Looking to put Some Cheap Pickups in a Cheap Guitar

[Calsip]

I have a Harley Benton guitar I am going to mod up. Seems to be a good bones guitar for $100. It has surprisingly nice fretwork and the nut is slotted well. The build quality is great for how cheap I got it. The tuners are trash, pickups are even worse, electronics are just dime pots, but it has a Floyd so fine tuning is my way to tune it up the rest of the way.

I am wanting to put cheap pickups in this guitar because I’m looking to have some fun and try something new. Obviously I know I would like just about any SD pickup in it but this is an “extreme budget” project just for fun.

I want to keep the pickup budget around $50 to $75, that is the total for both. I have had good luck with GFS pickups before, so I’d be open to recommendations for them. Throw some ideas at me. Literally anything. I will do some research but just would like some ideas and if you have any experience let me know.

 

[Sparky DeLong]

For double your budget you can get a set of Vintage Blues (https://www.seymourduncan.com/single.../vintage-blues) that would be great and make the guitar sing, assuming the neck is in good shape and the body isn't made of plywood. If you really need to get budget pickups just google "cheap guitar pickups" - the quality might be lacking, but they'd still provide a signal. My personal experience with Guitar Fetish was not good, but that was for hardware (bridge) and not pickups. If quality is no issue, check eBay, etc. for pickups that have been pulled from cheap guitars - might even find some for $5 or so. Budget specials!

 

[ICTGoober]

Captain Obvious here: It already has cheap pickups in it. If the bones of the guitar are good, get good stuff. Used stuff is more affordable....

 

[Metalman_666]

Captain Obvious here: It already has cheap pickups in it. If the bones of the guitar are good, get good stuff. Used stuff is more affordable....

THANK YOU Captain Obvious

+1

OP when you say you want to try something new, what are you used to? Why not throw an Alternative 8 in the bridge and Norton in the neck?

This seems extreme and I'm into it.

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[Sparky DeLong]

Captain Obvious here: It already has cheap pickups in it. If the bones of the guitar are good, get good stuff. Used stuff is more affordable....

Indeed! If you want to have some fun with it, try making your own pickups... just google "make your own pickups" and see what pops up. You can get a set (without wire?) for ~$70. Sounds like a lot of work to me though. I'd rather spend a little and get a better sound.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

I'd consider Guitar Madness as well. Chinese made, but built to good standards.

PAF type sets available in A5 or A2, plus slightly overwound versions of each.
Also hum-sized P90s and many other, more modern pickups.

$35-40 per pair for the alnico humbuckers.

He offers ceramic-mag sets for even less but I avoid the extreme cheapos.
All kinds of single coils too - two years ago he sold me a low wind fatpole A5 Strat set that rocks.

I believe these may come from the same Artec factory that makes GFS pickups - different specs, of course.
Artec builds for many brands besides GFS and its own Artec, Giovanni, and Milestone lines.

Guitar Madness sells through an eBay store and he ships fast from Staten Island.
His inventory is big - even if searching just pickups, be prepared to scroll through eight or ten pages.
It's worth the trouble.

https://www.ebay.com/str/guitarmadnessguitarmadness

One cosmetic note: the white GM humbuckers are a little greyish; they won't match pure-white hums or pickguards.


.

 

[Artie]

I do like both my GFS Dream 90's and GFS Dream 180. Surprisingly nice pups, without even adding "for the money."

Checking the Trading Post for both Duncan Designed and used USA's can yield some good deals too.

 

[Adieu]

You might wanna mention what it is... SSS? HSS? HH? HSH? HS?

Also what you want to play

 

[Aceman]

Is this a Tele, LP, Strat, HH, HSS, or what?

But GFS or Ebay would be my call.

 

[Calsip]

It’s is HH


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[Aceman]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Seymour-Duncan-JB-SH-4/203177005861?hash=item2f4e4b1325:g:kxgAAOSwmFNfrCes

 

[Calsip]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Seymour-Duncan-JB-SH-4/203177005861?hash=item2f4e4b1325:g:kxgAAOSwmFNfrCes

If it weren’t an auction I’d be all for it.

 

[Calsip]

THANK YOU Captain Obvious

+1

OP when you say you want to try something new, what are you used to? Why not throw an Alternative 8 in the bridge and Norton in the neck?

This seems extreme and I'm into it.

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I like the Alt 8 a lot. I am looking for something new and odd. Thats kind of why I was looking for cheap stuff. Just want to have a cheap project guitar for the sake of having a cheap project guitar.


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[Calsip]

Captain Obvious here: It already has cheap pickups in it. If the bones of the guitar are good, get good stuff. Used stuff is more affordable....

Yes, I am aware the pickups are cheap. They are trash. I am looking to get something that isn’t normal and isn’t common. That’s why I was looking for that price range.


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[Demanic]

Fleor or maybe GFS would be good.

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[Securb]

_Price aside I love the Guitar FetishVEH. I have installed them for other people twice and both times they sounded great.

 

[UnderTheFlame83]

Get a used set of Duncan Designed HB-103s. Based on the Distortion.

 

[Artie]

Get a used set of Duncan Designed HB-103s. Based on the Distortion.

I don't mean to turn this thread into my "store", but I have a pair of those too, in chrome covers.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

_Price aside I love the Guitar FetishVEH. I have installed them for other people twice and both times they sounded great.

VEH is a great sounding bridge pickup. I like the Surf90s too - not beefy, but cool.

 

[Aceman]

Duncan Designed's are an excellent choice too.