Must try/all time pickups?

alex1fly

alex1fly

Well-known member
Hey all. I wanted to step back from this tone chase and see what you all think are must try humbuckers, and/or your favorites. Pickups have changed a lot since I started swapping in 2005… would love to hear your opinions and maybe a “why it’s great” as well! I’ll go first.

faves
dimarzio virtual PAF, Gibson 57 classics. These two sets both blew my mind for woody, 3D, jump out at you tones. I don’t have them anymore but they set a standard for me for PAFs.

Duncan JB/jazz. I’ve heard these sounds on so many recordings. The JB in particular is 90s alternative rock to a T!

EMG 81/60 - another iconic set. The 81 chugs like nobody’s business. It’s clear and angry and will make you mad in a good way.

Bareknuckle aftermath - fat, middy, the most massive tone I’ve ever had from a guitar, no contest. No mud and sounds just like modern djenty nonsense. Super fun.

bucket list
dimarzio super distortion - feel like I have to try this one eventually.

duncan custom/pearly gates - same as above. Seems righteous for the blues rock that I gravitate to.

duncan Tele Donahue - why not

Duncan quarter pounds - want to put three in a Strat some day

Gibson Dirty Fingers - because I want to
 
Definitely try the Super Distortion. I'll also throw in Surfer Antiquities and Lace Sensor Deathbuckers
 
Jazz. So useful, so versatile, so defined and articulate without being shrill. Holds up under gain. Obviously cleans up very well. Can pair with just about any bridge pup and hold its own.

JB. Because chances are many of your favourite bands used JBs during the recording of their best albums.

Black Winter set. If you think these pickups are only for the Lvciferion crowd, you are dead wrong. Yes, they handle all the metal very well, as you'd expect; the bridge has this wonderful cutting grind when the volume is dimed, and the neck gives you all the liquid leads at high output no matter how much gain you throw at it. But both can do a variety of non-metal styles, from rock and blues to pop and even funk. They both split extremely well and respond nicely to volume and tone knob adjustments.
 
I'd add the Fishman Moderns to that list. They've kinda taken over from where EMG left off.

I haven't had a set of EMG's in at least 5 years. But the last couple of sets that I got sounded pretty bad compared to all the other sets I got through the 2000's. I even posted a thread about it here, and someone came through and mentioned EMG changed one of the parts they use for the preamp at some point during the late 2010's.
 
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  • Pearly Gates set - just about everything you could want from a PAF set, and versatile
  • Jazz set - another flavor, very similar to Pearlies
  • Black Winter bridge - more versatile than the name suggests, splits well, with triple-shot style wiring, it's like having 4 pickups
  • Distortion - does what it does better than anything, tight, biting, clear, satisfying
  • Bare Knuckle Black Dog bridge - ended my chase for a bridge PAF; Whole Lotta Humbucker or 59/RCA5 is similar
  • 59n in the bridge, Jazz neck - poor man's Jimmy Page set, almost ended my tone chase for that
  • Brobucker bridge, Seth neck - quintessential semi-hollow tones, like Tom Johnston / Doobies (nice mid-peak, great for solos, chords punch through)
  • Antiquity Texas Hot - the set that made me a Duncan devotee. I have a '66 Strat that had the bridge removed but still had the original middle/neck; despite being a different recipe wind/wire/magnet, it totally matched the original pickups, such that throwing the switch was like just shifting the tone on the same pickup (note mine are Seymour-wound)
  • Broadcaster bridge, '54 Tele neck - ended my chase for the perfect vintage Tele tones
  • Fender Twisted Tele set - totally rides that line between classic Tele sound and vintage twangy Tele-on-steroids Les Paul
  • '78 Model bridge - it's 'that' thin bitey starved plate sound through a mere mortal standard Marshall without requiring a Variac to get there
  • Gibson Custombuckers - excellent vintage PAF all-arounders, I can get a lot of different music done with these
  • 498T/490R - after years of meh disappointment, I've learned how to set these up different ways for different kinds of music, I can even get these to closely match the Custombucker / Seth-style mid peak PAF tones, or become like scooped metal pickups
  • Seymour-wound JB from the 70's - finally realized what the buzz is all about (this cleans up with the volume and has more EQ range, more treble, better bottom end, even mids, closer to a Custom or Custom Custom; not peaky or spiky, just punchy)
There's some others, but that's enough for now.
 
alex1fly said:
Hey all. I wanted to step back from this tone chase and see what you all think are must try humbuckers, and/or your favorites. Pickups have changed a lot since I started swapping in 2005… would love to hear your opinions and maybe a “why it’s great” as well! I’ll go first.

faves
dimarzio virtual PAF, Gibson 57 classics. These two sets both blew my mind for woody, 3D, jump out at you tones. I don’t have them anymore but they set a standard for me for PAFs.

Duncan JB/jazz. I’ve heard these sounds on so many recordings. The JB in particular is 90s alternative rock to a T!

EMG 81/60 - another iconic set. The 81 chugs like nobody’s business. It’s clear and angry and will make you mad in a good way.

Bareknuckle aftermath - fat, middy, the most massive tone I’ve ever had from a guitar, no contest. No mud and sounds just like modern djenty nonsense. Super fun.

bucket list
dimarzio super distortion - feel like I have to try this one eventually.

duncan custom/pearly gates - same as above. Seems righteous for the blues rock that I gravitate to.

duncan Tele Donahue - why not

Duncan quarter pounds - want to put three in a Strat some day

Gibson Dirty Fingers - because I want to
Click to expand...

Over 45 pickup sets here, including some that haven't been used in years. Some just sit to collect dust, others are occasionally swapped in/out and some are sent to friends via mail delivery.

I won't bother listing every single set but I list a few of my all time favorites that I own. And still use:

Humbuckers:
Fender Kingfish Signature Humbuckers - Best balanced set I've ever tried
Bareknuckle Peacemakers Humbuckers - Unique but very vintage sounds
Seymour Duncan Frampton Comes Alive Humbuckers - Classic rock, easy to get that AC/DC, early Metallica sounds

Single Coils:
Seymour Duncan Steve Miller Joker Set - bouncy, percussive, not harsh
Fender Poblano set - Balanced and great feel
Fender McCready signature Set - They are just cool and can only get them with the McCready strat - since they never pop up on Ebay or Reverb

P90:
Yamaha P100 Trons - Kinda rare concept batch but when they pop up on Reverb, they are cheap. Sound great with everything

Filtertrons:
TV Jones Brian Setzer Signature set - My church loves when I play my Gretsch Blue Angel equipped with these- Classic Hillsong tones

Firebird/Mini Humbucker:
Mojotone Johnny Winters Firebird Set - Johnny Winters classic sound


You owe it to yourself to get a PRS guitar with some Narrowfield pickups, just sucks that we won't see a Seymour Duncan set on that technology anytime soon.

What sets do I want to try? SD P90 Vintage set, Magicbucker set, Queenbucker set.

Stormbringer set and Bludgeon set on their way!
 
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alex1fly said:
Duncan quarter pounds - want to put three in a Strat some day
Click to expand...

Kudos for spelling these correctly. (They aren't hamburgers.) And that would be a sweet Strat.

As I pointed out in another thread, the 59 set is a great starting point. But so is the first set ever recommended to me by this forum: the C5b / 59n pair.

Then, I'd have to say the Jazz set. Clean, clear, hi-fi in a good way. And then of course, Seymour's favorite pair, (In a Tele), the JB / Jazz pair.

Jerry Donahue bridge in a Tele. Best I've heard so far. I even liked them better than the two Antiquities I tried. (Although, the Ant's were great.)

I also love the PATB-1 set. With possibly substituting the PATB-3 in the bridge. Also hi-fi in a good way.

And the Distortion set.
 
1. The Duncan Distortion is the perfect pickup. It's clear, handles gain perfectly, and the harmonics are what make me choose it more than any other pickup.

2. Blackout EMTY (if you can find them) are actives that achieve greatness as well. I like them oodles more than the EMGs, or the Fishmans.

3. If you want stupid amounts of cutting gain, try the X2N from DiMarzio.
 
My faves are all high output buckers, so they're going to be irrelevant to most of you, but if you are a metal player looking for clarity, definition, and "dynamics"...

BKP Cold Sweat bridge: RULES in a dark Gibson style guitar. I've had the 6 string version for over 15 years and it's been in my #1 Explorer most of that time. Super crunchy, great string separation, works really well for down tuning. It's not forgiving but it's worth getting used to. Rewards digging in. I don't have the neck pickup, but it's one of their most highly regarded neck pickups and I'll get my hands on one someday.

BKP Rebel Yell set: similar in output and profile to the Cold Sweat, but more mid forward, with a bit of that bouncy A5 feel. Pick attack isn't quite as defined but there's still great string separation and clarity. It sounds and feels like what I hear about those semi-mythical "old" JBs. It also works great in a dark guitar. I prefer this one for standard tuning. Have used both 6 and 7 string models side by side and there's no tonal tradeoff between models.

BKP Warpig set: in a balanced or bright guitar, this set crushes. I like it best when the bridge pickup is on a blower switch with a ceramic mag. It gets dark and doomy through a standard 500k v and t setup, sounds good with no tone pot, but really gets the bite and crunch I want through a blower. It doesn't sound like anything else I've tried. It turned my 7 string LP into a sledgehammer and rescued my Floyd-equipped Schecter from sonic mediocrity. The neck pickup is awesome - fluid, full, great for weighty cleans and smooth leads.

I also like the Gibson 500T, Duncan Invader set, Duncan Jazz neck.
 
Must try? The ones that come with a guitar lol
Serious though some people rip pickups put befor they even give them a chance. Thinking that( insert fav winder here) is "superior". To me any pickup that functions correctly is a "good" pivkup...in it's correct application backed by the right amp and for the right player and style.
​style.
My next musy try....is a screw driver.
Then after giving a thorough try and tweaking. Then decide what you want to change.
 
Sam SG said:
Must try? The ones that come with a guitar lol
Serious though some people rip pickups put befor they even give them a chance. Thinking that( insert fav winder here) is "superior". To me any pickup that functions correctly is a "good" pivkup...in it's correct application backed by the right amp and for the right player and style.
​style.
My next musy try....is a screw driver.
Then after giving a thorough try and tweaking. Then decide what you want to change.
Click to expand...

I always give the stock pickups a try first. The only time I change them out quickly is if they are generic pickups that aren't going to be good enough for the sounds I want out of a guitar. I gave the Custom 5 a long trial in my LTD EC-1000 but couldn't vibe with it. Gave the Custom a similarly long trial. Finally settled on Black Winter and I'm happy now.

My budget Schecter Omen Extreme S-II came with stock Schecter Diamond pickups that were not the best for metal. In went the Nazgul-Sentient and I haven't looked back.
 
Condemned soul said:
You must have been an advisor for Eastman Guitars. Those are the factory installed pickups in my Eastman T484 [ their version of the ES-339 ] and they work really well in that guitar.
Click to expand...

I had Antiquities in my Eastman (like an aged 335), and I fell in love with how they sound.
 
Faves:
harmonic design pickups. They're all good.

Dimarzio mo'joe/ paf joe, breeds, transitions, Norton.

Emg 57/66tw. Eq out Some low and lower mids, and theyre monsters! I like the single coil tones even more!

Duncan pearly gates

P90s

Lace sensors. red, hot gold, blue.

Wanna try:
strat emgs
tele emgs (gonna do thia soon)

lace rainbow pack amd the newer colors in general.

Dimarzio 57pafs.
 
Also add Bootstrap Pickups to your must-try for Strat and Tele style pickups. $60 for a set of hand wound in America Strat or Tele pickups. I have their Pretzel Tele set, and it's A1.
 
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