New pups for Vantage flying v

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Stickymongoose

New member
I'm looking for a couple of humbuckers to go in a flying v copy with an ash body. Right now it has PRS pickups in it, and they are kind of boring. Very smooth, with a strong fundamental and not much else. What I think I'm looking for are some low output pups that are more dynamic and have more harmonic content.

I'm playing sort of fuzzed out low tuned rock. My setup is an old Orange OR80 through a newer Orange 412 with V30s and various fuzz boxes.
I like the guitar tones of groups like Fu Manchu and Boris, so I'm going for something similar.
 
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Re: New pups for Vantage flying v

Shove a set of 59s in there, or maybe a 59 custom hybrid in the bridge.

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Re: New pups for Vantage flying v

Thanks for your help. I like the 59 custom idea. I was looking at the 59s before, and I'm worried they might be too bright in this guitar. What about pairing the 59 custom with a Seth in the neck? I used to have a pair of Seth Lovers in an Epi Joe Pass. It was a very different guitar, and I used it mostly for classic/progressive rock, but they were the best sounding humbuckers I ever tried.
 
Re: New pups for Vantage flying v

Stickymongoose said:
I used to have a pair of Seth Lovers in an Epi Joe Pass. It was a very different guitar, and I used it mostly for classic/progressive rock, but they were the best sounding humbuckers I ever tried.
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So why not a pair of Seth's? The original Flying V's had PAF's.
 
Re: New pups for Vantage flying v

I'm sure they'd sound great, but I'm concerned about the unpotted covers. I like some feedback, but will these be totally out of control with loud, heavy fuzz?
 
Re: New pups for Vantage flying v

Stickymongoose said:
I'm sure they'd sound great, but I'm concerned about the unpotted covers. I like some feedback, but will these be totally out of control with loud, heavy fuzz?
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There have been numerous posts here about how feedback resistance Seth's are. Unless you're playing very loud and using a lot of distortion, feedback isn't likely to be an issue.
 
Re: New pups for Vantage flying v

I think I'll just try the Seths, then. I can always pull the covers off if feedback is an issue, right?
 
Re: New pups for Vantage flying v

FWIW, Josh Homme is/was known for using the 59 neck, and I can totally see why. The oft-cited 59 neck boominess (in mahogany, at least) could work to your advantage if you're trying to get fat stoner tones. 59 neck is mid-scooped, and presumably you want lots of mids, so that element would have to come from your guitar/other parts of the signal chain.

I don't find the 59 neck terribly harmonically rich; it sounds smooth to my ears. But maybe you can get more harmonic information through your various fuzzes, etc.

Also, mid-scooped-ness of 59 means it can be simultaneously bright and bassy. However, I've never heard it as overly bright in the neck position, though I've only had it in mahogany set neck guitars. I find its high end "just right" in neck position. If you're really worried about that, you could get a covered version to shave off a little high end.

Finally, I haven't tried the WLH neck yet, but since it's generally described like a less mid-scooped, slightly more aggressive 59, that might work for you also. Someone here recently described WLH neck as too fuzzy for them, so that might actually be a good possibility for you.

Other brand-wise, I've heard that the Dimarzio Liquifire can do sludgy tones in the neck position. I don't know that from personal experience, but I'm interested in similar tones as you and may give that a go sometime.
 
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Re: New pups for Vantage flying v

bob balch from fu manchu has a signature railhammer set, i think they sound very nice so i would say look at them too.

also for a flying v you need to kinda balance the natural tone of the thing, hear it acoustically does it sound middy and deep? or middy and crisp, some can even sound both ways to some degree, so you need to know what it has to boost or tame it according to what you need and end with a very killer sounding arrow.

anyway if you want more harmonic content on a V with low output buckers i can only say slap a Pearly Gates in the bridge, and you could put a seth on the neck or a '59, being a V you could even put an antiquity on the neck slot.
 
Re: New pups for Vantage flying v

Pearly Gates in bridge might be a little thin sounding for stoner tones - but Pearly Gates *Plus* might be the ticket. Hot, nasty, a little muddy, maybe just right for this application.

Also, the much-maligned Gibson 490R (very easy to find used) is normally known as dark and muddy, but I've been able to get very decent Sleep tones from it at high gain.
 
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