Motorcity Pickups ... anyone ?

[Anonymous]

I've read loads of great reviews about this guy's pickups and I've decided to try them.
Guitar is an Alder bodied Strat, Maple/Pau ferro neck, Wilkinson trem.
Single coils are Suhr V60LP.

I need something that splits well with the singles to give a decent " quack " and is also usable on its own in split mode.

I cover loads of styles, rock, pop, blues, Eagles style country, funk... the lot.

The guitar is wired with Suhr's system that allows the singles to see 250k pots and the Hum to see 500k.
It currently has a Suhr DSV+ but like all Suhr humbuckers, I find it sterile sounding and pos 2 is terrible.

Which Motorcity would you suggest ??
Afwayu sounds interesting.
I have a Duncan JB in my Anderson and by lowering it right down, it sounds awesome.
Would that work with the Afwayu ?

How about the Detrioter or 2nd Degree Black Belt ?

I've used his contact page but had no reply.
I'd like to ring him to talk but there's no number on the web site.

Opinions please ?

 

[OUTLAW1969]

Yeah, He removed his number from the site, so he could focus on winding more pickups. He is a one man operation, and used to get tied up for half of the day on the phone.

If you like the JB bridge pickups, I would suggest the Garuda or Hot Head pickup. They are not listed on his site yet, but Google those names, and check out the reviews. If you decide that you want one, just select "2nd Degree BB" in his drop down menu for ordering, and put "Garuda" or "Hot Head" in the comment section. I have several of each, in different guitars and have not been disappointed yet.

Detroiter sounds great in a Les Paul, but that has been my only experience with them.

Never tried a 2nd Degree BB.

Hope that helps.

 

[fuzzyguitars]

my experience has been with les pauls.

if you like the JB may also want to check out the nasty nasty.


my favorite to date for les pauls has been his T wrecks.

They are his version of a T top. Very open and articulate with plenty of thump which is the biggest drawback of the original bass shy t tops!

I also have his Hot heads and they are a great Mid gain pickup that has a little more thickness and smoother top end.

I would not recommend the Afwayu as this may be a little too hot and darker than what you are used too, especially if you like the JB.

 

[braintheory]

I have a set of Detroiters in a '93 Gibson SG Standard and they sound incredible, better than any Bare Knuckles I've tried so far (but I still love the Miracle Man in my Les Paul). The only other Motor City I've tried were the 2nd Degree Black Belts, and they were pretty similar to the Detroiterer, just a little more open and articulate, while the Detroiter was a little more aggressive and angry, particularly in the mids (that's why it sounds so awesome to me).

I don't think either will split well though, since they are both lower output. Also, I don't really like the cleans on my Detroiters.

I'm very curious about the T-Wreck and Nasty Nasty (I heard it's very similar to the Detroiter) and about pretty much all the MCP's I haven't tried . (Solution, Nuke, Black Iron, Angel Dust, etc.)

 

[fuzzyguitars]

The detroiter was my favorite MCP pickup for a LONG time.

I dont think that they are remotely close to his newer models.

I still recommend them whole heartedly, but I do feel that his newer winds are superior.

the detroiter is stellar with some drive but is a little vanilla clean.

the t wreck is fabulous with cleans and over drive.

the hot heads are better with cleans than the detroiter but somewhat congested with the mids in comparison to the t wrecks.

I have a set of alnico 2 black belts that are frankly awesome for everything except the super heavy down tuned stuff for both clean and raunchy rock and roll and 80's rock.

I have a set of Detroiters in a '93 Gibson SG Standard and they sound incredible, better than any Bare Knuckles I've tried so far (but I still love the Miracle Man in my Les Paul). The only other Motor City I've tried were the 2nd Degree Black Belts, and they were pretty similar to the Detroiterer, just a little more open and articulate, while the Detroiter was a little more aggressive and angry, particularly in the mids (that's why it sounds so awesome to me).

I don't think either will split well though, since they are both lower output. Also, I don't really like the cleans on my Detroiters.

I'm very curious about the T-Wreck and Nasty Nasty (I heard it's very similar to the Detroiter) and about pretty much all the MCP's I haven't tried . (Solution, Nuke, Black Iron, Angel Dust, etc.)

 

[braintheory]

The detroiter was my favorite MCP pickup for a LONG time.

I dont think that they are remotely close to his newer models.

I still recommend them whole heartedly, but I do feel that his newer winds are superior.

the detroiter is stellar with some drive but is a little vanilla clean.

the t wreck is fabulous with cleans and over drive.

He still though makes the Detroiter, doesn't he? Or are you saying the Detroiter now is better than older versions of it?

Also, I got my Detroiter two years ago, so I'm not sure if that's considered old or not. I also agree about the cleans being "vanilla". It's strange because with any amount of drive they have so much character, but somehow the opposite happens for cleans.

What makes his newer winds better? Are they as aggressive or nuanced as the Detroiter? How do the Black Iron or Angel Dust compare?

 

[RG955TT]

Funny, I don't find my Suhr HB's sterile at all...Although I have SSH+ and Aldriches in mine. And the quack in pos 2 is better than my strats

 

[metalmaniac93]

The detroiter was my favorite MCP pickup for a LONG time.

I dont think that they are remotely close to his newer models.

I still recommend them whole heartedly, but I do feel that his newer winds are superior.

the detroiter is stellar with some drive but is a little vanilla clean.

the t wreck is fabulous with cleans and over drive.

He still though makes the Detroiter, doesn't he? Or are you saying the Detroiter now is better than older versions of it?

Also, I got my Detroiter two years ago, so I'm not sure if that's considered old or not. I also agree about the cleans being "vanilla". It's strange because with any amount of drive they have so much character, but somehow the opposite happens for cleans.

What makes his newer winds better? Are they as aggressive or nuanced as the Detroiter? How do the Black Iron or Angel Dust compare?

There is plenty of information on Rig Talk about his pickups. I have tried a lot of his pickups and still have a bunch laying around. I have a Detroiter bridge/special neck wind coming down the road for my Heritage 150CM and a special wind Afwayu for my 2005 Charvel Pointy Reissue (alder body). Currently have the following in my guitars.

Luxxtone Machete 22 (Alder with Floyd) Garuda bridge/special wind Garuda neck) Had Hot Heads in there before
2005 Charvel Pointy Headstock reissue 1 humbucker (Alder/Floyd) Gardua bridge replacing with something a little darker (special wind Afwayu) since this guitar is very bright especially since putting a brass block on it
Carvin Bolt T+ (Alder with Wilkinson Trem) Angel Dust bridge/Detroiter neck (Had a 2nd Degree Neck but it was not thick enough for me in this guitar)
Charvel SoCal MIJ (alder/floyd) (Angel Dust A2 bridge/ Black Iron neck (Angel Dust-Black Iron neck they are the same, but the bridge version are a little different)
Cheap Korean Dean Z (all mahogany) Garuda set

Pickups I have laying around

Angel Dust (overwound) 53mm in the 2005 Kramer
Angel Dust (underwound 53mm in the 2005 Kramer
Hot Head Set in Luxxtone

Had the following

Nasty Nasty bridge in 2005 Charvel
Detroiter Bridge in Kramer Baretta
Afwayu (underwound) bridge in Alder Carvin with Wilkinson

 

[metalmaniac93]

I've read loads of great reviews about this guy's pickups and I've decided to try them.
Guitar is an Alder bodied Strat, Maple/Pau ferro neck, Wilkinson trem.
Single coils are Suhr V60LP.

I need something that splits well with the singles to give a decent " quack " and is also usable on its own in split mode.

I cover loads of styles, rock, pop, blues, Eagles style country, funk... the lot.

The guitar is wired with Suhr's system that allows the singles to see 250k pots and the Hum to see 500k.
It currently has a Suhr DSV+ but like all Suhr humbuckers, I find it sterile sounding and pos 2 is terrible.

Which Motorcity would you suggest ??
Afwayu sounds interesting.
I have a Duncan JB in my Anderson and by lowering it right down, it sounds awesome.
Would that work with the Afwayu ?

How about the Detrioter or 2nd Degree Black Belt ?

I've used his contact page but had no reply.
I'd like to ring him to talk but there's no number on the web site.

Opinions please ?

Pickups are a personal choice and it depends on what guitar it is in and the set-up. The types of woods does not matter as far as comparing Alder to Alder body etc. If you want a JB sounding pickup, you cannot go wrong with the Garuda.

 

[chunktone]

I have only used their Afwayu's and Detroiter's, and both in LP or LP style guitars. they are both great! The Afwayu is pretty bass heavy, and may not be right for your guitar. they do split as good as any pickup I've tried. The Detroiters are great too! I prefer them for downtuning, but sound great regardless of the tuning. They're more balanced than the Afwayu's, and not as hot.

 

[Jer]

I can't speak to splitting but I just got a set of hotheads and I love them. I'm going replace my LP pickups with nickel covered Detroiters....mmmmm.

Wade will answer emails, just takes some time as he's very busy.

 

[braintheory]

I agree with Chucktone, the Detroiters are very balanced and surprisingly tight, which makes it work for down tuning. Even though they're lowish output, I like 'em for even the most extreme metal. For everything but clean they're great.

Also, the Detroiter neck is by far the best neck pu I've ever played, but I haven't tried any of the other MCP neck pu's.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies.
I've actually ordered and paid for the Afwayu but I'm having second thoughts now.
Not looking to cancel just talk to him about my choice.
Hopefully he'll read my email before shipping me the wrong choice.

If anyone knows him... direct him to this thread.
Maybe it'll help him to help me.!!!!!

 

[TIBrent]

Best pickups period in my opinion. I just got a prototype Alnico 8 from Wade to test...absolutely fell in love with this pickup, BEEF!

 

[sittinidol]

I have the Afwayu in a Silverburst SG. It has a ton of character and is very thick. There is a pronounced mid/upper mid "thing" that you may or may not like, it makes chords bite and chew but sometimes lower single motes can be nasal (keep in mind this may be due to SG body). It is amazing for leads.

 

[Mogwai]

What does Wade recommend for Les Paul's for a hot bridge and PAF neck?

 

[Stone Heavy Sound]

Lots of accurate info on here, the Detroiter smokes for high gain tones, I use it in a les paul clone. The Afwayu is very beefy, Wade custom wound me one to replace EMG 81, so I wanted something hot, and he is a magician with pickups. I also have a black belt set, which are easily the best pickups I've ever heard, but they aren't hot. The tone out of them is straight up 1970, articulate, extremely dynamic, rich with harmonics. Someone mentioned the Garuda, that is sort of his JB killer, the other guitarist in my band replaced his JB with one a few months back, it's a good high gain, beefy pickup, maybe not quite as compressed feeling as the Afwayu. 2nd degree Black Belt is like a hot Black Belt, makes me feel like playing Foghat. The best thing to do is add a note to your order telling Wade what you want, he's pretty amazing and knows pickups like no one else on earth. Describe the tone and feel you want, he will nail it.

 

[reverymike]

What do you guys think about the BB2s? I'm looking for a replacement set in my Les paul, but I'm torn between A2 and A5 magnets? I want something FAT and great for hard rock tones. Single lines need to be thick.

I have a Detroiter in my Fender CS strat -- killer pickup. Very greasy sounding to me.

 

[fuzzyguitars]

i have a set of A2 black belts.

they are wades take on classic PAF tone.

they are a good all around PAF type pickup and sound great clean and rocked up but not metal.

think like WCR crossroads or Bareknuckle mules

I have them all including throbaks and prefer MCP.

These have that typical A2 squish to em.

These are the pickups that Slash wishes duncan made for him!

What do you guys think about the BB2s? I'm looking for a replacement set in my Les paul, but I'm torn between A2 and A5 magnets? I want something FAT and great for hard rock tones. Single lines need to be thick.

I have a Detroiter in my Fender CS strat -- killer pickup. Very greasy sounding to me.

 

[reverymike]

I think I need something a hair more hairy.

Maybe he would be able to make the BB2s a little bit hotter? Still not sure if I want A5 or A2. I've played guitar for over 20 years, and to my knowledge have never played anything other than an A5.

Duncan Custom
MCP Detroiter
Suhr Aldrich
Burstbucker Pro
Rio BBQ Bucker
Duncan 59

All alnico 5, right?