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  #31  
Old 10-31-2017, 10:34 PM
The Growler The Growler is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Womack View Post
My favorite pickup is the '57 Classic humbucker from Gibson. I've pairs of those in two instruments, an ES-335 and an SG. Those pickup are just so articulate and add such character in bends. One of the two pairs sports a '57 Classic Plus in the bridge position so the two pairs are a bit different as well.

Bob
'57 Classics get my vote too. I have them in an LP and an ES-359 Custom Shop.
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  #32  
Old 11-01-2017, 10:46 AM
FrankHudson FrankHudson is offline
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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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  #33  
Old 11-02-2017, 09:23 AM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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Originally Posted by Darwin View Post
Dru, I don't have a favorite either. With my 40+ electrics, there isn't a bad set in the bunch. My last electric purchase has a set of TV Jones Duo Trons, the Paul Yandell models and I purchased the guitar to try those pickups. I haven't been disappointed yet! I have to admit I really like the Gretsch sound. -- Darwin
I've never played a Gretsch so that's a tone that eludes me. Seems to be lots of Gretsch love here on the AGF Electric sub forum. I'm going to have to play some at the guitar stores.

Quote:
Originally Posted by fazool View Post
1980's vintage Gibson stock over-wound zebra dual coil Tim Shaw dirty-fingers (with 12 adjustable poles instead of six).

IMO, Gibson's pinnacle of pickup-ness.

Sweet. I'm a sucker for zebra pickups - my favorite look for Les Pauls.
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  #34  
Old 11-02-2017, 04:03 PM
Eric_M Eric_M is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dru Edwards View Post
Although I don't think I have a favorite, the Seymour Duncan '59 is a great rocker and with an OD can get into '80s metal too.
Agreed, it is a little underappreciated for its versatility.

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
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  #35  
Old 11-02-2017, 06:08 PM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric_M View Post
Agreed, it is a little underappreciated for its versatility.

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
It's great to have options. Some nice pickups in your list.
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  #36  
Old 11-03-2017, 02:43 PM
ParisStarlight ParisStarlight is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eatswodo View Post
How, exactly, do you discern the abilities of one pickup over another? I've always been a little puzzled by this, as it's seemingly impossible to do an exact a/b comparison given all the other variables involved. Any swap-out necessarily involves at least a passage of time between hearing 'a', then hearing 'b', and memory, especially for sound, is far from perfect - not to mention the confirmation bias involved.

That being said, the electric guitar pickups that I've experienced that do the most for me, are the Rickenbacker HB-1s in my 650D. Never played them in another guitar, and have never experienced this guitar with other pickups - but there's just something about the way they respond to my touch that I've never experienced with any other guitar. It's clearly more than just the pickups, but I still maintain that these have something special.

Ain't science great?
My Ric 610 has different pups, but I feel the same. They just have a response and clarity that no other guitar gets.
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  #37  
Old 11-06-2017, 01:38 PM
LouieAtienza LouieAtienza is offline
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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  
Old 11-06-2017, 03:11 PM
redir redir is offline
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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.
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  #39  
Old 11-06-2017, 03:11 PM
beninma beninma is offline
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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.
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  #40  
Old 11-06-2017, 03:29 PM
MiG50 MiG50 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by beninma View Post
I'm surprised no one has tried/mentioned Lollar pickups.
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  
Old 11-06-2017, 08:14 PM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by redir View Post
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.
I have a bridge and neck Hotrails in one of my Strats, my "Iron Maiden" Strat. I played it briefly this week-end. Thinking that when I installed them I may have left in the 250k pots. Might try swapping them out for 500k pots.
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  #42  
Old 11-06-2017, 09:00 PM
Otterhound Otterhound is offline
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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 .
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  #43  
Old 11-06-2017, 09:17 PM
alnico5 alnico5 is offline
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My single all time favorite pickup is the Carvin M22V neck humbucker.
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  #44  
Old 11-06-2017, 11:11 PM
loco gringo loco gringo is offline
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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.
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  #45  
Old 11-07-2017, 08:49 AM
redir redir is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dru Edwards View Post
I have a bridge and neck Hotrails in one of my Strats, my "Iron Maiden" Strat. I played it briefly this week-end. Thinking that when I installed them I may have left in the 250k pots. Might try swapping them out for 500k pots.
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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