Pickup advice for a new player

[Rick_Dixie]

Hey guys!
New to the forum here and fairly new to electric guitar.
I started about 2 months ago when I came into a squier affinity strat and a little 15g amp. I've been practicing several hours a day since then and I've very quickly outgrown this beginner gear. I can't yet afford a new guitar as I decided I'm going to purchase a new amp first. Within the month I'll be ordering a Fender Mustang IV Combo amp. Anyway, I figure I'll start upgrading this beginner piece I've got and hopefully bring it a few steps up from where it is. At the moment everything is stock but I'll be replacing the strings and tuners with locking tuners. I'll also be replacing the humbucker with an SH-5 Custom. I play a lot of heavier pop-punk (rhythm) and I decided this humbucker would be my best bet as I want to tread the line between pop-punk and metal as far as my sound goes. I have no idea though what I should consider for my neck pickups! Any advice that you guys have would be wonderful. I'm here to learn!

Thanks guys!

 

[Shooter.556]

Re: Pickup advice for a new player

I really advise against a Custom in a Strat.
I'd also advise against putting pickups that are worth more than the guitar..
Upgrade your guitar first and then get an amp not the other way..
I just think putting good pickups in a plywood guitar is a bad idea, you're not going to the the results you're expecting..

 

[Aceman]

Re: Pickup advice for a new player

WHHHHhhhhhhhoooooaaaaaaaaaaa now a second there!

First - kudos for actually asking for advice. Now - sit down, relax, let go of the ego, and soak all of this up:

#1 A Few hours a day for a couple months - you have NOT outgrown the beginner gear. I'm saying this as a 30+ year player, who has $3k Les Pauls, but also $100 junkers (That I play, and play on stage!)

A clip might be nice to show off your skills - I could be wrong! Let's see what you got.

#2 The Fender amp is still beginner gear, by the way (All be it wayyyy more flexible beginner gear…)

#3 As mentioned - new tuners, new pickups, you are halfway to a better guitar. Save money for totally next step up guitar. And buy Pawn/used/ebay.

#4 This is the one you are NOT going to want to hear…..MILK THAT GUITAR AND AMP FOR ALL THEY ARE WORTH! I can sit down with that and get a fine and dandy pop-punk sound. Learn to play the amp - learn to work the guitar. Let me say this again - LEARN TO PLAY THE AMP (although not much amp to play there…). Better gear is nice, yes. But….Any guitar god can melt your face off with whatever is in the room. Look up Orianthi playing Beat It on a Roland Micro Cube.

Always remember this:

Crap guitar through amazing amp = pretty awesome. Save money for the best amp you can buy.

Awesome guitar with Seymour personally wound pups through crap amp = crap.

Amp is the biggest part of the sound, then get the guitar that will be an awesome performance bed, and finally, when you know enough about tone, THEN get better pups.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Pickup advice for a new player

And welcome! Hope to see you around!!!!

 

[Rick_Dixie]

Re: Pickup advice for a new player

Thank you for the advice! I don't mean to come off cocky by any means. I have SO much go learn and I'm here to take in any bit of knowledge I can. So correct me again if I'm wrong but in terms of gear you suggest I learn everything I can about my current amp and finding the settings I need to make it work for me, stepping it up to the best I can afford, and then purchasing a new guitar before I mess too much with my current one? You gave me a ton of wonderful advice that I'll take to heart and I want to make sure I have it straight. Do you have any suggestions or tips for learning that really helped you progress as a guitarist? Again THANK YOU!

 

[Shooter.556]

Re: Pickup advice for a new player

WHHHHhhhhhhhoooooaaaaaaaaaaa now a second there!

First - kudos for actually asking for advice. Now - sit down, relax, let go of the ego, and soak all of this up:

#1 A Few hours a day for a couple months - you have NOT outgrown the beginner gear. I'm saying this as a 30+ year player, who has $3k Les Pauls, but also $100 junkers (That I play, and play on stage!)

A clip might be nice to show off your skills - I could be wrong! Let's see what you got.

#2 The Fender amp is still beginner gear, by the way (All be it wayyyy more flexible beginner gear…)

#3 As mentioned - new tuners, new pickups, you are halfway to a better guitar. Save money for totally next step up guitar. And buy Pawn/used/ebay.

#4 This is the one you are NOT going to want to hear…..MILK THAT GUITAR AND AMP FOR ALL THEY ARE WORTH! I can sit down with that and get a fine and dandy pop-punk sound. Learn to play the amp - learn to work the guitar. Let me say this again - LEARN TO PLAY THE AMP (although not much amp to play there…). Better gear is nice, yes. But….Any guitar god can melt your face off with whatever is in the room. Look up Orianthi playing Beat It on a Roland Micro Cube.

Always remember this:

Crap guitar through amazing amp = pretty awesome. Save money for the best amp you can buy.

Awesome guitar with Seymour personally wound pups through crap amp = crap.

Amp is the biggest part of the sound, then get the guitar that will be an awesome performance bed, and finally, when you know enough about tone, THEN get better pups.

Like Aceman said, Craigslist and Pawn Shops. I have scored some sweet guitars from them avenues in the $300 range.

And welcome! Join us and grow and learn.. This is the only forum I visit now.
Totally non pretentious and everyone is here to help.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Pickup advice for a new player

Thank you for the advice! I don't mean to come off cocky by any means. I have SO much go learn and I'm here to take in any bit of knowledge I can. So correct me again if I'm wrong but in terms of gear you suggest I learn everything I can about my current amp and finding the settings I need to make it work for me, stepping it up to the best I can afford, and then purchasing a new guitar before I mess too much with my current one? You gave me a ton of wonderful advice that I'll take to heart and I want to make sure I have it straight. Do you have any suggestions or tips for learning that really helped you progress as a guitarist? Again THANK YOU!

Correct -

Unless there is a major issue with the guitar, spend the money on a better amp.

The upgrades are worthless on that guitar as a foundation. You want a better guitar period.

But good amp > good guitar.

Then we can talk pickups….

 

[Aceman]

Re: Pickup advice for a new player

Comment: A really well setup Squire should play great. Learn to do that:

Youtube on how to adjust action, intonation, etc….Those skills are always in demand - and NO ONE will set up your guitar perfect for you except you!

 

[Aceman]

Re: Pickup advice for a new player

Skill-wise:

Do you know all five pentatonic boxes up and down the fretboard? Learn them, know them, love them. Jam to Youtube backing tracks.

Do you know the MAjor, Minor, and Mixolydian Modes? Learn them know them, love them.

Can you SING AND PLAY? If not, work on it.

 

[Shooter.556]

Re: Pickup advice for a new player

Skill-wise:

Do you know all five pentatonic boxes up and down the fretboard? Learn them, know them, love them. Jam to Youtube backing tracks.

Do you know the MAjor, Minor, and Mixolydian Modes? Learn them know them, love them.

Can you SING AND PLAY? If not, work on it.

Look up Papastache on YouTube. Brett Papa, he's a cool dude and has a sweet approach to the 5 boxes and relates them to songs very well.
I have been playing for 20 years and I still take lessons and YouTube makes that easy.
Him and Texas Blues Channel are my favorites but I am a blues and classic rock based player.
Thes 5 boxes like Spaceman said open up doors to a whole new world.. So much good music to be made in there.
Also study the CAGED theory. Scales from chords. That really changes how you look at the fretboard.

 

[Securb]

Re: Pickup advice for a new player

Rick I don't know how this went down the rabbit-hole of people demanding clips and questioning your skill level but I will try to answer your question. Putting a Custom in a guitar of that value might be overkill. If you really want to upgrade the pickup I would suggest looking at used Duncans on the forum's trading post and on Ebay. A priced right option would be Guitar Fetish's VEH pickup. Don'r be fooled by the VanHalen reference on the pickup it will give you your pop punk and metal tones.

http://www.guitarfetish.com/VEH-Vintage-Extra-Hot-Black-The-BROWN-SOUND-Bridge-Position_p_786.html

 

[Rick_Dixie]

Re: Pickup advice for a new player

Thanks Securb. The advice from everyone about videos and techniques to learn is very valuable but so is your response! That was definitely a piece of information I needed to know. Thanks!

 

[Diminished Triad]

Re: Pickup advice for a new player

And to be more the best player you can be, add in time learning how to read sheet music and becoming a chord master. Both will greatly compliment what some have mentioned above. Good luck!

 

[Rick_Dixie]

Re: Pickup advice for a new player

I can actually read sheet music for saxophone and cello right now. I've already started to learn with guitar! My previous knowledge is definitely making it much easier to learn.

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: Pickup advice for a new player

I can actually read sheet music for saxophone and cello right now. I've already started to learn with guitar! My previous knowledge is definitely making it much easier to learn.

I wish I had learned to play the Sax and Cello (I played the Bassoon in junior high and high school,) do you know how to play the piano?

 

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: Pickup advice for a new player

Good advice here so far:

-New amp (the mustang IV will actually be great for variety of tones, enough volume to have a jam, and will help you decide what amps/ effects you want to get in the future)
-If you really want a humbucker in there, go to GFS and get a $30 pickup that will be superior to your now, dont go spend $110 on a custom.
-**** the haters, a custom sounds great in a strat! haha

Kudos to you for asking advice, taking it well, and knowing what gets upgraded in a guitar first! If you had a MIM standard strat instead, all of those would be great things to do!

 

[Mr. B]

Re: Pickup advice for a new player

The mustang amp will make a huge difference in your tone and I agree that a better amp it a priority purchase. You can add a humbucker to your Affinity strat and switch it out into a better strat later, so there is nothing wrong with buying a Seymour Duncan (check used pickups on Ebay). However, adding something like a Custom will greatly overpower your single coils, and it might not even sound great with the 250k posts that your guitar probably has.

There are a lot of other decent pickups which can be had pretty cheap that will outperform your Affinity humbucker by a long shot. Fender DH-1 humbuckers can be found for around 20 bucks and aren't bad. Epiphone G-400 humbuckers are also not bad and I have won them on Ebay for as little as 12 dollars. Eventually, I don't think you will be satisfied with the Affinity's quality/construction. The Squier Standard series can be modded into a perfectly playable strats if you find a good example, but the Affinity just doesn't have a base to build on. I would only buy a good humbucker for it if it was something that could be transferred to a better strat later.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Pickup advice for a new player

Rick I don't know how this went down the rabbit-hole of people demanding clips and questioning your skill level but I will try to answer your question.

Read the damn post Bruce. That is NOT where I went with that and you know it. Stop bein' a hater!

 

[Echoes14]

Re: Pickup advice for a new player

Can you SING AND PLAY? If not, work on it.

THIS.

Our lead singer is a great singer....and a great guitar player. But never both at the same time. He loses all sense of dynamics and most of the rhythm when he sings and plays. You'll find a lot more opportunities when people know you can sing and play.

And since you're a sax player, stepping into singing harmony shouldn't be a problem. I started playing the sax in 4th grade, and played all the way through high school. The band director in HS would make us sing our parts sometimes, so finding those harmonies is pretty easy for me. I'm a mediocre guitar player, at best. But being able to play good rhythms, knowing where to fit into the mix of a band, and being able to sing harmonies keeps me employed for my once-a-month gig.

 

[loversmoon]

Re: Pickup advice for a new player

I'd definitely watch the trade post I've bought/sold a lot of pickups that way. If you truly want a Duncan most used go for 50-55 on the post. In time it will save u money if you learn to tinker in your own guitar. Baby steps but a suggestion. I feel that mustang is a fine upgrade and u certainly will have a lot of cool tones at your tips. I love the custom line of pickups and say go for it. When u upgrade ur guitar u can always strip the old one down for parts . But I'm a parts geek like that