Pickup replacement options for 25 1/2" Mahogany G&L guitar

[Guitarmusic]

I have a G&L Fiorana (cool 400 guitar!)The guitar itself has a maple cap and is a little bright when played acoustically, the stock pickups are pretty cool but lack the subtle dynamics of after market pickups. I have these pickups lying around my house.

Neck:
PAF 36th anniversary
Air Norton
Screamin' Demon
Evolution Neck
FRED

Bridge:
Tone Zone
Norton
Evolution Bridge
Screamin' Demon 8


I had thought about buying a new set of Dimarzio Transitions or buying a Seymour Duncan Custom and pairing it with the Screamin' Demon in the neck. BUT I feel like I have some good choices to pick from first. I play in a cover band so not looking for stuff too extreme.

I was leaning towards the Norton/Air Norton Combo or Putting a FRED in the neck with the Norton.

I also though about putting the Screamin' Demon neck and the Screamin' Demon 8 in the guitar although I kinda want a bit more output as I am having them taken out of a Super Strat guitar with a Floyd and bolt on neck because lack of output in that guitar.

I was curious if the Screamin' demon set would sound better and more full in a hard tail neck through body. The Screamin Demon feels to me like it is a pretty bright PAF sounding pickup and was apprehensive it would be too bright for this guitar but since the output isn't too much it could be tolerable.

the guitar also has a coil tap on the tone knob.

Any feedback would be appreciated on the pickups. Does the FRED and Screamin Demon vary much in tone?

Does the Norton and Screamin' Demon vary much in terms of brightness?

 

[Mr. B]

Re: Pickup replacement options for 25 1/2" Mahogany G&L guitar

So, have you played all those pickups in something before, or do you just have 10 pickups sitting around your house for some other reason?
Out of those listed, in a Mahogany/Maple guitar, my best guess would be Norton/Air Norton.

 

[Guitarmusic]

Re: Pickup replacement options for 25 1/2" Mahogany G&L guitar

I have played them all before but not in a 25 1/2 inch scale hard tail guitar with a Mohogany body/maple cap. I have never used a FRED in the neck either.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Pickup replacement options for 25 1/2" Mahogany G&L guitar

Wow, I didn't know those guitars existed. I learned something today- very cool!

 

[Guitarmusic]

Re: Pickup replacement options for 25 1/2" Mahogany G&L guitar

Wow, I didn't know those guitars existed. I learned something today- very cool!

Yeah they are cool, I dont think G&L makes them anymore. I also have a 24 3/4" sister version called the Ascari. They are unique in the G&L lineup

 

[Teleplayer]

Re: Pickup replacement options for 25 1/2" Mahogany G&L guitar

It looks like a bright guitar, so I would try the Tone Zone / Evo neck as a combo. Evo neck should be great IMO. The Norton / Air Norton combo looks promising too.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Pickup replacement options for 25 1/2" Mahogany G&L guitar

Yeah they are cool, I dont think G&L makes them anymore. I also have a 24 3/4" sister version called the Ascari. They are unique in the G&L lineup

Do you have a pic of that one?

 

[Guitarmusic]

Re: Pickup replacement options for 25 1/2" Mahogany G&L guitar

Do you have a pic of that one?

yup, I took out the tone knob on the black one and put in a kill switch for the hell of it. replaced the string saddles with a graph tech after market string saddle and it plays very well. They both needed a little bit of fret work but over all I love them. Liquifire in the neck and a Steve Special in the bridge.

 

[Guitarmusic]

Re: Pickup replacement options for 25 1/2" Mahogany G&L guitar

It looks like a bright guitar, so I would try the Tone Zone / Evo neck as a combo. Evo neck should be great IMO. The Norton / Air Norton combo looks promising too.

thats a good idea, Do you think the Evo neck would be too bright in contrast to the Tone Zone?

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Pickup replacement options for 25 1/2" Mahogany G&L guitar

I have the red version of the Ascari GTS - very early production model. Good guitar as stock. Needed some fret end dressing and polishing, but other than that, it was a decent guitar, and a real looker. It was $330 in N.O.S. condition, with a nice quality G&L gig bag. I'm eventually going to put new pickups in it (probably the P Rails from my Explorer, once I put the Phat Staples in the Explorer), but the stock ones are fine as long as you have an amp with versatile e.q. controls. The stock hardware is fine. Stock nut can be replaced, or simply notched and smoothed a bit more nicely.

If the Fioranos weren't so pointy, I might have got one of those as well.

I forgot about the black Ascaris. Now you have given me G.A.S. again. Must resist. Do not need the same guitar in two colors...

P.S. I always thought that they were basically all Asian mahogany, and the maple on top was just a thin veneer for cosmetic purposes only. Basically LP Special DCs, but with contoured tops and humbuckers, instead of flat tops and P90's.

 

[Teleplayer]

Re: Pickup replacement options for 25 1/2" Mahogany G&L guitar

thats a good idea, Do you think the Evo neck would be too bright in contrast to the Tone Zone?

I'm assuming your guitar has a Mahogany neck, so that will warm up the tone of the neck pickup IMO. Evo neck should be clear, yet not too modern, and not particularly ceramic sounding.

Even if I'm wrong about the Mahogany neck, it seems worth a try.

 

[Guitarmusic]

Re: Pickup replacement options for 25 1/2" Mahogany G&L guitar

I have the red version of the Ascari GTS - very early production model. Good guitar as stock. Needed some fret end dressing and polishing, but other than that, it was a decent guitar, and a real looker. It was $330 in N.O.S. condition, with a nice quality G&L gig bag. I'm eventually going to put new pickups in it (probably the P Rails from my Explorer, once I put the Phat Staples in the Explorer), but the stock ones are fine as long as you have an amp with versatile e.q. controls. The stock hardware is fine. Stock nut can be replaced, or simply notched and smoothed a bit more nicely.

If the Fioranos weren't so pointy, I might have got one of those as well.

I forgot about the black Ascaris. Now you have given me G.A.S. again. Must resist. Do not need the same guitar in two colors...

HA! I see them for sale on reverb still, when I saw them I had to get both models. I still have the stock pickups in the Ascari in a box and I like the ones in the Fiorano but sometimes they leave a little left to be desired for my personal taste. I just love the look of them, vintage class with lots of attitude.

 

[Guitarmusic]

Re: Pickup replacement options for 25 1/2" Mahogany G&L guitar

I'm assuming your guitar has a Mahogany neck, so that will warm up the tone of the neck pickup IMO. Evo neck should be clear, yet not too modern, and not particularly ceramic sounding.

Even if I'm wrong about the Mahogany neck, it seems worth a try.

the guitar has a neck through body so I believe it is mahogany as well. The Evo neck is a KILLER neck pickup, I loved it when I had it in a Epi Les Paul, plus the evo and the Tone Zone sound good when split so that helps as well. Thank you for the recommendation!

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Pickup replacement options for 25 1/2" Mahogany G&L guitar

the guitar has a neck through body

It does?

 

[Guitarmusic]

Re: Pickup replacement options for 25 1/2" Mahogany G&L guitar

It does?

yes, it is a very comfortable neck heel.

I believe the Fiorano is the shred version of the Ascari. I kinda wish I had an Ascari in red like yours, it would be so cool.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Pickup replacement options for 25 1/2" Mahogany G&L guitar

yes, it is a very comfortable neck heel.

"A very comfortable neck heel" is not the same thing as a neck-through. The Fiorano is a set-neck guitar.

The information in this retailer's description is accurate (it's straight from the description that G&L used to have up, in fact): https://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-GLG-TRFIRANO-LIST.

 

[Guitarmusic]

Re: Pickup replacement options for 25 1/2" Mahogany G&L guitar

"A very comfortable neck heel" is not the same thing as a neck-through. The Fiorano is a set-neck guitar.

oops, my mistake. Thank you for the correction

 

[Mincer]

Re: Pickup replacement options for 25 1/2" Mahogany G&L guitar

Ohh, I really like the black 22 fret one!

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: Pickup replacement options for 25 1/2" Mahogany G&L guitar

I'm assuming your guitar has a Mahogany neck, so that will warm up the tone of the neck pickup IMO. Evo neck should be clear, yet not too modern, and not particularly ceramic sounding.

Even if I'm wrong about the Mahogany neck, it seems worth a try.

I have a guitar with an EVO neck and Tone Zone bridge. Volume wise they balance well and work OK together (both sound great split). I found it was kinda weird though, the EVO is very bright and the Tone Zone very dark . . . so it made the difference between the neck and bridge less than I typically like.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Pickup replacement options for 25 1/2" Mahogany G&L guitar

When I see that list and think "versatility", I go for FRED neck, Norton bridge.