Neck To Match Alternative 8

[kcstratslinger]

I love the Alternative 8 in the bridge of my Blacktop Telecaster. It's the best pickup I've ever owned. I can't think of a single thing wrong with it other than finding a neck pickup to match. I'm looking for a humbucker for the neck. Something that sounds just like the Alt 8, but just with the added bass/fundamental from being in the neck. As well as volume to match. When I switch from the neck to the bridge I would like it to sound like the same pickup with a high pass engaged (simply from the position of the pickup). I don't like much versatility in my guitars. I tend to just find variations of one good sound. Thick, heavy, medium/high gain blues rock tones. The Alt 8 is perfect for this and doesn't even require an overdrive pedal for leads.

I'm torn between different pickups and don't have much experience with Duncans. All I can do is look at the specs and guess. But I am thinking something like an overwound Alnico 2 might work. Slash, Alnico 2 Pro, Pearly Gates? Then I look at the JB frequency response and wonder how it will work in the neck. The extra gain might even match up to the Alt 8. Might even have the Custom Shop build me one, but I would like something cheaper if it's out there.

I'm tired of scouring the web, so I came here. Any ideas/suggestions?

 

[Clint 55]

Welcome to the forum!

I spent a lot of time modding neck hums to get them to sound similar to the bridge pickup. I wanted similar bite and aggression. What I ended up liking was a middy wind, with demon screws, and A9. That gave me the aggression and bite that I liked mixed with the bass of a neck pickup. Stock, the pickups I would recommend would be the Demon or WLH. Let me know if you want me to explain more about it. A9 is really helpful in adding aggression in the neck to match the bridge.

 

[kcstratslinger]

Interesting. I've never heard of an A9. I would just put another Alt 8 in the neck and lower it. But I've read that there is too much string pull and it needs to be lowered too far to work. Does the A9 have the same string pull? I'm almost afraid to buy a new pickup and destroy it trying to mod. I'd rather learn how to build them myself from scratch if I went that route. I'll check out the Demon though.

 

[Clint 55]

If you want your neck pickup to be voiced exactly like the Alt 8, the only thing that would do exactly that would be a custom Alt 8 neck. If you want it to sound relatively close voicing wise and close with other characteristics that are important to you such as bite or eq, there are options for you.

In my situation, I was looking to replicate some of the bite and snarl of a bridge pickup only in the neck and the specs I mentioned are what helped get me there. Let me know what specific characteristics from the bridge you want to replicate in the neck, we might be able to get there with just a pickup and mag swap or it might be more in depth.

For stock pickup options, the Alt 8 in the neck would be way too hot. It would have to be lowered too much to work and it would also be too bassy being a pickup that hot in the neck. Stock pickups I would recommend would be the Demon, Full Shred neck, or WLH.

 

[kcstratslinger]

Just looking for something with similar mids, treble and distortion character. With just the extended bass/fundamental from being in the neck. Bite isn't all that important. Just a little fuller than the bridge. All the pickups I see for the neck seem to have a mid scoop and a ton of treble. It's hard to imagine what they will sound like. Not wanting something scooped and ear piercing or plinky sounding. I always struggle getting the amp eq right (Mesa Mark V). It either sounds good in the bridge and muddy in the neck, or good in the neck and too bright in the bridge. So I guess a bright neck pickup without a mid scoop might work. Or just reduced low end so going between the 2 pickups isn't so extreme. If I could at least get something close I could probably get creative with switching different capacitors in and out with the pickup switch to get the highs and lows evened out a little more.

 

[Clint 55]

From my experience, the WLH is pretty good because it has the mids and is not plinky. I'm not an expert on distortion character, but that would be my recommendation.

 

[kcstratslinger]

Thank you Clint. I really appreciate your help and suggestions. I guess all I can do now is listen to some clips of your recommendations, pull the trigger, and hope for the best.

 

[Clint 55]

You're welcome. Maybe take advantage of the exchange policy. I just collect all my pickups tho.

 

[Demanic]

You're welcome. Maybe take advantage of the exchange policy. I just collect all my pickups tho.

And then make bizarre hybrids out of them.

 

[HM_Stratocaster]

I might say just go with the trembucker version in the bridge and the regular bridge version in the neck. You'll end up with very similar output that way. The regular bridge version is slightly under-wound when compared to the Fender bridge spaced version. The early Les Pauls had the exact same P.A.F. humbucking in the bridge and neck. This was because of the fact that just by moving the position of the humbucking under the strings closer to the neck will make it sound bassier, boost mids, kill the highs, and give it slightly more output.

 

[Clint 55]

^ Imo, there's no point to using bridge pickups in the neck because it just sounds like a bass or a jazz guitar with the huge output and really doesn't sound as cool as it does in the bridge slot. Ime, Demon heat is about the max.

 

[AdrianSD]

If it sounds fizzy or boomy a tube screamer pedal might help if set up as clean boost. Drive on zero, volume dimed, tone to taste.

 

[elelpe]

+12 for Demon. It balances well with Alt8. And the middle position is gorgeous. It's not as scooped as '59 (has more mid). That said, Alt8 has this presence quality that can be found in Slash pickup. Both have plenty of mids too. If your guitar has 24 frets, having Slash bridge in neck position would be just fine in my book.