Deciding on pickups is tough

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DanTravis62 said:
I love 800s in general, but i personally think the vocal, bass and drum production are what makes that album sound great, not the guitar sound
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Agree. The guitar tone just fits. I guess I’m just used to it after listening to it a million times.
 
headlessdeadguy said:
Agree. The guitar tone just fits. I guess I’m just used to it after listening to it a million times.
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It's like that with a ton of old records that are classics like that. Especially from that era.

As a youngster I always loved Brian Tatler's tone on "Lightning to the Nations"/the white album, but listening to it now, it's everything that sucks ass about master volume amps LOL

Even listening now though, I can't imagine any other tone, even though it's objectively a garbage sound - because Diamond Head is freaking amazing and classic, you know?

But if we're being objective, there's way better tones even from that era of metal
 
it's so freakin hard to pick. There are so many great pickups and too many variables when listening to clips of other people playing those pickups.
 
VonBonfire said:
You should create a couple threads belittling me for not posting a clip, attempting to shame me in front of the forum, and use every form of insult you can muster and see if you can get me to post one. :LOL:
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As long as you don’t mind my lazy ass just copy/pasting everything Lisa said already.
 
Check out the Seymour Duncan Wes Hauch rails. They're killer pickups. Not overly hot, all about clarity, note separation and chunk, but not super bassy..
 
I use an EMG 81 in everything. I've went away from it before, but I came back.
 
My RG550 has a Pariah 70s Destruction in the bridge. Modeled after an older Dimarzio Super Distortion -- I like it a lot
 
braintheory said:
just find recent stuff really sterile/lacking life in comparison.
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There's pretty solid science behind this, the wire used in older pickups wasn't as perfectly to gauge across a spool, so a lot of the extra harmonic overtones come from the variations there. Older pickups also have natural de-gaussing in the magnets too, so they probably don't sound like they did when they were new. It's lucky that the higher output vintage stuff is still pretty cheap if that's your jam, because most of the current vintage correct pickup makers like Slider etc are focused on the PAF/Strat/Tele market exclusively.
 
ners said:
Alnico for the warmth, but there's a couple options out there that are A5 with ceramic spacers that apparently give a decent blend of both.
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My Schecter Apocalypse has pickups like that.
Good amount of gain. It's like an A5 with a bit more hair on it..

Alnico V Direct Coupled Construction Combined with Ceramic 8 Flanking Magnets
 
Perko said:
There's pretty solid science behind this, the wire used in older pickups wasn't as perfectly to gauge across a spool, so a lot of the extra harmonic overtones come from the variations there. Older pickups also have natural de-gaussing in the magnets too, so they probably don't sound like they did when they were new. It's lucky that the higher output vintage stuff is still pretty cheap if that's your jam, because most of the current vintage correct pickup makers like Slider etc are focused on the PAF/Strat/Tele market exclusively.
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Some people also say you can't replicate the formvar wire the same way, but who knows. There's lots of great affordable vintage low output pickups too as long as the brand isn't Gibson, Fender or Gretsch lol. This is why I just don't really recommend much with recent made pickups

I like all styles of pickups, but play most vintage low output humbuckers, particularly the more snarly, aggressive varieties like the Gretsch Supertrons and '60's Guild humbuckers. Both incredible as long as they didn't get potted/neutered
 
Yehuda said:
just to second this- I loved modern pickups, but then when I tried the pickups sam recommended, there was definitely an improvement - my favorite pickups are still lundgren m6, but outside of that i would take the vintage pickups over everything else ive tried
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Yeah the M6's are great with a very particular voicing where there's just no vintage equivalent sadly. I've had M6's in some of my vintage '60's guitars. What blasphemy lol and then real '50's Gibson PAF's also in some of my modern metal guitars
 
Yeah Fender pickups are woeful, even the vintage reissue stuff just sounds like "new pickups" to me since getting a few sets of Sliders and a Creamery '71 WRHB.
Dunno about Gibson, but the newest pickups I've used from them are from around 2005, so I don't know if there's a line there somewhere. I've always been of the opinion that their pickups were one of their stronger showings in that market they're in, (play "authentic", Gibson tone etc), especially in opposition to crappy fret nibs, flaking finishes and separating inlays.
 
braintheory said:
For me it became much easier once I realized how much better vintage pickups sound and feel and there are many hidden gems that are very affordable. It made all the pickup guys recommend here worthless to me besides Lundgren for something modern and different in a cool way
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I'm loving the Lungren "The One" set in this one Skervesen and the Black Heaven set in my newest Skervesen. Really great pups IMO.

What are some of the vintage pups you like for heavier music...thrashy-old school DM type riffage? I know you've talked about it in other threads, but I'm to lazy to search....LOL
 
MetalHeadMike said:
I'm loving the Lungren "The One" set in this one Skervesen and the Black Heaven set in my newest Skervesen. Really great pups IMO.

What are some of the vintage pups you like for heavier music...thrashy-old school DM type riffage? I know you've talked about it in other threads, but I'm to lazy to search....LOL
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Nice! I just got a Lundgren The One a few days ago. Will try it this weekend. Very curious how it'll compare to my M6's and other pickups

Well for higher output for me it would be the '80's Schaller Blade and Dirty Finger's as my 2 overall personal favorites and also really like the various '70's and '80's Bill Lawrence's and Mighty Mite's, particularly the L100, L90 and 510L Bill Lawrence models. I can send you them to try, see what you think

I myself mostly play vintage low output pickups though (for metal). My favorites being '60's Gretsch Supetrons, '50's Gretsch PAF Filtertrons, and '60's Gibson PAT purple wire (post-PAF, pre-T-Top transitional). The '60's Guild and Hagstrom humbuckers are also killer. Lots of good ones. Many of these are noisy since they're unpotted, but I can manage it. Many of the Bill Lawrence's and Schaller's seem to be quieter though
 
DanTravis62 said:
I get why the X2N is popular, even if it's not a tone i enjoy at all - it started the "stupidly high output" craze since re-popularized by Patriot and a couple of other brands

but the super distortion, crunch lab, and the vast majority of their pickups have a nasal high mid thing that is impossible to dial out and i cannot physically stand playing it

it's like adding 80s solid state amp distortion EQ on top of whatever the rest of your rig is - I can literally pick out on albums when they are using a super distortion just based on the palm mute sound, it drives me actually insane
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OK, who's using the super distortion on Slayer's reign in blood album, Jeff hanneman the left side, or Kerry King on the right side?
 
anomaly said:
OK, who's using the super distortion on Slayer's reign in blood album, Jeff hanneman the left side, or Kerry King on the right side?
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Slayers tone sounds a million times better when they switch to emgs on Seasons
 
I like the Dimarzio Air Zone quite a bit, but can be too bassy on some guitars. Sounds great on my RG570.

For the neck I’ve always liked the Fast Track 1.
 
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