Rig Talk Pickup Selector

V

VonBonfire

Well-known member
How about some love/hate experiences with pickups? What you got and why you liked/didn't like.....

I like to play blues, use a loud Twin with some EV Force 12's, and have tried all these pickups in a LP copy or an ES.

Love:

57 classics. Smoove. Rich. More adjustable for brightness than TGP would lead you to believe.

Super Distortion: the ultimate in toy robot mids and still sounds killer through an open back cranked Twin

Lollar DB: A more muscular super distortion. More weight to the notes. Beefier with less toy robot mids yet still plenty of bite and clarity. Only harsh if you raised it too high. One of my favorite pickups ever.

498t: Very underrated. Has a killer bite to it through a 4 hole Marshall.


Hate:

Seth Lovers: If this is a PAF it's sure impossible to dial out the raspiness, even on a darker guitar. Damned if I didn't try though.

Biltoft HS-90: Fat and warm but they just never worked with my setup. I had a standard set and have an overwound now and the overwound is seriously raspy on the top end.

Duncan 59n: Sterile and lifeless sounding.


Undecided:

490r: Really nice in the ES, kind of bland in my Viper but that guitar kind of has a hi-fi vibe to it so it's more particular about what goes in it.
 
Anybody try a Dimarzio Liquifire?

I'm thinking I'm going to toss one in the neck of my Edwards LP.
 
Dude, these Blues Heritage Humbuckers are honestly the best things I've heard in my LP... Or almost any neck and bridge for that matter. Really killing it.

They have a 25% off sale and I think I am going to snag one for a tele project.

I had the LiquiFire in my old JP and did not like it.

It also had the crunchlab. Neither were nothing to shout about overall.
 
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VonBonfire said:
What's the output? Any pickups you could compare them to?
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It's funny because they do not seem like they have a super high output, so I did not expect them to handle what I have been throwing at them, which is intense metal riffs and screaming harmonics.

That being said, they DO have good output. I guess the resistance measurements of pickups can be a bit tricky because my 498T reads 13.5 and this reads 8.69 but their sound is like the same level, and I generally consider Gibson to make loud pickups.

They hit a certain resonance/frequency that is very pleasant to my ear.

They have more of an open sound and not squished or compressed. Some may like more compression, but I tend not to.

There is a demo of them on YT here. I find the section where he is strumming the chords extra useful - listen to where the mid growl sits and see if you dig that or not.


Link to vid:


 
I honestly don't think many could argue against the neck pickup in any regard whatsoever.

I feel the same about the bridge, but could understand someone wanting something really high octane or something like that.

Here is a solid neck pickup demo. Yeah, it sounds that vocal in person as well:

 
Man that helix with added compression is not so hot in the first video but the pickups are still trying to shine through.... Lol

In an LP, I'd say these are a no brainer.

$75 before the 25% discount. If it isn't up on their site banner, hmu and I have a code good til the 4th.
 
Music&Chaos said:
I honestly don't think many could argue against the neck pickup in any regard whatsoever.

I feel the same about the bridge, but could understand someone wanting something really high octane or something like that.

Here is a solid neck pickup demo. Yeah, it sounds that vocal in person as well:

Click to expand...

That thing does sound really good. Thanks for sharing M&C.
 
I have a spreadsheet with all the gear I have and previously had. I used to keep a section for pickups with brief descriptions of what I liked or hated. It got too massive, now it's just a Go/No-Go sheet for the pickups. Tried out the same pickups multiple times as they came with different guitars. I play pretty much melodic death metal all the time.

No-Go:
  • Dimarzio: Air Norton, Air Norton S, Blue Velvet, Cruiser, D Sonic, Liquifire x4, Mirage Set, PAF Pro x2, Steve's Special, Super Distortion x2, Transient Set, X2N
  • EMG: 60a, HZ H4a, SAx2
  • Seymour Duncan: 59 x3, Blackout Set, Blackout Singles, Black Winter, Custom 5 x2, Distortion, Invader, Jazz, JB x5, Parallel Axis TB, Pegasus TB, Screamin' Demon, Sentient, SSL-5 Set
  • PRS: HFS x2, Vintage Bass x2
Go:
  • Bare Knuckle: Cold Sweat, Stormy Monday, Black Dog, Black Hawk, Aftermath, Nailbomb, Ragnarok x6, Miracle Man, Cobra Singles, Trilogy Suite Singles, Sinner Singles x2, Piledriver, Blackguard Flat 52, Supermassive, Stockholm - Haven't played a set I don't like
  • Dimarzio: Air Zone, Area T, Chopper T, Crunch Lab x4, Fast Track, Tone Zone x2
  • EMG: 81 x8, 85 x7, 89R, 60, JH Set x7, S x3
  • Seymour Dunclain: Alpha Omega Set x3, JB Antiquity, Parallel Axis Neck, Quarter Pounder
  • PRS: Tremonti Set
  • Lundgren M6, S
  • Mojotone: Tommyhawks
 
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I'm a big P-90 fan, about half my guitars use P-90s. I have only 1 humbucker guitar, they are stock Epiphone pickups.
The rest are regular single coils.
For aftermarket stuff, i have a Wolfetone Meanest P-90 that i got on sale that i'll be installing in an Epiphone Junior next week.
It's hot for a P-90 (10k) so i guess I'll find out if i like it.
 
Robostyle said:
It's hot for a P-90 (10k) so i guess I'll find out if i like it.
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I have a Biltoft (Vintage Vibe) overwound 10 percent humbucker sized p90. I got all the magnets he offers, Alnico ii, iii, v, and ceramic 8 but could never take the spike outta that high end no matter how I mixed them.
 
Since you are a blues guy I'd stay in the PAFish to hot PAF range.

Tried the Dimarzio PAF pro, 36th anniversary's, fairly vanilla nothing that stood out to keep them and I didn't like either in LP's or super strats.

SD 59B 8.5K A-5 magnet, cool but fairly clanky, thin and bright almost that single coil quality with only a 500K pot, think EVH's Diver Down 1982 and 1983 tour tones, with a 250K I may have liked it more but I'm pretty sure I tried it with a tone control hooked up and it was still as described. Into a darker amp with may work well. I like the 59N in the neck positions on all my superstrats.

I love the SD whole lotta humbucker, enough drive with 8.78K but low enough for definition with a rough cast A-5....I'm running mine in a Kramer with a 500K volume and tone pot maxed out hooked up so pretty much a 250K load like I was running a single 250K, great definition and clarity but also great harmonics and drive a little tighter than my 78 model but stiil a great PAF pickup for not much $$$$$ .

I also love my SD 78 model PAF which is A-2 magnet at 9K ohms resistance, the low end is tight and not mushy with the A-2, but it does have slightly softer attack, chewy quality versus an A-5 magnet, very dynamic when you dig in , cleans up and can get real aggressive with great harmonics. I've been running it in my Franky since 2009 and nothing I've tried makes me want to pull it out to try other PAF's. I usually do all my trials in my old 83 Kramers first. An all around great hot PAF not just and EVH pickup IMHO.

I have a Jalen Pinnacle here to try yet but it's like 14K so not really a blues pickup. Alot of PAFish pickups out there these are the ones I have experience with.
 
Dominions and sentient in neck. Such good blues sounds to my ears.

My favorite bridge is vanilla. Super distortion. It does the thing I like well.
 
vultures said:
I have a spreadsheet with all the gear I have and previously had. I used to keep a section for pickups with brief descriptions of what I liked or hated. It got too massive, now it's just a Go/No-Go sheet for the pickups. Tried out the same pickups multiple times as they came with different guitars. I play pretty much melodic death metal all the time.

No-Go:
  • Dimarzio: Air Norton, Air Norton S, Blue Velvet, Cruiser, D Sonic, Liquifire x4, Mirage Set, PAF Pro x2, Steve's Special, Super Distortion x2, Transient Set, X2N
  • EMG: 60a, HZ H4a, SAx2
  • Seymour Duncan: 59 x3, Blackout Set, Blackout Singles, Black Winter, Custom 5 x2, Distortion, Invader, Jazz, JB x5, Parallel Axis TB, Pegasus TB, Screamin' Demon, Sentient, SSL-5 Set
  • PRS: HFS x2, Vintage Bass x2
Go:
  • Bare Knuckle: Cold Sweat, Stormy Monday, Black Dog, Black Hawk, Aftermath, Nailbomb, Ragnarok x6, Miracle Man, Cobra Singles, Trilogy Suite Singles, Sinner Singles x2, Piledriver, Blackguard Flat 52, Supermassive, Stockholm - Haven't played a set I don't like
  • Dimarzio: Air Zone, Area T, Chopper T, Crunch Lab x4, Fast Track, Tone Zone x2
  • EMG: 81 x8, 85 x7, 89R, 60, JH Set x7, S x3
  • Seymour Dunclain: Alpha Omega Set x3, JB Antiquity, Parallel Axis Neck, Quarter Pounder
  • PRS: Tremonti Set
  • Lundgren M6, S
  • Mojotone: Tommyhawks
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I would trust your tone zone/crunch lab experiences over mine, it's been years since I have had that set. Very nice list here man.
 
My current favorite combo is the BKP Abomb bridge and Cold Sweat neck...
I recently got a Dimarzio Transition bridge/Illuminator neck installed and really liking those as well.
Favorite Duncan combo is the Custom 5 Bridge and Sentient neck.
To chime in on Planet Tones..I did grab a set of the Legacys but have not installed them...as I don't wanna pull anything else out yet..:unsure:

I also did a home build and put the Iron Gear Dirty Torque and Rolling Mill combo in and they are actually really good...similar price to the Planet tone stuff too.
 
Skolphy said:
My current favorite combo is the BKP Abomb bridge and Cold Sweat neck...
I recently got a Dimarzio Transition bridge/Illuminator neck installed and really liking those as well.
Favorite Duncan combo is the Custom 5 Bridge and Sentient neck.
To chime in on Planet Tones..I did grab a set of the Legacys but have not installed them...as I don't wanna pull anything else out yet..:unsure:

I also did a home build and put the Iron Gear Dirty Torque and Rolling Mill combo in and they are actually really good...similar price to the Planet tone stuff too.
Click to expand...
The Legacy set looks interesting - the reviews show a lot of love for them for sure.

I thought they would have a bit too much snap/chirp for me, but they sound really good in the demo.

Let us know how they are if/when you install them.

I have a set of illuminators in my 7 string.

They aren't bad, and are really cool for a certain thing but I may swap em in the future.

I will give the Iron gear stuff a look some time!
 
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