Szar
New member
Title... 
Telephant
Active member
Awesome. The BBQ is like a beefier JB. I'd go into more detail but typing on the iPhone sucks balls.
Szar
New member
Then one more question, and its a yes or no. You like it better than the Suhr Aldrich?Telephant":8dbnrs5s said:
Stratboy151
New member
Szar":1hyo7twn said:
id like to know the same thing, what people think of this aldrich. i might be swapping out the pu's in my standard
J.B.
Well-known member
I love the BBQ. I love the Aldrich. The Aldrich is a lot hotter, but the BBQ still has plenty of output and is real thick. Which I would choose would depend on the guitar and amp.Szar":1ulqu3dq said:
Szar
New member
Alright, thanks!J.B.":1tnta5wf said:
Z
Zorran
New member
ive played both too and imho the bbq is not in the same league as the aldrich. the aldrich is alot clearer than the bbq which translates to alot more clarity in the mix. the bbq and texas combo i thought was strictly okay.. it sounded good.. but thats where it ended. it didnt have as much dynamics and livelyness of the aldrich.
Mudder
Active member
Maybe not a factor here, but Rio Grande has killer single coils. Often overlooked.
Variable
Active member
Telephant":1238eb03 said:
Personally I'd have to disagree with that. The BBQ sounds nothing like a JB IMHO. The JB has this upper mid thing going on where the BBQ is a very even, maybe a bit bassy pickup (depending on the guitar).
I agree that typing on the iPhone sucks ballz, though
It's a bitch to post on that shitty Safari screen...
troublehead
New member
I have tried the BBQ on 2 occasions in the past...........both in LP's. I really didn't care for them. Too much mids and bordering on being too thick. Just didn't get the clarity I was looking for. That being said, I bet they would sound great to me in something like an alder superstrat.
blackba
Well-known member
I like both the Suhr Aldrich pickups and Rio Grande BBQ pickups.
In my '95 LP studio I used to have the Texas in the neck and BBQ in the bridge, both with gold covers. The Texas was okay, but you really had to dial in the pickup height. I ended up preferring the stock 490R. The gold covered BBQ sounded a bit thin to me. So I put the 498T back in, then decided to go to a black BBQ which is what I have in there now. It still sounds the thinest of my LPs (still thicker than my strat) in the bridge position, I think this is just inherrent to the guitar.
In my '04 LP standard LE I have to Suhr Aldrich pickups. The neck is okay, not as good as the 490R in my other guitar and in some ways I like the stock BBpro better. What I like about the neck pickup though is the ability to run gain, I just feel like I lost a little of the clean chime. The bridge pickup is awesome. It is hot, but not too hot. Its clear and dynamic, more so than the BBQ. It splits well (this is the only LP I have coil splitting on). I love the bridge Suhr aldrich, huge improvement over the stock BBpro.
In my '73 LP custom I have the stock T-top in the neck and a Rio Grande BBQ in the bridge. This guitar sounds super thick and mean compared to the others. The BBQ in this guitar has a wonder growl and bite that I love. It works great for hard rock. Comparing the BBQ in this guitar versus the Aldrich in the Standard the BBQ is thicker and has a touch more mids. They both seem about equally as hot, but the Aldrich does seem to have a touch more output.
One interesting thing, its amazing how different each of my LPs sounds, each having their strengths and weakness (thought about selling one but can't figure out which one)
In my '95 LP studio I used to have the Texas in the neck and BBQ in the bridge, both with gold covers. The Texas was okay, but you really had to dial in the pickup height. I ended up preferring the stock 490R. The gold covered BBQ sounded a bit thin to me. So I put the 498T back in, then decided to go to a black BBQ which is what I have in there now. It still sounds the thinest of my LPs (still thicker than my strat) in the bridge position, I think this is just inherrent to the guitar.
In my '04 LP standard LE I have to Suhr Aldrich pickups. The neck is okay, not as good as the 490R in my other guitar and in some ways I like the stock BBpro better. What I like about the neck pickup though is the ability to run gain, I just feel like I lost a little of the clean chime. The bridge pickup is awesome. It is hot, but not too hot. Its clear and dynamic, more so than the BBQ. It splits well (this is the only LP I have coil splitting on). I love the bridge Suhr aldrich, huge improvement over the stock BBpro.
In my '73 LP custom I have the stock T-top in the neck and a Rio Grande BBQ in the bridge. This guitar sounds super thick and mean compared to the others. The BBQ in this guitar has a wonder growl and bite that I love. It works great for hard rock. Comparing the BBQ in this guitar versus the Aldrich in the Standard the BBQ is thicker and has a touch more mids. They both seem about equally as hot, but the Aldrich does seem to have a touch more output.
One interesting thing, its amazing how different each of my LPs sounds, each having their strengths and weakness (thought about selling one but can't figure out which one)
guitarnate2000
Well-known member
i have the texas/bbq set in my 01 LP Classic Premium Plus... love them~~~ they really let the tone from the guitar come out....
ratkent
New member
I think the BBQ may sound good in certain guitars but none of the ones I've owned. I really wanted to like this pickup (and I'm a HUGE fan of Rio Grande single coils) but it's never worked for me. I had two sitting around for years that I would try in every new guitar I got hoping it was the one. There's some inherent lack of definition I can't get around. I agree that it sounds nothing like a JB but I'm not a fan of that pickup as well because of that upper mid peak.
I like something hot and clear with an even response that cleans up well when you roll back the volume. With the BBQ the missing element was the clarity at gigging volume. It just got lost in the mix.
I'm a big fan of the Aldrich bridge pickup. Not so much the neck.
I like something hot and clear with an even response that cleans up well when you roll back the volume. With the BBQ the missing element was the clarity at gigging volume. It just got lost in the mix.
I'm a big fan of the Aldrich bridge pickup. Not so much the neck.
Szar
New member
Ok, the guitar they are gonna go in is gonna have a Paduok Body, Mahogany Top, and the neck is Indian Rosewood and the Fretboard is Madagascar Rosewood. Not the darkest sounding guitar ever, but pretty dark. 
Z
Zorran
New member
SgtThump":2jd5nstn said:
imho only sgt, i didnt think the bbq/texas combo was any better than say a jb. a good pickup. whereas the aldrich was special, was way clearer, tighter, and more articulate in a mix on recording them both. the bbq also seemed to have a bit of a blanket over it of sorts.. like a plastic film.. a haze that just made all the notes static. didnt move along with what i was playing at all. all this would be in my experience only, to my ears. it could be completely different in a different guitar through a different amp with a different player. my experiences were through a LP and a mccarty.
jaybird
New member
Zorran":2kb5ugux said:
Awwh crap, I didn't need to read that.
I have been debating on swapping my LP bridge BBQ for an Aldrich, or possibly a Motor City torque. I think the BBQ sounds great for hard rock, and think it is plenty hot for my needs -actually I usually roll the vol down to about 7-8 for most playing, but I have wondered if there was something just a tad clearer and tighter I might like better. The main thing that has kept me away from the Aldrich is I don't know if I would like how hot it is?? FWIW it's worth I have a Les Paul Classic, and a black uncovered BBQ now. My main rig is a Cameron Aldrich SLP into a Bogner 4x12 w/ H30's. Zorran - your ears must be phenominal in my book - your playing, tone, and production of recordings is second to none in my book. So maybe I will give one a whirl...
J.B.
Well-known member
I'd probably stay away from the BBQ in that guitar. But who knows, it might work good in there. The BBQ sounds fantastic in my LP Custom, which is a brighter and tighter guitar with good definition. The Aldrich in the same guitar is allmost too hot.Szar":3jmzegu2 said:Ok, the guitar they are gonna go in is gonna have a Paduok Body, Mahogany Top, and the neck is Indian Rosewood and the Fretboard is Madagascar Rosewood. Not the darkest sounding guitar ever, but pretty dark.
Hollywood
Active member
I have a set of the rio grandes in a Les paul historic. When I got the guitar it was very annoying and sharp sounding. I installed a set of covered, nickel or chrome rio's, Bbq in the bridge and the texas in the neck and Bang! Instant tone cure. I would say they do seem to be beefy, but clear, hot, but not TOO hot. If I am not mistaken the Aldrich pups are some of the hottest pups out there. Just go check the specs on them and you will see. 
They are next on my try new pups list, the aldrich pups.
They are next on my try new pups list, the aldrich pups. 
amiller
New member
I have an LP STD that seemed a bit harsh to me so I put a BBQ in the bridge. The harshness is gone, however, the tone seems to be a little under the blanket now. After reading this thread I might just go ahead and try out the Aldrich.
orangekick
Member
The BBQ is my favorite bridge pickup in most guitars. I'm actually considering getting a BBQ/ Texas set for my '77 Les Paul. The pickups in that guitar have been getting steadily more and more microphonic.
