Looking for Suhr Aldrich bridge pickup replacement

  • Thread starter Thread starter PSGuitar
  • Start date Start date
PSGuitar said:
So I'm embarrased guys.

I played a lot today and I'm loving the Aldrich now in my LP.
I am getting plenty of low end chunk, thick kids, creamy solos and brutal palm mutes.

I must have had a brain fart when I wanted to swap them :(

Now when I play my PRS SC250, I hear that edgy ceramic highs I don't like. Now I think I want a Monleybucker for the SC250 and leave the Aldrich in my LP.
The Aldrich has the thickness and warmth of the Rio BBQ, but has good clarity and is tight.

My other guitar with a ceramic is the PRS CE22 with Dragon bridge pickup. It's 19k ceramic. It's so fat, but I'd love something as fat and clear but maybe a softer feel under the fingers. Maybe a Monkey would work here too.

Hmmm...
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Try a Godwood if you get the itch again.
Superb pickup, imo.
 
ZEN Amps said:
I've got a Blisterbucker on the way, along with an A8 mag to convert it to a Moneybucker should I choose. I didn't realise they only differ in the mag. Be fun to try both for sure.
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The Blisterbucker is the Timbrewolf with a ceramic and the Monkeybucker is the Timbrewolf with an A8?
Both should be fatter and bigger sounding than the Alnico TW.
 
PSGuitar said:
I should. I had one years ago, in my LP Standard. Also want to try his Ironman.
Not sure if that is ceramic.
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I was gonna recommend the Iron Man. The only high output pickup I’ve tried that I feel is superior is a Tone Specific model that’s not yet released. I’ve tried everything mentioned on this thread so far except for the Haussel Hot set. If you try their less hot pickups I liked the Darkburst better than the Godwoods. IMO the Iron Man and Darkbursts are their 2 best models for humbuckers
 
mooncobra said:
Bare knuckles rule, I don’t like the Aldrich myself. Try the bare knuckle medium output offerings. The juggernaut will surprise you.

There is a guy on here who swears by tone specific pickups.
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Maybe you were referring to me. I feel like a broken record talking about them, so have been trying to hold off haha, but seems like the OP is looking for something hotter than their current offerings

I don’t like Bare Knuckle’s much honestly. Compared to most other boutique winders I find them to sound sterile and lack complexity/richness in tone, but I would agree about the Juggernaut being one of the better models

The (sort of Protoype) hot Tone Specific set I have is far and away the best hot pickup set I’ve had (I’ve tried the other stuff mentioned in this thread except for that “hot” Haussel), but of what’s actually currently available the Jim Wagner Iron Man was my next favorite and that pickup sounds good in pretty much any guitar
 
braintheory said:
I was gonna recommend the Iron Man. The only high output pickup I’ve tried that I feel is superior is a Tone Specific model that’s not yet released. I’ve tried everything mentioned on this thread so far except for the Haussel Hot set. If you try their less hot pickups I liked the Darkburst better than the Godwoods. IMO the Iron Man and Darkbursts are their 2 best models for humbuckers
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So you tried the Monkey Bucker?

I've been using a PRS Tremonti, a SC250 and aSuhr Aldrich.
 
PSGuitar said:
So you tried the Monkey Bucker?

I've been using a PRS Tremonti, a SC250 and aSuhr Aldrich.
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I’ve had the Blisterbucker, but not the Monkey Bucker. Wolfe said it’s the same pickup with an Alnico 8 magnet instead. I’ve done some swaps of ceramic and A8 in a few pickups and honestly I really don’t like A8’s. They can sound huge, really beefy, but there’s just something about the inherent A8 tone that I just hate. Everytime I went back to A5 or ceramic it’s like all the tone just came back. The Blisterbucker I remember being pretty good, but there were others I liked more. I remember you said you want something that feels easy under the fingers. The Blisterbucker wouldn’t be that imo. The Iron Man would be the best I’ve tried for that kinda feel
 
PSGuitar said:
I have an Aldrich bridge pup in my alp with Gibson neck Pickup - alnico pro.

Looking to replace the Aldrich with something a bit chunkier and wider. The Aldrich is awesome and very focused and tight.
I think this LP needs some girth and chunk.
Warm and chunky, while tight enough.

Primary target is the Wolfetone Timbrewolf. I used that for years in an old LP of mine.

I love PRS pickups. Love the Tremonti.

Any others?

Maybe I'll entertain trades on here.

Rich
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SH-5 Duncan Custom/thread.
 
Braintheory...
Interesting comments on A8.
The Monkey was recommended over the A5 Timbrewolf as it adds a thickness and chunk not in the A5.
Now you have me wondering.
 
PSGuitar said:
Braintheory...
Interesting comments on A8.
The Monkey was recommended over the A5 Timbrewolf as it adds a thickness and chunk not in the A5.
Now you have me wondering.
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It should add lots of thickness and chunk over A5. No argument there, but I just hate the tone. You will likely sacrifice growl, tonal complexity and stuff like that for just sheer muscle, which will probably be abundant

Ceramic imo still usually has pretty good chunk and typically tighter, imo better tone than A8 and has that bite and sizzle over Alnico’s that can often be desirable, but not as warm. Also usually stronger and sharper pinch harmonics with ceramic

Different pickups though translate differently to the various magnets. In some I preferred A5, some Ceramic, some A2, but haven’t yet tried any A8’s that did it for me
 
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I like the SD Nazgul. It's tight, chunky, and mid-heavy.
 
braintheory said:
It should add lots of thickness and chunk over A5. No argument there, but I just hate the tone. You will likely sacrifice growl, tonal complexity and stuff like that for just sheer muscle, which will probably be abundant

Ceramic imo still usually has pretty good chunk and typically tighter, imo better tone than A8 and has that bite and sizzle over Alnico’s that can often be desirable, but not as warm. Also usually stronger and sharper pinch harmonics with ceramic

Different pickups though translate differently to the various magnets. In some I preferred A5, some Ceramic, some A2, but haven’t yet tried any A8’s that did it for me
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I find ceramic warmer and fatter, thicker in general. I find alnico thinner. But so much has to do with the overall build.
This video does a good job of explain g what I hear. Fatter and warmer with ceramic.
"Ceramic vs. Alnico: Which pickups sound better? - gearnews.com" https://www.gearnews.com/ceramic-vs-alnico-which-pickups-sound-better/
 
PSGuitar said:
I find ceramic warmer and fatter, thicker in general. I find alnico thinner. But so much has to do with the overall build.
This video does a good job of explain g what I hear. Fatter and warmer with ceramic.
"Ceramic vs. Alnico: Which pickups sound better? - gearnews.com" https://www.gearnews.com/ceramic-vs-alnico-which-pickups-sound-better/
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Like you said the way those magnets translate into different pickup models can vary and also depends on the magnet itself. I know the guy at Tone Specific is super picky about the quality of the magnets he uses. I think part of the fatter/thicker, warmer sound you hear can perhaps just be from the ceramic magnet making the same pickup hotter/higher DC and a little more compressed. I've done quite a few magnet swaps in the same model pickups and while it varied a lot which magnet I preferred in each particular pickup, I always found ceramic to be tighter, hotter, a little more compressed, more bite/sizzle in the highs, less woody sounding (which to me is less warm), sharper sounding pinch harmonics. In some pickups like the Wagner Fillmore I did somehow find the Alnico V to be more aggressive sounding than the Ceramic and just imo a lot better, but in other pickups I've had clearly preferred ceramic. I've seen that video before. Honestly I've never really found his content that helpful from my in-person experiences with much of what he discusses gear-wise
PSGuitar said:
All this said, I want to try the Iron Man.
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The Iron Man comes in Ceramic by default, but I think for like another $10 or so Jim could send a Alnico 5 as well and also an A8
 
Hmmm...
So today I was playing my LP with Aldrich and I'm liking it. Weird, the ears are so strange.
I know the Monkey bucker with A8 seems to have more mid girth, but don't know if I want to spend the money to try.
 
PSGuitar said:
Hmmm...
So today I was playing my LP with Aldrich and I'm liking it. Weird, the ears are so strange.
I know the Monkey bucker with A8 seems to have more mid girth, but don't know if I want to spend the money to try.
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You’re call. Some like the “if ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach, but I always try to look for ways to improve what I can and usually can find something that’s imo well worth it. The journey of a gearhead and why most of us are here lol

I would probably try the Iron Man before the Monkeybucker if I were you, but I’ve only tried the ceramic version (Blisterbucker). Both good pickups. The A8 in pickups I’ve had had a lot of low end or low mids rather than more mids, but maybe it’s different with the Monkeybucker A8, who knows
 
I get it, ha... My call and I hate these decisions.
I have to be honest, I switched fromthr Aldrich to my ceramics and man, they are just thicker and fuller - the ceramics. At least these pickups.

The Ironebucker is on my to try list.

I'd be happy with a Tremonti in my LP too.

I realized I spent too much money on tubes this year and now I'm looking at speakers and pickups, pedals....
Ugh....
Gear... Lol..
 
braintheory said:
Maybe you were referring to me. I feel like a broken record talking about them, so have been trying to hold off haha, but seems like the OP is looking for something hotter than their current offerings

I don’t like Bare Knuckle’s much honestly. Compared to most other boutique winders I find them to sound sterile and lack complexity/richness in tone, but I would agree about the Juggernaut being one of the better models

The (sort of Protoype) hot Tone Specific set I have is far and away the best hot pickup set I’ve had (I’ve tried the other stuff mentioned in this thread except for that “hot” Haussel), but of what’s actually currently available the Jim Wagner Iron Man was my next favorite and that pickup sounds good in pretty much any guitar
Click to expand...

I kind of agree here. I have the rebel yells and I know a lot of people like these but in my les paul they are sterile. I keep trying to convince myself that these are good and I should like them but I cant get it to work.
 
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