Looking for VERY good Lead Guitar pickup/hb or whatever

D

dave247

New member
Hey I wanted some suggestions for a really good lead guitar pickup. I like to play clean lead a lot and then also stuff with fx...but I want something that has a ton of pickup range, that is hot, dynamic, all that stuff... I was looking on this site and saw the description for the Dimebucker™ SH-13, so would that be a pretty darn good one to get?

I plan to install it in this guitar.
 
Re: Looking for VERY good Lead Guitar pickup/hb or whatever

ok man, here's the thing

the dimebucker will overdrive just about everything, so if you play clean, not a great idea

in fact, any hot pickup will overdrive an amp sooner

i'd try to stay at around 9k or below

as weird as this sounds, could you describe more what you're looking for in the most subjective terms possible?

terms like bright, warm, spongy, cheesy, any color you can think of, jangly, sparkly, tight, loose, thunderous, scooped, etc
 
Re: Looking for VERY good Lead Guitar pickup/hb or whatever

Hey drew. I play very dynamically so I guess I want to be able to get a lot of brightness and warmth but also have that screaming sharp sound with good squeal... I kinda play like Kirk Hammet and I use the wah a lot. But when I am playing clean I sound like Adam Jones from tool. I dont just pick directly above the pickup either. I just want something good. I currently have a JB humbucker in my LP which sounds great, but I think I need a little more heat. I want to play nothing but heavy distorted lead on my V when I get it.

I know pickups arent everything to the sound, and my only amp right now is a Randall RG15XM (which sounds amazing btw). I will be getting better stuff soon tho. ANyway i hope thats more descriptive.
 
Re: Looking for VERY good Lead Guitar pickup/hb or whatever

unless you play loads of metal dont do the dimebucker its a great pup in its own rite but i dont think its what your looking for. you may consider something like a 59,jm,jb,pg. if you play clean alot. i personaly like the custom 5 for that sort of thing but it is a tattle tell.
 
Re: Looking for VERY good Lead Guitar pickup/hb or whatever

clean? what does that mean? I play with distortion or soft smooth overdrive..
 
Re: Looking for VERY good Lead Guitar pickup/hb or whatever

clean means uh... not distorted

and you have a JB now, great place to start. You just want something hotter? you're fine with the mids, highs, lows, overall voicing, all that? just want more output?
 
Re: Looking for VERY good Lead Guitar pickup/hb or whatever

Theres a ton of good pickups for high gain but clean? Thats a different story. The alnico II pro sounds very good both clean and distorted. But if you want something hotter with a bit more cut then definately check out the Alt 8. Fantastic lead pickup. I'd reccomend the JB for distorted lead but clean its on the twangier side and isn't as smooth as others.
 
Re: Looking for VERY good Lead Guitar pickup/hb or whatever

If you want a pickup that can do searing leads and good clean leads, get a 2 pickup guitar, with a PAF in the neck and a hot pickup in the bridge :D. Like a '59/Distortion combo. If you want a high-output bridge humbucker, it's going to sound crappy clean.

-Austin
 
Re: Looking for VERY good Lead Guitar pickup/hb or whatever

Clean leads?

Does that mean no amp/pedal overdrive at all? Do you want/accept compression and distortion from the pickup?
 
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