Best pickup for my custom guitar... please help

D

dudesta559

New member
I am having a custom guitar built, and first off, let me explain i have been playing since my sophomore year in high school, and i did not learn any technical terms for guitars, or the physics behind it all. i just picked it up and played, and learned from listening to the radio and copying that,etc... so please do not take my lack of proper explanation a sign that i have no idea what im doing. i have playing experience, but not proper training for the anatomy of the guitar, what does what, settings, tones, etc... i am now learning the tech portion of music, but i need help.:thanks:

i am having a custom guitar built and i am looking for the best pickups for the songs i play/create:
good clean tones and sensitive to help my guitar tapping songs like Dave Knudson (minus the bear), then i also need a great distortion sound for when i cover and make up songs similar to muse style songs. I want to also be able to hear my pinch harmonics clearly. please suggestions. i think i want to stay with passive pickups, so please any tips as to which pickups i should get, and why?

heres what im having built:
alder body
curly maple neck
rosewood fretboard
fernandes sustainer
kaoss pad midi controller
and of course all the other little pieces needed.
please any advice? :thanks:
 
Re: Best pickup for my custom guitar... please help

I'd make a change and go quartersawn neck.
 
Re: Best pickup for my custom guitar... please help

It's a lot less likely to warp or twist. IMHO curly would be more susceptible to warping and twisting.
 
Re: Best pickup for my custom guitar... please help

What scale length.. what bridge and how is the neck attached... also what amp are you going to be using and what sounds are you after
 
Re: Best pickup for my custom guitar... please help

C'mon guys. He doesn't care about that kinda stuff, he's been playing since he was a sophomore in high school so he knows what he is doing, he just wants the best pups for great cleans, great distortion, great harmonics, and very touch sensitive for the songs he makes up.
 
Re: Best pickup for my custom guitar... please help

Matt Bellamy of Muse uses bare knuckles in his guitars. I think the Nailbomb is one of his favourites for riffing. If you want to get close to his sound check those out.

Having said that; you could easily find some duncans that will do the job. The people here on SD are really helpful. Take some of their suggestions and listen to clips/youtube to get an idea of the pickups for your self.
 
Re: Best pickup for my custom guitar... please help

the scale length is 25"

yes i was thinking about getting the bare knuckle nailbomb but its easier to get if you live in england... ive been looking onlin and i just need the bridge pickup, i only find people selling the whole set. its over $300 smackeroons!..
is the JB in any way similar to the nailbomb?
 
Re: Best pickup for my custom guitar... please help

Your having a custom guitar made and the price of pickups is scaring you off? Even then you can get a nail bomb direct from the factory for around 140.

So its 25 inch scale ok... What bridge and what amp set up are you using?
 
Re: Best pickup for my custom guitar... please help

alright first off, I think if I was gonna pay someone to have a custom guitar built, I would wanna know some basic stuff about guitars first. it's not very difficult stuff to learn, and you're gonna have it built then find out later there were things you would have done differently. that being said, if you're dead set on doing it I would recommend p-rails with triple shots. they get a great crunchy distortion sound with series humbucking, and you can get some nice clean tones with either coil split or parallel humbucking. I have that set up in one of my guitars, it is the best humbucking AND the best single coil sound I have ever heard, regardless of whether it is clean or high-gain.
 
Re: Best pickup for my custom guitar... please help

I'd steer you towards a Wolfetone Fenris. It's got an A2 mag wound to about 16k, but it's very clear and pretty. Fantastic clean, mid gain, and overdriven tones. I wouldn't use it for modern metal, but I have one in a Carvin Holdsworth that I use for everything from cleanish slide to rawk sounds.
 
Re: Best pickup for my custom guitar... please help

nah, the duncan 59/custom hybrid is my pickup of choice. season to taste with the magnet. an alnico8 works sweet for heavier stuff in a brighter guitar. the a5 is also great....


or, a screamin demon alnico8 ?

or a custom8?!

or, a fullshred 8?

or a fullshred/jb hybrid alnico8 in bridge alnico5 in neck? that pickupset rocks extremely nice

or, a fullshred/patb2 hybrid alnico8 in bridge alnico5 in neck.

or, for a more vintage vibe with added fattness, a patb3/screamin demon hybrid.

or, for a clearer yet dirtier vibe, a screaming demon/distortion Neck hybrid.

I can go on and on.
 
Re: Best pickup for my custom guitar... please help

The Screamin Demon is a great pup to hybrid. For the neck, I love the Demon/59 with a UOA5. Man, it's almost acoustic sounding in clarity, but with a very full EQ. I think that because of its wind and tonal characteristics, it would hybrid very well with just about anything.
 
Re: Best pickup for my custom guitar... please help

I suggest you check different scale lenght guitars before choosing your own custom scale lenght...

I'm sort of a big guy, and got ****ed up when i ordered my custom with a 25", can't rest my wrist properly relaxed on it cause it's too short.

Also you should go for the JB in the bridge, you can play everything with it!
 
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