Help me to choose custom pickups for blues and heavy rock

[earthless]

I'm looking for new guitar that could play blues (Cream, Jimi Hendrix), classic rock/metal (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath) and stoner metal (Earthless, Electric Wizard).
But with my budget (700$) I think it would better to buy a cheap guitar (Epiphone maybe) and replace stock pickups with custom ones.
Could you recommend pickups that would be ideal for aforementioned genres?
If you know good combo for guitar/pickups/amp that would be great too.

 

[daenius]

Re: Help me to choose custom pickups for blues and heavy rock

Can't go wrong with the JB or Custom

You mentioned a $700 budget, so not sure if you'd be able to pickup a guitar, a set of high end pickups, and a decent amp for $700

 

[earthless]

Re: Help me to choose custom pickups for blues and heavy rock

I can spend extra 100-200 on some used amp.
So basically JB or Custom for both neck and bridge will do the trick?
What do yo think about adding them to Epiphone Les Paul or Epiphone SG?

 

[EAProwlerB]

Re: Help me to choose custom pickups for blues and heavy rock

On a quest on the scale you outline there is no easy answer but perhaps here is a place to begin:
http://www.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Les-Paul/Gibson-Custom/Eric-Clapton-1960-Les-Paul/Pickups-and-Electronics.aspx
A tremendous amount of time was invested here and the results are well beyond your budget. You are probably right about getting an Epiphone. From from there research and trying out pickups until you find the comprise you are finally satisfied with. And that is just the beginning.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Help me to choose custom pickups for blues and heavy rock

You'll be able to handle all those styles easily with a high output bridge pickup like the Custom or Jb as daenius mentioned. Pick a vintage output, blues voiced, neck pickup like the 59, Pearly Gates, or Phat Cat and you'll be golden.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Help me to choose custom pickups for blues and heavy rock

I've been debating this in my head for a little bit. My issue is that three of the artists (Hendrix, Blackmore, Earthless) use Strats! Clapton with Cream was using PAFs/Patent pickups, Iommi used P90s on the classic albums and I'll let others comment on Electric Wizard, but I think it's a Super Distortion)

The Epiphone path with Duncans did great for my for years... Something like a Custom/59 Hybrid for the bridge and 59 for the neck, but with push/pulls to split might be a good idea.

For those bands you'll need that British style amp though, so have a plan on how you're going to end up with a decent amp...

 

[Demanic]

Re: Help me to choose custom pickups for blues and heavy rock

I'll throw the SNS set into the hat.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk

 

[earthless]

Re: Help me to choose custom pickups for blues and heavy rock

So I guess I will go with Epiphone Les Paul/SG with Custom on bridge and 59 on neck.
I will try to find some used tube amp.

Also I've heard good things about BK Warpig for stoner music.
Here's the video with some good chunky tone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUeRX-jzD84

I'm not sure they will go well for blues and classic rock stuff though.

 

[elelpe]

Re: Help me to choose custom pickups for blues and heavy rock

Sounds like a job for P-rails in the bridge and StagMag in the neck.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Help me to choose custom pickups for blues and heavy rock

Sounds like a job for P-rails in the bridge and StagMag in the neck.

That could be a really cool guitar.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Help me to choose custom pickups for blues and heavy rock

If it is between the Custom & JB, I would think the Custom would be a better choice. Those are some very different sounds there. You may want to narrow things down a little further, as your tones are all over the map (so are mine).
Cream= humbucker,
Hendrix= single coil,
Deep Purple (early)=humbucker,
Deep Purple (later) = single coil
Black Sabbath (early)= single coil
Black Sabbath (later) high output humbucker.

 

[earthless]

Re: Help me to choose custom pickups for blues and heavy rock

So early Deep Purple sound (Deep Purple In Rock) is humbucker and early Black Sabbath (Ozzy era) is single coil?
Looks like I got everything upside down.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Help me to choose custom pickups for blues and heavy rock

You can get excellent single coil sounds out of humbuckers or a p90 but not the other way around. Either with split/parallels or just with series. My Antiquity/Seth hybrid in series actually has better single coil sound than my ssl1! Ha. So if you want a stag mag or a p rail then get them, they're good pickups, but you're not gonna have to go outa your way to cover the single coil sounds. If you just focus on something with a solid bridge humbucker sound for your classic metal and something versatile but bluesey in the neck you'll be good to go and it'll still cover Hendrix no problem.

 

[Warlag]

Re: Help me to choose custom pickups for blues and heavy rock

I got the Seymour Duncan Hot Rodded Humbucker set and I was looking for a nice blues and hard rock sound... I found these did the job great.. I got them off eBay brand new and they aren't too expensive compared to other brands or models. I'd highly recommend them!

 

[Securb]

Re: Help me to choose custom pickups for blues and heavy rock

Why not pick up a Ibanez Artist AR420? You will be able to get all of the tones you are chasing, it comes with great pickups and a set neck. Why drill your budget down $200 on the guitar to buy pickups. Buy a guitar with great pickups and the switching to get what you need done.

Each of the Super 58 Custom humbuckers on the AR420 has a Tri-sound switch, which lets you choose between series, parallel, and coil-tap operation.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Help me to choose custom pickups for blues and heavy rock

So early Deep Purple sound (Deep Purple In Rock) is humbucker and early Black Sabbath (Ozzy era) is single coil?
Looks like I got everything upside down.

In Rock is a 335, and so are the 4 other Deep Purple albums before that. The first Sabbath album was partly a Strat, then an SG. But Tony had a lot of custom guitars in the 70s. He used a lot of high output mini humbuckers, too.

 

[earthless]

Re: Help me to choose custom pickups for blues and heavy rock

In Rock is a 335

Seriously?
So ES-335 was used to record my favorite rock album of all time... Suddenly Ibanez Artcore becomes a possible choice.

Do you know what pickups can emulate that guitar sound assuming it will be plug into fuzz pedal?

 

[beaubrummels]

Help me to choose custom pickups for blues and heavy rock

Why not pick up a Ibanez Artist AR420? You will be able to get all of the tones you are chasing, it comes with great pickups and a set neck. Why drill your budget down $200 on the guitar to buy pickups. Buy a guitar with great pickups and the switching to get what you need done.

Those are EXCELLENT guitars. Total sleepers. Play easy and amazing sound.

(Not fond of the switch position, but I can live with it)

 

[Mincer]

Re: Help me to choose custom pickups for blues and heavy rock

Seriously?
So ES-335 was used to record my favorite rock album of all time... Suddenly Ibanez Artcore becomes a possible choice.

Do you know what pickups can emulate that guitar sound assuming it will be plug into fuzz pedal?

Any vintage PAF-type. The Seth Lovers would be my first guess in a semi-hollow. He was using a Vox amp before the Marshalls. Look at some of the video of the Concerto & Orchestra album, and check out their Powerhouse album (recorded at that concert). *That's* the Blackmore sound I love.

 

[earthless]

Re: Help me to choose custom pickups for blues and heavy rock

Are these Seth Lovers pickups for neck or bridge position?
PS I love the sound of guitar on those 2 concerts. That's the sound that I associate when I think about Deep Purple.