Deciding on pickups is tough

[BABMusic]

EMG's and all actives have a certain kind of sound that is unique. If you play two guitars in the same distorted amp, one of them with a passive and one with an EMG, I can easily tell which one was the EMG. I used EMGs for a long time, but I eventually just found that passives sound more organic or rounder. I have a guitar with passive pickups with a built in pre-amp that can be switched on or off and when it's engaged, it sounds almost exactly the same as EMGs.

 

[TheGreatGreen]

EMG's and all actives have a certain kind of sound that is unique. If you play two guitars in the same distorted amp, one of them with a passive and one with an EMG, I can easily tell which one was the EMG. I used EMGs for a long time, but I eventually just found that passives sound more organic or rounder. I have a guitar with passive pickups with a built in pre-amp that can be switched on or off and when it's engaged, it sounds almost exactly the same as EMGs.

Yeah, I'm a long time EMG guy too, but I'm planning on a full electronics + pickups swap in a newer guitar of mine and had considered putting in passives along with an EMG RPC pot, basically a pot that as you turn it up, boosts treble and cuts low end, like a built-in overdrive pedal EQ.

When dialed up to 10, the RPC's EQ curve looks like this, from the site:

Also, the RPC is an active component that buffers the signal from the pickups, so even if you use passive pickups, it will still convert that signal into the buffered, low impedance, extended crystaline highs thing that EMGs give you.

I'm going to put a recessed switch on the rear control plate that will allow me to bypass it or put it in the signal as the last thing in the chain. Best of all worlds! The guitar will be able to flip a switch and go fully passive if I want to use a fuzz pedal or just want to sound passive, and then when the switch is engaged, a fully active signal comes out of the guitar for when the situation calls for that as well. Kinda neat.

 

[Detroit1973]

Full disclosure, I don't have a ton of experience with different pickups. However, I found this youtube channel with a ton of direct pickup comparisons.

Anybody have any thoughts about if this guy's comparisons are good?

His comparison of the JB & Tone Zone are great. all of his videos are great.

 

[BlueParfait]

That is a good description. I have a Strat with an AT-1 bridge and a Cruiser in the neck ala Timmons. The AT-1 is very lower-mid focused, not a lot of cut or high-end. It can sound good, but it wouldn't be my overall pick. The find the Cruisers fine/boring. IMO true single coils sound a lot better.

I use an IGNO and 2 Choppers now.

No contest, IMO.

 

[Detroit1973]

Actually had a friend recommend the Alt-8 as well so I might have to look closer at that one!

For a bridge I’m trying a Schaller 3D-6 this time

Overall I’m trying to make this guitar pretty minimalist; single hum, flatmount bridge, 22 fret, controls will solely be two toggles; one killswitch and the other a coil split.

Sam from Cardinal Instruments is introducing it as a new model and the body and headstock shapes will be a departure from his normal lineup.

Very awesome of you to respond. I was an EMG 81 User for a long time & now i'm getting away from them completely.

 

[anomaly]

Yeah, I'm a long time EMG guy too, but I'm planning on a full electronics + pickups swap in a newer guitar of mine and had considered putting in passives along with an EMG RPC pot, basically a pot that as you turn it up, boosts treble and cuts low end, like a built-in overdrive pedal EQ.

When dialed up to 10, the RPC's EQ curve looks like this, from the site:

Also, the RPC is an active component that buffers the signal from the pickups, so even if you use passive pickups, it will still convert that signal into the buffered, low impedance, extended crystaline highs thing that EMGs give you.

I'm going to put a recessed switch on the rear control plate that will allow me to bypass it or put it in the signal as the last thing in the chain. Best of all worlds! The guitar will be able to flip a switch and go fully passive if I want to use a fuzz pedal or just want to sound passive, and then when the switch is engaged, a fully active signal comes out of the guitar for when the situation calls for that as well. Kinda neat.

That's kinda like the hit pass filter device I have on one of my cheaper Yamaha's RSE series. Gives it more cut and chops the lows a bit. Completely passive though.

 

[anomaly]

Sometimes it takes a while to realize a pickup is not ideal for me. I kinda feel that way about the SH-5 Custom now. The mids aren't thick like they are on a Distortion, it seems the top end is more accentuated too, in a bad way. Maybe it's the guitar though?

 

[TheGreatGreen]

Sometimes it takes a while to realize a pickup is not ideal for me. I kinda feel that way about the SH-5 Custom now. The mids aren't thick like they are on a Distortion, it seems the top end is more accentuated too, in a bad way. Maybe it's the guitar though?

Nah it's not just you, I kinda thought the same thing when I tried one. It feels like a hot PAF with its slightly scooped mids. Cool for somebody but not my thing.

 

[SonVolt]

Sometimes it takes a while to realize a pickup is not ideal for me. I kinda feel that way about the SH-5 Custom now. The mids aren't thick like they are on a Distortion, it seems the top end is more accentuated too, in a bad way. Maybe it's the guitar though?

I don't find the mids are thick on a Distortion, I find it quite scooped and compressed. Works wonderful in a heavy Les Paul, but not my choice for a super strat. When I think mids I think JB.

 

[Rackman]

It seems like it's impossible to really have an opinion on most of the pickups out there, since you have to hear a pickup in a couple guitars and through a couple amps before you really know what's specific to the pickup.

For humbuckers Alnico II Pros, Pegasus/Sentient, and EMG 81TW/89 work well for me. For singles I like Fralin domino/Twangmaster, Duncan stacks, EMG SAs, EMG Ts, and EMG T52s.

But for all I know there's tons of other stuff out there I'd like more but may never find.

 

[MetalGOD84]

I don't find the mids are thick on a Distortion, I find it quite scooped and compressed. Works wonderful in a heavy Les Paul, but not my choice for a super strat. When I think mids I think JB.

Adam Jones seems to like them.

 

[MetalGOD84]

It seems like it's impossible to really have an opinion on most of the pickups out there, since you have to hear a pickup in a couple guitars and through a couple amps before you really know what's specific to the pickup.

For humbuckers Alnico II Pros, Pegasus/Sentient, and EMG 81TW/89 work well for me. For singles I like Fralin domino/Twangmaster, Duncan stacks, EMG SAs, EMG Ts, and EMG T52s.

But for all I know there's tons of other stuff out there I'd like more but may never find.

I have a LPC with Alnico II Pro's (came from factory) and I'm surprised with how versatile they are. But ultimately im considering swaping them with the SD Distortion or the Custombuckers Plus. (Yes I like PAFs)

 

[Rackman]

I have a LPC with Alnico II Pro's (came from factory) and I'm surprised with how versatile they are. But ultimately im considering swaping them with the SD Distortion or the Custombuckers Plus. (Yes I like PAFs)

I'm definitely in the category of liking lots of highs, and they deliver. Output could be a bit hotter, but that's where the Pegasus/Sentient come in for me.

Alnico IIs seem to move comfortably over a lot of styles. In rigs that don't have a way to compensate their low tapped/parallel output is unfortunate though.