Pickup for '65 melody maker

[ItsaBass]

Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

'59 bridge, or Dimarzio PAF Master Bridge – nickel covered for the best look IMO.

[Mincer]

Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

If you want a little more power, but the same PAF tone profile, look at the 59/Custom Hybrid. It is a great pickup if you use your volume knob a lot, too.

[pskorz]

Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

SNS is really versatile, you can do just about anything with it. However, I find it a little bland and lacking something. To me, it's about what it isn't more than about what it actually is. It isn't muddy, it isn't too bright, it isn't too much of anything, but it doesn't stand out in any way.

I have a set of SNS in an SG and I cannot recommend them enough. I can dig what you're saying, in that in some applications you'd maybe want something with a little more oomph or juice or something. But they are nice sounding and very versatile - in the sense of what I'd imagine a PAF is to most, very versatile. With the right amp, it can be very polite and tame. With the right gain and boosting and can scream, with a bit of fuzz it can be very aggressive.

Having said that, I've never contemplated having just a Sat Night Special bridge only in a 1 humbucker guitar...

[pskorz]

Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

If you want a little more power, but the same PAF tone profile, look at the 59/Custom Hybrid. It is a great pickup if you use your volume knob a lot, too.

I have this in the bridge of my Les Paul, and yes. It works really well with the vol/tone knobs. It'll rip and scream pretty well with the right amp, but can be tamed with a little pinky work on the vol knob.

[chadd]

Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

I have a set of SNS in an SG and I cannot recommend them enough. I can dig what you're saying, in that in some applications you'd maybe want something with a little more oomph or juice or something. But they are nice sounding and very versatile - in the sense of what I'd imagine a PAF is to most, very versatile. With the right amp, it can be very polite and tame. With the right gain and boosting and can scream, with a bit of fuzz it can be very aggressive.

Having said that, I've never contemplated having just a Sat Night Special bridge only in a 1 humbucker guitar...

Most PAFs that I've played have more top end to my ear.

It's honestly a really good set of pickups and they'll work for just about any style of music.

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

It's a Melody Maker!

It's made for a P-90!

It deserves a P-90!

How could anyone desecrate that guitar with anything else?!

I know you said you prefer humbuckers, but the GFS Mean 90 is a big fat mid-heavy humbuckerish sounding bucker-sized P-90 pup with aggression/bite that you can't get from any bucker. It kinda sounds like an aggressive humbucker with the wet blanket removed. They call it a "Mean" 90 for a reason!

https://www.guitarfetish.com/search.asp?keyword=mean+90

[jeremy]

Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

what? the mm always had the weird gibson single coil, not a p90. at least into the 80's. i remember some mid 80's ones with buckers but not sure if they were stock or routed or whatever. this one should have the single coil but its routed for a bucker so i so brobucker! the sns might be cool too, patb3, phat cat could be fun

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

Ah, yes you're right. I must have been thinking of the Junior.

But since it's routed for a bucker, I say bucker-sized P-90.

[ItsaBass]

Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

Some years of Epi Olympics (Epi's version of the Melody Maker) had P90s.

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

Interesting. It's possible I've seen those and just got confused. At my age, the mind plays lots of tricks on you. Like, crazy lots of tricks.

It's also possible that I've seen the Gibson MM and assumed it was a P-90 because of the large pickguard surrounding it...kinda looks like a dog ear P-90 at casual glance.

In any case, it is as Jeremy said.

[Aceman]

Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

Phat Cat


Or as Doc suggested...Mean 90!

[bigcupholder]

Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

You guys talked me out of the Saturday Night Special. I'll consider the Mean 90 later though.

I have a Custom (maybe a Custom 5, I need to check what magnet I had in it last) in an old Ibanez that I haven't touched in over a decade that's currently waiting to be refinished (full story in another thread). I have to wait for warm weather to paint and the Melody Maker gets priority anyway.

I'll put the Custom in the Melody Maker when the guitar arrives. I ordered A8 and UOA5 magnets to try later. I'm betting that I'll really like the UOA5 if it splits the difference between the Custom Custom and Custom 5, as I've read.

Sent from my SM-G970W using Tapatalk

[gearhead63]

Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

Don't know what kind of music you want to play on your MM, but I used to have a '65 MM, was routed for 2 HB'ers.
Had a Dimarzio Super Distortion in the bridge. Used it for everything from southern rock to metal and it sounded great!
It may sound pretty good with a bucker sized P-90.