Best neck humbucker to compliment to 59b

[Simon_F]

Re: Best neck humbucker to compliment to 59b

I have '59s in an Epiphone SG Custom and get along fine with them, but if I wanted less bottom end from the neck pickup I would go with either of:

WLH - Like a '59 but will less bottom end and fuller mids. Love these in an LP, haven't tried them in an SG.

Jazz - Bright top end and less bottom than a '59. Very clear and articulate.

[BluesIsBlood12]

Re: Best neck humbucker to compliment to 59b

Thanks for the response! Do you feel the WLH would be too hot in the neck position with the 59b? I believe the DCR is about 8.2 which is the same as the 59b if I’m not mistaken. And I hadn’t thought of swapping the mag in the 59. Definitely could be a great option too.

It's been a little while since I used WLH, but I don't recall thinking they were any hotter than my other PAFs. It could be b/c it's only a slight difference, or maybe I set them a little lower than my other guitars. DCR doesn't necessarily represent output though. It's more of a guide than a rule. I do prefer WLH set to 59s, but since you already have the 59s it's cheaper/faster to experiment with magnets a little bit. Might do exactly what you want.

[AZ Picker]

Re: Best neck humbucker to compliment to 59b

Saturday night special neck is what you are after. Less bass than the 59, almost as articulate as the jazz but not as clanky and scooped and not muddy in the low end like an aph (I'll guess that's less of an issue in an sg though). Great match output wise with a 59 bridge.

[GuitarStv]

Re: Best neck humbucker to compliment to 59b

How much time did you spend fiddling around the '59 neck as far as position and screw pole adjustment? I find that stock it's not boomy at all once you carefully tweak these heights.

[justFred]

Re: Best neck humbucker to compliment to 59b

P-Rail....

[Snicker]

Re: Best neck humbucker to compliment to 59b

I have a 59b with a jazz neck, replacing a 59 neck. The jazz is a bit brighter, not boomy at all, very clean, bit less output. more articulate but less butter than the APH

[Rex_Rocker]

Re: Best neck humbucker to compliment to 59b

I used to have a '59B with a DiMarzio 36th Anniversary PAF in the neck in an old Ibanez RGA I sold. I thought that was a cool combo. The 36th Anniversary is smooth and throaty, but not as boomy or scooped as the '59N.

[SAguitar]

Re: Best neck humbucker to compliment to 59b

I would suggest the either the Jazz or a Pearly Gates to accompany your '59B. I have used both of those before and been very happy with the results.

[Aceman]

Re: Best neck humbucker to compliment to 59b

There are a number of pickups that "tilt" the EQ in the neck the way you want.

I generally say that the PG is a first top, the jazz or Full Shred more extreme, and the demon is also more 'tilted to treble, but also a little hotter.
I can't personally speak for a few of the things mentioned like the Slash or the WLH.

I will say I might try the A4 mag swap first.

[Ascension]

Re: Best neck humbucker to compliment to 59b

Hello all! This is my first post on this forum. IĀ’ve tried searching this topic, but I didnĀ’t really find anything that really answered my question.

I have a 59b in the bridge position of my 61 Reissue SG, but IĀ’m looking for a good neck humbucker that would match it that isnĀ’t the 59n. IĀ’ve tried the 59n, but found it to be be too boomy. Would either the WLH neck or the APH-1 neck (Non-Slash) be a good match for it?

Additionally, if you have any other suggestions, feel free to let me know. Thanks in advance for your help!

Easy a Saturday Night Special neck. If the 59 neck is to boomy in your guitar a APH-1 or a WLH will both be worse. The SNS will be less boomy more chime and a good output match for your 59B. That is by far my 1st choice but a Jazz neck would also be worth a look. The APH-1 in particular with A2 mag will be softer and rounder in the attack and the WLH will be bigger and hotter than a 59 neck. The SNS on the other hand will be more balanced and less woolie /boomie in the neck. Have 2 SNS necks in play right now. One with a SNS Trembucker in my semi hollow Carvin AE 185 and another with a 59 Custom Hybrid Trembucker in my Carvin ST 300.
This is my AE 185 through my PRS MT 15 with the full SNS set.

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Best neck humbucker to compliment to 59b

My suggestion would also be to try an A4 in your 59n first. It's certainly the cheapest way to find out if you can save $70-100.

Next would be the Jazz.

Years ago my favorite neck pup was the PG, then I discovered the Demon and it quickly became my #1 choice...much better sounding than the PG ("better" is a relative term and means different things to different people). The Demon had a much more even tone curve...no boomy bass, no out-of-proportion treble, and not as aggressive sounding. It sounded so perfect to me that I had a hard time wanting to try anything else in the neck. I steered away from the Jazz because of all the hype that it was so bright. Then I saw a good deal on a used Jazz and my curiosity got the best of me. What the heck, I think it was only $40. To my surprise, it wasn't as bright as I thought. In fact it had a very even/flat tone that could be controlled by my guitar and amp to get any tone that I wanted. Extremely versatile! I tried it in a LP, SG, Strat, Tele, hollow body, and many of my custom builds. Same great results.

The Jazz is now (for the past 5-10 years) my absolute favorite neck humbucker. I still love the Demon just about as much, but the Jazz gives me everything I want and is $30 cheaper than the Demon.

Another great choice if you want clarity and versatility is the GFS Dream 180. For $30 with chrome or black cover and many other color/design choices for a few bucks more, it's hard to beat. (https://www.guitarfetish.com/search....word=dream+180). I've got several of those in guitars with Mincer's "Do-It-All Wiring". After trying that wiring, it has become my standard wiring in all of my builds using buckers. Thanks, Dave!!!

[Mincer]

Re: Best neck humbucker to compliment to 59b

That's awesome!

I do use the Jazz in one mid-heavy guitar. It actually sounds 'normal' to me now. I don't like a ton of high end, and I tend to like neck pickups on the Dicky/Duane side.

[rammer69]

Re: Best neck humbucker to compliment to 59b

I have been using the Jazz -b in the neck of my guitars for close to 15 yrs (at least over 10 yrs) I split them with push /push tone pots to get clean sounds, I will most likely never try anything else.

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Best neck humbucker to compliment to 59b

I've got guitars with Jazz neck and bridge pups in the neck position. They both sound fantastic.