Never really thought I'd have this issue... Pickup Question

Braunzo

Braunzo

New member
I just got an early 2000's Carvin Bolt a few weeks ago. It plays awesome, stays in tune and is just killer. The only issue I have with it is that they're really dark. This almost doesn't make any sense to me seeing what the guitar itself is made out of it.

Body: Alder
Neck: Maple
Board: Ebony

You would figure this would be a pretty bright guitar, right? So now I'm just kind of looking around to see what my options are. The guitar is a SSH(b) setup. What would be the best for my guitar? I play through a classic 30. I don't do anything really too heavy. I play a lot of stoner/blues/rock type stuff as of late. Think kind of modernized late 60's/70's rock. And I like a kind of compressed neck pickup I can clean up with my volume knob. I also do a bit of cleaning up on my bridge 'bucker a bit with the volume.

Main bands tones I really dig:
Pink Floyd
Black Sabbath
The Sword
Baroness
Tool
The Melvins
Mastodon
Queens of the Stone Age

With that said, I'd like to maintain a strat sound in the single coil positions and a bit of a classic rock/psychedelic sound in the bridge 'bucker.

Thanks in advance gentlemen!

I love Duncans, but I'm not limited to.
 
Re: Never really thought I'd have this issue... Pickup Question

You find the AP11 SC pups dark also, or just the HB?
 
Re: Never really thought I'd have this issue... Pickup Question

I assume you have the Carvin C22 HB in the bridge. I haven't heard anything re it being dark, here or on the Carvin boards, but one of those in a mahogany body Hamer did tame an overly bright and fizzy Marshall JCM 900 that I used to have.

I'm thinking you'd be happy w/a vintage output HB, of which SD has a few. The 59, Seth Lover, APH 1, or the Antiquity (custom shop model). I've used the 59, although not in a Strat.
 
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Re: Never really thought I'd have this issue... Pickup Question

Braunzo said:
Body: Alder
Neck: Maple
Board: Ebony

You would figure this would be a pretty bright guitar, right? So now I'm just kind of looking around to see what my options are. The guitar is a SSH(b) setup. What would be the best for my guitar? I play through a classic 30. I don't do anything really too heavy. I play a lot of stoner/blues/rock type stuff as of late. Think kind of modernized late 60's/70's rock. And I like a kind of compressed neck pickup I can clean up with my volume knob. I also do a bit of cleaning up on my bridge 'bucker a bit with the volume.

Main bands tones I really dig:
Pink Floyd
Black Sabbath
The Sword
Baroness
Tool
The Melvins
Mastodon
Queens of the Stone Age

With that said, I'd like to maintain a strat sound in the single coil positions and a bit of a classic rock/psychedelic sound in the bridge 'bucker.

Thanks in advance gentlemen!

I love Duncans, but I'm not limited to.
Click to expand...

Queens of the Stone Age is the Custom Custom (even though Josh, last time I checked, plays a mahogany body guitar with rosewood fretboard). But I've used the CC in a bright guitar and it does have that low-mid grunt. It splits good, too.

Pink Floyd is Fender Vintage Noisless I think, but I'm not totally sure. The Classic Stacks should be fine, I guess, or something with more soul and mids (I would prefer the A2P single coils for this, but that's just me). I can get some very Gilmour-ish sounds with my Lite Ash.

Black Sabbath is just a generic stock pickup in an SG last time I checked.. I would personally try a '59 bridge or PG bridge for that, since both are PAF-ish. The PG is alnico II, and while the wood combination you described *should* be bright (i.e. which means use the alnico II stuff), if it's really dark to you, maybe a '59 would be better.

I think Mastadon uses EMG actives, based on their presence on the ESP website, but I'm not sure. A CC or other hotter bridge pickup should probably do just fine, but I've never listened to much of their stuff.

As for Tool, supposedly it's a stock Les Paul. In that case, PAF-ish pickups: '59 or PG or Seths.

Seriously, if this was my guitar, it would have two A2P staggered neck and middle, and a CC bridge :D
 
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Re: Never really thought I'd have this issue... Pickup Question

Hmm, if the problem being a dark guitar then the JB comes to mind, just because so many say it has shrilling highs. Then lice mentioned the 59 and Jazz do come to mind for a little lower output.

For neck/middle (if you want to also replace them that is) the SSL-1 or APS-1 comes to mind...
EDIT: (BTW, the SSL-1 is the Vintage Staggered and the APS-1 the Alnico Pro II staggered...)
 
Re: Never really thought I'd have this issue... Pickup Question

Are there stock Carvin PU's in it now? Are the pots 500K's? If so, this is an example of PU's and wood creating unpredictable tones.

I liek the same late 1960's rock/blues that you do, but usually the problem is getting the bridge HB warm enough. With your current set up (before buying a new PU), the thing to try would be a ceramic magnet in the HB.

If that doesn't give you the tone you want, then you need a quality PAF style bridge HB, at around 8,000 ohms, which is clear & bright, and will sound good clean, and nice with some overdrive.
 
Re: Never really thought I'd have this issue... Pickup Question

One Custom Custom in the bridge.

Normally I would say SSL-1s in the neck, but with that wood combination that might be way too bright overall. Maybe the APS-2 then, or if you can afford them two of the Texas Antiquities. If you want noiseless and Seymour Duncan then the Vintage Stack (Stack plus) is pretty much the choice. I don't think any of that blade stuff will do any good here.

Be sure to wire the guitar to have 250 Kohm potis for the single-coils and 500 Kohm for the humbucker. Of course that's easier said than done with three potis and a 5-way switch. Some resistors across the single coils might fix it, though.
 
Re: Never really thought I'd have this issue... Pickup Question

Demon in the bridge and a pair of Surfers in the neck and mid.
 
Re: Never really thought I'd have this issue... Pickup Question

thucydides said:
You find the AP11 SC pups dark also, or just the HB?
Click to expand...

It's really hard to explain... It's like they're dark and murky, yet too thin. I don't like them at all. They don't have a quack to them like a strat would. The humbucker is too dark and a bit muddier than I usually like. I'm thinking of the '59 or Pearly Gates in the bridge and the APS's (I think those are it) in the neck and middle positions provided they're a bit more compressed (anyone got any info on that?).

I think that should solve my problem and as cool as I thought a phase switch and coil tap would be on this guitar... They're actually kind of cumbersome. Maybe I'm just not use to them? I do like the fact if you invert the phase, the hum goes away. How quiet are those APS's?
 
Re: Never really thought I'd have this issue... Pickup Question

Braunzo said:
It's really hard to explain... It's like they're dark and murky, yet too thin. I don't like them at all. They don't have a quack to them like a strat would. The humbucker is too dark and a bit muddier than I usually like. I'm thinking of the '59 or Pearly Gates in the bridge and the APS's (I think those are it) in the neck and middle positions provided they're a bit more compressed (anyone got any info on that?).

I think that should solve my problem and as cool as I thought a phase switch and coil tap would be on this guitar... They're actually kind of cumbersome. Maybe I'm just not use to them? I do like the fact if you invert the phase, the hum goes away. How quiet are those APS's?
Click to expand...

Quiet! My Lite Ash Stratocaster is quiet enough that, with the knob on my ME-50 at 50% noise reduction, I can play all day long on single coils (not "notch" positions: i.e. I can play in 1,3,and 5) without excess noise. I prefer these positions, too, because they sound good. They also sound good in the notch positions, however, if you're wondering.

Sure, if I get right up next to the amp, I might get some more noise, but who doesn't? Noise is more about the switching and such, at least in my opinion.
 
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