Mix brands or not?

[alex1fly]

Long time no see, SDUGF. I'm sure this has been covered, but I'm having trouble finding anything in the search so here goes!

Is it better practice to stay with one brand for customizing pickups in a guitar? Or does it matter?

I know you can have success either way. But say you were giving basic advice to someone doing this for the first time, and you didn't want to steer them down a path of chasing tone and spending money. Would you tell them to use one brand for their guitar, or would you suggest that they pick whatever they want? What's a better "tried-and-true" strategy?

In my case, I have two high output Invader Single Coils from Dragonfire that I'd like to throw in a hardtail Strat: https://dragonfireguitars.com/Crusad...Caps-10096.htm
And am either going to match it with a high output bridge humbucker from Dragonfire, or go through the process of trying to match the single coils with a Dimarzio or Duncan. I have an Air Zone in my parts drawer. Between covid and having a 1 yr old, time and money are both tight - but I also want to to do it right.

Alex

[idsnowdog]

Doesn't matter. The only practical matters are cosmetics, polarity, and in the case of active electronics the type of pots and capacitors they use.

[superpete]

Doesn't matter. The only practical matters are cosmetics, polarity, and in the case of active electronics the type of pots and capacitors they use.

yeah the only issue i've ever had with mixing brands was my wiring put position 2 on an HSS strat out of phase.

[beaubrummels]

To choose pickups, go by the sound, not the brand. Just know that wiring wil require considering differences in how the brands color code wires and set the phase ot their pickups.

[jeremy]

i tend to match brands but only for tonal reasons, ive mixed brands before with good results so find what works best for the application at hand

[Securb]

I find mixing things around you can end up with some cool combinations. I have a Hot Rails in the bridge of my Tele the neck pickup is a TV Jones Classic Plus Bridge the guitar sounds amazing.

[Masta' C]

I often mix brands in my guitars. Best way to get exactly what you want sometimes.

[idsnowdog]

The only proviso I have to mixing brands is some pickup combos don't sound too great if their construction methods are too divergent. Like Lace Alumitones with an Invader.

[Rex_Rocker]

The best PAF-type combo I tried was the '59 trembucker matched with the PAF 36th Anniversary in the neck.

[Demanic]

The only proviso I have to mixing brands is some pickup combos don't sound too great if their construction methods are too divergent. Like Lace Alumitones with an Invader.

I'd love to pair a Deathbucker in the neck spot with an Invader at the bridge.

Sent from my SM-A115A using Tapatalk

[Mincer]

I don't think it matters. I think most people start by replacing 1 pickup at a time, so in a sense they are mixing brands, even if that isn't the final intention.

[Adieu]

Wasn't there some polarity or phase or something issue in strats mixing different brands sometimes? I heard about that but never quite understood how that worked exactly

[BluesIsBlood12]

It makes me feel dirty when I mix and match, but that's just me. If it sounds good then rock it.

[JB_From_Hell]

Wasn't there some polarity or phase or something issue in strats mixing different brands sometimes? I heard about that but never quite understood how that worked exactly

There's no standardization to polarity, and you sometimes have to mess around a bit to get things going properly. For instance, if you put a Duncan single into the bridge of a stock Fender Strat, and position 4 winds up being out of phase, swap the neck and middle pickups and it'll be fixed.

[Mincer]

Polarity and wire colors aren't standard across companies, and it makes the notion of diving into pickup swapping an uphill climb. I am surprised we can all agree on the size of pickups. But I think most people don't buy sets due to costs- they buy one at a time. I think, ideally, we'd all like to get a set, but availability and cost might be the biggest hurdles.