The Pickups Thread

I’ve tried more pickups than my brain fog will allow me to recall at once. Since I chase ultra high gain, I’ve ended up loving the following:

- Duncan Distortion (6 string)
- Duncan Nazgul (7 string)
- Duncan Solar (6 string)
- Elysian Trident II (6 string)
- Elysian Hellfire (6 string)
- Elysian Valkyrie (6 string down tuned)
- Fishman Classic (6 and 7 string)

If I could only have one passive and one active, it would be the Trident II and the Classic for sure. The two mix together really well in a song too.

Went through a period of sifting through the inexpensive options and really like the Entwistle Darkstar 7. Jackson’s stock pickups actually sound pretty decent too in the right situation - definitely not for tone cork sniffers, but the audience would likely never think anything was wrong with them.

Pickups I’ve tried to love and will never seek out again:

- Duncan Black Winter (they have an upper mid thing I can’t unhear and it sucks)
- EMGs of any sort. Other people make them sound great, in my hands they suck. Tried 81/85, 57/66, etc. Blah.
- JB, Tone Zone, Pegasus, Titan. Just not my thing.

Also had a set of 7-string Dimarzio Imperiums at one point and loved them. But wouldn’t choose them over the Nazgul.

Currently hunting for a humbucker option for my Fernandes BXB-75 bass. It came with a Fernandes Dogfighter set but they get a little muddy. Have a set of Bill Wilde L90s on the way. If those don’t do the trick, I’ll likely try some variation of Lace Alumitone.
 
Whatever you do, don't start rolling your own. That rabbit hole is _deep_! :LOL: I generally prefer slightly underwound Alnico 2 PAF-style humbuckers for angry rock tones. For higher output, high for me anyway, my favourite so far has been a JB-ish wound pickup with A5 magnet and slugs in both coils.

I'm very happy with the single coils in a Schecter Nick Johnston strat I got recently - anyone know the specs of those?
 
TheTrueZoltan! said:
And it just didn‘t go away, not even with the most precise PLEK setup service. It took me and and the very experienced PLEK technician
Click to expand...

May I ask where you had them plek'ed? Looking for new (stainless steel) frets for my Anderson and would love a Plek job to go with that.
 
I've tried way too many pickups over the years.

For humbuckers, I generally stay in the PAF range with a hot bridge and underwound neck. I've tried tons of different options and right now I'm really into alnico 2 PAF's.
  • PRS McCarty 594 (LP style, mahogany body/neck with maple top) has Wolfetones which are unpotted, about a 7.2k Dr Vintage neck and 9k Marshallhead bridge. Sounds really sweet in this guitar, open and clear with some punch.
  • PRS CE-24 has stock 85/15 pickups which are alnico 2 and on the hotter side, maybe 8k neck and 9k bridge? Works better in that guitar as it has a bolt on maple neck. Ran Thornbuckers for quite a while which are more vintage style but this guitar wants a little more heat. Maybe I'll try the Suhr SSV set from my S2 at some point.
  • PRS S2 Standard, still trying to sort out as it sounds really warm to me, likely due to all mahogany construction. Right now using Suhr SSV which are 7.5k / 8.5k alnico 5 but probably will swap in either Thornbuckers (7.2k A5 / 8.8k A4) or a Duncan Jazz neck (7.2k A5) and 59/Custom Hybrid bridge (11k A5, half a 59 and half a Custom).
  • Epiphone ES-335 has stock Gibson Burstbuckers, 2 in the neck and 3 in the bridge. It sounds way too fat in the neck but I'll probably end up selling the guitar as I don't play it much rather than mod it.
For single coils, I hate 60 cycle hum but never love the sound of noise canceling single coils. I like hotter single coils in general as I don't like the massive tone and volume difference to humbuckers. Some things I've tried:
  • Dimarzio Areas are passable for noise canceling but I end up taking them out eventually. They sound kind of blurry with a soft attack, and in between positions lack sparkle and spank.
  • Suhr single coils are pretty good, I've got V60LP's, ML's, and Classic T's. These are all on the hotter side and seem to be good middle of the road pickups, although the Tele neck is dark.
  • I've got two sets of K-Line pickups, 64 Strat and Signature Tele. They also sound really good, a little brighter than the Suhrs, a little more vintage.
  • Right now I'm messing around with Wilde Microcoils and put a set in my Tele and Strat. They are unique single coils...kind of like a P90 with steel screws, but with one really strong bar magnet instead of two, and with a much shorter bobbin. It sounds different, warm yet very clear, smooth sounding, not harsh with overdrive. And the noise is about halfway between a single coil and humbucker.
 
Dont have many Guitars and most of the time If i change pickups its because i require noiseless IE: my Godin had SD P-90's and i swapped them out with Lindy Fralin P-90, the Revstar I swapped them out because they didn't really have the sound i wanted from it, My Ibanez have Stock SD and i like them so no reason to swap them out, my next axe will probably be a SSS so yeah i will require noiseless most probably the Dimarzio Area set
 
I've pretty much committed to Dimarzio options because I've never had a dud, ever. There is always something different yet still satisfying with every model I've chosen. Not sure what secret ingredient (crack) they use but me likey.

I have multiples of a lot of these --
Dimarzio Singles:
Cruiser
Chopper
Fast Track I
Super Distortion S
Super Distortion T
Area 58
Injector
Heavy Blues 2
'54 Pro (yet to be installed but have a good feeling about this one )
Area T

Dimarzio Humbuckers:
PG13 mini hb
Air Classic
AT-1
EJ Custom
FRED
PAF Pro
Steve's Special
Super Distortion
The Humbucker From Hell
-------------------------------------
Non-Dimarzio :grin --

EMG:
81
85
85X
S
SA
SV

Seymour Duncan:
Lil' '59
Vintage Stack Tele
Parallel Axis Single
Hot Rails
'59
Parallel Axis Original

Mojotone:
'67 Quiet Coil

And probably others I'm forgetting at the moment!
Seymour has been the trickiest for me, inconsistent with my tastes is the best I can describe, but I've probably not tried enough to get a full perspective. I have tried the JB and Custom Custom I think, but it wasn't my guitar. EMG's have been solid and I depended on them live for years so nothing bad to say other than my tastes have shifted more to passives. I still use EMG now so that says something. I'd like to try more Mojotone offerings, their '67 quiet coil set is perfect to me. '58 and perhaps their Filtertron options look appealing.
There are still quite a few Dimarzio models I've not tried so always curious about those. One thing I know for sure is I don't like overly mid focused pickups that sound honky or compressed. I can handle mids but they need to be on the higher end and more bitey like a FRED or PAF Pro would have.
 
@FuzzyAce, I know I've asked before but can't find it anymore, but: What would be your personal favourite for a noiseless neck pseudo-single coil? I would like somewhat more than vintage output and in case it's not just as chimey but a little more midrangey (which most of the pseudo SCs are IME), I'm fine with that as well (anything overdriven defenitely benefits).
Got old Fender Noiseless (I think V2, they're too "pale", not much character), Kinman Woodstock set (a joke of a name, lotsa midrange, nice pickups for rock and - interestingly enough - giving a great pseudo-jazz sound in the semihollow Anderson), a Hot Rail (nice but too much humbucker-alike, only tried in bridge position, though), had a Cool Rail as well (no idea where that went to, not much character, though) and I used to use the orginal OBLs, but they're long gone and never sounded much like SCs to me. Oh, I also have a Kent Armstrong designed one snagged from a Framus Diabolo, but that's pretty much PAF-territory.
So, anything you'd defenitely recommend checking? Ideally from a bigger brand (DiMarzio obviously is fine) because, well, it's Germany...
 
Sascha Franck said:
@FuzzyAce, I know I've asked before but can't find it anymore, but: What would be your personal favourite for a noiseless neck pseudo-single coil? I would like somewhat more than vintage output and in case it's not just as chimey but a little more midrangey (which most of the pseudo SCs are IME), I'm fine with that as well (anything overdriven defenitely benefits).
Got old Fender Noiseless (I think V2, they're too "pale", not much character), Kinman Woodstock set (a joke of a name, lotsa midrange, nice pickups for rock and - interestingly enough - giving a great pseudo-jazz sound in the semihollow Anderson), a Hot Rail (nice but too much humbucker-alike, only tried in bridge position, though), had a Cool Rail as well (no idea where that went to, not much character, though) and I used to use the orginal OBLs, but they're long gone and never sounded much like SCs to me. Oh, I also have a Kent Armstrong designed one snagged from a Framus Diabolo, but that's pretty much PAF-territory.
So, anything you'd defenitely recommend checking? Ideally from a bigger brand (DiMarzio obviously is fine) because, well, it's Germany...
Click to expand...
I love the Dimarzio Area '58, especially if you want a traditional look and closer to a truer single coil tone. I use them in my '86 Squier with a Super distortion S rail pickup in the bridge. Kind of the best of all worlds. Not too bright or too warm, but still plenty of bite and solid low end. In between positions are proper too. I use 500K pots fwiw. Even the Fender Noiseless aren't bad if you use 500K. I think 250K just makes them slightly blah and they lose some of that snap and sparkle. I like the Hot Noiseless set even, I used them in the same Squier for a few years. I ended up putting them in a guitar for my nephew though. They can get more of that looser feel when using OD imo which is not always a bad thing, although I tend to be drawn a bit more to a tighter bottom. The upper midrange is also more prominent than the '58.
The Dimarzio Injector has more power and thickness than the '58, but it's still clear and punchy. Great with cleans but excels with gain.
My all-time favorite neck pickup is the Cruiser though. If you're not hung up on a traditional look that's always my first recommendation. Very balanced overall and cleans up super well. Very clear and smooth top end and solid bottom end. Excels both clean and distorted. It has a feel unlike any pickup I've ever tried. 500K pots for sure. I know Mojotone might be more expensive to get for you, but the '67 set is outstanding. No hesitation recommending it. At times it's my favorite as well. A little more beef than the '58 and bridge sounds like a fatter tele which is awesome.
I love them all though. Some might be suited to other guitars better so there is always that variance to contend with.
 
FuzzyAce said:
I love the Dimarzio Area '58, especially if you want a traditional look and closer to a truer single coil tone. I use them in my '86 Squier with a Super distortion S rail pickup in the bridge. Kind of the best of all worlds. Not too bright or too warm, but still plenty of bite and solid low end. In between positions are proper too. I use 500K pots fwiw. Even the Fender Noiseless aren't bad if you use 500K. I think 250K just makes them slightly blah and they lose some of that snap and sparkle. I like the Hot Noiseless set even, I used them in the same Squier for a few years. I ended up putting them in a guitar for my nephew though. They can get more of that looser feel when using OD imo which is not always a bad thing, although I tend to be drawn a bit more to a tighter bottom. The upper midrange is also more prominent than the '58.
The Dimarzio Injector has more power and thickness than the '58, but it's still clear and punchy. Great with cleans but excels with gain.
My all-time favorite neck pickup is the Cruiser though. If you're not hung up on a traditional look that's always my first recommendation. Very balanced overall and cleans up super well. Very clear and smooth top end and solid bottom end. Excels both clean and distorted. It has a feel unlike any pickup I've ever tried. 500K pots for sure. I know Mojotone might be more expensive to get for you, but the '67 set is outstanding. No hesitation recommending it. At times it's my favorite as well. A little more beef than the '58 and bridge sounds like a fatter tele which is awesome.
I love them all though. Some might be suited to other guitars better so there is always that variance to contend with.
Click to expand...
Good choice.
 
Thanks a lot, @FuzzyAce. I guess I will finally give a Cruiser a try (heard more good things about it from others, too). Don't care much about the looks.
The Mojotones are usually in Thomann's stock, so getting them shouldn't be an issue. I'm just looking at them and they're not even as expensive anymore as I thought they were. Plus, I really only need one (middle pickups serve cosmetic purposes only 99% of all times and I want a real humbucker in bridge position for my main live guitars). Unfortunately, they only have the '58 outside of complete sets. But I may even consider a set as I could use the others in different guitars - so, which one would you choose between the 58 and 67 and why?
 
Sascha Franck said:
so, which one would you choose between the 58 and 67 and why?
Click to expand...
Mojotone also makes a '58 but I haven't tried it. Dimarzio Area '58 vs. Mojo '67 assume you meant?

Umm, sort of a tough call to be honest. They are both great. I like the beefier nature of the '67 (they have metal baseplates fwiw), yet they still have the jangly highs. The hotter bridge has a bit more midrange push so not exactly vintagey strat -- but in a lot of scenarios that's a better thing anyways. The '58 has a throaty kind clarity and attack that might come across as a faster response in the hand. It would be my choice for playing voodoo blues/rock or Hendrix style riffs, if you will. These are just my descriptions so take them for what they are!
 
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Eagle said:
In general the recommendations . I like the areas for hum cancellation myself. I tend to use real single coils in my own guitars.
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I'm thinking of changing my '96 tele back to Fralin Single coils. I bought it off a friend and installed them back 12 yrs ago and they sounded friggin' incredible in that guitar. But I ended up changing to Area T's because I wanted noiseless. They're great too but they aren't as sweet. I have Fender noiseless Gen4 in it now and those are closer but still missing that sweetness. Once I refret the guitar the Fralins are going back in for good.
 
One thing I have learnt in the last few years is that pickups have to suit the guitar. DiMarzio D-Activator sounded amazing in my PRS, then I also put a set in my Fender and it didn‘t work at all. Similar thing with Bare Knuckle Brute Force - awesome in a mahogany body Ibanez RG but thin, weak and clanky sounding in a basswood one. You first have to get to know the basic character of a guitar and the pickups already installed before you can decide in which direction you want to go from there and which pickup you need for that.

Nowadays I have switched (back) completely to EMGs. I just feel at home with this very special sound. But even the EMG 81 doesn't work in every one of my guitars without exception. My beloved Fender Japan Modern Strat, for example, already has a very bright and snappy sound and the 81 emphasized this a little too much. The guitar needed a balancing element and an 85 in the bridge proved to be perfect for this.

That‘s what it‘s all about. Guitar and pickups together have to strike a good balance. And before you get to know the guitar you just can‘t predict which pickup you‘ll like with it.

That being said, of all the passive pickups I tried, DiMarzio D-Activator and Seymour Duncan Custom 5 - each in the right guitar - were probably my favorites.
 
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I have a couple different brands but I really prefer Dimarzio’s
Here’s all the current models i have and some of them I have several of the same model.

Evolution bridge
Evolution neck
Evolution single coil
EVO 2
Paf pro
Super distortion
Norton
Air Norton
Air Zone
Tone zone
Fred
Utopia bridge
Gravity storm bridge
Gravity storm neck
D-sonic
Deactivator
HS3
HS4
Cruiser bridge
Air Norton S
Chopper
Blaze bridge
Blaze neck
Mo Joe
Liquifire
Satchur8
Dream Catcher bridge
Breed Bridge
Steve’s Special

If I had to pick some favs…. I’d say for
bridge: Fred, Gravity Storm bridge and EVO 2

Neck: chopper, air Norton , Liquifire and gravity storm neck

The gravity storm neck is also really cool in the bridge position.

I mostly play 80’s rock metal / hair metal. Some thrash and progressive rock / metal.

I have some SD and other brands but I can’t really get into them as much as Dimarzio. Although I do like the EVH Wolfgang pickups.
 
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