Newbie pup question.
- Thread starter FOOLSGOLD
- Start date
Dave Locher
New member
Re: Newbie pup question.
You are asking totally reasonable questions but it doesn't work that way. There will be Seymour Duncan pickups that are similar to some of the Gibson pickups you listed, but the whole point of aftermarket pickups is that they do NOT sound just like stock pickups. Generally you start with the sound you have and then ask yourself "what would I like more of, what would I like less of, and what do I like about my sound right now?"
Then you come to a forum like this and say "I have a such-and-such in the bridge of my Les Paul but I would really like more ______ but without the _______. I really like the _____ of the pickup I already have. Any suggestions?"
Fill in the blanks with words like clarity, dynamics, power, sustain, bite, bass, low mids, high mids, treble, sparkle, chunk, or whatever other terms fit what you have, what you like, what you hate, and/or what you are looking for.
You are asking totally reasonable questions but it doesn't work that way. There will be Seymour Duncan pickups that are similar to some of the Gibson pickups you listed, but the whole point of aftermarket pickups is that they do NOT sound just like stock pickups. Generally you start with the sound you have and then ask yourself "what would I like more of, what would I like less of, and what do I like about my sound right now?"
Then you come to a forum like this and say "I have a such-and-such in the bridge of my Les Paul but I would really like more ______ but without the _______. I really like the _____ of the pickup I already have. Any suggestions?"
Fill in the blanks with words like clarity, dynamics, power, sustain, bite, bass, low mids, high mids, treble, sparkle, chunk, or whatever other terms fit what you have, what you like, what you hate, and/or what you are looking for.
Re: Newbie pup question.
I understand. Thank you for responding. I guess my question was over generalized to zero in on a particular answer. In the future when I get ready to swap out pups on one particular Epi SG I have, I'll get more into detail. The pups on there actually sound muddy to my ears. All of the above pups i mentioned, I actually like on my guitars. I just wondered about the P90s because of the noise they tend to make. They do have a very cool tone however. I can stand the noise on from my P90s. The Epi SG is the guitar I want to change out pups on. Once again, thank you very much for responding.
I understand. Thank you for responding. I guess my question was over generalized to zero in on a particular answer. In the future when I get ready to swap out pups on one particular Epi SG I have, I'll get more into detail. The pups on there actually sound muddy to my ears. All of the above pups i mentioned, I actually like on my guitars. I just wondered about the P90s because of the noise they tend to make. They do have a very cool tone however. I can stand the noise on from my P90s. The Epi SG is the guitar I want to change out pups on. Once again, thank you very much for responding.
blueman335
Mojo's Minions
Re: Newbie pup question.
Keep in mind: Gibson is a guitar company first & foremost. PU's are not the top priority of theirs. They make them so they don't have to pay someone else to do it. With aftermarket PU makers (Duncan, DiMarzio, Lollar, Fralin, etc), for them to exist their PU's have to sound better than stock Gibson & Fender PU's. Many aftermarket PU makers are artists that have a lifelong passion with designing PU's and crafting tones. You can't compare a Gibson employee with Seymour Duncan.
Keep in mind: Gibson is a guitar company first & foremost. PU's are not the top priority of theirs. They make them so they don't have to pay someone else to do it. With aftermarket PU makers (Duncan, DiMarzio, Lollar, Fralin, etc), for them to exist their PU's have to sound better than stock Gibson & Fender PU's. Many aftermarket PU makers are artists that have a lifelong passion with designing PU's and crafting tones. You can't compare a Gibson employee with Seymour Duncan.
beaubrummels
Well-known member
Re: Newbie pup question.
If I were going to replace certain Gibson pickups with Duncans, to keep a somewhat similar 'signature' but improve the sound, my list would go like this:
BB Pros > Seths
490 > Jazz Neck, Seth Neck, Pearly Gates Neck or A2Pro neck
498 > Pearly Gates Bridge, 59/Custom Hybrid or '59 Bridge
I'm not sure why you are asking about humbuckers when it sounds like your guitar has P90s. You can only fit P90s or mini-humbuckers if your guitar is currently routed for P90s, unless yours has humbucker-sized P90s.
If I were going to replace certain Gibson pickups with Duncans, to keep a somewhat similar 'signature' but improve the sound, my list would go like this:
BB Pros > Seths
490 > Jazz Neck, Seth Neck, Pearly Gates Neck or A2Pro neck
498 > Pearly Gates Bridge, 59/Custom Hybrid or '59 Bridge
I'm not sure why you are asking about humbuckers when it sounds like your guitar has P90s. You can only fit P90s or mini-humbuckers if your guitar is currently routed for P90s, unless yours has humbucker-sized P90s.
