Best humbuckers for hard rock, metal and blues rock?

[V1ntage]

Re: Best humbuckers for hard rock, metal and blues rock?

Haven't tried the Seth's w/o covers, thou I would take Lew's word as gold. I do however have the WLH's in my LP w/JP wiring and I couldn't be happier. Don't delve into much metal with them but believe they could handle it.

Peace,

Darrin

cheers i'll compare both and see, I only really do classic metal not anything insanely heavy

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: Best humbuckers for hard rock, metal and blues rock?

I think the Seth's would be a great fit. Changing mags on the 59's would be a good choice also. However, off the shelf I would suggest the Saturday Night Specials and the WLH. I personally would choose the SNS due to the A4 mag and tone. Even though it says for the late 70's sound, that tone was still driven by Les Paul's with PAF style pickups for the most part. Not all I realize, but quite a few.

 

[Mr. B]

Re: Best humbuckers for hard rock, metal and blues rock?

I agree with Audiocheck. Just a set of 59's.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Best humbuckers for hard rock, metal and blues rock?

Alnico 2 Pro set
59/Custom bridge, Seth neck
'59 RCA4 bridge, '59 A4 neck
Whole Lotta Humbucker bridge, Pearly Gates or Seth neck
JB A2 bridge, Jazz neck
Pearly Gates bridge, Jazz neck (for brighter sound)
Custom bridge, 496R neck (for more output)

 

[Mincer]

Re: Best humbuckers for hard rock, metal and blues rock?

Don't forget the High Voltage set, which is also great for hard rock & blues rock. It is sort of a modified Pearly Gates set, in a way.

 

[Thundermtn]

Re: Best humbuckers for hard rock, metal and blues rock?

True but I think his sound got a lot harder when he switched to the les paul, plus I personally prefer humbuckers to the tele's single coils as I think it is far better for the genres I play, especially metal. Although he did drive some amazing tone out of the dragon tele ofc

Same here X100, part of the reason I play was his tone on Moby Dick, Hum's & down tuned with a blues foundation then distorted enough that how hard you play determines the level of breakup a little.

I was just pointing this out for tone chasers, he's so tied to the LP that a lot of folks don't realize he played a ton of different instruments.

 

[Thundermtn]

Re: Best humbuckers for hard rock, metal and blues rock?

This TONE!

 

[MrFlexx]

Re: Best humbuckers for hard rock, metal and blues rock?

I'm wanting a very classic tone, i'm a big fan of late 60's and 70's hard rock

The 2 best sets i've seen so far are the whole lotta humbucker and the pearly gates but wondering if anyone has any better suggestions that are more versatile and better at those genres. Can be 2 individual humbuckers doesn't have to be a set of the same 2.

Looking to put these into a les paul or sg style guitar and looking to use them with a vox ac30vr

I use my Les Paul for the exact same style you're referring to here and I tried out tons of pickups for this task and for my taste only ONE set stood up for this task. The Saturday Night Special.
It unbelieving how good these pickups are. I replaced the bridge pickup on ALL my guitars ,except for one, with the Saturday Night Special Bridge. That's how good it is. The neck pickup is also the best I've heard in a Les Paul. Get this set and you won't be disappointed.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Best humbuckers for hard rock, metal and blues rock?

Overwound pickups and modern high gain amps don’t get the classic 60’s and 70’s sounds the OP is describing. That gear didn’t exist at the time anyway.

The best classic rock sounds I’ve been able to achieve come from turning a small 20 watt 50’s Gibson GA-20 with the original Jensen P12R full up and plugging either of my PRS Custom 22’s in and just going for it.

One guitar has Antiquitys with covers and the other Seth Lovers without covers.

If I use my Ernie Ball Axis with the overwound, EVH approved, Dimarzios I don’t get that sound. They’re too hot, thick, smooth and modern sounding and lack the air/breath old Gibson PAFs and Duncan Seth and Antiquitys get.

I can easily get the sound on Led Zepplin 1, even tho Page used a Tele.

And my Tele screams through that amp too. Led Zep 1 sounds like a Les Paul but it isn’t.

It’s a Tele through a cranked small amp with (probably) the original Jensen speaker.

 

[UTGrad]

Re: Best humbuckers for hard rock, metal and blues rock?

I’m thinking a Whole Lotta Humbucker bridge and a 59 neck for my Epi SG.


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