#31
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#32
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Hard to pick one pickup for ever for everything, so I won't.
The way pickups react to different amps and single chains can totally change the response and perceptions for one thing. So I'll answer based on "pickups that have impressed me in the past year or so" instead: P90 type in Epiphone 339 Pro. A little hotter than some other P90s I've played, but there's several sounds there if you just turn the guitar's volume down. Classic P90s are more hum-prone that just about any other popular pickup, and these aren't even hum-cancelling in the both pickup position for some reason, but I like P90s and I sure like this version. Gibson 57 Classics in a mid-teens Gibson Les Paul tribute. Like folks have already said, this just seems to get the sound "right" from expectations I no doubt have from real PAFs on vinyl records of my youth. Fender 52 vintage bridge pickup, in well, a Telecaster. This, or something close to it, has been my core sound for decades. Bright and not that high an output, but it's usually easy enough to tame brightness or add gain as opposed to adding it to a muddy, inarticulate pickup. Recent Squier vintage vibe pickups seem similar enough to me. "Duncan Designed" Jaguar pickups in inexpensive Squier Jaguar. I sort of expected "Straty" but it's more like a Strat crossed with a Tele. I have no idea what a real Jaguar pickup set in a real Jaguar would sound like, but I know my bank balance doesn't want me to find out. Firebird style mini-humbuckers. The guitar I keep by my computer is a Squier three pickup Tele with the original "Duncan Designed" Firebird style mini humbucker with a solid chrome cover in the neck position. Even though there's a 52 style Tele pickup in the bridge position and a decent "Duncan Design" Strat pickup in the middle, I use that neck pickup a lot for adding guitar overdubs. Humbucking but not too muddy, an nice bite. Sounds great clean or with a lot of gain thrown at it. Or throw some compression at it and play slide. We've gone through a P90 renaissance in the past few years, so maybe the mini-humbucker will come back into consideration? I'm still working on coming to grips with the Filtertron type pickups in my Electromatic Gretsch that Steve DeRosa turned me onto here. Similar to the mini-humbucker idea, it's brighter and plenty articulate. I think I'll find even better sound from them when I get things dialed in for them.
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----------------------------------- Creator of The Parlando Project Guitars: 20th Century Seagull S6-12, S6 Folk, Seagull M6; '00 Guild JF30-12, '01 Martin 00-15, '16 Martin 000-17, '07 Parkwood PW510, Epiphone Biscuit resonator, Merlin Dulcimer, and various electric guitars, basses.... |
#33
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Sweet. I'm a sucker for zebra pickups - my favorite look for Les Pauls. |
#34
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Some of my aftermarket favorites: DIMARZIO Air Classic PAF Pro Super Distortion EMG SAs LINDY FRALIN Vintage Hots Split Blades for Tele and Strat SEYMOUR DUNCAN '59 Antiquity humbucker Alnico II for Strat Some stock pickups I've liked over the years: FENDER Texas Specials Original 57/62 Strat (as used in reissues) GIBSON MHS humbuckers IBANEZ Super 70 |
#35
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#36
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---------------------------------------------------------------- '74 Guild D25M ‘11 Guild D130 '07 Seagull Artist Studio Burst 12 '08 Norman Protege B18 '08 Rickenbacker 610 ‘18 Gibson SG Special |
#37
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For a long time, my de-facto pickup was the DiMarzio Super Distortion, but I was into a lot of metal and hard rock. The Duncan JB is a good pickup too. For single coil, I've been lovin' the Duncan YJH model. I still have a pile of pickups in the toolbox that I have to sort through.
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#38
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Sooooo many options. I mostly use Seymore Duncan humbuckers. I really like their Hotrail pickups and the classic 59's are great too.
Having been a guitar tech for over 25 years I've played a lot of pickups and by far my favorite are Joe Bardens. They have a volume and clarity like no other pickup, I really don't know how he (they) do it but they are a step above anything else. But if you want a dirty p-90 sound then you won't get it there. So different strokes for folks. |
#39
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I'm surprised no one has tried/mentioned Lollar pickups.
I didn't do a huge research project in selecting them but I've got a set in my Tele consisting of their Vintage T neck pickup + Special T bridge pickup. Arrived at this based on playing a Nash Telecaster that I really liked. The other ones I was leaning towards were Lindy Fralin's pickups. I do think a ton of this has to do with amp pairings and such. I have an Orange Rocker 15... being an Orange amp it is not terribly difficult to get it to break up. So the more vintage pickups that are a bit less hot feel a lot more versatile to me than hotter pickups. I found it a little too easy to end up in distorted territory even on the clean channel with the original hotter ceramic pickups my MIM Tele came with. The way my amp works the hot pickups went full distortion pretty early on the gain dial. The vintage style ones can still go mega-distortion but they have a better in between range so you can get a lot of nice "on the edge" sounds. The Lollar's respond amazingly well to the tone and volume knobs too. They're way cleaner/articluate/defined when playing chords. Lots of variables here as I rewired the guitar when I put the new pickups in, but I love them. If I get another guitar I would love to try the Fishman Fluence pickups. If I was to get another electric I think I'd try something with Humbuckers, fairly different from my Telecaster. |
#40
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I mentioned them a few pages back as a pickup set I'd love to get: Lollar Regals, his Fender Wide-Range repro. His humbuckers are top-notch (Imperials have to be near the top of the line). I almost got his P-90s, but ended up with Fralin (I think Lindy has an edge on his single-coils, but that's subjective).
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#41
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#42
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First off , I am not a fan of humbuckers . Just find them unnecessary .
To date , the pickups that are in my 2006 Masterbuilt Rosewood Tele are simply phenomenal . Maybe I will change to a 4 way switch some day in this one . For an aftermarket set , I am partial to Klein Alnico 4 Tele pickups . They are just a bit special to my ear . I have a set of Fender CS '69 pickups in my DIY hardtail Strat and I find them quite tasty . Yeah , I like single coils . |
#43
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My single all time favorite pickup is the Carvin M22V neck humbucker.
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I don't have a bunch of guitars because they all sound just like me. 1984 Carvin LB-40 bass 1986 Carvin DC-125 two humbucker 1996 Taylor 412 La Patrie Concert 2012 American Standard Telecaster 1981 Carvin DC 100 Harley Benton LP JR DC Bushman Delta Frost & Suzuki harmonicas Artley flute Six-plus decade old vocal apparatus |
#44
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Tele's:
Lollar El Rayo Neck Cavalier Fat Lion Bridge This combo eats small live animals. Cavalier Nashville Lion Bridge Cavalier Lion King Neck Superb Classic Tele Tone I have a set of Keystones that I haven't tried, yet. GAS The Lollar Vintage T / Special T combo mentioned earlier. |
#45
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On my strat clone I have a Hotrail in the neck, Dimarzio single coil in the middle and an old Duncan DCJ at the bridge. I use 500k pots. I never cared much for the coil split with the Hot Rail, but that's typical of any humbucker coil split imho.
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