Neck pickup discussion - please drop your thoughts

[Rex_Rocker]

Actives have the low lows and high highs chopped out by the preamp.

Yep, for sure. But an active combo, both the bridge and neck pickups have the bandpass sound in both positions. So they work in context of each other. I'm not sure how well an active/passive combo would work together. I don't think they would, although, I've never tried it.

 

[AdrianSD]

Yep, for sure. But an active combo, both the bridge and neck pickups have the bandpass sound in both positions. So they work in context of each other. I'm not sure how well an active/passive combo would work together. I don't think they would, although, I've never tried it.

For smooth and buttery try the Alnico 2 Pro. I put an A2 magnet in one of my Jazz neck pups, it pairs really nice with the double ceramic Custom. Less volume ofc, but they complement each other very well. Otherwise BW neck as suggested above, it's an amazing neck pickup.

 

[ToneFiddler]

i think you should try the serie cap. with the right value you can get the same low cut like the EMGs. That is the part i like about them the most. (and the fact that the cable quality & length is not so important).

Then i think John Petrucci uses these type of neck buckers you might like. But i am no expert, it's about his 5th pickup pair now?

 

[weepingminotaur]

For smooth and buttery try the Alnico 2 Pro. I put an A2 magnet in one of my Jazz neck pups, it pairs really nice with the double ceramic Custom. Less volume ofc, but they complement each other very well. Otherwise BW neck as suggested above, it's an amazing neck pickup.

Damn, how did I forget the Alnico 2 Pro? It's a fantastic neck pickup and yeah, so smooth. I'm honestly amazed by how well it cleans up but it handles gain too.

 

[Coma]

Rather than a recommendation or review or whatever thread, I guess this is more of a broad discussion. I wanted to get you guys' thoughts on the issue.

I remember when I was using actives, I always liked how both pickups sounded in conjuction with each other, especially the Fluence Moderns or the KSE's, but the EMG 81/60 and even the EMG 85 managed to work fine for me.

But I've been thinking... what is my issue with passive neck pickups? I have the problem where I try one that sounds great clean, but then it sounds meh distorted. The Duncan '59 is the perfect example of that for me. Then there are ones where they sound great distorted, but then sound lifeless clean. The Air Norton comes to mind. And all in-betweens seem to be a compromise, which I've never felt with actives.

I haven't tried as many passive neck pickups as I have bridge ones. Maybe that's part of the issue. That being said, I've tried enough to know what I don't like. I don't like neck pickups that are overly attacky. So no Fender-style single coils for me. I like chimey cleans, but not to the point of shrillness. I like full leads, but not to the point of bloated mudiness. I also hate output so low that they won't balance with the bridge pickups that I like. But that also leads to the problem that passives that are too overwound tend to sound a bit dark and meh in the neck.

So... is it a matter of trying out more until I find the one? At this point, I kinda feel I'd just be lumping a lot of money into something that I'm not even sure will pay off in the end. Or am I overly romanticizing actives? Because it's been at least 2 years since I've had them in my guitar, so the memory of how they sound isn't all that fresh. Maybe I should just settle? Like have a guitar with an Air Norton and one with a '59, and be done with it?

What do you guys think? What would you guys do?

Thanks for reading.

I feel you, man. I have the Air Norton neck in one of my guitars, it's fantastic for a smoother solo tones with a lot of gain, but not all that grand clean. It can be coil split for a more Fendery chime - it doesn't exactly exceed at that, but it's a functioning compromise.

My take on the whole ordeal: very few humbuckers actually sound all that great in the neck. At least not if you want them to balance well with a hotter bridge pup. The closest I've found to a solution is to either pick one that just sounds good clean, accept that it's there to do a different job than the bridge and ignore the middle position, or try to find one that sounds good in split mode.

The best one I ever tried in that latter category was the made-for-Charvel A2pro with hex screws. Phenomenal cleans, bright and chimey without sounding harsh.

 

[Chistopher]

My take is that neck humbuckers aren't as one-size-fits-all any other configuration.

Anything that can be played on an electric guitar can be made to sound good on almost any bridge pickup. But neck humbuckers are bassy and middy, so it limits what you can make sound good with them. But on the other side of things, some things the neck does exceptionally well and can't be replicated on the bridge.

Monophonic legato runs will sound more fluid on a neck humbucker than any other pickup in any other position, for example.

As for the middle position, if you don't like it, just put it out of phase. If you still don't like it, at least you have a unique sound rather than a mostly redundant middle position.

 

[uOpt]

In the neck of a Les Paul I like the SD Antiquity and the Lollar Imperial.

Some WCR was in the mix, too, but I forget the details right now.

 

[Mincer]

The Antiquity is a fantastic pickup in an LP, but not for everyone. If your playing has high gain/volume, and don't need a super dynamic pickup, it will squeal due to it being non-potted.