I've Pretty Much Gone Full Circle With My Pickups!

[STRATDELUXER97]

With the exception of pulling out most of the stock pickups out of every guitar I own for Duncans,I've gone from using higher wound pickups,back to vintage winds...

Example...My Tokai Love Rock had a Hybrid Custom/59 in the bridge that I Pulled and I went back to a 59B with a 59N and got the clarity and especially the highs I Lacked back...My hearing loss has effected the highs and as I continue to improve as a player,I find I Like the lower output,less wound pickups these days...I fully believe that all of the tones I Love and grew up listening to are alot closer to reach with the 59s,Seths,or the Antiquities anyway..I know now that the Antiquities would be perfect for me,but the 59s are great also..

Another example....I used to use something like a JB Juinor in the bridge of a strat with maybe SSL6s in the middle and neck or all SSL6s...Now I'm perfectly happy with a Surfer/Surfer/TB or a Texas Hot Custom in the bridge...I've even gone back to just 3 single coils and not a humbucker/s/s setup like most of us did in the 80s....

I'm really into getting the tone from my effects,amps,and then the guitar I use dictates how I play and what tones I can coax from said guitar...

I Must say that the 59B I just stuck in my Tokai Love Rock was a breath of fresh air.....Even at only 8.5K this 59B can cover everything from clean to blues to classic rock heavy....The Hybrid was great,but I started wanting more highs and a glassier tone....Anyway....Thank God for Seymour and his wonderful pickups! :beerchug:

 

[Artie]

Re: I've Pretty Much Gone Full Circle With My Pickups!

I love my 59 set. Its what I always come back to for those "blues" tones. On the other hand . . . I'm still diggin' the SSL-6's.

Artie

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: I've Pretty Much Gone Full Circle With My Pickups!

I love my 59 set. Its what I always come back to for those "blues" tones. On the other hand . . . I'm still diggin' the SSL-6's.

Artie

Yes the SSL6s are great pickups....."SRV Sound" for guys that use .009s".....Warm and full but you can still get a bit of chime out of them...I use .010s.....LOL

 

[JumpMarine]

Re: I've Pretty Much Gone Full Circle With My Pickups!

I know what you mean. I've done alot of swapping the last couple of years and I always come back to vintage output pickups for a more expressive feeling and tone. And that goes for both the singles and humbuckers!

 

[ErikH]

Re: I've Pretty Much Gone Full Circle With My Pickups!

I'm sorta there. I like lower output single coils and I love the 59 as much as anyone but I still love my CC's. They just don't behave like a hot pickup. To me the CC with the way it behaves is a truly overwound vintage. It's just an awesome pickup for everything.

I've found that I don't need the same amount of gain that I did 10 years ago. The gain on my amp is half what I used to set it at and then I goose it with an overdrive or boost if I need more.

 

[LesPaulRules]

Re: I've Pretty Much Gone Full Circle With My Pickups!

I've been doing a lot of pickup swapping the last few months myself, and have come to the same conclusion. Lower output pickups really let the sound of a guitar come through, not to mention the added clarity and lack of compression when compared to hotter pickups like a JB.

... and I've been using a JB for about the last 10 years, it was a good sound, but not as good as a 59b. (atleast for me now).

I think many of us owe a special thanks to Lewguitar. He's always touting the virtues of lower output pickups, especially 59's, Seths, etc. It was his posts that "forced" me into buying a 59b, and a set of Seth Lovers. My sound has never been better.

 

[Kelsey]

Re: I've Pretty Much Gone Full Circle With My Pickups!

All of my guitars have vintage-style pickups, except for the SCN set in my American Deluxe V-neck Strat and the STL-2 Hot Tele lead that I need to keep up with the neck HB in my HS Tele. However, I don't like pickups that are too low in output. I just removed a set of Antiquity HBs from my LP Classic yesterday because they were too weak -- nice tone, but not enough low end clarity and punch. I replaced them with a set of 59's, which took care of the low end problems, but I'm not sure whether I like the highs and mids. I'll give them a week or so, but I might have to change them over to a set of Seths. I guess that's not so much going full circle as going around in circles. :smack:

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: I've Pretty Much Gone Full Circle With My Pickups!

I'm sorta there. I like lower output single coils and I love the 59 as much as anyone but I still love my CC's. They just don't behave like a hot pickup. To me the CC with the way it behaves is a truly overwound vintage. It's just an awesome pickup for everything.

I've found that I don't need the same amount of gain that I did 10 years ago. The gain on my amp is half what I used to set it at and then I goose it with an overdrive or boost if I need more.

I Like the CC in a strat,but I find it too dark and not articulate enough in my LP/SG guitars....It's better in an SG though....After listening to the Duncan clips again,I think I'd prefer a Seth in the bridge instead of the 59B...I Liked the lower mids and the Seth sounds ballsier to me over the 59 w/slightly less highs....Both are great though...I've just not tryed a Seth yet and I'm jonesin for one now!

 

[GOLDWING68NV]

Re: I've Pretty Much Gone Full Circle With My Pickups!

hi there,"stratdeluxer97"...i believe we've spoken before about the screamin demon.i did end up trying the demon and liked it quite a bit.the harmonics,the leads were all good in my basswood rg guitar w/all maple fretboard,but i did not think that the rhythm chording was all that "clear".plus maybe a little too crunchy for my taste.i prefer the typical smoother alnico 5 magnet paf tone.anyways,i've got a custom 5 in my guitar now & like the tone alot overall,but would like a little less bass and a little more clarity & openness...my question to you is how do you compare the 59b to the demon-bridge??? i play mostly hard rock & 80's metal.does the 59b have a "descent amount" of that lower mids growl as opposed to the harsh mid upper spike of the jb? loved that aspect of the demon.the custom 5 has that growl also-it's just a little too bassy/wooffy...i will definately keep the custom 5,though,in my collection.thanks-ned v.

 

[ErikH]

Re: I've Pretty Much Gone Full Circle With My Pickups!

I Like the CC in a strat,but I find it too dark and not articulate enough in my LP/SG guitars....It's better in an SG though....After listening to the Duncan clips again,I think I'd prefer a Seth in the bridge instead of the 59B...I Liked the lower mids and the Seth sounds ballsier to me over the 59 w/slightly less highs....Both are great though...I've just not tryed a Seth yet and I'm jonesin for one now!

I absolutely love it in my LP. I couldn't believe the tone coming out of my Marshall when I put the CC in it. I like it in a strat too. I'm getting another one for my homemade and it's perfect for my Kramer. If I go any lower in output, it's most likely going to be the 59. A Seth would be a nice option too. Haven't tried those. They may not fit my style though.

 

[JumpMarine]

Re: I've Pretty Much Gone Full Circle With My Pickups!

Try a set John, you WILL NOT be disappointed! I borrowed Youngpup's Seth set to put into my HH Tele to compare to my CS Ant/Jazz set. Let's put it this way, I had a real hard time giving them back. Truly an awsome set of pups!

I've just not tryed a Seth yet and I'm jonesin for one now!

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: I've Pretty Much Gone Full Circle With My Pickups!

hi there,"stratdeluxer97"...i believe we've spoken before about the screamin demon.i did end up trying the demon and liked it quite a bit.the harmonics,the leads were all good in my basswood rg guitar w/all maple fretboard,but i did not think that the rhythm chording was all that "clear".plus maybe a little too crunchy for my taste.i prefer the typical smoother alnico 5 magnet paf tone.anyways,i've got a custom 5 in my guitar now & like the tone alot overall,but would like a little less bass and a little more clarity & openness...my question to you is how do you compare the 59b to the demon-bridge??? i play mostly hard rock & 80's metal.does the 59b have a "descent amount" of that lower mids growl as opposed to the harsh mid upper spike of the jb? loved that aspect of the demon.the custom 5 has that growl also-it's just a little too bassy/wooffy...i will definately keep the custom 5,though,in my collection.thanks-ned v.

The Demon is brighter at the top,tight like the 59 because of the A5 magnet but it has more upper mids....The 59 almost comes across as having more lows because the mids aren't as out front...The SD is a very direct pickup but the 59 has a smoother eq curve....You might like an A2 or A3 magnet in your SD also? I Like the 59B over the C5(again we're talking alot of winds)...I Like the 8 to 9k ranges...

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: I've Pretty Much Gone Full Circle With My Pickups!

Try a set John, you WILL NOT be disappointed! I borrowed Youngpup's Seth set to put into my HH Tele to compare to my CS Ant/Jazz set. Let's put it this way, I had a real hard time giving them back. Truly an awsome set of pups!

I think I'd love a Jazz in the neck and a Seth in the bridge....The 59N is still pretty woofy and almost too dark in the neck...The Jazz is cleaner and chimier...

 

[JumpMarine]

Re: I've Pretty Much Gone Full Circle With My Pickups!

I think I'd love a Jazz in the neck and a Seth in the bridge....The 59N is still pretty woofy and almost too dark in the neck...The Jazz is cleaner and chimier...

That's exactly why I changed the stock 59n to a Jazz, just way too woofy in my Tele.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: I've Pretty Much Gone Full Circle With My Pickups!

That's exactly why I changed the stock 59n to a Jazz, just way too woofy in my Tele.

Yep....I was listening closely to the clips again and it's my thoughts also..My 59N is flush with the plastic ring also..

 

[GOLDWING68NV]

Re: I've Pretty Much Gone Full Circle With My Pickups!

thanks for the fast reply,stratdeluxer97! the 59b sound like a definate winner to me.i've got one coming in the mail at some point this week.as long as it has a good "grind/growl" in the mids(and ample bass) under high gain and NOT the upper mid spike of the jb-i should be very happy with it...

 

[GOLDWING68NV]

Re: I've Pretty Much Gone Full Circle With My Pickups!

yes,i agree.the 8k-10k approx range seems to be the best tone.the hotter you go,the more the openness gets swallowed by compression.yuck!

 

[Artie]

Re: I've Pretty Much Gone Full Circle With My Pickups!

....The 59N is still pretty woofy and almost too dark in the neck...

John, I know you have the parts and the soldering skills. You gotta try my de-mud mod. A 500k resistor, in parallel with a .01uf Orange drop, placed in between the red an white wires. Its subtle, yet profound. I'll even send you the parts if you don't have them.

You gotta try it.

Artie

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: I've Pretty Much Gone Full Circle With My Pickups!

John, I know you have the parts and the soldering skills. You gotta try my de-mud mod. A 500k resistor, in parallel with a .01uf Orange drop, placed in between the red an white wires. Its subtle, yet profound. I'll even send you the parts if you don't have them.

You gotta try it.

Artie

That might solve my 59N issues? Cool....Cheaper too! :beerchug:
I Only have a 2 wire 59N? Braid and the hot wire?

 

[Artie]

Re: I've Pretty Much Gone Full Circle With My Pickups!

That might solve my 59N issues? Cool....Cheaper too! :beerchug:
I Only have a 2 wire 59N? Braid and the hot wire?

No. If you only have two wires, it goes between the "hot" wire and the switch. You want it in series with the pup. Its the opposite of a tone control.