Just had Wolfetone Legends installed in Heritage H535 (335 style) Guitar

[shawnpurcell]

Hey Everybody,

Just got my Heritage H535 (335 style) 20th Anniversary guitar back from Joe Glaser's shop. I had Glaser's shope install Wolfetone Legends w/ lightly aged nickel covers. The guitar had Antiquities installed originally. I really like the ants, but was lacking something in the lows, maybe wanted a hair more girth. My Legends are 7.70k neck and 8.38k bridge, with double cream bobbins under the covers.

I have my regular Wednesday night gig tomorrow and I am going to do a guest artist Jazz Guitar Masterclass and concert at Southern Illinois University Thursday, so I will report back with my opinions.

I will say that the the DMC covers that Wolfe uses are VERY nice looking indeed, I like the more squared off corners than the rounded Antiquity covers! Lightly aged, raw/unpolished is definitely the way to go for a guitar that has been played, but not beat to hell yet

Shawn
www.shawnpurcell.com
www.myspace.com/shawnpurcell

 

[Lee_Moore]

Hi, Shawn! Well, how do they sound?

Hey Everybody,

Just got my Heritage H535 (335 style) 20th Anniversary guitar back from Joe Glaser's shop. I had Glaser's shope install Wolfetone Legends w/ lightly aged nickel covers. The guitar had Antiquities installed originally. I really like the ants, but was lacking something in the lows, maybe wanted a hair more girth. My Legends are 7.70k neck and 8.38k bridge, with double cream bobbins under the covers.

I have my regular Wednesday night gig tomorrow and I am going to do a guest artist Jazz Guitar Masterclass and concert at Southern Illinois University Thursday, so I will report back with my opinions.

I will say that the the DMC covers that Wolfe uses are VERY nice looking indeed, I like the more squared off corners than the rounded Antiquity covers! Lightly aged, raw/unpolished is definitely the way to go for a guitar that has been played, but not beat to hell yet

Shawn
www.shawnpurcell.com
www.myspace.com/shawnpurcell

 

[shawnpurcell]

Hey There,

I have a rehearsal today, my regular Wednesday night gig tonight and I am going to do a guest artist Jazz Guitar Masterclass and concert at Southern Illinois University Thursday, so I will report back with my opinions, probably late tonight...

Shawn

 

[59Vampire]

I have had both ants ant legends in my r9. The legend bridge pickup is just AWESOME. Lee, you will groove on it/ I am indecided on the neck however. At times I prefer the ant, at times i prefer the wolfie. we will see what happens in january when my Tims arrive

 

[shawnpurcell]

Well, I did 2 gigs tonight with the Legends, both jazz gigs, 1 was organ trio. I had antiquities in my Heritage 535 before.

My initial opinions:

"Lightly aged" DMC covers with the Wolfetone Legends look GREAT!

Legends Neck, which is what I used all night, is stronger than the Antiquity Neck. I would say the legend has more girth and is a hair clearer then the Antiquity. Not really brighter, just more clear. The one thing I noticed is that the Legends Neck is punchier than the ant neck. I would almost compare it to solid state rectification vs. tube rectification. The Antiquity Neck is a little squishier (Tube rect.) and the Legends punch through like a solid state rect. The Legends have a little more bottom, which is what I was looking for on this guitar, and the Legends cut a little more. And, the interesting thing is that even though the Legends are a little clearer I don't really find the need to roll off the tone as much for a warm, fat tone. The antiquities were a little harsh in the highs and the Legends are clearer, but not brittle in the top end.. These opinions are with the Legend set exactly the same as the Ant had been set, I have had no time to tweak pickup height. My legend neck clocks in at 7.7k. The legends break up my Blackface Vibroverb a little earlier because of their punchiness. I can hear the pick articulation a little more with the Legends also...

I haven't messed with the bridge, but it seems like the same goes for the bridge pickup.

Maybe it's the fully charged magnet that is making the difference, I haven't measured the ohms reading on the Antiquities that were pulled from this guitar, I'll do that when I get back from Southern Il. University...

So far, for what I was wanting the Legends are OUTSTANDING! Not a huge difference from the Ants, but just enough punch and girth that I am a happy camper. I think the bridge pickup is really going to cook once I can use it in a live situation...

So, Ants are a little squishier, woolier, softer overall, whereas the Legends are punchier, slightly more clear/articulate and a hair fatter in the lows, stronger overall volume wise, and nicer looking covers if you really care that much about the way the covers look...

Maybe the Legends would be better for a slightly darker guitar, whereas the softness of the Antiquites would make a bright guitar really sing?

More to come!

Shawn
www.shawnpurcell.com
www.myspace.com/shawnpurcell

 

[59Vampire]

Shawn very nice review. but now im totally lost. in my ears, i hear the wolfie as being a bit more wooly in the neck and the ant being clearer. maybe its the output? i do find though that the wolfie once dialedin properly on the amp is just as clear, it just tends to be a bit more wild

 

[RickN]

One thing that would be useful to keep in mind about the Legends model is that they're sort-of like Antiquities are in the Duncan line - no two sets are exactly the same, and by design. I'm not saying the Legends are Wolfe's attempt at an Antiquity, so don't try to read between the lines. I'm saying Wolfe intentionally makes the Legends somewhat 'random', within certain boundaries (again, for the same reason that Duncan makes Antiquities somewhat random). So comparing two sets of Legends only has so much you can draw in the way of conclusions... much like Antiquities. Other pickups that Wolfe makes, like the Marshallhead line and the Dr. Vintage pickups, have very specific specs.

So unless two different people measure the DC resistance of their Legend pickups at the same ambient temperature with the same meter and come up with the same readings, there's no real way to make an exact comparison of two sets of Legend pickups. :salude

Never mind that they're installed in different guitars being played by different people through different amps. :dude:

 

[55Custom]

So, Ants are a little squishier, woolier, softer overall, whereas the Legends are punchier, slightly more clear/articulate and a hair fatter in the lows, stronger overall volume wise, and nicer looking covers if you really care that much about the way the covers look...

Maybe the Legends would be better for a slightly darker guitar, whereas the softness of the Antiquites would make a bright guitar really sing?

]

That was my experience with Ants vs. Legends. The legends added clarity to a darker sounding guitar. So the Ants when into a much brighter guitar - an SG, to mellow it out.

 

[Korina& Mahogany]

Shawn very nice review. but now im totally lost. in my ears, i hear the wolfie as being a bit more wooly in the neck and the ant being clearer. maybe its the output? i do find though that the wolfie once dialedin properly on the amp is just as clear, it just tends to be a bit more wild

That may have to do with your wood vs his:wah
Pun intended
Wolfe is a cool guy.