Has anyone tried Seth Lovers or Antiquities in a Gibson 335? Not loving the 57's. I have Seth Lovers in my Hamer Artist and they sound great. I'm just not sure if maybe the maple body is what I am not digging. The guitar has a bit of an abrasive quality to it. Not horrible but just not up to par. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Gibson 335 pickup options
- Thread starter vjm
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ExplorersRock
X-Files Duckbucker
Re: Gibson 335 pickup options
I've got a set of Antiquities in my Epi Dot. FANTASTIC!
I've got a set of Antiquities in my Epi Dot. FANTASTIC!
ItsaBass
New member
Re: Gibson 335 pickup options
'57's are kind of mushy and unclear pickups compared to Seths. If you find '57's "abrasive" in that guitar, then you will like Seths even less IMO. The first thing I would do would not be to swap pickups, but to modify your controls in such a way that you find them useful for dialing in the specific kind of treble rolloff that you like. For me, this usually involves changing the taper of the pots, as well as the cap values.
'57's are kind of mushy and unclear pickups compared to Seths. If you find '57's "abrasive" in that guitar, then you will like Seths even less IMO. The first thing I would do would not be to swap pickups, but to modify your controls in such a way that you find them useful for dialing in the specific kind of treble rolloff that you like. For me, this usually involves changing the taper of the pots, as well as the cap values.
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Funkfingers
Guest
Re: Gibson 335 pickup options
Ants, Seths, maybe, even, WLHs.
If funds are an issue and you are feeling brave, how about magnet swaps in the Gibson pickups?
Alnico 4 for the neck/Rhythm position and Un-Oriented Alnico 5 for the bridge/Treble.
Ants, Seths, maybe, even, WLHs.
If funds are an issue and you are feeling brave, how about magnet swaps in the Gibson pickups?
Alnico 4 for the neck/Rhythm position and Un-Oriented Alnico 5 for the bridge/Treble.
blueman335
Mojo's Minions
Re: Gibson 335 pickup options
+1. In spite of their boutique price, '57's are middle-of-the-pack PAF that some of us aren't thrilled with. They can't compete with Seth's.
+1. In spite of their boutique price, '57's are middle-of-the-pack PAF that some of us aren't thrilled with. They can't compete with Seth's.
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Funkfingers
Guest
Re: Gibson 335 pickup options
... which is why Tone controls come in handy.
Watch any B. B. King video. He is constantly adjusting the controls.
... which is why Tone controls come in handy.
Watch any B. B. King video. He is constantly adjusting the controls.
Boogie Bill
New member
Re: Gibson 335 pickup options
I'd look at the Gibson Burstbucker 1 & 2. I LOVED these in the Warren Haynes Sig 335, but caps and pots in that one might be different than the standard Memphis offering. The new Custom Buckers should work well too.
Seths and Ants are no-brainers. Pearlys and '59s...maybe, depending on taste. I'd bet the Bonamassa set would be awesome.
I do a lot of blues, pop and jazz thru my Mesa amps with my 335s and the '57s. But a lot of that is very clean stuff. I could see choosing other pickups for more distorted tones.
Bill
I'd look at the Gibson Burstbucker 1 & 2. I LOVED these in the Warren Haynes Sig 335, but caps and pots in that one might be different than the standard Memphis offering. The new Custom Buckers should work well too.
Seths and Ants are no-brainers. Pearlys and '59s...maybe, depending on taste. I'd bet the Bonamassa set would be awesome.
I do a lot of blues, pop and jazz thru my Mesa amps with my 335s and the '57s. But a lot of that is very clean stuff. I could see choosing other pickups for more distorted tones.
Bill
blueman335
Mojo's Minions
Re: Gibson 335 pickup options
Some of us want to focus on playing, and find constantly adjusting tone controls to be a distraction. Once in a while is one thing, but...
Some of us want to focus on playing, and find constantly adjusting tone controls to be a distraction. Once in a while is one thing, but...
blueman335
Mojo's Minions
IndySG
New member
Re: Gibson 335 pickup options
B.B. King and Roy Buchanan both constantly adjust the pickup selector and volume/tone controls - note that they change the sound of the guitar this way and don't rely on pedals to do it for them - I do the same thing, never owned a pedal board. Back in the bad old days there were no pedal boards only very unreliable individual units that made a lot of excess noise and were very unreliable!
B.B. King and Roy Buchanan both constantly adjust the pickup selector and volume/tone controls - note that they change the sound of the guitar this way and don't rely on pedals to do it for them - I do the same thing, never owned a pedal board. Back in the bad old days there were no pedal boards only very unreliable individual units that made a lot of excess noise and were very unreliable!
VinceT
New member
Re: Gibson 335 pickup options
I too didn't gel with the Gibson 57s - too muddy/woofy with my 335. I'm no vintage purist, and ended up going with P-Rails in Triple Shots, mainly because I'm a fan of P90s, and this gave me those tones plus several other options, (without having to swap out the whole wiring harness). It's a great sounding guitar now (I should also note, I swapped out the TOM for a Callaham unit).
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I too didn't gel with the Gibson 57s - too muddy/woofy with my 335. I'm no vintage purist, and ended up going with P-Rails in Triple Shots, mainly because I'm a fan of P90s, and this gave me those tones plus several other options, (without having to swap out the whole wiring harness). It's a great sounding guitar now (I should also note, I swapped out the TOM for a Callaham unit).
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Aceman
I am your doctor of love!
Re: Gibson 335 pickup options
BB King can adjust his balls if he wants to. He is awesome sounding period.
BB King can adjust his balls if he wants to. He is awesome sounding period.
Chickenwings
Alnico 6/8
Re: Gibson 335 pickup options
The good news is that there is a whole range of awesome pickups out there for a 335.
After quite a few pickup swaps i have a set of WLH's in mine. I really like them. They really fill in and complement the sound of maple.
However it really depends on your amp setup and repertoire as to which set will suit you best.
there are a lot of us who joined this forum specifically because they were not happy with 57s.
The good news is that there is a whole range of awesome pickups out there for a 335.
After quite a few pickup swaps i have a set of WLH's in mine. I really like them. They really fill in and complement the sound of maple.
However it really depends on your amp setup and repertoire as to which set will suit you best.
blueman335
Mojo's Minions
Re: Gibson 335 pickup options
Not the best example for tone quality. All that fiddling didn't seem to do much for Roy. With the massive amounts of distortion and reverb he used, he had some of the worst tones I've heard from a professional. Too bad he let the effects dominate his sound, I'd love to listen to him if it wasn't for that.
To me, the bulk of electric guitar is the fretting hand. If you're constantly adjusting knobs with your picking hand, you're probably not focused where you should be. A few guys can do both well, but most can't.
Not the best example for tone quality. All that fiddling didn't seem to do much for Roy. With the massive amounts of distortion and reverb he used, he had some of the worst tones I've heard from a professional. Too bad he let the effects dominate his sound, I'd love to listen to him if it wasn't for that.
To me, the bulk of electric guitar is the fretting hand. If you're constantly adjusting knobs with your picking hand, you're probably not focused where you should be. A few guys can do both well, but most can't.
IndySG
New member
Re: Gibson 335 pickup options
Only in his later years did he use the distortion and reverb you're talking about - most of his career he used just a Tele and Fender amp, that is what he is known for - for example he made Wah-Wah effects from the Tele before the Wah-Wah pedal was invented - I used to use a volume/tone pedal for a while mid 60's before the Wah-Wah came out. Roy used a variety of sounds coaxed from his Tele and I'm surprised that you can't hear that listening to any of his recordings - would you like me to find you some links?
Only in his later years did he use the distortion and reverb you're talking about - most of his career he used just a Tele and Fender amp, that is what he is known for - for example he made Wah-Wah effects from the Tele before the Wah-Wah pedal was invented - I used to use a volume/tone pedal for a while mid 60's before the Wah-Wah came out. Roy used a variety of sounds coaxed from his Tele and I'm surprised that you can't hear that listening to any of his recordings - would you like me to find you some links?