Pickup combo for Stoner/Doom

[Noisembryo]

Hello,

I'm looking for a good pickup combo for a stoner/doom type of music, mainly I'm going for this tone:



Guitar I'm using is ESP Eclipse 1 CTM FT (Mahagony body, maple top, mahagony neck and ebony fretboard, same thickness as LP custom) which currently has '59 neck and JB in the bridge position.
I'll be playing downtuned to C standard or even lower with heavier strings like 11's or 12's and would like to avoid muddiness. Can you recommend me a good combo or should I just stick with the ones I already have?

Thanks

 

[James Rock]

Re: Pickup combo for Stoner/Doom

Hopefully some of the more stoner orientated guys chime in with some knowledge. In the mean time my favourite stoner tones seems to come from low to medium gain pickups so I wouldn't go for anything higher gain or at least not modern high gain sounding p'ups. What else is in your rig may narrow down some options? And anything in particular you don't like about your tone atm?

 

[dvanburen]

Re: Pickup combo for Stoner/Doom

Of course a lot of it depends on your amp. if Im not mistaken Matt Pike used Green amps, orange, laney,soldano

Im biased to Duncan pups myself. If we are talking duncans then a Jb would not be my first choice. after experimenting with different pickups and hybrids, my full on recommendation would be the duncan custom but pull out the standard ceramic magnet and put in the big fat ceramic that comes in the Duncan distortion. When I made that hybrid, it screamed stoner/doom stuff. I play in drop C tuning. Its big, fat, meaty and just massive sounding but still clear and warm. its got somewhat of a vintage vibe to it. Its perfect for this type of music which i am quite fond of myself. Just a suggestion tho

 

[youngthrasher9]

Re: Pickup combo for Stoner/Doom

The experts on this genre here are agileguy_101 and Empty Pockets.

First, what amp do you have? What pedals are you using (if you are)?


Agileguy plays in a Stoner band, he'd probably have the most info.

 

[Securb]

Re: Pickup combo for Stoner/Doom

Of course a lot of it depends on your amp. if Im not mistaken Matt Pike used Green amps, orange, laney,soldano

Mitt Pike is a beast and a Duncan guy. He uses Seymour Duncan a Distortion/JB combo. Kirk Windstein from COC and Down on the other hand is an EMG 80/81 guy which I think is the most over used pickup combo in metal. Personally I would go with the Duncan Distortion or the Dimebucker. Like most have said a lot is going to depend on your amp, effects and settings.

 

[Noisembryo]

Re: Pickup combo for Stoner/Doom

For home I'm using Fender Mustang III, but when I'm with a band whatever is available at the place we rehearse. It's usually some Marshall, Peavey, Engl...

I know what amps seem to be "best" for this but that's not the issue. I don't like JB, it's to hot and doesn't sound classic/vintage to me.

I like 59 in the neck and I was actually thinking of putting 59 in the bridge as well or just get A2P set. Both of those will give me nice vintage warm tone. AFAIR most players that used LP's in stoner/doom bands used stock pu's which are mostly 498T/490R or Burstbuckers. Another idea I have is to put A2P in the neck and '59 in the bridge or vice versa. What do you think?

 

[Securb]

Re: Pickup combo for Stoner/Doom

For home I'm using Fender Mustang III, but when I'm with a band whatever is available at the place we rehearse. It's usually some Marshall, Peavey, Engl...

I know what amps seem to be "best" for this but that's not the issue. I don't like JB, it's to hot and doesn't sound classic/vintage to me.

I like 59 in the neck and I was actually thinking of putting 59 in the bridge as well or just get A2P set. Both of those will give me nice vintage warm tone. AFAIR most players that used LP's in stoner/doom bands used stock pu's which are mostly 498T/490R or Burstbuckers. Another idea I have is to put A2P in the neck and '59 in the bridge or vice versa. What do you think?

I think that will work. It all comes down to your ear and your style. The 59 is what I would call the swiss army knife of pickups, tons of range and adaptable for many styles. Perfect for your guitar's body style also.

 

[dvanburen]

Re: Pickup combo for Stoner/Doom

I know what amps seem to be "best" for this but that's not the issue. I don't like JB, it's to hot and doesn't sound classic/vintage to me.

I agree with this. And as much as I like the distortion It would not be my first choice for stoner/doom. High on fire stuff maybe. But the custom wind is perfect for this style. I just happen to really like it with the big mag from the distortion

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: Pickup combo for Stoner/Doom

Try a Mighty Mite Motherbucker it's a great Doom/Stoner pickup and a great value at $25.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Pickup combo for Stoner/Doom

Matt Pike's signature Lace "Dirty Heshers" ...I tried a friends guitar with them in it and they were pretty amazing...very open & grainy..lots of fat dirty grind. Really awesome for stoner doom stuff I thought..

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Pickup combo for Stoner/Doom

I've been told that a PAF style pup is going to give you the best stoner sound. As much as I like the Distortion, it's too tight for stoner or doom.

 

[LatsMcGee]

Re: Pickup combo for Stoner/Doom

You really can't go wrong with a Super D/ Super 2 combo for those kinds of tones in LP style guitars IMO....

 

[Noisembryo]

Re: Pickup combo for Stoner/Doom

You really can't go wrong with a Super D/ Super 2 combo for those kinds of tones in LP style guitars IMO....

I was under impression that moderate/vintage type hambuckers are better for this style...aren't those way to hot?

 

[xxxplorer]

Re: Pickup combo for Stoner/Doom

I don't really think it matters much honestly. It's more attitude and vibe. I use a WCR Ironman and also stock gibson p-90s and can get great doom sounds as long as I slow it down and turn up!

 

[dvanburen]

Re: Pickup combo for Stoner/Doom

Early Sleep and high on fire are different sounds to me. If you want high on fire sound then go with lace pickups. The reference was to dopesmoker sound which is more vintagey with down tuned fuzzed out sound

 

[dominus]

Re: Pickup combo for Stoner/Doom

It's more in your amp settings than anything, but if you're going to rely on whatever amps are available, I'd recommend something higher output. One of the Customs, or maybe the Alt-8 if you're going with Duncans.

 

[hydro]

Re: Pickup combo for Stoner/Doom

I agree with many of the posters here who suggest PAF style or maybe PAF-on-steroids type pickups, over super high output pickups.

To me, heavy tones are more about the right EQ (more bass and rolled off on the super high end) with moderate gain and saturation, vs the super overdriven tones for technical metal players, etc.

It wants you to dig into the notes more and push them more with your hand and pick rather than letting the saturation and overdrive do it. Especially on rhythm.

I think of heavy stoner riffs owing a lot to stuff like Blind Faith "Had to cry today" or Procol Harum "Conquistador", even Sabbath did not really overdrive that much on their early records. Listen to Ritchie Blackmore on early DP stuff, and of course Jimmy Page. And Billy Freaking Gibbons. Most of this great old stuff was PAF or P-90 based. More "guitar sound" and less "pickup sound", if that makes any sense. I remember being surprised on closer listening how *little* saturation there was on many of these great recordings.

My own experience with Duncan pups in a stoner/groove rock context was that the 59 was a little too low output and kinda squishy, the Custom SH-5 was a little too hot and kinda crispy. But I was trying to find a pickup that sounded like a 70s Gibson tarback, and in the end I just bought a vintage one off ebay and used that. The SH-5 was closest of the two though.

 

[Inder_Cine_Mann]

Re: Pickup combo for Stoner/Doom

Hello,

I'm looking for a good pickup combo for a stoner/doom type of music, mainly I'm going for this tone:



Guitar I'm using is ESP Eclipse 1 CTM FT (Mahagony body, maple top, mahagony neck and ebony fretboard, same thickness as LP custom) which currently has '59 neck and JB in the bridge position.
I'll be playing downtuned to C standard or even lower with heavier strings like 11's or 12's and would like to avoid muddiness. Can you recommend me a good combo or should I just stick with the ones I already have?

Thanks

59/Custom hybrid. Insanely versatile PU and when you turn your tone down it rules for stoner rock stoner metal

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: Pickup combo for Stoner/Doom

Stoner/Doom aren't really hi-fi genres! Both are more about amp volume and pedal tone than the pickups being used. High output pickups should not be equated with being muddy or unclear, in fact they are often the opposite. PAF style pickups were never meant to be played high volume/distortion levels and eventually you hit a point where they turn into complete mush. So yes a lot of the classic Stoner/Doom tones were recorded with vintage style pickups, but the majority of these pickups were at the point where they were barely controllable. High output pickups were designed to retain clarity and controllability at high volume/distortion levels.

 

[dvanburen]

Re: Pickup combo for Stoner/Doom

Stoner/Doom aren't really hi-fi genres! Both are more about amp volume and pedal tone than the pickups being used. High output pickups should not be equated with being muddy or unclear, in fact they are often the opposite. PAF style pickups were never meant to be played high volume/distortion levels and eventually you hit a point where they turn into complete mush. So yes a lot of the classic Stoner/Doom tones were recorded with vintage style pickups, but the majority of these pickups were at the point where they were barely controllable. High output pickups were designed to retain clarity and controllability at high volume/distortion levels.

This