Lets talk neck PU's

R

Ringwraith

New member
I'd love to hear from folks who have used a bunch of SD Neck PU's.
So far the only SD PU's I've used in the neck pos have been the Jazz & Seth.
I've tried lots of their Bridge PU's but only 2 of their necks. I've got Gibson PU's like the Burstbucker Pro which I yanked out pretty fast. The 57 in my 61 RI SG which I like & the 490's in my EDS 1275 which I'm contemplating on changing.

I'm interested in hearing about these particular ones & how they compare to each other.
59
AIIpro
PG
Seth
Jazz
Antiquity

Thanks
Sean
 
Re: Lets talk neck PU's

I have never been a neck pickup kinda guy because every pup i tried just sounded to boomy no mater how far away i set it from te strings untill i bought my Schecter blackjack with a 59 in the neck. Its so clean and clear i love it for clean tones. and split it has a nice straty snap to it.
 
Re: Lets talk neck PU's

Neck is tough.

59 too boomy.

Jazz too lame. Not bad, pretty good option for a wide range of guitars.

Anything A2 regular production is too dead, except the Pearly Gates which has a weired sizzle that I don't like.

So far the Antiquity humbucker wins for me.

The screaming Demon gets a honorable mention since is tightens up guitars that are overly boomy in the neck position.
 
Re: Lets talk neck PU's

Yes HB necks are a challenge. I've played Strats & Tele's for years & even when I played my "Super Strat" I always kept a single coil in the neck! I love the clarity & articulation you get with a single coil in the neck. A HB neck can be an awesome tone & also while using the bridge & neck together but there's such a fine line into boom land with HB necks! :)

I agree with your opinion on the Jazz. I've used it for years but switching over to the Seth it made me realize how boring the jazz was. It fairly clear neck PU but in a boring way I guess you could say. I like my HB necks to be clear & articulate but still sound like a humbucker. I used the Wolfetone DR V's in my LP for awhile & they provided exactly what was promised but I found them sounding too much like a tele with no hum. lol I guess they were a bit too clean for me. If I want a tele tone I'll use a tele. <G>

It also really depends on the bridge it's paired with I find. If you have a bright bridge PU you end up setting your amp darker & making the Neck even more boomy.

Cheers
Sean
 
Re: Lets talk neck PU's

I've had the Seth, Jazz, Antiquity, 59 and A2P in various LPs and PRSi.

You are familiar with the Seth and Jazz so I won't comment on them.

The Ant probably is my favorite neck pup tone. It is very woody...maybe flutey sounding is a good description? Lots of bloom and clarity. Not really boomy at all. They are pretty sensitive to tone control changes, in a good way, so you can get a really clear or really muffled sound.

The 59 has a lot of bass, and a lot of treble and slightly scooped or neutral, depending who you ask, mids. In my opinion it's kind of the "chicken" of neck pups. You like it, I like it, we all like it! Could it be better? Yes, it could be smoother. Could it be worse? OHHHH yes, could have no top end and sound overly muffled.

The A2P is kind of an idealized A2 based PAF. It has a smoothness in the lows and mids that sounds GREAT but the high end has this great bell like quality, like the jazz. Listen to some G&R if you want need tonal research. Think of the A2P as a less focused and honky 490 or a less grainy and focused sounding 57 classic.

I played Christian's, the guy who invented fire, Moderne and it had a PG set. The PG in the neck sounds really big and full with a bit of snarl and snap to it.

Luke
 
Re: Lets talk neck PU's

I prefer the '59N myself. I like a guitar with some low end, so I've never thought of it being boomy, and I have it in 335's, SG's, and LP's. I also have a JazzN in a LP, which works well, but I think it might be a little thin in a SG.

The solution to many neck PU issues is a Phat Cat. The stock A2's are too dark, but an A5/A4 or A5/A2 pair gives nice open, single coils tones, and eliminates any mud or muffled sounds. Really better than most neck HB's.
 
Re: Lets talk neck PU's

My current fav is a Seth with A5 (recommended by Zhang).
Most of the A2 hums are not clear enough (Did not try a PG and hated most the A2P), the A5 hums are often bass boomy (including my Shaw :disappoin). AntN sounded nice in my ES 335, but not in the LP. Uncovered Jazz was quite nice until i found the SethA5.
 
Re: Lets talk neck PU's

alot of it depends on the guitar. a guitar with a tight focused natural sound can be pretty forgiving with neck humbuckers, a guitar that isnt as focused can be almost impossible to find something for.

in general:
59- big bass, scooped mids, clear top end. classic a5 paf tone
AIIpro- good bass for an a2 pup, clean clear mids, warm top. smooth
PG- tighter but not abundant bass for an a2 pup, strong punchy upper mids, top end is warm but more cutting than the a2p.
Seth- fairly balanced and warm. classic a2 paf tone
Jazz- clean and clear sounding, more hi-fi than others listed here
Antiquity- take a seth, make it sweeter and softer and a little more complex in the mids. absolutely one of the best vintage humbuckers out there.
 
Re: Lets talk neck PU's

My current favorite neck pickups are actually made by DiMarzio... but I have been wanting to get into duncan neck pu's lately. As far as clips go I think I like the A2 Pros and the Antiquities the best. Maybe a PG with an A5 in it could be neat too.
 
Re: Lets talk neck PU's

Aside from finding a better pu, here are some solutions that involve simple adjustments that may help, especially for de-booming:

1) Lower the poles under the low E and A strings. You wouldn't think so but just this little move goes a long way toward de-booming/de-mudding chord work.\

2) Raise the poles (except maybe said E and A) and lower the pu slightly. This will de-emphasize the slug coil a bit and bring in a touch of single coil clarity.

3) Spin-a-Split: This is usually used with bridge pu's but it can work great to de-boom/mud a neck pu, and has the advantage in that you can vary it in different venues to fit the acoustics.

4) For something a bit more advanced, there's Artie's de-mudder circuit. I'll let him explain if he's still out there.
 
Re: Lets talk neck PU's

on one of my favorite guitars i was having issues with a seth in the neck not speaking clearly on the low string below the 5th fret. i fliped it around so the adjustable poles were closer to the bridge, lowered the pup, raised the screws a little above the bobbin and cut the screw under the e string. it did the trick.

i guess what im really getting at is re-enforcing what zhang said about there being ways to modify the pup you have.
 
Re: Lets talk neck PU's

My favorite neck p'ups are actually bridge p'ups:

The Jazzb and the '59b.

Both go very well with the C5 in the bridge, but I slightly prefer the '59b over the Jazzb.

I still gotta try a P-90 like p'up in the neck with a hb in the bridge... it seems like a good idea to me, anyway.

So many p'ups, so few guitars... :banghead:
 
Re: Lets talk neck PU's

uOpt said:
Anything A2 regular production is too dead, except the Pearly Gates which has a weired sizzle that I don't like.
Click to expand...

I know a lot of people like the PGn, but to me it has a muffled sound with a weird sizzle. Don't care for it. I tried to like it, but it doesn't work for me.

I like the A2pro. I find it clearer than the PGn, and it has that cool tubular Slash tone.

Agree that JazzN is somewhat bland. Mine now sports an A2 magnet, making it sound somewhat like an A2pro. I wonder if a Jazz bridge might have enough extra beef to sound good in the neck?

I didn't like the Seth neck, either. I found it too 'soft' sounding. I swapped the A2 magnet for an A5, and this gives it a clearer sound that is a better match for the 490t bridge in my SG.
 
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Re: Lets talk neck PU's

Think outside the box: My main guitar (Les Paul) has a Duncan Custom in the neck wired in parallel. I stuck it in there as an experiment about a year ago and haven't taken it out since. I mostly use the neck for clean parts of songs and some Slash like wankerie solos. You lose the Slash neck vibe but the cleans are clear, loud and chimey. Perfect "Enter Sandman" intro. One of these days I'm gonna add a series/parallel switch............
 
Re: Lets talk neck PU's

blueman335 said:
I prefer the '59N myself. I like a guitar with some low end, so I've never thought of it being boomy, and I have it in 335's, SG's, and LP's. I also have a JazzN in a LP, which works well, but I think it might be a little thin in a SG.

The solution to many neck PU issues is a Phat Cat. The stock A2's are too dark, but an A5/A4 or A5/A2 pair gives nice open, single coils tones, and eliminates any mud or muffled sounds. Really better than most neck HB's.
Click to expand...

i thought at this point you'd reccomend the cheapest solution, an a5 magnet in the 490r:scratchch

seriously though, an a5 490r is a great pickup. i use one on the neck of my dot, and it's very much like a paf-type pickup. kinda like a '59, but with a more even EQ; less boomy, not as extended of highs, more mids.
 
Re: Lets talk neck PU's

^ I have an SG Standard with a 490R and 498T. I hated both from the start, they sound really dull to me.

I swapped magnets of both, to have an A5 in the 490R and A2 in the 498T.. the latter actually ain't bad now, its got a nice gritty/spongy sound to it which is nice - not perfect but a huge improvement. However the 490R is still really, really boring. Changing the magnet in it didn't improve it for me..

Either way, I'll change them both. I did find out i like A2 bridges though.
 
Re: Lets talk neck PU's

i had only tried the 490r with a2 in my SG, and didn't care for it. it's a great neck pickup in a semi-hollow with a5 though, definitely worth trying if you've still got the pickup and a semi-hollow around.
 
Re: Lets talk neck PU's

Don't have a semi-hollow. Don't you dare give me GAS :(

I have to finish paying these two recent acquisitions..

lp04.jpg

sg04.jpg



I will get a 335 or a 339 eventually.
 
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