Pickup recommendations for a Gibson Explorer?

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mightywarlock

mightywarlock

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So I find the 500t a little dark and muddy in one explorer, and the other has a burst bucker2 that is a little too bright and weak,
So I'm looking to try new pickups in 2 different explorers. One has regular rosewood board, one Ebony.

I want raw and aggressive with clarity and output.
I notice the natural bottom end on explorers is a little mushy and big sounding on the bottom end.
So I am unsure of a pickup like Aldrich since it can be a little dark.
I just swapped out the Painkiller in my les Paul for an Aldrich, so I may try the Painkiller in on of the Explorers next, as I've seen on other forums people like them in explorers. Painkiller seemed a little meh in my particular les Paul tho...

Not going to emgs.

Suggestions?
 
I have an original Gibson Dirty Fingers out of a mid-80's explorer. PM me if interested.
 
chunktone":3gzjhbbg said:
I have an original Gibson Dirty Fingers out of a mid-80's explorer. PM me if interested.
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But you took it out of the explorer. So does that mean it didn't sound good in there?
 
Stick with Alnico if you can, just to keep things in line with the wood and the other pup IMHO. I find that a lower output pup (or shall I say 'moderate') sounds best in maintaining great bass response, sweet mids and stellar highs when mated with the right woods; and of course, depending on the amp it's driving through. A lot of higher gain design amps today DON'T actually benefit from having the guitar's signal jammed down their preamp circuit throat. Often they prefer a solid, consistent, moderate signal (sometimes even low, as in 7-8k rated pups) which therefore allows the amp to really work itself up and put its own special touches on the signal as it cascades through the preamp stages out to the power section.

Old amps, you know, the one's that weren't particularly interested in preamp overdrive, benefit more from high signal pups in you're looking to drive that amp into its onw sweet breakup. Think a Vox or Fender or the like... You can achieve a brilliant OD on these amp by pushing the signal hard. But in today's contemporary line up of beefy-melt-yer-face amps, a low/moderate signal tends to reflect the wood and the tone and the feel much better.

Blabbering, sorry...
Mo

PS - make sure you raise that BB up as best as you can towards the strings and adjust the pole pieces as these pups can really, really sing when set up correctly :yes:
 
I agree with damn near everything Ventura says, not only in this response but most....I think we have similar tastes in tone.
 
Dimebag11":28v8ol2c said:
I agree with damn near everything Ventura says, not only in this response but most....I think we have similar tastes in tone.
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Hey, thanks man!! :thumbsup:
Mo
 
mightywarlock":2barpmq6 said:
I want raw and aggressive with clarity and output.

Not going to emgs.

Suggestions?
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I have a Dimarzio Super distortion in the bridge of my Ibanez rg1570. raw, aggressive, still keeps definition on distorted jazz chords (e.g. D7#9) but that's a different guitar, body, neck, etc. it's very "midsy" and good for lead and rhythm. let me know if you want to hear it. it's a ceramic IIRC.

emgs are good for metal and not much more (they're basically "soulless") kinda sterile
 
i'm guessing hetfield uses emg's in his explorers? any jazz artists using explorers? :)
 
btw, good riddance to winehouse, the other 27'ers would eat her for lunch.
 
Depends on what you want. Ventura is right about output, but equally I think:

a) It depends on the amp: my VH4 loves low output pickups, but my Herbert has more punch with a higher output. The Mark IV is equally at home with either; and

b) Some manufacturers create high output pickups that retain clarity and aggression without becoming muddy, despite being high output. For example, the BKP Alcino Nailbomb would be a good choice, IMO. If you want full out-there rawness and punch, try out a BKP Warpig. They're ridiculous output (21k from what I remember) but clean up easily and have so much crunch. They've even been used by jazz musicians!

Just my 2p.

-C
 
everyone gives a different recommendation, what's the point of asking? b/c it's a pain to keep plugging in and out different pups. ceramics are good for hard/rock and metal.
 
Howz about a reference tone? Something like, "The Scorps tone on Blackout, or The Sykes tone on Slide.."

Then it's not just wild recommendations.

EMG 81 :lol: :LOL: :lol: :LOL: :lol: :LOL: :lol: :LOL:
 
9ball":cugi0gev said:
duncan blackouts
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Explorers are dark and bassy. can get muddy. tried one in a thin sounding ESP Eclipse and gave up popped back in the EMG's and traded the Eclipse.

Blackouts are scooped and bassy.

that combo, I think, would sound absolutely horrible.

not a fan of the regular Blackouts.
 
i'd suggest chopping the capacitor to ground on the tone pot on the guitar with the 500 in it. doing this should help clear up some mud. the 500 is a good pickup.


for the other guitar that's too bright, who knows?


never heard an Anderson H2+ sound bad in any guitar.


i've got an Aldrich in a Hamer Standard, and guess it's OK, but times i'm wishing for something deferent.

my 3 go to pickups are the Anderson H2+, Suhr Aldrich, and Duncan Distortion. also like the Anderson H3, and worried about trying the new Anniversary 2wire Duncan JB.
 
mightywarlock":3ebx1k9t said:
9ball":3ebx1k9t said:
duncan blackouts
Click to expand...

Explorers are dark and bassy. can get muddy. tried one in a thin sounding ESP Eclipse and gave up popped back in the EMG's and traded the Eclipse.

Blackouts are scooped and bassy.

that combo, I think, would sound absolutely horrible.

not a fan of the regular Blackouts.
Click to expand...

i've got a set in a big mahogany ltd dv8r and they sound great and clean up really good too for low gain stuff. i would think an explorer would sound similar since it's a big mahogany guitar right?
they don't sound scooped and bassy to me. i think they just pretty much have the best of the duncan high output humbucker sounds, and sound good rolling the volume back too. i've only ever played them through a marshall amp and a 4x12 with V30s though.
 
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