The Pickups Thread

[Jarick]

For years the Motor City Hot Heads were the one to get for me when going for hard rock and metal tones, but after trying EVH Wolfgangs in a couple of guitars now, they are the new champions. They sound just as good but are so easy to get. You owe it to yourself to try some...View attachment 53202

I always wanted to try Motor City but seems like they aren't available anymore?

How's the neck pickup Wolfgang? From what I can tell it looks like it's as hot as the bridge pickup which is odd. 14k-ish alnico 2...

 

[Rock Chalk]

I always wanted to try Motor City but seems like they aren't available anymore?

How's the neck pickup Wolfgang? From what I can tell it looks like it's as hot as the bridge pickup which is odd. 14k-ish alnico 2...

Not sure if Wade is still in business or not........the Hot Head was a special order thing which made it harder to get anyways, so that's why I was so glad about the Wolfgang sounding like it does.

Now the neck Wolfgang, I've only had one of. I just did a Warmoth Velocity build and did a full set of Wolfgangs in it and they sound great! Not sure how much it has to do with it, but I put the neck pickup in backwards just like the actual Wolfgangs do, and it really sounds good.......not too wooly, even with it being so hot.

 

[Chocol8]

it's as hot as the bridge pickup which is odd.

I remember reading that it was hotter than the bridge which is really odd!

 

[Guitar guy]

This is a long shot, but any idea what brand these pickups are? Anyone recognise the marker pen writing (or even the guitar!). Bought the guitar second hand from a shop (Andertons, UK), I knew the pickups had been changed, I was hoping to see identifying marks or make underneath, but there’s nothing except a number (presumably kOhms) and a B or N. They were fitted to a ninety eight Gibson Les Paul Standard Double Cut. Four conductor cable. Thanks!

The guitar had some fret issues which I found when I tried it at Andertons, I bought it anyway, confident the problems were solvable. Which they were, it’s been given an excellent refret by a luthier.

 

[Jarick]

@Guitar guy - no idea on those. They're long legs with black 4-conductor wire, they appear to have had covers at some point, no markings or stickers, basically matched output for bridge to neck. Parts look decent quality though. My guess is they're a small winder?

 

[Guitar guy]

@Guitar guy - no idea on those. They're long legs with black 4-conductor wire, they appear to have had covers at some point, no markings or stickers, basically matched output for bridge to neck. Parts look decent quality though. My guess is they're a small winder?

Thanks Jarick. I think you’re right about them having had covers in the past, given the solder marks underneath. Also yes probably a small independent boutique pickup maker.

They do sound good, which was why it would be great to know who made them. I’m hoping maybe one day the previous owner or pickup maker might see this post and be able to tell me!

 

[GTR37]

Finally installed the Suhr Woodbucker set into my PRS CE-24. This guitar tends to be brighter and more scooped that my other PRS because of the bolt on maple neck most likely, so I figured hotter alnico 2 pickups would work well. The stock 85/15 set are alnico 2 as well and measure about 7.8k neck and 8.5k bridge. The neck pickup is a bit too fat sounding and the bridge pickup is a bit underpowered for my tastes.

They sound killer! Really nicely balanced. I had tried the Woodbucker bridge with the Thornbucker before and it was too different sounding. The Woodbucker neck has a "juicy" tone to it like most alnico 2 humbuckers I've tried but has excellent clarity. No mud. Where the Thornbucker is bright with a bit of a scooped tone the Woodbucker neck seems more balanced. The bridge pickup has a nice heat boost; I had tried the Thornbucker 2 recently and the Woodbucker is a step up but not too hot and again balances well. And it's still pretty clear sounding in the middle position.

I'm surprised the Woodbucker isn't getting more hype...if you liked the Thornbucker set but wanted a bit more juice, this seems perfect.

Also FYI the pickups measure about 7.5k neck and 12.5k bridge. My Thornbuckers measure closer to 7.0k neck and 8.7-9.0k bridge (depending on the model) and SSV set measures about 7.5k neck and 8.5k bridge.

Wow that is hot for the Bridge
For an A2, it must be
Headed in the direction of a Wolfgang / Frankenstein type pickup between the Classic and normal

 

[Jarick]

Wow that is hot for the Bridge
For an A2, it must be
Headed in the direction of a Wolfgang / Frankenstein type pickup between the Classic and normal

I’d guess that’s exactly what they are modeled on. Andy is a massive EVH fan especially the 90s era stuff. It’s cool though something different than the same PAF stuff all the time

 

[Gary_W]

I’ve got a Godin LGXT I’ve had for years and sadly if doesn’t get played much. I want a reason to grab it.

At the time I got it, I was playing through a Matamp C7 which (if you’re not familiar) is an angry little 7 watt monster that doesn’t really do clean sounds. For this reason, I swapped out the pickups in the LGXT for some custom wound super low output humbuckers (small maker, Bulldog, here in the U.K. - nice guy, worked with Bareknuckle for a while and his pickups are far more affordable than those guys!). These worked far better for me with the Matamp - they could still hit it hard enough despite their intentionally low output because if you farted near that thing it’d distort. In a good way - sounds immense but clean headroom is not its strong point.

Because I wanted more versatility and needed something at home that didn’t have to shake the windows from the frames, I’ve been using a Kemper for years and am soon getting a Helix stadium. I mostly play lower to mid gain things but I do occasionally like to get rowdy. I have a PRS Stripped ‘58 where the pickups are low output but lovely IMO - tone and feel wise I prefer it to the Godin. Consequently the Godin hasn’t had much love which is a shame as, build-wise, it’s a fantastic guitar.

I still have the original Seymour Duncan Jazz neck and JB Bridge. Is it worth me throwing those back in or should I go for something even more aggressive in there? My favourite guitars (feel wise) are all relatively lower output so something a bit more in your face would give me a good reason to pick this up and use it more!

 

[greatmutah]

Not sure if Wade is still in business or not........the Hot Head was a special order thing which made it harder to get anyways, so that's why I was so glad about the Wolfgang sounding like it does.

Now the neck Wolfgang, I've only had one of. I just did a Warmoth Velocity build and did a full set of Wolfgangs in it and they sound great! Not sure how much it has to do with it, but I put the neck pickup in backwards just like the actual Wolfgangs do, and it really sounds good.......not too wooly, even with it being so hot.

It’s hard to know with Wade as he hasn’t posted anything on social media in months and he’s awful at responding to emails. I usually felt ok buying stuff if he was at least updating his social media because then I knew he was active. You’d buy it, not hear anything and 6 - 8 weeks later a pickup or set would be in your mailbox. Since he hasn’t been on socials lately… idk. He makes a good pickup but there’s a lot of good winders out there with better communication.

 

[Rock Chalk]

It’s hard to know with Wade as he hasn’t posted anything on social media in months and he’s awful at responding to emails. I usually felt ok buying stuff if he was at least updating his social media because then I knew he was active. You’d buy it, not hear anything and 6 - 8 weeks later a pickup or set would be in your mailbox. Since he hasn’t been on socials lately… idk. He makes a good pickup but there’s a lot of good winders out there with better communication.

Oh absolutely!......never had a problem with ordering anything from Wade......he winds great pickups and they always showed up!

 

[AlbertA]

I had a set of Bill Lawrence noiseless single coils, L200SN, L200SM and L280SL on my Carvin Bolt but I wanted to try something else after having those for a good decade.

I decided to try a set of Fender Pure Vintage '65 pickups:

https://www.fender.com/products/pure-vintage-65-strat-pickups

I'm liking the sound - very stratty

 

[greatmutah]

I’m currently on the fence between PV 65s, Brandonwound S62s and Fralin Vintage Hots. I want find early to mid 60s Strat sounds for my newest Strat. The PV59s are excellent but I already have that set in another guitar.

 

[PhilA]

View attachment 53404View attachment 53405View attachment 53406View attachment 53407This is a long shot, but any idea what brand these pickups are? Anyone recognise the marker pen writing (or even the guitar!). Bought the guitar second hand from a shop (Andertons, UK), I knew the pickups had been changed, I was hoping to see identifying marks or make underneath, but there’s nothing except a number (presumably kOhms) and a B or N. They were fitted to a ninety eight Gibson Les Paul Standard Double Cut. Four conductor cable. Thanks!

The guitar had some fret issues which I found when I tried it at Andertons, I bought it anyway, confident the problems were solvable. Which they were, it’s been given an excellent refret by a luthier.

I’m sure my old Bareknuckle (when they were half the price they are now) Rebel Yells have marker pen values on the base plates. So thise might be BareKnuckles?

 

[Jarick]

Ordered a set of EMG's for my Telecaster. I've rolled through a bunch of pickups in there and just can't find anything that grabs me long term. Looking for big, fat, and clear sound with no noise. Never really used actives before but I'm very intrigued and if I dig these I'll probably order a Luke set for my Ibanez AZ super Strat.

 

[GTR37]

So yeah back to the pickups thread .. lol I am looking for a bridge pickup for and alder Jackson type modern Tele
Flame top
For Tones I want something that does the old school Lynch 80s but is also comfortable enough to do drop AIC more modern stuff
I currently have a tone zone in my Ibanez RG that I have used for years but I am maybe looking for a change on the new one

What would be your top picks say 2 or 3 outside of the JB

I have thought of the 78
Custom custom , Suhr DSH/+
BKP true grit

Any suggestions

 

[Jarick]

Still adjusting to the EMG Telecaster pickup set, I have to dial in my presets quite a bit differently but I really like the overall sound and complete lack of noise.

I picked up an EMG 85 over the weekend to try out in my drop C guitar. That's a PRS S2 Standard all mahogany set neck so it can be a bit dark or bassy sounding. Listening to clips it sounds like the EMG's tend to be tighter and cleaner sounding than passives. And I'm curious how the 85 compares to the output of the EMG T set and other humbuckers, as I've been thinking of putting a Luke set in my Ibanez AZ.

Really good value IMO, I paid $109 for a brand new USA made pickup that included volume and tone pots, input jack, and all wiring components. Planning to basically rip everything out of there and just run the single bridge humbucker. If I like it I'll pick an 81 or 60 for the neck and a 3-way switch.

 

[Jarick]

So yeah back to the pickups thread .. lol I am looking for a bridge pickup for and alder Jackson type modern Tele
Flame top
For Tones I want something that does the old school Lynch 80s but is also comfortable enough to do drop AIC more modern stuff
I currently have a tone zone in my Ibanez RG that I have used for years but I am maybe looking for a change on the new one

What would be your top picks say 2 or 3 outside of the JB

I have thought of the 78
Custom custom , Suhr DSH/+
BKP true grit

Any suggestions

78 I found to be fairly bright and pushed upper mids, like if you listen to old EVH tones solo'd and think "holy crap that's bright". BKP True Grit I didn't find to be anything special, like a hotter PAF.

Haven't tried the other two but I did get a Suhr Woodbucker which I think is their take on the Custom Custom. It sounds really good to me, it's definitely hotter and just has more of everything compared to their PAF style pickups but it's not over the top or compressed. It works well in my PRS CE-24 which has a bolt on maple neck so may not have as much natural output and sustain as other guitars.

 

[Jarick]

Thoughts on the EMG 85 after a few days...really unique frequency response and dynamics, and not sure how much of that is EQ vs compression.

The frequency response of the pickup is different than a passive, definitely not as big of a push in the upper midrange resonant frequency, but also seems like there may not be as much push in the low end either. This makes it feel a lot tighter and in some ways less forgiving. Think of the difference of running through an EQ pedal into an amp to change the gain and dynamic response. I wonder if that's why a lot of active pickup metal guys run through a boost pedal with the gain down and the tone turned up?

Frequency wise it seems a lot flatter. Because the passive sounds like it's pushed in the highs and lows, the active sounds like it's got a broad midrange push instead. But there's more extension in the very high end. This is probably why some people find them to be "hi-fi" sounding. Either way, I find I have to increase the gain and treble/presence.

It's very sensitive to height adjustments. Moving the high string side up or down by a turn really changes the response. I'm running them a bit higher than passive pickups right now. They don't seem to sound as good down lower.

Back to dynamics, like the EMG T set I can't tell if they are more or less compressed than passives. It doesn't clean up quite as well as a passive but also doesn't clean up the same way. The attack is very different, it seems faster and harder, and I think that's the big "tell" sonically between EMG and passives.

Still curious about a Luke set for my Ibanez AZ but going to think on it a minute.

 

[AlbertA]

Thoughts on the EMG 85 after a few days...really unique frequency response and dynamics, and not sure how much of that is EQ vs compression.

The frequency response of the pickup is different than a passive, definitely not as big of a push in the upper midrange resonant frequency, but also seems like there may not be as much push in the low end either. This makes it feel a lot tighter and in some ways less forgiving. Think of the difference of running through an EQ pedal into an amp to change the gain and dynamic response. I wonder if that's why a lot of active pickup metal guys run through a boost pedal with the gain down and the tone turned up?

Frequency wise it seems a lot flatter. Because the passive sounds like it's pushed in the highs and lows, the active sounds like it's got a broad midrange push instead. But there's more extension in the very high end. This is probably why some people find them to be "hi-fi" sounding. Either way, I find I have to increase the gain and treble/presence.

It's very sensitive to height adjustments. Moving the high string side up or down by a turn really changes the response. I'm running them a bit higher than passive pickups right now. They don't seem to sound as good down lower.

Back to dynamics, like the EMG T set I can't tell if they are more or less compressed than passives. It doesn't clean up quite as well as a passive but also doesn't clean up the same way. The attack is very different, it seems faster and harder, and I think that's the big "tell" sonically between EMG and passives.

Still curious about a Luke set for my Ibanez AZ but going to think on it a minute.

You should try running them at 18V - when I had EMGs, with 9V, they clipped (probably why a lot of people refer to them as sounding compressed) going to 18V got rid of all that.