Originally posted by nexion218
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Lets talk about "stock" pickups
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Administrator of the SDUGF
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My Ibanez RG270DX had the "Powersound" humbuckers...
THe bridge pickup was something like... 22k? :o
The neck pickup was horribly bassy and muddy, almost unuseable. But the bridge pickup gave some really heavy tones .
I remember the middle single coil to be very unbalanced, quiet- in comparison to the 'buckers.
.If somethings important- send a PM. I might be offline for long periods. Rock on!!!
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Yes, but those are clearly not what the OP is referring to. He's suggesting that there's no difference in the quality or performance of lower-end "budget" pickups that come stock in some guitars and higher-priced aftermarket counterparts. While this may be true in a few cases, I think most of us can agree to disagree with him on these points
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Originally posted by Masta' C View PostYes, but those are clearly not what the OP is referring to. He's suggesting that there's no difference in the quality or performance of lower-end "budget" pickups that come stock in some guitars and higher-priced aftermarket counterparts. While this may be true in a few cases, I think most of us can agree to disagree with him on these points
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Originally posted by Mincer View Post
Yeah, that's my main point. Sometimes you get lucky, though. But pickups are one of the areas that a company skimps on when building to a price point. Finishing or wood grain are bound to sell more guitars than pickups. Many companies know that guitar players may eventually upgrade the pickups, but other factors actually sell the guitar.
As I said in the first post, the problem with Chinese stuff is consistency and availability; you don't really know what youre getting. But in the case of Chinese OEM pickups, you DO know what you are getting. And that may work great for you.
I just went through a scenario where an OEM pickup beat models from Seymour Duncan and DImarzio in a particular guitar.
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Originally posted by Masta' C View PostYes, but those are clearly not what the OP is referring to. He's suggesting that there's no difference in the quality or performance of lower-end "budget" pickups that come stock in some guitars and higher-priced aftermarket counterparts. While this may be true in a few cases, I think most of us can agree to disagree with him on these points
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Originally posted by Top-L View Post
But how do they skimp on the pickups, other than outsourcing the labor to China?
As I said in the first post, the problem with Chinese stuff is consistency and availability; you don't really know what youre getting. But in the case of Chinese OEM pickups, you DO know what you are getting. And that may work great for you.
I just went through a scenario where an OEM pickup beat models from Seymour Duncan and DImarzio in a particular guitar.
Also, they obviously don't tailor the pickups to the individual player, which is where aftermarket shines. Again, if you love the stock pickups in a cheaper guitar, great! Keep playing and have an easier life. And it certainly doesn't matter what other people think. But if I bought an inexpensive guitar, I would personally be surprised if the pickups would be perfect for me. Not that it can't happen, but I wouldn't expect it.Administrator of the SDUGF
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Originally posted by Mincer View PostMost brands design to a price point, and may even know that pickups don't get as much as attention as a figured top or nice tuners. Most guitar players simply don't care about such things. Cheaper stock pickups can sound good in a guitar, but that is usually the exception. Most inexpensive guitars will absolutely sound better with upgraded pickups, although I am less inclined to pay a lot for an instrument that I feel I will have to mod to sound good.
I liked the INF2/ceramic, but critical listening showed it wasnt as tight and detailed in the bottom, even though I liked the solo notes. So I put my favorite dimarzio in, and its even better. Its bright on top without being screechy, and the bottom is thick and detailed.
Its currently taped in so I can decide if I want to keep it in there without drilling out the holes for direct mount.
That said, the INF2 was better for me than the Custom 5 that came in the guitar. And better than the Evolution. Its all about choices.
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^And there's the issue. Personal preference is always king here.....not price, perceived 'quality' of construction nor any association with a player or style.
Plus the host instrument is another key and unique aspect. There have been many times where a generic or much maligned set have beaten out another companies most top-end boutique wind.
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If you look at pickups for what they are, electrical devices that have values, in the same way that resistors have some kind of resistance, then whether stock pickups are going to be good or bad just depends on whether you like the values. Unfortunately, the one value that would tell you 90% of what there is to be said about pickups, the inductance, is not printed on the pickup, so people are left guessing, sort of as though you didn't know what the resistance was of the tone and volume pot, and you just kept swapping them out until you liked the sound. A lot of stock pickups tend to have a high inductance and have ceramic magnets, even though on average that's not as preferred as low inductance and weaker AlNiCo magnets, so in most cases a pickup upgrade is for the sake of getting lower values than the stock values.
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