Worst pickup you've played

[Robotechnology]

I totally understand all the JB hate. I hate them too except in my ESP Mirage. Seriously, some pickups that sound awful in most guitars can be absolutely perfect in some other guitars. The Duncan Designed and EMG HZ are on the low end of the total pole for me as well.

 

[Sick Michael]

I like the JB. Its got a greasy low end with juicy highs, sounds good with my Mesa.

I use the SD Custom which is superior in every way though!

 

[Deleted member 3520]

Bkp rebel yell.

For whats its worth, the full shred neck in a dark guitar is badass! Terrible bridge though.

 

[paulyc]

SD JB and the Screamin' Demon...utter shite !

 

[Anonymous]

pickups i dont love

JB
dimebucker
gibby 496r
dimarzio Super distortion

i still have a JB in one of my ibanezes though, and it's ok. i havent had enough time to swap it wit something different.

i think this summer im going to go on a pickup buying/swapping spree again....been a while since.

 

[Anonymous]

JB sounds killer in my USA Kramer! Never really dug 'em before, but this guitar has a solid maple body and it sounds kill:

Kramer w/JB Clip

Steve

 

[Anonymous]

JB sounds killer in my USA Kramer! Never really dug 'em before, but this guitar has a solid maple body and it sounds kill:

Kramer w/JB Clip

Steve

that does sound good!

how come all those clips that load with that type of player, i need to crank to get any volume out of? weird. everytime someone posts one, i have to put my volume on max to hear it.

 

[ericsabbath]

gibson 498t (too flat, muddy, sterile), duncan distortion (too harsh and even more oversaturated than the sh5), mighty mite motherbucker (all the crap from the previous two in an even shittier level)
there's also lawrence 500xl which is very clear, but scooped to the point of making a les paul sound like a freakin strat
I used to hate the duncan '59 and the gibson '57 classic, but SOME guitars do sound pretty good with them
never played a burstbucker pro that sounded good in anything, though

I can see why some people might hate the nailbomb
it's a usually a love it or leave it pickup indeed
it has the "jack of all trades" flat voicing character, but it's a very aggressive pickup at the same time
I liked it for 90's crossover metal/hardcore stuff, maybe some silverchair or helmet, or some old school doom, like Jofipe's band, but not as much as most of the other bkp models that have stronger unique characters
the nailbomb sounds really good in mahogany guitars when plugged into brighter amps like a master volume jmp/jcm and also works very nicely with some highly saturated amps like engls and peaveys, and probably oranges
wasn't my thing, though, but I didn't hate it either

 

[aftec]

This thread is worthless.
There is no such thing as a "bad" or "worst" pickup, just a bad combination of guitar and pickup.

 

[Laura]

The pickups that came stock in an old Carvin V that I bought years ago. Yuck and fugly!

 

[racerevlon]

Toss-up between Dimarzio EVO2 (ice-pick boosted high mids that NO amount of EQ would fix) and anything Anderson (Woof, Woof, here boy...). Anyone who can't get on with an X2N should look into bass. The X2N is a high-output pickup with an almost flat EQ curve. Most people who don't like that pickup bought it for the wrong application or reason. I have a couple and dialed in correctly, they slay, but if you add too much (really ANY) gain to them they're all fizz. You gotta know how to use your gear before you go saying, "Oh, that thing's junk." It's like saying, "I want a pickup with more mids," then going and buying a Steve's Special and saying it's a horrible pickup. No, it's not a horrible pickup, you're an idiot and didn't do your homework...

Wait....all Anderson pickups suck and are woofy, and you're telling other people they need to know how to use their gear?

Work on your reading comprehension. Nowhere did I say they suck. This is an opinion thread, and if you can't separate assertion from opinion, there's this thing called third grade. Also, not "telling" anyone how to use their gear, but pointing out it's unreasonable to buy a mid-scooped pickup and complain about the lack of mids.

Perhaps try to read AND understand before you go slamming people? I make the occasional sarcastic comment, but I think if you check my posts you'll find I'm mostly fair and balanced, express my opinions as only opinions, not facts (unless the facts are quoted and supported) and generally try and be helpful.

Cheers,

 

[Mailman1971]

for me - dimarzio x2n..

I was gonna list this one if not already here.......
but for me personally....I hated this one.

 

[Rock Bodom]

Duncan Invader, but the X2N is close. Not a huge fan of the JB either, and still trying to find a BKP that wows me (so far I much prefer Lundgrens for boutiques). And I know I'm way in the minority, but I actually love EMG's, I EQ them differently and always seem to get good tone.

 

[Devin]

As far as actual name-brand stuff? Duncan Classic Stack hum-cancelling single coils, for sure.


Took a chance on one for the neck pickup in my Hamer Cali - it was incredibly weak and bland sounding. Didn't last long.


My Starfield came stock with a trio of the Classic Stacks. They sucked in that guitar, too.


Just the most bland, vanilla sounding pickups ever.

 

[Anonymous]

This thread is worthless.
There is no such thing as a "bad" or "worst" pickup, just a bad combination of guitar and pickup.

and rig, but yeah, I agree.

Steve

 

[Anonymous]

JB sounds killer in my USA Kramer! Never really dug 'em before, but this guitar has a solid maple body and it sounds kill:

Kramer w/JB Clip

Steve

that does sound good!

how come all those clips that load with that type of player, i need to crank to get any volume out of? weird. everytime someone posts one, i have to put my volume on max to hear it.

It's just an mp3... What kind of system are you running? Mac or PC? It sounds loud on my Mac...

Steve

 

[MrDan666]

I really hated the Duncan Little 59 in the neck. Also i don't dig any of the EMG active humbuckers at all.

The JB rarely ever works well for me, but once in a blue moon it'll sound good in the right guitar.

 

[Schaf]

I really hated the Duncan Little 59 in the neck. Also i don't dig any of the EMG active humbuckers at all.

The JB rarely ever works well for me, but once in a blue moon it'll sound good in the right guitar.

I used the JB for years and it seemed to work. But they were always superstrat type guitars. But back in those days you didn't have the choice you do now. It's funny because I have an 87 Kramer pacer with the stock JB in it and that thing just works perfectly. I also have it in another strat style guitar and it works well. But, my Les Paul, explorer and V it didn't work at all. I opted for the Aldrich for those. High output, but still has that open, uncompressed sound of a PAF.

I wonder how much people mess with the height? Because it has made a big difference in the way many of the pickups that I use by getting the right. It can make a major difference in how much bass, treble, etc.

 

[jsp]

Duncan Invader

 

[Shiny_Surface]

- Sreamin Demon. As others have said here and in other posts, the name belies what the pickup actually does at least imo. No screamin, no demon. I've tried this pickup in an ESP Alder bodied superstrat and a Les Paul and was equally uninspiring to me personally. The only other scenario I would be tempted to try it again is in a Maple bodied superstrat the thinking being the Maple body could perhaps make it sound a bit livlier as some of George's superstrat designs are all Maple body.

- Dimarzio Tone Zone. I only tried this in an Alder bodied ESP superstrat so admittedly I might like it in other applications/scenarios. It sounded like the entire frequency range of the pickup was boosted to 11. I didn't hear a signature/curve, just a general boost across the pickup's entire spectrum. I could see the appeal for this but it just didn't fit my needs. Sounded kind of harsh to me.