SavageRiffer
New member
I am assembling a partsocaster and need to get a humbucker set for $100 or less. I have tried Duncan Designed but they were just OK. I know enough about pickups to know that you can get similar quality to Duncan production pickups in a budget brand, but don't know which brand to go with. Here's what I've been mulling over so far and what I have been able to gather about them:
GFS - Generally good, some say as good as SD. Some say they don't have dimensional quality like SD, but they sound good on Youtube to me.
Tonerider - Most say they're good, some say the sound generic. When I hear the audio, something about the midrange sounds plain.
Dean - Great sounding pickups, great reviews. Many of their models are high output. I prefer medium to medium-high.
Artec - Apparently they're mostly rebranded Chinese or Korean made pickups. Most reviews are OK, some say cheap (Entwistle, etc.).
Stewmac Golden Age - Excellent reviews, some say no better than the aforementioned brands but cost more.
Schaller - Excellent, German made, but haven't found under $80.
Wilkinson - Some say great, some videos sound great, but good info is sparse. I think many are China and Indonesia rebrands.
Rockfield - Haven't seen any around for sale, seem like great pickups though and audio sounds good.
Fender - Found some pretty good deals but confusing which is which because apparently the same pickup has different names in different guitars, and Fender sucks at describing them or providing specs. The Twinhead sounds cool. There are vintage alnico and modern ceramic versions. Audio doesn't seem to showcase much low end.
So that is my limited knowledge. I know I have looked at a few more not mentioned either because they are rebranded or just can't remember which ones I came across. I would like your feedback. As for the information you may want to make suggestions, I will tell you that I play rock, metal, blues, and sometimes clean stuff. Mostly classic, 80's, and modern metal. I go with alnico II, IV, and V most of the time. Some of the lower output ceramic offerings like Dimarzio Transition and Duncan Custom are more to my taste. High output, low/vintage, and active are not my thing. The guitar is alder. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
GFS - Generally good, some say as good as SD. Some say they don't have dimensional quality like SD, but they sound good on Youtube to me.
Tonerider - Most say they're good, some say the sound generic. When I hear the audio, something about the midrange sounds plain.
Dean - Great sounding pickups, great reviews. Many of their models are high output. I prefer medium to medium-high.
Artec - Apparently they're mostly rebranded Chinese or Korean made pickups. Most reviews are OK, some say cheap (Entwistle, etc.).
Stewmac Golden Age - Excellent reviews, some say no better than the aforementioned brands but cost more.
Schaller - Excellent, German made, but haven't found under $80.
Wilkinson - Some say great, some videos sound great, but good info is sparse. I think many are China and Indonesia rebrands.
Rockfield - Haven't seen any around for sale, seem like great pickups though and audio sounds good.
Fender - Found some pretty good deals but confusing which is which because apparently the same pickup has different names in different guitars, and Fender sucks at describing them or providing specs. The Twinhead sounds cool. There are vintage alnico and modern ceramic versions. Audio doesn't seem to showcase much low end.
So that is my limited knowledge. I know I have looked at a few more not mentioned either because they are rebranded or just can't remember which ones I came across. I would like your feedback. As for the information you may want to make suggestions, I will tell you that I play rock, metal, blues, and sometimes clean stuff. Mostly classic, 80's, and modern metal. I go with alnico II, IV, and V most of the time. Some of the lower output ceramic offerings like Dimarzio Transition and Duncan Custom are more to my taste. High output, low/vintage, and active are not my thing. The guitar is alder. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
