The Pickups Thread

[la szum]

Didn't you have a Wolfetone Marshallhead @Jarick ?

You try it by chance in an HSS Strat style guitar?? I have one
I am thinking of dropping in my Aerodyne, and we seem to have
similar tastes/preferences in Pickups and their relative heat levels.

Thanks! If not, my memory failed me.

You happen to see my Wolfetone Marshallhead question, @Jarick ?

 

[greatmutah]

• Gretsch G5420T - Blacktop Filtertrons - these are my only exposure to Filtertons and are an acquired taste. Once I was able to pair them with 5E3 and Vox circuits, it finally made sense.

The Blacktops also do well in a Marshall style circuit IME. They’re great for rock/hard rock tones. Definitely get some Malcolm vibes easily with mine. Add some chorus and delay and I get into Love era Cult tones. I’ve got a G5422TG and it’s excellent for those tones and sounds. Of course they sound outstanding with my Vibrolux too.

 

[Jarick]

You happen to see my Wolfetone Marshallhead question, @Jarick ?

I haven’t tried it in an HSS but it should be good there. It’s a hotter paf and pretty open with good harmonics as it’s not potted.

 

[Frankencat]

I still haven’t installed the EMG Rev set I bought.

 

[Frankencat]

I did a shootout in my PRS CU24 with the Wolf DrVintage/Marshallhead vs Thornbucker/+ and the Thorns won. Wolf does make some nice pickups though and is a cool cat.

 

[greatmutah]

Got my Riff Raffs installed today! I really dig these pickups so far. Didn’t get to take them up to high volume today but they sound great so far. Really like these much more than the 490R/T pickups.

 

[Jarick]

Swapped back from 85/15 to Thornbuckers (with 53mm Plus bridge) yet again in my PRS CE-24. Stock pickups have an imbalance where the neck is too loud and bassy while the bridge is too bright. If there was maybe a 5% change in wind on both they'd be killer.

Thornbuckers have better balance overall to me. Neck has more clarity and is leaner in the lows, and the bridge is not quite as bright. I do wish the bridge had a little more heat and low end. At some point I'd love to try a Thornbucker II here as that's supposed to exactly do that. Pretty sure the TB2 has a little hotter wind and not just a magnet swap otherwise I'd just do that.

Just found a good deal on a mint one on Reverb, so that is now incoming.

 

[mavrick102000]

Swapped back from 85/15 to Thornbuckers (with 53mm Plus bridge) yet again in my PRS CE-24. Stock pickups have an imbalance where the neck is too loud and bassy while the bridge is too bright. If there was maybe a 5% change in wind on both they'd be killer.

Thornbuckers have better balance overall to me. Neck has more clarity and is leaner in the lows, and the bridge is not quite as bright. I do wish the bridge had a little more heat and low end. At some point I'd love to try a Thornbucker II here as that's supposed to exactly do that. Pretty sure the TB2 has a little hotter wind and not just a magnet swap otherwise I'd just do that.

Just found a good deal on a mint one on Reverb, so that is now incoming.

You should try the SSH or SSH+ for the bridge with the neck Thornbucker.

SSH is a "mid output" PAF around 12-13k ish with good EQ balance. It will bring back some of that lower end without being boomy. If you want a little more heat closer to a JB the + will get you closer without going to something like the Aldridge.

 

[aivoryuk]

I’d be interested in hearing folks’ thoughts on the PRS 58/15 LT. I did some trading and ended up with a recent issue McCarty 594. Ergonomically and fit and finish- wise there’s a lot to like, the pickups took quite a bit of fussing with the volume and tone controls as well as the amp settings to get them where I at least like them, especially the bridge pickup. I like the guitar enough to maybe get a different set of pickups to try in it. I remember reading at some point that the originals paf bridge pickups were about as bright as a tele bridge pickup. If that’s true (never played one) then the 58/15’s do fall in that category.

Anyway I was just curious to see what experience with these pickups others have had.

I recently got a PRS S2 which has these pickups in - overall i like them - The bridge is bright but not a million miles from the other pickups I have.
They are a vintage output and I do wish they had slightly more output similar to Dimarzio PAF Pro, BKP VHII etc which are tend to favour.

If I was to replace I would probably go with a BKP PolyPAF

 

[Jarick]

You should try the SSH or SSH+ for the bridge with the neck Thornbucker.

SSH is a "mid output" PAF around 12-13k ish with good EQ balance. It will bring back some of that lower end without being boomy. If you want a little more heat closer to a JB the + will get you closer without going to something like the Aldridge.

I've got the SSH in my Kramer Baretta tune to E flat, that's kind of an 80's rock guitar. It's a good pickup, not sure I'd want it with the Thornbucker. It's got good attitude but I want a little more versatility.

I also tried an SSV+ (didn't like it, too bright) and a Woodshed (very cool sounding but maybe too hot/warm to balance). The TB Plus is very good but I want just a little more, which it sounds like the TB2 should do.

Plan to put the other TB in an HSS pickguard with a pair of V60LP's. Got a new black HSS guard with matching plastics and fresh pots and switches ready to go...

Only ones I haven't tried yet really are the SSH+ and the Woodbucker neck. I have a JB/Jazz in one guitar now and it's cool but I keep forgetting how I don't like the JB that much lol. Probably swap back to the SSV pair that I had before.

 

[aivoryuk]

I've got the SSH in my Kramer Baretta tune to E flat, that's kind of an 80's rock guitar. It's a good pickup, not sure I'd want it with the Thornbucker. It's got good attitude but I want a little more versatility.

I also tried an SSV+ (didn't like it, too bright) and a Woodshed (very cool sounding but maybe too hot/warm to balance). The TB Plus is very good but I want just a little more, which it sounds like the TB2 should do.

Plan to put the other TB in an HSS pickguard with a pair of V60LP's. Got a new black HSS guard with matching plastics and fresh pots and switches ready to go...

Only ones I haven't tried yet really are the SSH+ and the Woodbucker neck. I have a JB/Jazz in one guitar now and it's cool but I keep forgetting how I don't like the JB that much lol. Probably swap back to the SSV pair that I had before.

I've had the SSH+ in a couple of guitars and although it is quite tight I didn't like the lower mids. Same with the JB - I preferred it in splitcoil.

You might like the BKP VHII - hotter than the TB plus, bright but balanced but good low end.

 

[mavrick102000]

I've got the SSH in my Kramer Baretta tune to E flat, that's kind of an 80's rock guitar. It's a good pickup, not sure I'd want it with the Thornbucker. It's got good attitude but I want a little more versatility.

I also tried an SSV+ (didn't like it, too bright) and a Woodshed (very cool sounding but maybe too hot/warm to balance). The TB Plus is very good but I want just a little more, which it sounds like the TB2 should do.

Plan to put the other TB in an HSS pickguard with a pair of V60LP's. Got a new black HSS guard with matching plastics and fresh pots and switches ready to go...

Only ones I haven't tried yet really are the SSH+ and the Woodbucker neck. I have a JB/Jazz in one guitar now and it's cool but I keep forgetting how I don't like the JB that much lol. Probably swap back to the SSV pair that I had before.

I have the SSV bridge in my Suhr SSH Standard custom, and the SSV Neck and SSH bridge in my LP.

Which I like overall, sometimes I think I want a little more for the bridge on the LP, I might eventually try a BKP of some flavor like the VHII.

 

[Jarick]

I thought the VHII was alnico 2 but apparently it's not, overwound PAF style at 8.9k with alnico 5 magnet. The TB2 is a little over 9k with alnico 2. The ~ 9k PAF's can be tricky as they can be so mid forward. I tried for instance the Duncan 78 and it was really pushed in the mids, like the JB except pushed more in the nasty midrange instead of the musical midrange.

I've avoided the BKP stuff as it's so expensive in the US, about $200 per pickup. I got the TB2 mint used for $100 where used BKP are going for over $150. I like the Suhr stuff as good USA made pickups without annoying options like long legs or braided wire or anything like that.

 

[aivoryuk]

I thought the VHII was alnico 2 but apparently it's not, overwound PAF style at 8.9k with alnico 5 magnet. The TB2 is a little over 9k with alnico 2. The ~ 9k PAF's can be tricky as they can be so mid forward. I tried for instance the Duncan 78 and it was really pushed in the mids, like the JB except pushed more in the nasty midrange instead of the musical midrange.

I've avoided the BKP stuff as it's so expensive in the US, about $200 per pickup. I got the TB2 mint used for $100 where used BKP are going for over $150. I like the Suhr stuff as good USA made pickups without annoying options like long legs or braided wire or anything like that.

I have both the VHII and the Duncan 78 (different guitars though) - VHII is slightly hotter but tonally wise I would best describe them as having the same curve but starting a different points of the frequency spectrum let's say VHII low end hump is 100Hz - the 78 would be 125Hz.
78 is and plays more articulate and does respond to dynamics nicely but the VHII is more balanced and no poky frequencies (a common thing I've found with BKP pickups)

 

[Jarick]

Got the Thornbucker 2 in the mail today. Removed the cover from the regular TB and put it on the TB2. Still need to remelt the wax and tack solder it.

FWIW, measurements in my cold basement are roughly 8.75k for the regular Thornbucker and 9.15k for the Thornbucker 2. I believe my Thornbucker Plus is around 8.9-9.0k or so, all for the 53mm version, which is pretty much as advertised.

Also FWIW the SSV set I have measures about 7.5k neck and 8.5k where they are listed at 8k and 9k on the website.

 

[ChordInversion]

Vox Bobcat - S66 Pickups - these are in a SSS configuration but don’t sound like a Strat.

I got an S66 last year, I really enjoy these pickups, and while I am overweight guitars, I'm considering a V90 while they're still cheap.

Other favorite pickups of mine that are unconventional or "wrong" by many traditional metrics:

• Gretsch Dual Coil Super HiLo'Trons - these came in the original three pickup 5622T. I like that guitar so much I got three, and I use them with different strings and wiring arrangements, but I'll keep those pickups forever. They're very low output humbuckers with single coil brilliance.
• Lace Alumintone humbuckers. I have them in a Blacktop Strat HSH (with a Lace Telecaster beck pickup in the middle. They sound like nothing else.
• EBMM St. Vincent - the original mini humbuckers, the brighter-tha-PAF full humbuckers in the HH version, and the more single coil-like "not really gold foil" gold foils on the Goldie all sound distinctively great to me.

 

[aflynt]

I upgraded the pickups in my Warmoth tele parts caster over the weekend from Cavalier to Ron Ellis. Very noticeable difference, and IMHO a huge improvement. The Ron Ellis set seems far more reactive to picking technique. I really liked the Cavaliers and had them in there for a few years, but they just feel one dimensional in contrast.

Here's a clip contrasting the two bridge pickups:
Cavalier Nocaster HGL vs Ron Ellis 50B

-Aaron

 

[laxu]

I did a shootout in my PRS CU24 with the Wolf DrVintage/Marshallhead vs Thornbucker/+ and the Thorns won. Wolf does make some nice pickups though and is a cool cat.

What do you like better about the Thornbuckers?

I have the Wolfetone Dr. Vintage pickups in my Heatley Tradition and really like those.

 

[Eagle]

Throbak for pafs imo are the most like good original ones. I have a set of real pafs , Ron Ellis, loller, Tom Holmes, Gibson custom buckets also. They are all good though. Duncan antiquities used to be really good but the resent one I have had less so.

 

[Warmart]

I'm wondering if I'm now in trouble.

Since I've received my Aristides (aka 'Tiddie'), with BKP Stormy Mondays, I'm judging my other pickups. Hopefully just a phase, been through enough of those!