Electric Guitar / pickup combination you'd like to try

[Dru Edwards]

Hey Everyone. What Electric Guitar / pickup combination would you like to try? So many great guitars and great pickups. In addition, do you think you'll have an opportunity to try that combo?

Feel free to throw in an amp in that combo as well, since that's a major tone driving force.

[s2y]

Dang near all of them!

[terrapin]

Still really want to play a Cabronita.............Tele with T.V. Jones pickups!!!

[Steve DeRosa]

Guitar:
G1] '64 Strat hardtail (stock PU's)/'63 blonde Twin + '63 Fender Reverb tank
G2] '64 Gretsch White Falcon (stock PU's)/'66 Ampeg B-12XT Portaflex
G3] '65 Rick 360-12 (toaster-tops)/'64 Vox AC30TB "Super Reverb Twin"
G4] '60 (late) LP 'burst (PAF's)/'70 Marshall Major + 8X12"

Bass:
B1] '62 Precision (stock PU's)/'64 Ampeg B-15 Portaflex
B2] '64 Hofner 500/1 (stock PU's)/'65 Vox AC100 + 2X15"
B3] '66 Gibson EB-2D (stock PU's)/'66 Ampeg B-18 Portaflex
B4] '67 Gibson EB-3 (stock PU's)/'72 Ampeg SVT + 16X10"

Which have I tried...?
G2 - separately, a few years apart; ran my '64 Double Annie through the Portaflex and IMO it's the finest-sounding guitar amp I ever played, hands down - Filter'trons should be even better
G4 - played a '76 Hagstrom Swede through the Major; probably as close as I'll come to strapping into a Top Fuel dragster and laying down a 330-mph pass - forget what you think you know about Marshalls, the 100W doesn't even come close
B1 - The classic James Jamerson setup, tried several when I was looking for a bass in the mid-70's - sounded like soul heaven, couldn't handle the big neck/big price of the P-Bass
B2 - Played a few of the Hofners back when, mostly through Ampeg Portaflexes; definitely has the Beatle mojo but IMO the post-2K models are better-made
B3 - The ultimate Brit-Invasion/San-Fran/'60s R&B bass rig, period, and I'm sorry I never put one together when I could still get both pieces on the cheap - brings up the floor about two feet every time you hit the low E, and with the pull-up muffler it's the closest I've ever gotten to the Gordon Lightfoot/John Stockfish "Rosanna" tone
B4 - Again separately, several years apart; played a '67 Epiphone Rivoli through an SVT in the studio, the big air-pusher Nitro Funny Car to the Major's Top Fueler - don't know if Jack Bruce had an endorsement deal but this would've taken the "Marshall fart" out of his low end and given him more definition for those duels with EC

I don't hold out too much hope of trying the others, alone or together - the LP needs no further introduction, Strat's $30K+ if you can find one, blonde Twins are pushing five figures (again, if you can find one), '60s AC100's are almost non-existent on American soil, and TMK the original AC30TB with reverb is so rare the Beatles didn't even have them. Might put together a 100W/1X18" tube bass rig with some current-production equipment and my SG Reissue bass, though...

[mikealpine]

Well, last night I had the pleasure of playing alongside a terrific guitarist. My Tuesday evening group of hobbyists got together as usual and someone new came in. He listened to us play for a bit and then opened his case and pulled out a Collings City Limits. That guitar sounded fantastic! He played through an old Crate amp, and it didn't hurt that he was really talented, but after doing some reading, I think I'd like to try Lollar Imperials in my Brian Moore.

[imwjl]

I'm really happy with what I have but a few trials stand out.

I can't think of what I haven't tried if picking up something in a store counts but if this means ownership or try again I confess to liking a few P-90 and Gretsch guitars.

Outstanding combo 1 that I tried and would try again was a Gretsch 6120 and 6118 in a Deluxe Reverb.

Outstanding combo 2 that I tried and would try again was a Collings 290 in a Princeton Reverb.

Outstanding combo 3 that I tried and would try again was a Collings East Side in a Princeton Reverb.

My problem with trying things is Dave's being a day trip for me and some great shops closer to home.

[Paultergeist]

This is a really interesting thread, because I have tried several different pickup combinations in my Stratocasters. It is expensive to "buy to try" pickups, however, and there are so many I wish I could first hear before I committed to putting in my guitar......*sigh*....

[s2y]

Originally Posted by Paultergeist

This is a really interesting thread, because I have tried several different pickup combinations in my Stratocasters. It is expensive to "buy to try" pickups, however, and there are so many I wish I could first hear before I committed to putting in my guitar......*sigh*....

If you try hard enough, you can often find a quality clip or two on Youtube. Say ya want to hear a Tele with Charlie Christians or a semi-hollow with Lollar's hum bucker sized Charlie Christian? Tim Lerch has clips on Youtube ready to go.

[Sword Bringer]

There is a glut of fabulous guitars on the market. I'm really impressed with my Godin Icon with P-Rails through my black star HT-60. Black star has come out with some really unusual amps lately. I love the ID series. They are hybird solid state/tube amps. You can dial in about eight different tube sounds and they don't weigh a ton.

P-Rails are a trip P-90's with a single coil rail so they can be single coil, humbucker, or P-90. they just came out with a hotter Alnico 8 Bridge P-Rail which I'll have to but when my wife isn't looking!

[Sword Bringer]

I regret having bought my '65 Twin Reverb Re-issue. Yeah, it's a great amp. but I think it's better for keyboard the guitars.

[stratokatsu]

I'd like to try a 335 with a single coil between the humbuckers. An HSH combo in a hollow body might float my boat to the end of time. Guitar makers all over the world would shut down knowing I finally found "the one."

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by Paultergeist

This is a really interesting thread, because I have tried several different pickup combinations in my Stratocasters. It is expensive to "buy to try" pickups, however, and there are so many I wish I could first hear before I committed to putting in my guitar......*sigh*....

Ain't that the truth Paul. It is fun though.

[rburke]

I would love to play whatever SG/pickup configuration Angus Young uses. More importantly I would want to plug into that massive stack of Marshall's and work on going deaf.

[Tony Done]

I'm a P90 fan, so I would like to try an ES-330. The odds are not very favourable where I live, but I did try the Ibanez knockoff a few months ago. Loved it, but it sold before I could screw myself up to the sticking point.

The now-defunct Harmos lap steel is another, and the Bakelite and frypan Rick lap steels. Again, the odds are not in my favour.

In amps I would like to give the Mesa Transatlantic a decent workout. I'm not very interested in its OD capabilities, but the brief try I gave it suggested that the clean channel might be very good for slide.

[Bob Womack]

I would like to try a Rickenbacker B6 "Panda" with the long pickup. They are supposed to be very hot and bothered.

Bob