Future pickup swaps for my guitars-opinions?

[STLMTLHD79]

I guess you could say i am tone chasing to some degree. Here are my guitars and what i want to do with them pickup wise:

1988 Les Paul Custom-Has a 500T in the bridge right now. I was thinking of going the 500k Pot route with this and leave it at that. I do have an old MJ-wound Duncan Custom i could replace it with however, that would have a very similar tone to the 500T

1993 Les Paul Limited Edition (Studio) This is routed for P-90s but currently has Dimarzio Super Distortion soapbars in it. I want to go back to P-90s (thinking Duncan Hot P-90s)

1995 Les Paul Studio-I have a Duncan Custom 5 and Jazz (neck) ready for this swap

1989 Epiphone USA Pro-All Stock Bill Lawrence designed pickups (maybe the circut board ones) and i have a NOS SD Parallel Axis Original and Quarter pound ready for this

1988 Chavel Model 3Dr-Currently has a Screamin Demon bridge and Lil 59 neck. I like the tone of the Demon but would like a little more output and less highs. I have a SD Custom Custom that i could swap in.

2002 Charvel Model A-came stock with Pearly Gates TB (Bridge) and Lil Screamin Demons in the neck and middle. I like the Demons in this and was going to swap in my SD Alternate 8 i have lying around. The Pearly gates is just too weak output for my tastes.

1989 Kramer Focus 3000-Currently has a Dimarzio FRED in the bridge which i cannot stand-I have a SD 59/Custom Hybrid to replace it with.

1989 Charvel 750XL-In Magenta with stock uncovered pickups. I have a pair of white SD Full Shreds to replace them with and should look killer when it is done

1988 Charvel Model 88-not all original so the previous owner swapped in a Duncan Designed HB-105 which has gone microphonic. I actually dont mind this pickup and thought about having it wax potted and using it for another project (A Samick LP copy that is pretty nice). I have an MJ wound Full Shred to replace it with.

chime in with thoughts or suggestions.

 

[Derpottsie]

Re: Future pickup swaps for my guitars-opinions?

All of your choices are A++ in my book. If you want to, Id swap the magnet out in the custom custom to an alnico 8 mag. Im not sure why SD doesnt do this already. But I guess thats why they came out with the alternative 8. Alt 8 is really hot though but I use it in all but 2 guitars. Consider that custom 8 though for real. Best pickup hands down to my ears. 59/custom hybrid might be a close equal to my favorite also

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J320A using Tapatalk

 

[Mincer]

Re: Future pickup swaps for my guitars-opinions?

They all sound great to me! tart with one guitar, and make sure you get the swaps perfect- you are getting the tone you want. When that is absolutely the best tone that guitar is capable of, move on to the next one. Big projects like this are best attacked in pieces.

 

[The JEM Ghost]

Re: Future pickup swaps for my guitars-opinions?

Seems like you got some good tones coming up with what you described mate!!
The only suggestion I would make is you may want to put something humcanceling (a stack or maybe a rail) in your Epiphone USA Pro at the neck spot instead of the Quarter Pound, to make humcanceling all over in all positions, at least that's what I would do, if you don't mind the Quarter Pound not being humcanceling, then go ahead by all means off course, it'll give you a pretty fat single coil sound! That's about the only suggestion I can make, you have put up a decent selection in my opinion!

 

[metalchurch79]

Re: Future pickup swaps for my guitars-opinions?

They all sound great to me! tart with one guitar, and make sure you get the swaps perfect- you are getting the tone you want. When that is absolutely the best tone that guitar is capable of, move on to the next one. Big projects like this are best attacked in pieces.

That's great advice and I would do that very thing. Either start with your fav, or start with the one that sounds the worst and work your way up. You may find that some pickups you had set aside actually worked out better in something else and never would have thought it...
Lovely list of guitars that's for sure! The one that I'd want to court would be the Charvel Model 88! That's probably the rarest of all being only 1,000 were made but only 500 were available for the US market. I think they were consecutively numbered if I'm not mistaken. Did you get the orig neck plate?

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Future pickup swaps for my guitars-opinions?

One thought- on that Charvel with the Screamin' Demon in the bridge, since you like the Demon you might try an A8 mag before you give up on it. A8 in a Demon can be pretty darn good.

 

[STLMTLHD79]

Re: Future pickup swaps for my guitars-opinions?

That's great advice and I would do that very thing. Either start with your fav, or start with the one that sounds the worst and work your way up. You may find that some pickups you had set aside actually worked out better in something else and never would have thought it...
Lovely list of guitars that's for sure! The one that I'd want to court would be the Charvel Model 88! That's probably the rarest of all being only 1,000 were made but only 500 were available for the US market. I think they were consecutively numbered if I'm not mistaken. Did you get the orig neck plate?

Always had the original base plate it's #0258 it needs the original pickup bracket. It was unfortunately drilled for a smaller one...

 

[metalchurch79]

Re: Future pickup swaps for my guitars-opinions?

I know where you can get one. Those are slightly oversized, you're right...
And that's awesome the neck plate came with it! My only complaint about those is the behind the nut locking nut. I'd be so tempted to tuck that neck away and put a Floyd cut neck on it. That and swap the JT-6 for an OFR. Otherwise, man those are awesome!
Same guy also has some Charvel chainsaw cases, unless you got one with it??

 

[STLMTLHD79]

Re: Future pickup swaps for my guitars-opinions?

I know where you can get one. Those are slightly oversized, you're right...
And that's awesome the neck plate came with it! My only complaint about those is the behind the nut locking nut. I'd be so tempted to tuck that neck away and put a Floyd cut neck on it. That and swap the JT-6 for an OFR. Otherwise, man those are awesome!
Same guy also has some Charvel chainsaw cases, unless you got one with it??

No i wish. The only one that came with the OG chainsaw case was the 750xl. The model 1C that i looked at the other day and still considering to buy also has the OG grey case but has a broken latch and hinge.

 

[metalchurch79]

Re: Future pickup swaps for my guitars-opinions?

Edit
I misread your original post...
Anyways I don't think that a reverse headstock will fit inside of a regular headstock case. You can trim the foam and reshape it, but it still looks like it would be awfully tight

 

[metalchurch79]

Re: Future pickup swaps for my guitars-opinions?

Also I'd try the Alternative 8 in the Charvel 3DR and leave the lil 59 in there. And put the Screaming Demon in the 02 Charvel with those other little demons. Or isn't that a good match?? I've had many Demons, but never a single... It just sounds like a simple bridge pup swap between the two would make sense. But I'm sure you thought of that...

 

[STLMTLHD79]

Re: Future pickup swaps for my guitars-opinions?

Seems like you got some good tones coming up with what you described mate!!
The only suggestion I would make is you may want to put something humcanceling (a stack or maybe a rail) in your Epiphone USA Pro at the neck spot instead of the Quarter Pound, to make humcanceling all over in all positions, at least that's what I would do, if you don't mind the Quarter Pound not being humcanceling, then go ahead by all means off course, it'll give you a pretty fat single coil sound! That's about the only suggestion I can make, you have put up a decent selection in my opinion!

thanks for the input. However, i have a ton of neck humbucker guitars now so i want to keep this one single coil. Of my 14 guitars, only 2 have neck single coils. I played a Charvel DeMartini MIM and my friends early 90s Fender Talon with the Quarter Pound and i really liked it.