15 pickups later…..

[Candiria]

Yes, I understand this more when it's a pricey pickup vs cheap shit. But once you gotta Duncan in there, they all kinda sound similar, well an Invader and a Dimebucker don't, but you know? most of them are in the same ballpark as each other, because what sounds good is generally a balanced pickup with a lot of the same frequency content.

That's because most of those are just slightly tweaked versions of the same pickup. There are plenty of pickups that sound and feel drastically different...like an Invader or a Dimebucker.

 

[guitarplayer]

I made the mistake of buying a bunch of pickups to replace my Les Paul's bridge pickup and after all was said and done I ended up with the Les Paul's stock pickup back in the guitar .

Yep, seems to happen all the time

 

[MistaGuitah]

I have all these from your list among others:

Duncan JB with roughcast A5
Duncan JB with roughcast A2 (also polished mags)
Dimarzio Super Distortion
Duncan 59/Custom Hybrid
Wolfetone Fenris
Duncan Custom Custom
BKP Holy Diver
Dimarzio Norton

Never used Pariah but they se to have a real nice selection. Among those you listed, I find the Norton to be exceptional, and the Fenris to be outstanding. They're all great pickups, and as for Seymour Duncan, the 59/Custom and Custom Custom are two of my very favorite Duncan's. It's hard to imagine the Fenris couldn't fit the bill but it sounds like Pariah might have some excellent pickups.

 

[scottosan]

I hate A2 for high-gain, but I don't play VH-ish stuff.

Its not that A2 is bad for high gain, it's just that because it has a higher ferrous alloy content and as a result increases inductance, which shifts the resonant peak downward. So, it's literally a darker magnet if put in the same no pickup or used in the same winding pattern. You can wind a pickup to compensate for that, but most winders don't.

 

[Detroit1973]

I still like the Afwayu…but after switching it out for Scott’s Psyches, the Afwayu sounded kinda flat to me…and I know it’s still a great pickup. The Psyches just gives ‘more’ of what the Afwayu does, with better detail and clarity. A Shaw Dirty Fingers is a small notch above the Psyches; but they are unpotted and expensive. Both have that great tight low end that punches hard.

Ok. I've been reading about scott's pickups. i assume the Psyches is the Most Aggressive? with the most output?

 

[Racerxrated]

Ok. I've been reading about scott's pickups. i assume the Psyches is the Most Aggressive? with the most output?

I would ask him; I think it is from a tonal standpoint as I have a Roxy and a Sunset Strip, and a Whiskey. The Psyches is the closest to the Afwayu out of that group.

 

[Rex Rocker]

Its not that A2 is bad for high gain, it's just that because it has a higher ferrous alloy content and as a result increases inductance, which shifts the resonant peak downward. So, it's literally a darker magnet if put in the same no pickup or used in the same winding pattern. You can wind a pickup to compensate for that, but most winders don't.

I understand. Plenty of bright A2 winds, especially in the low KOhms.

It's just the lower winds tend to be kinda weak, and the fact that A2 is kinda weak as well doesn't help. And then, the more a pickup is overwound, the darker it tends to become. So it's kind of a conondrum to me.

I will admit, though, I am not very knowledgeable of A2 pickups. I've tried the Gibson BB2/3, the 490R/T, the Duncan Slash, and the Phat Cat, and out of those, I've only really liked the Phat Cat in isolation, but not mixed with actual hot pickups.

I would love to try a EVH Wolfwang Bridge.

 

[scottosan]

I understand. Plenty of bright A2 winds, especially in the low KOhms.

It's just the lower winds tend to be kinda weak, and the fact that A2 is kinda weak as well doesn't help. And then, the more a pickup is overwound, the darker it tends to become. So it's kind of a conondrum to me.

I will admit, though, I am not very knowledgeable of A2 pickups. I've tried the Gibson BB2/3, the 490R/T, the Duncan Slash, and the Phat Cat, and out of those, I've only really liked the Phat Cat in isolation, but not mixed with actual hot pickups.

I would love to try a EVH Wolfwang Bridge.

The RTM is also great and is A2. It can get a little bloated in the low-end, but has a good feel and still cuts

 

[Detroit1973]

I would ask him; I think it is from a tonal standpoint as I have a Roxy and a Sunset Strip, and a Whiskey. The Psyches is the closest to the Afwayu out of that group.

I like the Afwayu cause it's Warm but also aggressive with good low end push. I tune to D Standard & Play Terror Style Hard Core Music.

 

[Racerxrated]

I like the Afwayu cause it's Warm but also aggressive with good low end push. I tune to D Standard & Play Terror Style Hard Core Music.

I would definitely give a Psyches a try in one of your guitars. It covers what you like about the Afwayu very well imo

 

[harddriver]

I made the mistake of buying a bunch of pickups to replace my Les Paul's bridge pickup and after all was said and done I ended up with the Les Paul's stock pickup back in the guitar .

Been there....done that........ but it wasn't stock LP pickups... but I willingly got on the PAF Merry Go Round anyway only to come back to what my ears liked initially!

I got to try out some great pickups though! Most just weren't what my ears were looking for!

I still would like to hear a magical Tom Holmes 455 PAF though!

 

[harddriver]

I didn't get any brown from the CC because if I did I would have kept it.

Same results for me on the Duncan Custom Custom back in 2004. Its just sounded muddy to me with no bite unlike a MM1400 or 1300 or a Duncan Custom or certain PAF derivatives. If you are going for VH1 specifically I highly recommend either a vintage or new MM1400(9k) or 1300(13-14K).

For all around great VH stuff the EVH78 model still reigns supreme in my book, it can do VH1 fairly well up to 1984 IMHO.