Pickup Decision time / Pickup combo for self-made guitar?

[bholst]

I've been in the process of building a new guitar the last couple months. It is similar in style to the Ernie Ball Musicman Axis model with a few differences... The body is primarily alder and I routed out a few chambers in it just for kicks (made a big difference in weight, that's for sure), and then I put a thicker (1/2 inch) quilted maple top on it and made it a carved top (edge of top down to a little more than 1/8"). Looks great so far. The neck is maple with a rosewood fingerboard... Also installing a Gotoh/Wilkinson tremolo bridge. I HAD planned on putting in the dimarzio satriani set when I started and a push/pull tone knob for coil tapping... All has been going just great, but now I've reached a point of indecision...
Recently, I began touring with a solo artist with more of a southern rock style. I know on his album, the guitar work was done on a Gibson SG and a Mesa Dual Rectifier... nice tone...
So that brings me to my question. When I started this guitar, I had a different sound in mind, but now I've grown to love that tone I've been getting on a friend's Les Paul on my Mesa... Anyone know if I can SOMEHOW pull off that tone on the one I'm building now? I understand there is quite a difference... It's not a big ol' mahagony LP body, etc. But I may have done myself a favor with the chambers, maybe added some natural low end? Anyway, I started looking more into the SD pickups to get the LP tone... ANY suggestions?

Thanks in advance,
Bryan

 

[jeremy]

Re: Pickup Decision time / Pickup combo for self-made guitar?

welcome to the forum!!

thats a tough thing to do but i would try a seth lover in the neck and the patb3 blues trembucker in the bridge.
classic paf tone in the neck and an overwound vintage bucker type tone with made for trem loaded guitars. the bridge pup doesnt look like a gibson humbucker but its an amazing pup

 

[bholst]

Re: Pickup Decision time / Pickup combo for self-made guitar?

Thanks for the help! Was I on the right track though that the chambers will exaggerate the low end? As I was looking at the SD pups, I was looking at the Pearly Gates for the bridge... but the PATB-3 is the better one in this case? I'm just really shootin' for that heavy LP tone (if possible). Thanks again!

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Pickup Decision time / Pickup combo for self-made guitar?

Go with the Blues trembucker at the bridge and a Pearl Gates in the neck.

As far as the chambers go, the add more mids, not lows. That's been my experience anyway. :burnout:

 

[bholst]

Re: Pickup Decision time / Pickup combo for self-made guitar?

What is the biggest difference in the Trembucker series vs. the rest? Is it just mainly spacing (F spacing)? No big tone difference?

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Pickup Decision time / Pickup combo for self-made guitar?

What is the biggest difference in the Trembucker series vs. the rest? Is it just mainly spacing (F spacing)? No big tone difference?

A Trembucker just has wider polepiece spacing than a regular 'bucker. A Parallel Axis Trembucker is a whole other animal. It's made to make shred sticks sound as close as possible to a Gibson.

 

[bholst]

Re: Pickup Decision time / Pickup combo for self-made guitar?

Thanks for the help guys! I'll give it a shot!

 

[bholst]

Re: Pickup Decision time / Pickup combo for self-made guitar?

I've seen a '59 Trembucker, but I'm not certain if that's the right critter...