I need help selecting pickups for my custom guitar Please advise

A

ACG

New member
Hi My first post here ... I usually dont post except in fishing forums :-)

I need some help selecting some Seymours for my custom axe... I am not too familiar with Seymours.... I have been a "Joe Barden" user for about 12 years and am very happy with the tone of the Bardens.. well now that Joe isnt making any more pickups and a "used set" runs 6 bills on ebay I am going outside Joe Bardens for the first time ... thats why I need your help.. First of all I respectfully request the seniors players or the "guys who know what they are talking about from gopod expereince" to offer their suggestions here.. if your not sure but want to help better not risk throwing me off into the wrong direction even if its from good will... So for the experienced guys out there"who know their stuff" when it comes to pick up models please help me out trying to solve this very tough problem...

Okey my problem is tough because Bardens are "very hard to beat" and the reason is that I want a sceaming humbucker "and" a cool transparent single coil tone in the same pickup...

Joe did this with a "tapped" humbucker built on rails... no parrellel or series wiring... it was a humbucker at all times "no noise" ... "no hum"... but when you wanted the humbucker to sound like a single coil it had a "tap" ( in other words it was wound as a humbucker that wanted to sound like single coil and the ends were let out of the pickup... then it was wound again over that on the same pickup to sound like a full humbucker.... so with the flick of a switch you had both great sounds without splitting coils.. without parrellel without hum...

I can see that Seymour does not make a pick up like this so I am just gonna shoot for a good huımbucking tone and take it from there...

First of all I had tried some Seymours on this custom guitar before.. (The guitar is mahogany body 7 piece through neck with a quilted top...) its a beauty but it also has a very nice sweet tone.... its not a breathing SRV kinda tone but more a "Thick rich tone" good big notes ... and that is fine cause that is what I plan to use this guitar for... heavy slamming rock, but not scooped metal its more a sweet toned screaming guitar.. like "Leslie west" Toni Iomi, EVH "when he fried" Gary Moore's Neck tone in still got the blues, I need pick articulation without overpowering presence and "hiss" I need "Sweet Big Note"..

Okey I got all this with the Bardens but that set that was on this guitar went on another guitar to "test out the tone" and then that other guitar was stolen.... so Now I got this beautiful axe that needs pickups and I dont know which ones to get...

For those of you that know Joe bardens these things are unreal.... the only Seymout that comes close is a bridge pickup called "the screaming Demon" so that is what I will probably use in the bridge...

Okey here are my questions..

a. Is there a custom shop service with the Seymours where I can order some special "tapped" pickups?

b. If not what is the best neck pickup to match that screamen demon? Okey here is problem number 2... I want a fire breathing dragon neck pickup that when played "clean" sounds "sweet" without tasteless distortion.. I want to brush octives and play Wes Montgomery ... tall order? Yup but I did it with the Bardens...

I am kinda hopelss here but was wondering if anyone could stear me in the right direction?
 
Re: I need help selecting pickups for my custom guitar Please advise

welcome to the forum ... there are alot of guys with alot of years using these pickups here and i am sure you'll get good advice

sorry to hear about your stolen axe - that just sux .. i hope the thief rots in hell

to answer your Qs

a) yes ... call 805-964-9610 ext.1009 and talk to the Custom Shop manager Maricela Juarez (“MJ”) and she'll be able to wind just about whatever you want ... taps are no problem ... describe what you are looking for and she can help dial it in for you ...

as for b) ... i've gotten very nice neck tones as you describe from Alnico II Pros ... other guys have used the Jazz model and the '59 ...

as you know, nothing but a barden sounds exactly like a barden (although i like my 20 yr old bill lawrence 500-XLs quite alot in that regard) ... so you might need to be open to some subtle new aspects in your tone ... but the way you describe your tonal objective in general terms and by comparison, i think you'll be happy with the results ... another nice thing about production duncans is that you can always try them out for 21 days and send 'em back to try something else if they arent quite right ...

good luck and let us know how it works out for you

cheers
t4d
 
Re: I need help selecting pickups for my custom guitar Please advise

Sheesh, I had to rewrite my post! Evil Microshaft Exploder! :yell:

WELCOME TO THE FORUM!!

I feel most qualified to answer your bridge pup quandary. If you're set on the Screaming Demon that's fine, if not I'd look into the JB if I were you. Lots of guys (not me though:) ) have found their tone with the JB. It splits very well and gives you and cutting single coil tone

The JB is in a class of its own. There is really no other pup like it. It has fair bass and lots of treble. This particular pup has a large upper mids spike that allow it to cut through the mix like no other. It can be heard on countless recording especially throughout the 80's. Lots of people like to pair it with a Jazz or 59 in the neck. In bright guitars it is usually soldered to a 250k pot just like the original Seymour made 30 years ago.

I'm with Bill, the Custom Shop might be the best option for you. I say this because you have said so yourself that you have a tall order. You can have whatever pup you desire made there.

All four conductor buckers have the ability to be split (use one coil or the other). What you are referring to the tapped bucker could be done, but you would have to get it from the CS.

For the neck I will only comment on what most guys find to be articulate pups. Full Shred, and Jazz are considered very articulate pups, if not SD's most articulate.

Hope this helps man!

Luke
 
Re: I need help selecting pickups for my custom guitar Please advise

Hey buddy.. I really appreciate the tell number to the custom shop I will tell MJ "you sent me" :-) thanks for your insite and sharing your experience... "thats the mark of a guy who can play".... pleasure to meet you.... and I thank you once again for your knowledge shared...

Warmest regards
ACG
 
Re: I need help selecting pickups for my custom guitar Please advise

"Microshaft exploder".. thats too funny Luke...:-)

Thanks Luke.... I am taking mental notes on everything said... thanks for helping out with your experienece..
Regards
ACG
 
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Re: I need help selecting pickups for my custom guitar Please advise

I Agree With All The Above Posts

#1 I Would Call Mj And She What She Can Do For You

#2 I Would Definately Check Out The Jb, Full Shred, And Jazz Pickups.

Have Fun In Your Search For Tone

Chris
 
Re: I need help selecting pickups for my custom guitar Please advise

Thanks everyone I am going the custom route.... "if they can do it"

I'll ask em to make me some "rails that wails" and then tap them dowm into some "quiet warm red wine that breaths life into the ladies behinds... ( er I mean makes em sway nice and sweet)...

:-) ACG
 
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Re: I need help selecting pickups for my custom guitar Please advise

ACG said:
"Microshaft exploder".. thats too funny Luke...:-)

Thanks Luke.... I am taking mental notes on everything said... thanks for helping out with your experienece..
Regards
ACG
Click to expand...

Can't help it man, that's the way I feel! :laugh2:

I can give you my jazz write up too if you want, just give me a yell. Yeah, that's my neck bucker of choice. :)

Luke
 
Re: I need help selecting pickups for my custom guitar Please advise

ACG-
I feel for you are we both ended up here for the same reason! Just joined a little over a month ago when I realized I wasn't going to get to put bardens in the guitar that I had bought so that I could take my barden equiped zion off the stage- I definately feel for you becuase as said above, there's really nothign like Joe bardens s out there-

But I gotta tell you these are great folks to work with, they have lots of good ideas, and there is a lot of diversity in pup land. Thus far, I haven't found an exact barden for any position ( I do like the JB but it's not very barden like), but considering I have been using Barden's S delux for years, I'm actually finding a few better sounds since I'm trying different pups instead of only the matched set-

All of this is to say you can learn a lot here, the seymour swap deal lets you try out lots of pups-

On the other hand if you find a source for affordable bardens...:)

Good luck!
 
Re: I need help selecting pickups for my custom guitar Please advise

For the tones you described, and the guitar you described, I wouldn't go for the Screamin Demon, but use a combo that sounds great in maple capped mahogany....
Either a Custom 5 or Custom Custom bridge. The C-5 is like a 59B with more balls, but is still articulate and clear on any amp tone. The CC has a bit thicker lower mids and the top is rounded off a bit, giving nice singing fat lead tones. To me, the C-5 is more Van Halen/ACDC/Schenker while the CC is more Duane/Haynes/Kossoff You'd like either, and I'd suggest that they're the best two bridge hums for a maple/mahogany neck thru.

As for necks, the Seth, 59, Pearly Gates, and Jazz are my favorites. Since you need to split it, the Seth is out unfortunately. You may really like a C-5/59 4 conductor
or a CC/APHII The first is Alnico 5 and the second is Alnico 2.
 
Re: I need help selecting pickups for my custom guitar Please advise

Sheesh, I had to rewrite my post! Evil Microshaft Exploder!
Click to expand...
Only one way out of Microshaft.
Get rid of the Mutha Truka! Preferably BURN IT!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!
 
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