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Looked everywhere, but can't make up my mind. Tele and SG pickups.

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  • #16
    Re: Looked everywhere, but can't make up my mind. Tele and SG pickups.

    I dunno SNS, haven't gotten the chance to try it in a guitar that I know. I kinda like a4's. My old pricey Holmes' PAF set had a4s. And it was quite a good sound. But I let go of them on account of the high prices and having a 8.75K/7.65K Ant HB set that I have used with a pair of a4s. I wish I kept them, sold them together with the guitar (an 04 LP standard) to a buddy of mine. I still miss them!

    I know C4... It is my fav. version of the customs. In my walnut hardtail strat, CC is too soft, C5 has too stingey highs. C3 was for quite a while what I went with. But then once I could get hold some a4, both the 59 in the neck and the bridge custom got their a4s. Now I am using PATB-3 (stock) in that guitar while keeping that a4 59.

    You might wanna check out unoriented a5's. It won't be that similar to a regular shiny a5, it will sorta more closer to an a2. If that's ok, that's also a flavor that custom benefits from.

    B
    FaceBook; SoundCloud; Barlo's Blues; Barlo Digitalized; Soundclick!;

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    • #17
      Re: Looked everywhere, but can't make up my mind. Tele and SG pickups.

      Originally posted by dr.barlo View Post
      You might wanna check out unoriented a5's. It won't be that similar to a regular shiny a5, it will sorta more closer to an a2. If that's ok, that's also a flavor that custom benefits from.

      B
      I'll consider it, like I said the custom 5 wasn't bad for the short time I used it before popping the A8 in there. I know the 5 did well under some moderate gain and an overdrive pedal, but I never really gave it a chance with a cleaner, more vintage tone. I'll try it first and see what I think. If I'm not convinced, magnets are cheap and it couldn't hurt to have a couple different ones handy. I'm still curious about that A4

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      • #18
        Re: Looked everywhere, but can't make up my mind. Tele and SG pickups.

        Originally posted by TrashPanda View Post
        The thought of leaving the tele alone has crossed my mind more than once. I even have saved searches on reverb and eBay in case the occasional aerodyne tele body shows up for a decent price. I'm not above keeping mine stock, but having a 2nd one to mod. I really like the carved top look on a tele, wish fender had more.

        But I do agree, the bridge isn't the problem. That P90 blows. That's what started this whole thing, I was trying to figure out if the one in the aerodyne was a shining example of all P90s or just an uninspired throwaway in an otherwise great guitar. I don't really want to just live with it like it is, I'd at least like it to be something I don't hate.
        The idea behind the bridge was mostly "if you get this neck pickup, this bridge pickup compliments it really well", but also an opportunity to see what people recommended if I do decide to pull the trigger on a new bridge. One less thread I gotta make later.

        Amp and fx? My current amp is a tiny terror and matching 212 I got in a trade. It's not sticking around. All of my recording setup is direct in. Helix, neural dsp, etc.
        I've played that guitar, and the P90 is pretty much what all P90s sound like. I mean, you look at an Antiquity, it is just a better, more refined version of that sound you don't like.
        Administrator of the SDUGF

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        • #19
          Re: Looked everywhere, but can't make up my mind. Tele and SG pickups.

          Originally posted by Mincer View Post
          ...it is just a better, more refined version of that sound you don't like.
          This made me laugh more than you probably intended.

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          • #20
            Re: Looked everywhere, but can't make up my mind. Tele and SG pickups.

            I have an SG with Saturday Night Specials. I love it, it is a very versatile guitar. I love those pickups, I'm considering putting a pair in my Epi Dot, I love what they do so much.

            So much of the marketing and discussion of pickups (and everything guitar-related) relies on adjectives to describe sound. So people say that the nature of an Alnico 4 magnet is to have a "flat" eq curve relative to other magnets.
            Flat. I mean who the hell would get anything sound-based when it's described as "flat?"

            To me, it just seems that no frequency stands out more than the rest, so it's not super-bassy, not middy, not a trebly nightmare. It's a very evenly voiced pickup, with no really dominating part of the spectrum. I just wish there were a more sexy way to say that than "flat."

            The bridge and neck seem to be fairly different pickups, sharing the same magnet type. Both can sound very nice clean, but can do dirty stuff from a mild breakup, to a passable Metallica or Alice in Chains with the right amp. I've been very happy with them in my SG. Would they be the best swap vs. the current Custom 5/'59 in there? I don't know, but I think you may find the overall vibe different enough to give it a shot.

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            • #21
              Re: Looked everywhere, but can't make up my mind. Tele and SG pickups.

              We run into an issue when describing sound with words, don't we?
              Administrator of the SDUGF

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              • #22
                Re: Looked everywhere, but can't make up my mind. Tele and SG pickups.

                Yeah, one man's flat is another man's even. One man's fat is another man's boomy. So on and so forth.

                Then, there's the difference in experience and circumstance. I had a '59n in a strat neck, and thought it was... just really plain and generic, nothing special. That was from about '99 to '07. But I kept it, put a cover on it, and put it in my les paul a couple of years ago, and... BOOM. the same pickup was exactly what I was looking for in that axe. but that's also in comparison to my recollections, my early 2000's rig, different guitars, etc. Like if anyone were to ask me about the DiMarzio evolution, I'd not have great things to say about it. But if I were to try it today in a different guitar, 20 some years later, who knows.

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                • #23
                  Re: Looked everywhere, but can't make up my mind. Tele and SG pickups.

                  Now, getting back to that tele, if the neck p90 isn't doing it for you... yeah, without mods or adding a pickguard or something you are a bit bound to the existing route. DiMarzio seems to be the company that is making a bunch of their traditional pickups in p90 sized formats. Might be worth just picking one, see if you like it, and if not take advantage of their exchange policy.
                  I remember having a deluxe series tele from that early 2000's era (their '50s deluxe or whatever it was). I remember not being bowled over by that guitar or its pickups, but as stated above... that's relative to my experience and expectations at the time. In my current tele, I'm actually really happy with the Fender tex-mex tele pickups. Pretty traditional vibe, but sorta hot. Exactly what I was looking for, nice sounding, and cheap on the used market.

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                  • #24
                    Re: Looked everywhere, but can't make up my mind. Tele and SG pickups.

                    Originally posted by pskorz View Post
                    I mean who the hell would get anything sound-based when it's described as "flat?"

                    To me, it just seems that no frequency stands out more than the rest, so it's not super-bassy, not middy, not a trebly nightmare. It's a very evenly voiced pickup, with no really dominating part of the spectrum. I just wish there were a more sexy way to say that than "flat."
                    For the record, at least in the context of this thread, the above quote is what I mean when I say "flat" or "even". Listening to a clip of an A4 pickup is the first time I've really noticed the sonic characteristics of a magnet or a particular pickup. Nothing really stands out. Not that its a bad thing by any means. It just may not be considered interesting on its own, but it could be a good base to let your amp really shape your tone.

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                    • #25
                      Re: Looked everywhere, but can't make up my mind. Tele and SG pickups.

                      Originally posted by TrashPanda View Post
                      The thought of leaving the tele alone has crossed my mind more than once. I even have saved searches on reverb and eBay in case the occasional aerodyne tele body shows up for a decent price. I'm not above keeping mine stock, but having a 2nd one to mod. I really like the carved top look on a tele, wish fender had more.

                      But I do agree, the bridge isn't the problem. That P90 blows. That's what started this whole thing, I was trying to figure out if the one in the aerodyne was a shining example of all P90s or just an uninspired throwaway in an otherwise great guitar. I don't really want to just live with it like it is, I'd at least like it to be something I don't hate.
                      The idea behind the bridge was mostly "if you get this neck pickup, this bridge pickup compliments it really well", but also an opportunity to see what people recommended if I do decide to pull the trigger on a new bridge. One less thread I gotta make later.

                      Amp and fx? My current amp is a tiny terror and matching 212 I got in a trade. It's not sticking around. All of my recording setup is direct in. Helix, neural dsp, etc.
                      I am a big time P90 lover. That P90 is among the worst I have ever heard. It is atypically bad, and not representative of what P90s sound like IME. It's muddy and indistinct in tone, and a terrible match for the bridge pickup in that guitar.

                      A Firebird pickup (neck wind) is a better match to that bridge pickup, IMO.

                      Or you could just crank it down low and ignore it, or unhook it. For the music/tones you're talking about, you can easily survive without using a neck pickup.

                      Do you like the middle switch position?
                      Last edited by ItsaBass; 04-06-2020, 01:49 PM.
                      Originally posted by LesStrat
                      Yogi Berra was correct.
                      Originally posted by JOLLY
                      I do a few chord things, some crappy lead stuff, and then some rhythm stuff.

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                      • #26
                        Re: Looked everywhere, but can't make up my mind. Tele and SG pickups.

                        very true. I like it for what it is, but you're correct that if you're after a certain type of EQ, an evenly voiced one certainly wouldn't do the trick.

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                        • #27
                          Re: Looked everywhere, but can't make up my mind. Tele and SG pickups.

                          Originally posted by ItsaBass View Post
                          Or you could just crank it down low and ignore it, or unhook it. For the music/tones you're talking about, you can easily survive without using a neck pickup.

                          Do you like the middle switch position?
                          It's a utility thing. The pickup is there, there is a spot for it, I'd like to have it and for it to be usable.

                          And I have never used the middle position. It's honestly not a position I use a whole bunch on any 2 pickup guitar. Usually front or back.

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                          • #28
                            Re: Looked everywhere, but can't make up my mind. Tele and SG pickups.

                            Originally posted by pskorz View Post
                            DiMarzio seems to be the company that is making a bunch of their traditional pickups in p90 sized formats. Might be worth just picking one, see if you like it, and if not take advantage of their exchange policy.
                            Their Virtual90 piqued my interest. Definitely looks like an interesting option and one I'm still considering.

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                            • #29
                              Re: Looked everywhere, but can't make up my mind. Tele and SG pickups.

                              Originally posted by TrashPanda View Post
                              It's a utility thing. The pickup is there, there is a spot for it, I'd like to have it and for it to be usable.

                              And I have never used the middle position. It's honestly not a position I use a whole bunch on any 2 pickup guitar. Usually front or back.
                              Same here. I practically never use middle positions on three-way guitars, or the notch positions on five-way guitars.

                              I would go for a Duncan mini humbucker, SM-1n. This is an original-style Firebird pickup, but underwound. It's bright and aggressive, but clear. Very good match for a Tele bridge pickup.

                              In order to do this, you need to convert to Les Paul Deluxe style mounting. That involves installing a threaded metal strip on the bottom of the pickup cavity. Then you need to purchase the right pickup ring. It has the outline of a P-90 pickup cover, but it is drilled and cut out differently (to accept a mini humbucker or Firebird pickup and its adjustment screws). Then you need spacers, springs, and retainers. Stew-Mac has almost all of this in a kit: https://www.stewmac.com/Hardware_and...g_Bracket.html. You just need to purchase the mounting ring in addition: https://www.stewmac.com/Hardware_and...ting_Ring.html.

                              Be aware that the SM-2s and SM-3s use a different construction – not original-style Firebird construction. They are hotter.

                              Also be aware that your can special order the SM-1, 2, and 3 pickups with Firebird style smooth covers, instead of the covers with the hideous Duncan logo stamp.
                              Last edited by ItsaBass; 04-06-2020, 05:35 PM.
                              Originally posted by LesStrat
                              Yogi Berra was correct.
                              Originally posted by JOLLY
                              I do a few chord things, some crappy lead stuff, and then some rhythm stuff.

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: Looked everywhere, but can't make up my mind. Tele and SG pickups.

                                Originally posted by ItsaBass View Post
                                In order to do this, you need to convert to Les Paul Deluxe style mounting. That involves installing a threaded metal strip on the bottom of the pickup cavity. Then you need to purchase the right pickup ring. It has the outline of a P-90 pickup cover, but it is drilled and cut out differently (to accept a mini humbucker or Firebird pickup and its adjustment screws). Then you need spacers, springs, and retainers. Stew-Mac has almost all of this in a kit: https://www.stewmac.com/Hardware_and...g_Bracket.html. You just need to purchase the mounting ring in addition: https://www.stewmac.com/Hardware_and...ting_Ring.html.
                                Thats pretty cool. I may have mentioned that miniHBs or Firebirds are something I've never dealt with (pretty much all HB and Tele pickups the last 15 years) but if its that easy to convert, I'll certainly look harder at those as other options.


                                If anyone is interested, I also emailed Ben at Bare Knuckle for advice. He recommended the Flat50/Blue Note for the Tele and an Emerald set for the SG. I don't know what to compare the Emeralds or the Blue Note too, but I wonder how different the Jerry Donahue is to the Flat 50 or Flat 52 (which I believe is the original Flat 50)
                                Last edited by TrashPanda; 04-07-2020, 05:46 AM.

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