Pickup for '65 melody maker

bigcupholder

bigcupholder

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I bought a '65 Melody Maker on eBay last night. It's a body and neck (and pickguard and truss rod cover) only, so it'll need a pickup when it arrives. I've already ordered the bridge, tuners, pots, knobs, jack and strap buttons. I'm going to try to age the new metal parts to look fitting of a 55 year old guitar, but that's a story for another thread. I'll post pictures of everything when I put it together.

Screenshot_20200316-124848_eBay.jpg

It's routed for a humbucker and the pickguard was also modified, so I'll go with a humbucker. I realize it's hard to recommend something without knowing what the guitar sounds like to start, but I have to start somewhere. I have a WLH set in an ESP Eclipse that I like, although I'm anticipating this guitar will sound thinner. I've also used a Custom before and enjoyed it, but I think this guitar calls for something more vintage in character. I've used a Seth Lover set before but there was something I found off about the attack (too clangy maybe?), so I'm not looking for something that vintage.

What do you recommend for something vintage sounding but a bit hotter and/or with strong mids? Custom/59 hybrid? Dimarzio PAF 36th Anniversary bridge? Slash bridge (if they're even available separately)? SNS?

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Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

Nice score!!!

I'd go for a Brobucker... If it's gotta be a standard production item then PATB-3 (if the looks are ok) or an WLH bridge or a Saturday Night Special bridge...

But it's tastes you know. I kinda like A2 buckers on semihollows.

:)

Prefer beefy A5 and/or A4 on thin mahogany guitars...

B
 
Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

dr.barlo said:
Nice score!!!

I'd go for a Brobucker... If it's gotta be a standard production item then PATB-3 (if the looks are ok) or an WLH bridge or a Saturday Night Special bridge...

But it's tastes you know. I kinda like A2 buckers on semihollows.

:)

Prefer beefy A5 and/or A4 on thin mahogany guitars...

B
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How do the SNS and WLH compare? I've done some searching but too many of the comments are about the set and I'm only interested in the bridge pickup obviously.

I agree A4 or A5 is probably best here. I'm leery of A2 in this case because the low end might be really weak combined with the thin body. But I don't want to be that guy that asks for a suggestion and then proceeds to list an exact set of specifications.

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Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

If you still want a single coil sound suggest you get a Phat Cat, or other humbucker-shaped single coil. Stacked stuff if you want it quiet.
 
Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

brobucker would probably kick a lot of ass in that thing
 
Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

bigcupholder said:
How do the SNS and WLH compare? I've done some searching but too many of the comments are about the set and I'm only interested in the bridge pickup obviously.

I agree A4 or A5 is probably best here. I'm leery of A2 in this case because the low end might be really weak combined with the thin body. But I don't want to be that guy that asks for a suggestion and then proceeds to list an exact set of specifications.

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I have an WLH bridge and a Wolfe Marshallhead %5+ in my pickup drawer, both very good pickups. Sadly, I have not gotten the chance to try a SNS yet (love the specs tho). That said, my all time fav. in a thin mahogany body is a Brobucker. No contest there... I have 3 of them, 2 regular spaced and 1 tb in my gigging guitar, a McCarthy.

I'd say go for a brobucker. If you like it fine! If not, you can sell it here in a matter of seconds. And at that point you'd have a good idea what you wanna go for next...

If money or waiting is an issue, I'd say go for an WLH bridge. BTW if the wood is ok a 59B would kill in there. But you'd never know, you gotta try.

B :beerchug:
 
Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

I'd say Black Winter. The Hybrid doesn't have super mids (it is still scooped), and the Alnico II Pro is too polite. Everyone will think it is a polite vintage guitar, then you can rip their head off.
 
Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

ICTGoober said:
If you still want a single coil sound suggest you get a Phat Cat, or other humbucker-shaped single coil. Stacked stuff if you want it quiet.
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I prefer humbuckers, especially in the bridge position.

dr.barlo said:
I have an WLH bridge and a Wolfe Marshallhead %5+ in my pickup drawer, both very good pickups. Sadly, I have not gotten the chance to try a SNS yet (love the specs tho). That said, my all time fav. in a thin mahogany body is a Brobucker. No contest there... I have 3 of them, 2 regular spaced and 1 tb in my gigging guitar, a McCarthy.

I'd say go for a brobucker. If you like it fine! If not, you can sell it here in a matter of seconds. And at that point you'd have a good idea what you wanna go for next...

If money or waiting is an issue, I'd say go for an WLH bridge. BTW if the wood is ok a 59B would kill in there. But you'd never know, you gotta try.

B :beerchug:
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I should've specified that I'd like to try something different from the WLH. I might as well try something new. The 59 would be thinner sounding though, right? I'd prefer to go the other direction.

I'd be open to trying a brobucker if one comes up used soon, but I don't think the odds are very good.

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Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

I have a late 80s aph1 in my 65 MM, it sounds killer. I'm really intrigued by the Brobucker suggestion, I may be trying that this weekend.
 
Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

Brobucker is a solid suggestion

I’d do Jazz Bridge or Pearly Bridge if it we’re me.
 
Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

bigcupholder said:
I prefer humbuckers, especially in the bridge position.



I should've specified that I'd like to try something different from the WLH. I might as well try something new. The 59 would be thinner sounding though, right? I'd prefer to go the other direction.

I'd be open to trying a brobucker if one comes up used soon, but I don't think the odds are very good.

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Agreed! The chances that you'd find a used brobucker promptly is not that high.

A 59B might surprise you tho. In the right wood, those are as good as any fancy PAF clones out there. And changing their A5's with A4's worked out miracles in some of my experiences. A4 sorta "tames" that pickup, both in the bridge and in the neck. I've sold a pair of quite pricey PAF clones, Tom Holmes 450 or 455 set ... I don't remember the specifics, on account of a 59 set with A4's.

B
 
Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

I think it's between the SNS or Dimarzio 36th then. Can anyone compare those two (or one of them relative to the WLH that I'm familiar with)? Otherwise I'm leaning towards the 36th because Duncans cost almost 50% more up here in Canada for some reason.

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Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

bigcupholder said:
I think it's between the SNS or Dimarzio 36th then. Can anyone compare those two (or one of them relative to the WLH that I'm familiar with)? Otherwise I'm leaning towards the 36th because Duncans cost almost 50% more up here in Canada for some reason.

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I don’t have an SNS, but I have a 36th and a WLH. The 36th sounds good, tone wise, maybe a little more top end brightness/presence than a WLH, but my 36th has some kind of slightly murky unclear thing going on in the mids. Not as murky as a Burstbucker vs a Seth, but just a slight lack of clarity. All my Duncans are very clear across all notes and ranges by comparison.
 
Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

SNS is really versatile, you can do just about anything with it. However, I find it a little bland and lacking something. To me, it's about what it isn't more than about what it actually is. It isn't muddy, it isn't too bright, it isn't too much of anything, but it doesn't stand out in any way.
 
Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

'59 bridge, or Dimarzio PAF Master Bridge – nickel covered for the best look IMO.
 
Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

If you want a little more power, but the same PAF tone profile, look at the 59/Custom Hybrid. It is a great pickup if you use your volume knob a lot, too.
 
Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

chadd said:
SNS is really versatile, you can do just about anything with it. However, I find it a little bland and lacking something. To me, it's about what it isn't more than about what it actually is. It isn't muddy, it isn't too bright, it isn't too much of anything, but it doesn't stand out in any way.
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I have a set of SNS in an SG and I cannot recommend them enough. I can dig what you're saying, in that in some applications you'd maybe want something with a little more oomph or juice or something. But they are nice sounding and very versatile - in the sense of what I'd imagine a PAF is to most, very versatile. With the right amp, it can be very polite and tame. With the right gain and boosting and can scream, with a bit of fuzz it can be very aggressive.

Having said that, I've never contemplated having just a Sat Night Special bridge only in a 1 humbucker guitar...
 
Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

Mincer said:
If you want a little more power, but the same PAF tone profile, look at the 59/Custom Hybrid. It is a great pickup if you use your volume knob a lot, too.
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I have this in the bridge of my Les Paul, and yes. It works really well with the vol/tone knobs. It'll rip and scream pretty well with the right amp, but can be tamed with a little pinky work on the vol knob.
 
Re: Pickup for '65 melody maker

pskorz said:
I have a set of SNS in an SG and I cannot recommend them enough. I can dig what you're saying, in that in some applications you'd maybe want something with a little more oomph or juice or something. But they are nice sounding and very versatile - in the sense of what I'd imagine a PAF is to most, very versatile. With the right amp, it can be very polite and tame. With the right gain and boosting and can scream, with a bit of fuzz it can be very aggressive.

Having said that, I've never contemplated having just a Sat Night Special bridge only in a 1 humbucker guitar...
Click to expand...

Most PAFs that I've played have more top end to my ear.

It's honestly a really good set of pickups and they'll work for just about any style of music.
 
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