Suhr Aldrich Pickups - What to expect

[JerEvil]

So I am trading my 2008 Dual Rec for a newer Carvin CT4 Gold Top which has a pair of Suhr Aldrich pickups in it. I have heard A LOT about these so I am very interested. What would they compare to? Most of my guitars have Duncan JB's or SH5 Customs in the bridge. I am playing through a Splawn Quic Rod and Splawn cabs with Celestion Creambacks.

 

[aw9190]

they are similar to JB's with more clarity and maybe a little extra brightness

 

[JerEvil]

they are similar to JB's with more clarity and maybe a little extra brightness

Cool. So if I have a guitar that is fairly bright, these are NOT a good option then? I am having some issue with the Custom in my Gibby V.

 

[aw9190]

I have one in a super strat with an alder body and i like it very much, and alder is on the brighter end of the tonal spectrum. I believe the Custom is kind of scoopy in the mids, and the aldrich has a nice amount of mids (which is what makes it sort of similar to the JB). I'd say give it a shot if you like the JB these may work for you aswell.

 

[LP Freak]

I've got them in my V and they sound great.

 

[Badronald]

I love them in my Strats. So ballsy and clear. Warm. Clean up well.

 

[JerEvil]

I've got them in my V and they sound great.

Nice. I should have the guitar next week. I've wanted to try the CT4/6 for a while now so this worked out great. Hopefully through the new Splawn rig I should be in Rock N' Roll nirvana.

 

[Schaf]

they are similar to JB's with more clarity and maybe a little extra brightness

Cool. So if I have a guitar that is fairly bright, these are NOT a good option then? I am having some issue with the Custom in my Gibby V.

The JB is more compressed. It has a PAF vibe but still very high output. Very open sounding. I put one in a V and I tried a bunch. Works great.

 

[5150clone]

Ive grown to love them but at first they were not what i expected. Kinda mellow. Thought they were gonna be flame throwers. Nice tone and sustain to them.

 

[JerEvil]

they are similar to JB's with more clarity and maybe a little extra brightness

Cool. So if I have a guitar that is fairly bright, these are NOT a good option then? I am having some issue with the Custom in my Gibby V.

The JB is more compressed. It has a PAF vibe but still very high output. Very open sounding. I put one in a V and I tried a bunch. Works great.

I dig "open" sounding.

Ive grown to love them but at first they were not what i expected. Kinda mellow. Thought they were gonna be flame throwers. Nice tone and sustain to them.

Right on. I think from what I have heard, I am expecting them to be flame throwers as well. Still very anxious to check them out. All I hear from people is that they are the "bee's knees"

 

[Mailman1971]

I like them alot.
Was a Big EMG user for YEARS......buddy brought his guitar over that had the Aldrich in it....tone wise no comparison.
Had such a growl and voice....made the EMG sound sterile (this was playing thru a Diezel VH4)
within a week I dumped the EMG's and put in the Aldrich. Can play everything from Classic rock to metal.....and sounds GREAT at it.

My current guitar has a JB in it (Sold the last guitar with the ALdrich) and I am really digging the JB. More agressive sounding to me....but little more compressed.
Would I go back to an Aldrich? In a minute.
But really liking the JB at the moment.

 

[blackba]

Great pickups IMO. Hot, but not hot in a sterile way. They also split really well, if your carvin can run them split, give that a try.

 

[Dominik1986]

I love the Aldrichs, have them in my Suhr Modern! What's nice about them is that they can get heavy, but also clean up very well

 

[JerEvil]

Thanks for all the responses. Looks like I won't be disappointed.

 

[Anonymous]

good place to start

im a big fan of sh-5 pickups..... i dont love the aldrich, i dont hate it...i would try it again if i had the chance....i had some wiring issues the first time in my guitar.

if you're used to sh-5 then you will notice some bloopiness in the lows, but the mids scream better in the aldrich. easier pinch harmonics, if that's possible lol, than an sh5.

curious to see what you think.

 

[EyesOfTheSouth]

I hate to be the party pooper here......but I really hated the Aldrich. I tried it in a LP and a Charvel San Dimas. It was extremely crunchy/sizzly and bright. It is also very stiff and I felt like I was fighting it constantly to get sustain out of it. Then again, I don't like the SH-5 much either. I find the SH-5 bright/sizzly as well, but it least it has some feel to it. I much prefer the JB with 300k pots to the SH-5. Maybe the Aldrich just doesn't like me.

If you want something similar to the Sh-5 but warmer and thicker without the boomy lows, then I recommend the Dean "Lights Out" Schenker pup. I'm crazy about this pickup.

 

[dawnofdreamx97]

dig it in my carvin dc127, tight, punchy, clear, very articulate sound, nice mids and snarl, hot output , to me not a brash sounding pickup but not warm either, really great for heavy tones, splits ok to, and funny enough works incredible through my cameron aldrich mod...

 

[metalmaniac93]

The Aldrich pickups are dam good pickups!!! The bridge sounded really good in my Charvel. Not too bright, but definitely much better than a JB IMO as it is more articulate and does have that sizzle!!! They do sound better to me in an all mahogany type guitar. No probs with sustain out of this pickup though, but not every pickup matches with every guitar.

 

[mesa50w]

got one in a LPC..pretty much what others have said ..hot but not to hot, very smooth on the mids, open sounding ...my fav pu

 

[JerEvil]

The Aldrich pickups are dam good pickups!!! The bridge sounded really good in my Charvel. Not too bright, but definitely much better than a JB IMO as it is more articulate and does have that sizzle!!! They do sound better to me in an all mahogany type guitar. No probs with sustain out of this pickup though, but not every pickup matches with every guitar.

Nice. The Gibson V I have is mahogany neck and body and I'm not digging the SH5 in it. If the Aldrich sounds as good as I hope it will in the Carvin I may throw a set in the V.