Any one know of a bluesy high gain pickup

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Any one know of a bluesy high gain pickup

Your title is essentially the description for the JB so that might be a good place to start! I normally hate JB's, especially when they are running off 500K pots! They're upper mid spike & nasally voice just doesn't gel with my style of playing...

I agree with this. My experience with the JB is in a G&L ASAT Deluxe but...it has 250k pots. I love the tone; it definitely gets bluesy tones in that guitar with my Mesa amps. With the the 250k pots it's more rounded and not nearly as spiky.

Bill

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Any one know of a bluesy high gain pickup

JB is great for the high gain stuff, definitely a classic. Its Achilles' heel is that it doesn't clean up well using the guitar's controls. The only way to get bluesy tone from one is with relatively low drive. With a driven amp it can't be made to behave like a PAF simply by rolling back the volume knob. For that, you need a pickup that isn't so super hot.

EDIT: Even among hot humbuckers, most others seem to clean up better than the JB. IMO that just isn't one of its strengths.

 

[EDX]

Re: Any one know of a bluesy high gain pickup

to OP, if it was me i would use a PG with either an A8 or a THICK ceramic

 

[Teleplayer]

Re: Any one know of a bluesy high gain pickup

A lot of the pickups in this thread have nothing to do with a 50's PAF. SH-5 CUSTOM is also not a PAF.
A PAF is normally a pickup wound with 42AWG wire, which ends up in 7.5k to 9k winding. 50's PAF did not use a ceramic magnet either.

Where did you mention about which guitar this pickup is going to be installed in?
Eddie tones is pretty general comment, as they all sound different to me. A lot of pickups would work and probably SH-5 would be one of them.

 

[Link8417]

Re: Any one know of a bluesy high gain pickup

Personally, I love the WLH for "high gain blues", but you are looking for EVH tones. The 78 (custom shop) is an overwound PAF that'll get you EVH tones. You said you liked the custom though, have you checked out the 59/custom hybrid? It'll get you the powerful tones of the custom, but it sounds excellent with lighter attack too. Very versatile, great for that searing sound as well as a bluesy warmth from the 59 half. If you order it with different magnets, I'm sure you could probably get very close to the tone you're looking for with that.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

Re: Any one know of a bluesy high gain pickup

Thanks guys the guitar originally had Duncan designed which i believe were modeled off the JB but i'm not 100% sure ,but didn't sound all that great . I ended up changing them to the guitar fetish VEH pickups which i really like just there made kinda cheap. As of right now I think the custom will get me the closest to the sound i want.

 

[dcrowell]

Re: Any one know of a bluesy high gain pickup

The bareknuckle Abraxas is a nice bluesy, high gain option.

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[Aceman]

Re: Any one know of a bluesy high gain pickup

High Gain Bluesy? I immediately think "JB" but that won't back off to a PAF tone.

The Custom/59 hybrid could be that easily. Might be ideal.

A hot Pearly Gates - I have one word to 9k, and I love it. Might not be hot enough though.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Any one know of a bluesy high gain pickup

A hot Pearly Gates - I have one word to 9k, and I love it. Might not be hot enough though.

PG+ is close to 9K; mine reads 8.7. Good sounding pickup, though a bit bright. I might try UA5 in mine one of these days, if I get around to it. But it's in a guitar I don't play much.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

Re: Any one know of a bluesy high gain pickup

A lot of the pickups in this thread have nothing to do with a 50's PAF. SH-5 CUSTOM is also not a PAF.
A PAF is normally a pickup wound with 42AWG wire, which ends up in 7.5k to 9k winding. 50's PAF did not use a ceramic magnet either.

Where did you mention about which guitar this pickup is going to be installed in?
Eddie tones is pretty general comment, as they all sound different to me. A lot of pickups would work and probably SH-5 would be one of them.

I didn't say the the type of guitar but its a Squire deluxe Satin Trans Strat HH with a mahogany body. Also the pickups doesn't necessarily have to be PAF it would be nice but any hotter pickup that cleanse up real nice would work. I know that Eddie tone is a general comment what think i was going for is a pickup that would really work for stuff like that.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Any one know of a bluesy high gain pickup

It's worth noting some of Eddie's early tone was done with an actual PAF taken out of a 335. It's the amp that provided the high gain sound.

 

[KNUCKLHEAD]

Re: Any one know of a bluesy high gain pickup

It's worth noting some of Eddie's early tone was done with an actual PAF taken out of a 335. It's the amp that provided the high gain sound.

I believe that may be the case , been forever though + His guy Sammy Sanchez or whoever that was did great work on the earlier JTM and JMP Heads .

 

[Teleplayer]

Re: Any one know of a bluesy high gain pickup

I didn't say the the type of guitar but its a Squire deluxe Satin Trans Strat HH with a mahogany body. Also the pickups doesn't necessarily have to be PAF it would be nice but any hotter pickup that cleanse up real nice would work. I know that Eddie tone is a general comment what think i was going for is a pickup that would really work for stuff like that.

I'm still have doubts if a Duncan custom (TB-5 with ceramic magnet) with qualify for blues tones or not.

Have a listen to some of the Yamaha Pacifica 611 or 311 demos with the Metal covered TB-14 Custom 5 (alnico 5 magnet). I think that guitar uses 500k volume and 250k tone pots.
The custom 5 has a bright top end, but with the right wiring and a guitar that is not crazy bright you can get an organic sounding blues tone.

 

[SJ318]

Re: Any one know of a bluesy high gain pickup

Hi,
Fun Fact about EVH's PAF.
I saw Eddie Van Halen's guitar up close and torn apart. Floyd Rose I knew as an acquaintance and he asked if I would like to see his new "locking whammy bar" he was putting on EVH's guitar. So there it was, in Floyds very modest Seattle home. I looked at the pickup and it was a very beat up uncovered PAF. It had the tell-tale round/square holes on the end of each coil and a battered PAF sticker on back.
I was so jealous, but happy for Floyd as he was always a nice guy the few times we came in contact as guitarists in Seattle. 59/Custom will get you what you want. It is very strong, loud, great mids, cleans up well. The WLH is a grittier sound, but will clean up. Seth Lover is a great PAF but not as high gain as the 59/C.
Steve Buffington

 

[Stevie-Ray]

Re: Any one know of a bluesy high gain pickup

Hi,
Fun Fact about EVH's PAF.
I saw Eddie Van Halen's guitar up close and torn apart. Floyd Rose I knew as an acquaintance and he asked if I would like to see his new "locking whammy bar" he was putting on EVH's guitar. So there it was, in Floyds very modest Seattle home. I looked at the pickup and it was a very beat up uncovered PAF. It had the tell-tale round/square holes on the end of each coil and a battered PAF sticker on back.
I was so jealous, but happy for Floyd as he was always a nice guy the few times we came in contact as guitarists in Seattle. 59/Custom will get you what you want. It is very strong, loud, great mids, cleans up well. The WLH is a grittier sound, but will clean up. Seth Lover is a great PAF but not as high gain as the 59/C.
Steve Buffington

Thanks man i seen a lotta people mentioning the 59/Custom which sound really good. Also that's really awesome you got the see his guitar and meet Floyd Rose but I'm kinda jealous.

 

[Ascension]

Re: Any one know of a bluesy high gain pickup

Thanks guys looked into them and i'm really liking the custom and the Whole Lotta Humbucker.

WLH i can see but the Custom I tink is not going to give you the dynamics you want. I would look at the 59/Custom Hybrid instead. I went through all the Custom variants with mag swaps and to my amazement have found i prefer the Hybrid to them all in most settings. Also will throw out a wild card here in a Virtual HOT PAF from Dimarzio. No longer in production but had a couple over the years and they nailed the tones you are talking better than anything i have ever owned.

 

[Ascension]

Re: Any one know of a bluesy high gain pickup

I didn't say the the type of guitar but its a Squire deluxe Satin Trans Strat HH with a mahogany body. Also the pickups doesn't necessarily have to be PAF it would be nice but any hotter pickup that cleanse up real nice would work. I know that Eddie tone is a general comment what think i was going for is a pickup that would really work for stuff like that.

For what it's worth I have a 59/Custom Hybrid in my Modern Player Tele and that guitar is an absolute BEAST!!

 

[Aceman]

Re: Any one know of a bluesy high gain pickup

Hi,
Fun Fact about EVH's PAF.
I saw Eddie Van Halen's guitar up close and torn apart. Floyd Rose I knew as an acquaintance and he asked if I would like to see his new "locking whammy bar" he was putting on EVH's guitar. So there it was, in Floyds very modest Seattle home. I looked at the pickup and it was a very beat up uncovered PAF. It had the tell-tale round/square holes on the end of each coil and a battered PAF sticker on back.
I was so jealous, but happy for Floyd as he was always a nice guy the few times we came in contact as guitarists in Seattle. 59/Custom will get you what you want. It is very strong, loud, great mids, cleans up well. The WLH is a grittier sound, but will clean up. Seth Lover is a great PAF but not as high gain as the 59/C.
Steve Buffington

I nominate this for cool @$$ story of the week

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Any one know of a bluesy high gain pickup

Hi,
Fun Fact about EVH's PAF.
I saw Eddie Van Halen's guitar up close and torn apart. Floyd Rose I knew as an acquaintance and he asked if I would like to see his new "locking whammy bar" he was putting on EVH's guitar. So there it was, in Floyds very modest Seattle home. I looked at the pickup and it was a very beat up uncovered PAF. It had the tell-tale round/square holes on the end of each coil and a battered PAF sticker on back.
I was so jealous, but happy for Floyd as he was always a nice guy the few times we came in contact as guitarists in Seattle. 59/Custom will get you what you want. It is very strong, loud, great mids, cleans up well. The WLH is a grittier sound, but will clean up. Seth Lover is a great PAF but not as high gain as the 59/C.
Steve Buffington

I nominate this for cool @$$ story of the week

Seconded.

 

[vinnie1971]

Any one know of a bluesy high gain pickup

I'm looking for a pickup that gives you the Eddie tones while also giving you the 50s PAF tone when you back off your attack.

Maxon Super 70s or Maxon V2 and V1, or Seymour Duncan 59s with Alnico 8 apparently get there. The former are the ones EVH used but I never tried but many say that 59s with Alnico 8 sound just like super 70s



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