Neck pickups

[BloodRose]

I had a thread all typed up but got timed out.. Trying to recall my wording... Hmpf!

I have a dilemma with neck pickups.. Didnt use to use them or care about them until I saw Akira Takasaki ripping out the solo to Heavy Chains. Before that, I didnt really neck pups were used for soloing/leads.. But he flips back and forth a few times during that solo and you can tell a slight difference in the clarity, but its still thick and creamy..

I have few Jazz necks, a few 59b's in neck positions, and a few others. When I set up my guitars, I was told to adjust the neck pickup to where the volume balances with the bridge..
The issue I often find, is that my neck pups sometimes sound a bit feeble. In other words, Im not getting the fat creamy tone from them that Id like to hear. I was playing my Burny LP today that has a BK Rebel Yell set in it, and the tone when toggling back and forth was very good. So, Im thinking perhaps Id gel better with hotter neck pickups? But the thing there is I dont want to lose my ability to get good cleans, so then worry about too hot of a pickup.

So, I like the jazz's cleans, and the 59b models seem to do ok. I just really liked the creamy leads I was getting today, so thinking maybe I should try something diff in the necks in place of the Jazz models.. ?? Just not sure what to try.
I had a pearly gates in a guitar once, but cant recall how it sounded. I think I liked it, but its been a long time.
Suggestions??

 

[AniML]

Re: Neck pickups

Yes a PG is a good starting point. The WLH is a powerhouse of a creamy neck pickup. It cleans up nicely but not quite as clean as a Jazz.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Neck pickups

Dave Murray and Steve Morse got me into soloing with neck pickups. I use them 80% of the time. To me, the 'creamy lead' thing is the Alnico II Pro, or for a more aggressive thing, the neck Black Winter.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Re: Neck pickups

I'm personally not a fan of the underwound approach many Duncan neck pickups have. I don't want squelchy treble, scooped mids, and weak output in the neck position. I want a fat, smooth, liquid neck pickup tone. Clarity can still be had if the pickup's bass is controlled.

I love the Black Winter Neck for thick, creamy, liquid, yet still clear. Clean, it's alright, but it splits a lot better than the any of the 7-8K-range pickups I've tried.

The Distortion Neck is a bit more articulate. It's still strong and smooth, but it takes the basic tone of the BW-N a bit more towards Jazz territory. I'm sure it would take a magnet swap great to turn it into basically a JB-N with an A5 magnet.

If you still want low output, but still fat, smooth, and throaty yet still clear, I personally liked the DiMarzio 36th Anniversary PAF a lot better than the Jazz or '59-N and B.

 

[IMENATOR]

Re: Neck pickups

I just listened to that song, killer sound. It may be me but I think that happens to that guitar too in the song and other songs I am listening from that album right now, the bridge sounds thicker than the neck, it kind of reminds me the sound of humbucker that is far away from the strings, but then I could be completely wrong. Anyways if you feel you need a ticker sound for the neck then you need it.

 

[hamerfan]

Re: Neck pickups

I was a fan of very slim neck sounds, but i heard some good sound from the WHL neck. Maybe try some bridge pickups in the neck but block the bass with cap in series.

 

[zionstrat]

Re: Neck pickups

I am one of those weird ones who
mainly solo off the neck pickup and use the bridge pickup more for rhythm.

I started off with a standard Stratocaster, where the bridge can be articulate and somewhat bright, and I used a slightly over wound pup in the neck to get an articulate, somewhat darker, tone and dial in amp settings that make it easy to jump from clean to crunched.

When I transferred this approach to humbucker guitars, I look for clear bridge pickups that can live on the edge of breakup like a Pearly Gates.

For the matching neck, jazz or 59 mentioned above are good choices.

But if I can have anything I want, I prefer a mini humbucker, a firebird, or a p90 derivative in the neck. The thinner pickups see less of the string which makes them articulate, where p90s are just beautiful at all times for what I do.

Sent from my SM-G960U1 using Tapatalk

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Neck pickups

A 59 neck with an A4 is a creamy but clear neck. It has a similar signature to an A2P, but thick and even, just a little more top/bottom and clarity, and not tubby or scoopy.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Neck pickups

It depends on the guitar, but of course a lot of the traditional styles or hardtails you spend most of your time trying to de-mud the neck pickup, not beef it up. If your guitar tone is thinned by a pencil thin neck profile, small bodies and the ultimate in 'tonesuck' (a Floyd or similar), then you perhaps need to look away from the typical pickups wound for that vintage type application.