Pickup types that are tonally the most different from the usual suspects...

[Oddguitar]

To those who have experimented with different pickup types, which types are the most different in terms of tone than the common traditional ones? I'm thinking Filtertrons, Fender Wide Range Humbuckers, Mini Humbucker/Firebird, Lipstick, Jazzmaster, Gold foil, Dynasonic, Jaguar, Mustang, Charlie Christian, Rickenbacker, and Alnico V. Which ones did you like or dislike?

 

[ragingplatypi]

I have a Harmony Comet with some fake gold foils (humbuckers with gold foil voicing). It’s got a very woody sound that’s great for cleans and slide.

Right now I’m obsessed with picking up a Gretsch hollowbody with Filtertrons. I love hollowbodies but I’ve been so steeped in a Strat neck pickup for the past decade that it’s tough for me to get along with PAFs and P90s lately. I know it’s not a popular opinion, but I think the Filtertrons sound closer to a strat than a P90 does.

That being said, the Reverend P90s with the mixture of a treble and bass cut do incredible things. I’m not sure if it’s as much about a distinctive tone, than it has the ability to adjust to be perfectly in any mix and push the amp to respond differently depending on what you’re feeling in the moment.

 

[Eagle]

Probably filtertrons and P90s are the biggest deviation from Paf tone.

 

[ragingplatypi]

Probably filtertrons and P90s are the biggest deviation from Paf tone.

Yeah, anything that’s ever been described as twangy or chimey is on the other end of things from a Paf. My desire is to also have a pickup that can also do more than a Byrds covers

 

[newholland]

oh lordy. p90s can get you to evil evil places. and then roll back on the volume knob and play nice with flowers and bunnies.

 

[Oddguitar]

Which pickups are the biggest deviation from Strat/Tele pickups…Jazzmaster perhaps? It’s kind of a shame that most of these alternative pickups remain niche products despite the fact that changing your pickups results in the most dramatic change to your guitar’s tone…

 

[newholland]

Which pickups are the biggest deviation from Strat/Tele pickups…Jazzmaster perhaps? It’s kind of a shame that most of these alternative pickups remain niche products despite the fact that changing your pickups results in the most dramatic change to your guitar’s tone…

yknow, i dont know. at the end of the day, when i play other peoples guitars i feel like the lions share of their sound is the player themselves and how they set their guitars and amps up. given enough time with somebody elses rig, id end up sounding like myself. i think theres variation for sure- but i can sound like myself through most pickups that arent 20k actives on an 8 string or a tremelo'd strat that has 8s on it cause neither is a use case i have a reason for. but a stoptail reasonably set up with whatever? no prob. i dunno.. maybe im not shooting for standout magic- just usable tones.

 

[FuzzyAce]

It’s kind of a shame that most of these alternative pickups remain niche products despite the fact that changing your pickups results in the most dramatic change to your guitar’s tone…

Purely from the guitar, yes. But I'd say amp and/or speaker choice are more dramatic (if we're talking end result).

 

[Oddguitar]

yknow, i dont know. at the end of the day, when i play other peoples guitars i feel like the lions share of their sound is the player themselves and how they set their guitars and amps up. given enough time with somebody elses rig, id end up sounding like myself. i think theres variation for sure- but i can sound like myself through most pickups that arent 20k actives on an 8 string or a tremelo'd strat that has 8s on it cause neither is a use case i have a reason for. but a stoptail reasonably set up with whatever? no prob. i dunno.. maybe im not shooting for standout magic- just usable tones.

For sure your fingers are what changes your tone the most, however pickups are a close second ime. Going from a passive Strat singlecoil to an active humbucker changes your tone pretty dramatically. The less gain you’re using, the more noticeable the difference.

 

[Eagle]

Yeah, anything that’s ever been described as twangy or chimey is on the other end of things from a Paf. My desire is to also have a pickup that can also do more than a Byrds covers

Pafs are bright ( real ones ) they also do other things great which is more than you can say about filtertrons.

 

[la szum]

All of the above.


Differences that are slight to some are huge to others. Differences that are
huge to some are negligible to others.

Tone is mostly subjective---even if people fume and fight as if there were objective/universal
truths we could derive for all to bow down to.

 

[Oddguitar]

All of the above.


Differences that are slight to some are huge to others. Differences that are
huge to some are negligible to others.

Tone is mostly subjective---even if people fume and fight as if there were objective/universal
truths we could derive for all to bow down to.

Perhaps my post should have read..."Which alternative pickup types have you tried that were different enough from a PAF, P90 & Strat/Tele singlecoils to make it worth doing?"

 

[la szum]

Perhaps my post should have read..."Which alternative pickup types have you tried that were different enough from a PAF, P90 & Strat/Tele singlecoils to make it worth doing?"

I can say which ones are different enough from those to NOT be worth doing.




To me.

 

[la szum]

Which pickups are the biggest deviation from Strat/Tele pickups…Jazzmaster perhaps? It’s kind of a shame that most of these alternative pickups remain niche products despite the fact that changing your pickups results in the most dramatic change to your guitar’s tone…

It's all just different magnets/magnet types and more or less wire, no??

For sure your fingers are what changes your tone the most, however pickups are a close second ime. Going from a passive Strat singlecoil to an active humbucker changes your tone pretty dramatically. The less gain you’re using, the more noticeable the difference.

It can be a challenge to ask questions around here. Sometimes.





I find that the discussion of Pickup types are inseparable from questions about guitar type.

Filtertrons and Gretsches. Mini Hums and Firebirds. Tele pickups and Telecasters. Single coil
Strat PUs and Strats.

I don't jive with the mix and match ideal some have. I like the distinctive nature of the iconic
pairings we already have, and know so well. Though I would reckon some cool combinations
can be had by mixing Pickles with Peanut Butter. If you are into that sort of thing.

 

[Oddguitar]

I can say which ones are different enough from those to NOT be worth doing.




To me.

That works too...which ones weren't different enough not to be worth doing?

 

[Eagle]

It's all just different magnets/magnet types and more or less wire, no??





It can be a challenge to ask questions around here. Sometimes.





I find that the discussion of Pickup types are inseparable from questions about guitar type.

Filtertrons and Gretsches. Mini Hums and Firebirds. Tele pickups and Telecasters. Single coil
Strat PUs and Strats.

I don't jive with the mix and match ideal some have. I like the distinctive nature of the iconic
pairings we already have, and know so well. Though I would reckon some cool combinations
can be had by mixing Pickles with Peanut Butter. If you are into that sort of thing.

Humbuckers is a Strat is the biggest thing in solid body guitars. There is no fixed home for a pickup design with the possible exception of the Tele bridge pickup but only because it is physically attached to the bridge. What is the home for a p90 or a humbucker? Gibson ,all of them?

 

[la szum]

This is just for me. I understand their use cases for others.

Not hatin'. Just sayin'. For me.



Mini Humbuckers. Sorry Les Paul Deluxes. You suck!

Firebirds. Why are so freaking bright? Bright as Johnny F'ing Winter. Like a lady with no junk!

Active EMG Humbuckers. Yes. I get it. No. I don't want to sound anything like Zakk Wylde.

Noiseless Single Coils that may be noiseless (relatively!), but are not actually single-coils.
Go be Wanna Be Humbuckers like your Daddy actually wanted you to be all along.

 

[la szum]

Humbuckers is a Strat is the biggest thing in solid body guitars. There is no fixed home for a pickup design with the possible exception of the Tele bridge pickup but only because it is physically attached to the bridge. What is the home for a p90 or a humbucker? Gibson ,all of them?

Yes. I know this, Andy. I was expecting someone to EVH the fuck out of me for that. :lol That said, I still stand by the general trajectory
of what I was saying----even if we can nitpick about exceptions here and there. Because that is what we do here, no?

Besides, I read this as a personal question about what we individually like, and not a universalist question about what we should choose, or
what the Nature of Reality will and will not allow us to do??

Also, do we label/call all Humbuckers as PAFs? I don't know. I'd personally draw a distinction. Period correct PAFs can be
quite bright and chimey, can't they? And those are a far, far cry from overwound Humbuckers with various magnet types
that can be all kinds of dark and compressed. The utter opposite of a "PAF."

Heck there might be more tonal variations in the variety of Humbuckers that exist than any other Pickup type. Might be.