Worst pickup you've played

[LuizPauloDT]

If considering only the well known brands the one that I least liked was the Seymour Duncan EMTYs. I had them in one RGA7. Maybe in another guitar it could sounded better, but i think i did not like it that much for being active, as i always had passive ones. But is the least i liked, I'm not saying that is not a good pickup.

But, regarding all the pickups I've ever played, the most shitty one was the RGA7 stock pickups. Its' unbefuckingleavable how those pickups sound shitty, to my taste...

 

[Viesczy]

Worst pickup in the world is the Evolution series from DiMarzio when played through a British voiced amp.

Thin, sterile and lifeless.

Derek

 

[Anonymous]

Don't know why this thread was brought back from the dead, but I don't think it's useless
Users are knowledgeable enough to point out in what situation they've tried a pickup, so it makes for an interesting discussion/read

 

[exhibit-sbt]

I hate the Duncan Invaders.

 

[rcerex]

D-Sonic, X2N, Evo, Invader. Just never got into the higher gain pickups through my older amps (HiWatt, Marshall metal panel), the D-sonic just sounds flat to me.

I'm liking lower gain pickups like the Gibson Burstbucker 1 and 2 through my BE100. An 80's JB and a Screamin Demon bridge in the neck position sounded good.

 

[mooncobra]

dimarz super 3, came in a guitar I got and was absolutely the worst piece of shit I have ever come across in all my life. a pickup could NOT be worse in any way. pure crap.

 

[Strat+Marshall]

Duncan Hot Rails bridge is the worst pickup I have ever had in a guitar. The Gibsons mentioned below are the runner up.

Gibson 490/498/500T

Couldn't wait to rip those muddy pieces of shit out of every axe I've ever tried them in.

 

[mdc1mdc11]

+1

at first when I installed it I thought I screwed up the install, soldering etc...what a surprise and POS that pickup is.

SD Screaming Demon. Flat, lifeless just a zero for me

 

[jkkkjkhk]

Dimarzio D Activator X set, couldn't get rid of them fast enough. Gave them away.

 

[guitarrhino]

I've been able to make any pickup work. Seriously. I'm not a bad player either. I don't get how I've been lucky like that. Don't get me wrong, I know that there are definitely bound to be bad pups out there, but I've never come across any.

 

[FUZZboat]

I switch coils between different brands of humbuckers and make "new" revoiced pickups out of them

like old jackson humbuckers and duncan humbuckers - nice

balanced coils vs unbalanced coils

 

[bubbastain]

I've been able to make any pickup work. Seriously. I'm not a bad player either. I don't get how I've been lucky like that. Don't get me wrong, I know that there are definitely bound to be bad pups out there, but I've never come across any.

Same here. I have yet to play a guitar and think that the pickup sucks. I've played(and play) the bottom of the barrel stuff too. My Squier and First Act pickups don't sound any worse than any other name brand pickup I've tried. Might not be ideal, but I haven't had a problem with one yet.

 

[timeroo]

I am generally just not at all a fan of low output pickups. But to each their own. I would prefer to bash on the complete SLOP that Epiphone puts in their guitars. Ok I get that companies aren't going to put anything good in their cheaper guitars but Epiphone puts nothing but absolute dogshit in 95% of their guitars. Apart from that, EMG HZ pickups, (shudder) just awful.

 

[thunda]

not the worst, but the biggest let down was the JB. I put one in my SG. I expected to hear a boost when switching from neck to bridge pickup for solos only to be greatly disappointed. It was actually lower output than the Gibby 490R in the neck! Replaced it with a pickup from TOG that is an Artec I believe (TOG Super Allen Bucker - Alnico V Hex poles) and have never looked back. Better output and comparable harmonics.

 

[6string40]

I didn't like the JB, Evolution (bridge) or ToneZone in any of my Charvel Pro Mods, but the worst pickup I ever tried...and I'll probably get flamed for this...was a Super Distortion. I realize everyone has different tastes, but I just can't see how that pickup gets so much love and to me sounded so horrendous. For that reason, I have to think the one I had may have been a lemon.

 

[MississippiMetal]

You guys whining about a pickup lacking lowend and being too bright must not play with a band very often.

 

[sytharnia1560]

You guys whining about a pickup lacking lowend and being too bright must not play with a band very often.

yep, all the "great" guitar tones are from the bedroom man

I love switching different pickups into different guitars to compare what the wood is doing to the tone of the pickup. The jb in my san dimas sounds great, bitey as hell and when I put it in the roswell I made (basswood/maple) it sounded HUGE..fat with tons of bite still. The one I have had the most mixed results (as in haven't really managed to find a guitar it likes) is a dimarzio megadrive

 

[sixstringking713]

seymour duncan distortion and dimarzio hs-3. Granted the duncan distortion was in an epiphone les paul standard but still I could not get that guitar to have a decent tone no matter what I did to it.

 

[nigelpkay]

Bare Knuckle Pickups. Tried 3 different models in various guitars and couldn't sell them fast enough. The people that use them must be getting paid or something.

Ya know, I have yet to try a BKP I liked as well. I have tried the Cold Sweat, Painkiller and Holy Diver and didnt like them at all. Different strokes for different folks I guess!

I'm in a love/hate relationship with my BKPs. Keep ripping them out and keep putting them back in.
(Holy diver and Cold Sweat). The clarity is awesome for recording, but practices and live playing in a band context I get underwhelmed.

For what's it's worth, and I've not gigged heavily, but between my original Super Distortion, Cold Sweat, and Holydiver in the same guitar, the ONLY time I've had people gather round me after a show asking about my tone is when I had the Super Distortion.

 

[nevusofota]

Duncan Little '59. Never wanted to change a pu so fast.

Someone previously made a comment that the Dimebucker is the same as a L500XL. I didn't think this was necessarily true. 2 different manufactures with different materials and specs. BTW one of my favorite combos is my early Davies N4 and the L500XL.