Pickup help

[BloodRose]

Ok, As many of you know me and my story, You know that I have A) recently lost my son, B) recently lost my job, C) have more gear than I need/deserve etc.

Im trying to decide what to sell/keep.. Im for LP style guitars, I have a Michael Kelly Patriot Custom (with stock neck which is very good and Rio BBQ bridge), Burny LP (80s model with Bare knuckles Rebel yell set), Gibson LP Trad Pro (with SD WLH set) and a Dean Soltero with Stock pickups. I think they are the upgraded DEan pickups. Anyhow..... I am trying to narrow down which to keep..
After alot of comparisons, I think I may keep the Dean. I Love the neck, it plays great, etc.

However... The pickups are alil lackluster. I posted this in the pickup lounge, but my question is twofold....
First: Any thoughts on which I should keep vs sell??
Second: Any suggestions for pickups that would make this guitar rock my world and make me fully glad I kept it vs the others??

They all sound good, play good etc.. The Burny is heavy as heck, which is hard on my bad back. The Dean is light and has a great neck..
Thank you!

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Pickup help

Sorry for your loss!

If you like the feel of the Dean then keep it. As for which pickups might work well, do any of the other guitars sound better to you? That might point you in the right direction.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Pickup help

Man, that's rough. Sorry to hear about your losses.

If you're selling the guitars, be sure to put cheap OEM pickups in them, because, outside of the proper Gibson, the premium pickups won't increase the value more than you can get for the pickups themselves.

I agree with Dave...which pickups do you like the best? Does the WLH or Rebel Yell set "wow" you?

 

[shadowfire90]

Re: Pickup help

I agree put the stock pickups back in if possible. Anything after market whether it be a set of pickups off the shelf anyone can get or custom shop by this or that company don't add value so many locals tried and most unless it's something they really want and it's big foot rare.

Well if you're a guitarist yourself and don't mind doing a bit of soldering see which pickups suit which guitars as at the end of the day it's personal preference. I had a Hamer guitar and I tried a Gibson 500t it came with. Hated it. Tried a Seymour Duncan JB, same guitar, same everything. Hated it as well and usually I like the Seymour Duncan JB. What did I end up with? I'm not even joking it was a cheap Chinese pickup that was like 10 dollars maximum. I didn't tell anyone what it was and when people tried the guitar when I would hang out with friends or do the odd repair they all seemed to really like the guitar. Point being if some pickups don't work in some based on your personal taste where as some work way better in others. Marketing can only do so much for a product.

If you do find a few you want to sell. Try selling online to potentially get the most bang for your buck sales wise, I live in a city of just under 3 million people and it is WAY easier to sell online on sites like ebay and similar to get the most for what I'm selling. Plus no annoying people who swear they are going to show up but never do and it avoids a ton of lowballers that whole offers I'll pick it up tonight if i can have ___ for 50% less than your already fair price. Ah the wonders of local classifieds.The only issue with ebay is if you're a new seller you got to wait. This is 5 years ago anyways about 20 or so business days before you can actually spend or withdraw the money to your bank account. But bare knuckle pickups I would post online and that's it if I was you as those aren't cheap.

Good luck and hope things start to look up for you.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Pickup help

Thanks for the input so far! Yeah, I prolly should throw the stockers back in. Ive sold bunches of guitars and usually sell as is, as I cant or dont want to take the time to put diff pups back in . Usually, not really a big deal except when I lost my ALt8 and some of my limited run SD pups..

Thanks for the well wishes regarding my son too. Been a hard thing, but starting to wrap my head around it. I really only mentioned to say that Im not in the clearest head space to try and determine what pups my go best in this axe.. Im pretty sure at this point after playing all three today that Ill keep the Dean.. I like the neck the best, the Burny is freaking amazing, but so heavy and the Gibson is great too, but not far above the Dean and prolly will command a better sales price due to the name..
The Dean is a VERY VERY amazing guitar, it just seems to maybe need alil oomph in the pickup dept.
The WLH set in the Gibson is incredible. And if I could keep them all, would be perfect to have that tonal option. The Rebel Yells as well. However, since I can only keep one, I need to find a happy medium.. Tween the organic, hot vintage tone of the WLH and something more balls to the wall. I lean towards heavy music and 80s metal, to give an idea and want something that cleans up decent and covers alot of ground.. Im still discovering myself and my style, so versatility is a plus..

 

[LesPaulPlayer001]

Re: Pickup help

Bridge (less to more aggressive) - Pearly Gates, 59/Custom Hybrid, Custom Custom, Duncan Custom
Neck - 59, Jazz, Pearly Gates

Personally I use a 59 neck and Pearly Gates bridge and it is an amazing combo. I play a lot of classic rock and metal (Grateful Dead, Zeppelin, Ozzy, Metallica, Megadeth, Avenged Sevenfold) and this pickup combo is great for that. Although if your guitar is dark or you like a bright neck pickup, don't get a 59 go for a PG.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Pickup help

Bridge (less to more aggressive) - Pearly Gates, 59/Custom Hybrid, Custom Custom, Duncan Custom
Neck - 59, Jazz, Pearly Gates

Personally I use a 59 neck and Pearly Gates bridge and it is an amazing combo. I play a lot of classic rock and metal (Grateful Dead, Zeppelin, Ozzy, Metallica, Megadeth, Avenged Sevenfold) and this pickup combo is great for that. Although if your guitar is dark or you like a bright neck pickup, don't get a 59 go for a PG.

I oft forget about the Pearly. Not alot of experience with it. I had one in the neck of a Carvin SC90 with a PATB3 in the bridge and really liked that.. Never tried a bridge PG

 

[LesPaulPlayer001]

Re: Pickup help

I would definitely recommend that you try it, it's kind of like a clearer sounding Gibson Burstbucker, it also has I slightly "hotter" sound (if that makes since), although it has less output. It's an overwound PAF meant to replicate the pickups that were in Billy Gibbon's 59 Les Paul which was named Pearly Gates.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Pickup help

I’d try all the combinations of pickups in the Dean, keep whatever sounds the best out of the roundup, and sell all the rest of it. There’s always gonna be a better sounding pickup, but any of the ones you listed should be able to help you get a great sound.