, capturing the best characteristics of this
great guitar tone and enhancing them.
The top-end response is dynamic but not overly
bright, with just the right amount of presence and twang.
The midrange has a unique growl
and bite, especially when used with digital modeling amps and distortion,
and the low end is consistently tight and punchy without
becoming muddy.
The New'Tron™ Bridge is louder
than the traditional Filter’Tron pickup and is designed to balance with
the New'Tron™ Neck, without losing any presence or
clarity.
Altogether, the DiMarzio New’Tron™ Bridge is a
versatile pickup perfect for anything from clear, chiming cleans to a snarling
Rockabilly edge.
Tech Talk: Here are some of the
differences when comparing the traditional Filter’Tron to its Gibson counterpart
from the same period:
Lower output and DC resistance.
Narrower spacing between the
coil pole pieces, which gives it a brighter, twangy characteristic.
A Filter’Tron uses two rows of adjustable poles,
whereas the Gibson uses one row of adjustable poles and one row of
studs.
With its lower output,
the Filter’Tron produces less distortion than a humbucker pickup. The narrower magnetic field window samples a smaller segment of
the string, naturally reducing the low-frequency information in the generated
signal
Recommended For Bridge
Specs: Quick Connect Yes
Wiring 4 Conductor Magnet Alnico 5 Resistance 8.20
Kohm
Tone Chart: Bass 3.0
Low Mid 3.5 High Mid 3.5 Treble 7.0