Hi there.

As I've been using my TB-500 more and more I've noticed a big difference in the output between it and my suped-up SG. I was thinking an MXR Micro amp... anyone got any other suggestions?

I think the Micro Amp can do the job quite well.
I use it quite extensively with my Mustang.
Another great pedal is the Zvex Super Duper. This one sound really great, but god, it is damn pricey.

You might try a DOD FX-10. It's called a bi-fet preamp or something similar and has just a volume nob and a tone nob. You can get them for less than $50 on ebay and they work great as a volume boost. I found both of my for $10 each at a flea market.

hey Gramsci.

just curious. what kind of pickups are in your TB500? Are they single coil?

full point wrote:hey Gramsci.

just curious. what kind of pickups are in your TB500? Are they single coil?

I've got an original TB single in the neck -a copy of a P90 I believe- and a SD Hot P90 in the bridge.

I think the difference may be more down to the SG, which has Dimarizo Air Zone and a SD PAF Pro, and is monstrously loud.

Gramsci,

How does the Duncan mount into your TB500? From the messing around I've done, the mounting screws on a P-90 don't line up with the pickup mounting holes on a Bean. Is the Duncan maybe attached to the pickguard via a dogear cover?

Also, despite the fact that the ruling classes have won consent from the masses, thus convincing them that TB500 pickups are copies of P-90s, from what I've seen, this is a not the case. The 500 pickups that I've seen up close are almost like glorified strat pickups: alnico 5 poles with the wire wound to 6k or so and then epoxied together with a resin sort of cover. The whole thing is mounted to a 1/4" base plate, making it almost a tele kind of pickup.

A true P-90 has two opposing bar magnets underneath the bobbin. The pole pieces screw down to come into contact with these magnets. Of course, isn't there another kind of 500 pickup, with plastic covers that you can actually remove and that say "Travis Bean" on them? I haven't seen these, and they may actually be P90 style.

David

kingink wrote:Gramsci,

How does the Duncan mount into your TB500? From the messing around I've done, the mounting screws on a P-90 don't line up with the pickup mounting holes on a Bean. Is the Duncan maybe attached to the pickguard via a dogear cover?

Also, despite the fact that the ruling classes have won consent from the masses, thus convincing them that TB500 pickups are copies of P-90s, from what I've seen, this is a not the case. The 500 pickups that I've seen up close are almost like glorified strat pickups: alnico 5 poles with the wire wound to 6k or so and then epoxied together with a resin sort of cover. The whole thing is mounted to a 1/4" base plate, making it almost a tele kind of pickup.

A true P-90 has two opposing bar magnets underneath the bobbin. The pole pieces screw down to come into contact with these magnets. Of course, isn't there another kind of 500 pickup, with plastic covers that you can actually remove and that say "Travis Bean" on them? I haven't seen these, and they may actually be P90 style.

David

Whoa! That's some tech talk! I have the plastic covered pickups on mine that you speak of. I looked up the job-sheet for the pickup replacement and I was wrong I had a Little '59â„¢ put in, not a P90. Having looked at the old TB pickup I suspect your theory about TB pickups is the right one...