Best HH pickup set with hotter pup in neck?

[Chistopher]

I've been cosidering a new set of pickups for this Wolfgang guitar I've aquired (read: found in the garbage) that plays really well but has no pickups. Keeping true to the Wolfgang spirit, I want a hotter pickup in the neck. Feel free to stray from SD, as I don't think they have what I'm looking for. I'm thinking Bare Knuckles for this guitar. I could also possibly go with P90s, I have a spare set of Phat Cat covers I could work some P90s in.

I want an overwound PAF type pup with a similarly voiced pickup in the neck, but maybe 1k hotter. Maybe with a magnet swap to retain the heat, but prevent mud.

Any input is appreciated.

 

[ToastyMagician]

Re: Best HH pickup set with hotter pup in neck?

Any pups you like the sound if, just set the neck pickup up to be hotter by lowering the bridge away from the the strings a little

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[Despair]

Re: Best HH pickup set with hotter pup in neck?

I'd be tempted to try a P-Rails with Triple Shots set. Make the guitar do EVERYTHING. Covers P-90 tones, plus you get Tone Zone-ish series mode, parallel mode gets comparisons to a bubbly PAF, and then there's the rail single for versatility. Not a jack of all trades, master of none, either.

Unless you are looking to do something wacky, like a bridge pickup with an A3 magnet, getting a sane volume balance out of a hotter net pickup is tough.

[I have an SH-4 JB, with an A3 magnet, studs towards neck and 0.5" hex head screws swapped in under the wound strings. It sounds about like an A2 JB in the bridge position in a fatter guitar.]

If you just want a hotter than usual neck pickup, there are lots of easy combos. Using a medium hot or vintage style bridge pickup in the neck position with a hot pickup in the bridge position tends to work nicely. Screamin' Demon is a fairly popular neck pickup for high output humbucker users, for example.

Something like a TB-16 '59/Custom Hybrid bridge with an SH-11 Custom Custom or SH-4 JB neck [swapped to A3] might be in the right ballpark.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Best HH pickup set with hotter pup in neck?

Thanks, I might try the A3 JB thing for the neck. Do you think it might work better with subtle bass roll-off cap on it? The Invader neck has one, albeit between the coils.

What would you suggest in the bridge other than the 59/C? That's too much of a night and day difference for me. I'm thinking a hot A2, like a 78 or IM1.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Best HH pickup set with hotter pup in neck?

I'd just get two of the same pickup.

Like Gibson did in the 50's, 60's and 70's.

Both pickups on a humbucker guitar were the same pickup and the bridge pickup was not overwound, nor was the neck pickup underwound, to compensate for the louder neck or quieter bridge position like pickup sets are wound these days.

So if you were to go with a two bridge pickups like the Pearly Gates B or Seth Lover B or 59B, the pickup you put in the neck position will sound louder than that same pickup used in the bridge position.

The JB is not a PAF style pickup, BTW.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Best HH pickup set with hotter pup in neck?

I know, but I'm willing to change my mind on the PAF part. And I'm not talking about getting a louder pickup, just one that has a hotter tone. I tried a set of two bridge Mighty Mite vintage alnico 5 pickups, but the neck just sounded like a muddier version of the bridge.

I've tried a EVH brand Wolfgang, and they manage to get the neck a little hotter and thicker, yet still retain clarity. I might consider a A3 JB with .5" screws under the bass strings (with a high pass filter to wash off some mud if necessary) in the neck and a A2 JB in the bridge. Given they have an identical wind, the A3 should give them a similar output, right?

 

[BlueSkiesAndPaign]

Re: Best HH pickup set with hotter pup in neck?

You could try two Dimarzio PAF Pros

or a 59/Custom in the bridge and a Custom 5 in the neck.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Best HH pickup set with hotter pup in neck?

How about a SLUG in the neck, and Invader in the bridge? It would be pretty unique, indeed!

 

[gregory]

Re: Best HH pickup set with hotter pup in neck?

I like the idea of an IM1 and a JB with a UA5 with 1/2" screw under the 6th string and 3/4" screw under the 5th string (or thereabouts).

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Best HH pickup set with hotter pup in neck?

How about a SLUG in the neck, and Invader in the bridge? It would be pretty unique, indeed!

How would a SLUG sound in the neck? My mind has several natural mechanisms designed to prevent me from thinking about that.

I like the idea of an IM1 and a JB with a UA5 with 1/2" screw under the 6th string and 3/4" screw under the 5th string (or thereabouts).

IM1 as neck or bridge?

 

[BlueSkiesAndPaign]

Re: Best HH pickup set with hotter pup in neck?

Or a medium output bridge pickup with a Screamin Demon in the neck.

 

[gregory]

Re: Best HH pickup set with hotter pup in neck?

IM1 as bridge. An A3 might work better in the JB than a UA5, but I'd see what the custom shop recommends.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Best HH pickup set with hotter pup in neck?

If I recall properly an IM1 is more or less a degaussed Custom Custom (there's more to it than that, but I don't want to go too deep into it), so that might be very similar to the whole JB vs Custom/Custom Custom/ Custom 5 thing. I'll put the JB3 in the neck and see which I prefer in the bridge, I've had an IM1 waiting around for quite a while. Unless of course, there are any other suggestions for a neck pickup? I don't really want a Screamin Demon because I don't have one on hand at the moment, but I might be able to be convinced.

 

[jeffdemann]

Re: Best HH pickup set with hotter pup in neck?

I have Seymour Duncan Distortion Pickups in my Wolfgang. They sound great.

 

[Despair]

Re: Best HH pickup set with hotter pup in neck?

Thanks, I might try the A3 JB thing for the neck. Do you think it might work better with subtle bass roll-off cap on it? The Invader neck has one, albeit between the coils.

What would you suggest in the bridge other than the 59/C? That's too much of a night and day difference for me. I'm thinking a hot A2, like a 78 or IM1.

Tightening the bass [and giving a bit more attack] is why I have 0.5" allen head screw polepieces under the wound strings. I didn't see any need for a bass cap after that mod. My configuration with the studs towards neck is a bit odd, but I did that to get fatter high strings, and then screwed the bass side down, it's about a millimeter under the pickup ring. On the treble side, it's as close as I can get it without the strings rattling off it. Then I adjusted the screw polepieces under the wound strings to get even string balance. It's a pretty unusual setup, but I've never had a neck pickup that's so good under heavy distortion, light crunch and for cleans as well. Usually something gives somewhere. Sure, it's still a neck pickup, so a bit thick for thrash rhythm, but it works quite well for almost anything else.

I think the JB3 would actually work pretty nicely opposite the 59/C, but 78 or IM1 would likely work fine if those are more to your taste. The 78 is certainly closer to a standard hot PAF, albeit in an A2 flavor. Though the Hybrid kinda wanders between PAF and Custom tones. PATB-3 might be another option to consider, if you want an A5 with an overwound PAF inspired tone that can squish a bit depending on your pick attack. Parallel Axis pickups are ridiculously underappreciated.

Lewguitar is certainly right that the JB is no PAF. I strayed from PAFish recommendations in general, I admit I was thinking more of EVH/Axis tones than Wolfgang, sorry, I should have been clearer.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Best HH pickup set with hotter pup in neck?

Lewguitar is certainly right that the JB is no PAF. I strayed from PAFish recommendations in general, I admit I was thinking more of EVH/Axis tones than Wolfgang, sorry, I should have been clearer.

A Wolfgang is an EVH guitar and I tend to go towards EVH style sounds anyway, so no problem at all. And what you said about the Parallel Axis being underrated I think is mostly about aesthetics, similar to P-Rails and Fuglybuckers.

Edit: Since I am going for a Van Halenish (heavy emphasis on ish) tone I might consider doing what he did and modify a Custom. How would the JB3 you described pair with a UOA5 Custom? I'm thinking in my head it could work well, but I have no experience with your crazy JB.

 

[Despair]

Re: Best HH pickup set with hotter pup in neck?

A Wolfgang is an EVH guitar and I tend to go towards EVH style sounds anyway, so no problem at all. And what you said about the Parallel Axis being underrated I think is mostly about aesthetics, similar to P-Rails and Fuglybuckers.

Edit: Since I am going for a Van Halenish (heavy emphasis on ish) tone I might consider doing what he did and modify a Custom. How would the JB3 you described pair with a UOA5 Custom? I'm thinking in my head it could work well, but I have no experience with your crazy JB.

I have a PATB-1b in my guitar, which is somewhat like a hotter Custom 5 with some A2 qualities when you lay back on pick attack. Given you have talked about wanting a hotter neck pickup, I think the UOA5 Custom [or even A2 CC] would likely work. If you decide to go with a Custom series, I'd start from a Custom Custom, might even try it stock first.

Part of the reason I suggested the '59/C Hybrid as an option was the screwed up coil on his original frankentstrat. It's a very EVH pickup, even with A5. And because the lower resistance screw coil is 42AWG, it's not as low output as it'd seem from the resistance rating.

Another very EVH pickup would be something in an A8 PAFish, a la Super 70, which was in the Destroyer he used on all the non-vibrato tracks on VH I. [A8 PATB-3, maybe?]

Even the P-Rails is a fairly EVHish pickup, at least in series mode. Though it's probably hotter and woollier than the Axis pups.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Best HH pickup set with hotter pup in neck?

I have a PATB-1b in my guitar, which is somewhat like a hotter Custom 5 with some A2 qualities when you lay back on pick attack. Given you have talked about wanting a hotter neck pickup, I think the UOA5 Custom [or even A2 CC] would likely work. If you decide to go with a Custom series, I'd start from a Custom Custom, might even try it stock first.

Part of the reason I suggested the '59/C Hybrid as an option was the screwed up coil on his original frankentstrat. It's a very EVH pickup, even with A5. And because the lower resistance screw coil is 42AWG, it's not as low output as it'd seem from the resistance rating.

Another very EVH pickup would be something in an A8 PAFish, a la Super 70, which was in the Destroyer he used on all the non-vibrato tracks on VH I. [A8 PATB-3, maybe?]

Even the P-Rails is a fairly EVHish pickup, at least in series mode. Though it's probably hotter and woollier than the Axis pups.

PATB-1b is a great recommendation. CustomCustom might be a tad soggy in the neck; maybe a Custom with A3? I think the 59/C Hybrid could make a killer neck pickup.

The idea of a slightly lighter wind with a strong mag like the Super70 is a good suggestion too- how about a pair of Demons with an A8 in the bridge one?

 

[Despair]

Re: Best HH pickup set with hotter pup in neck?

I was only recommending a stock Custom Custom as a bridge possibility, definitely A3 in neck. And probably some 0.5" hex screw polepiece swaps, too.

Another idea, but less likely to be parts on hand/readily available, is all-screw pickups [like the Screamin' Demon, but works nciely on others as well], particular for neck pickups it helps control bass [and allows even more opportunity to play with screw swaps and pickup angle/screw height adjustments to tweak tone].

EVH tried JBs with Sammy Hagar, and Custom series with David Lee Roth, A3 JB neck gives a fairly A2 JB bridge tone [but fatter without giving up sparkle], CC or UOA5 Custom nicely does the other end of things. His early tones supposedly depended more on variac for squish than pickup, but he did use the CC on 1984...

What choice works best depends on player & amp as much as tone being targetted. Lots of ways to get similar results, as any number of EVH enthusiasts have proved.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Best HH pickup set with hotter pup in neck?

PATB-1b is a great recommendation. CustomCustom might be a tad soggy in the neck; maybe a Custom with A3? I think the 59/C Hybrid could make a killer neck pickup.

I always thought that a double hex 59/c would work extremely well in the neck, I've just never been able to try it.