Pickups for Hard Rock, Shoegaze & Ambient

[sboivin]

Hi everybody,

I have a G&L Legacy US, and I want to change my pickups.
I was going to go with Bridge(Hot Rails), Middle (Vintage Rails), Neck (Cool Rails).

What I am looking for:
Completely noiseless

Versatility:
I like to play heavier stuff like Rainbow, Iron Maiden,
but also Shoegaze stuff like My Bloody Valentine, Dinosaur Jr, Sonic Youth
but also, more ambient like Cocteau Twins.

As you might have guess, I use a lot pedals (Reverbs, Delays, Overdrives).

I know that I am losing that Strat sound (single coil) but I don’t want to sound like a super Strat either.

Do you think, I have the right combination, or do you have any suggestions.

 

[jeremy]

welcome to the forum!

i think the hot rails in the bridge and cool rails in the neck are fine choices. if it was me id put a classic stack plus in the middle over the vintage rails but then you wont have the consistent rails look which would bother some people.

 

[ICTGoober]

WTH is shoegaze?

 

[CaptainWhizz]

Personally, I think that the JB jr is more versatile than the Hot Rails, and even the Little 59 can do hard rock/ classic metal. The JB jr is what I would (did) pick to be able to play heavier stuff but still wanted the potential for some chime.

However, this is the most versatile I’ve heard the Hot Rails be:

https://youtu.be/P7Jzm6Lu_PM


This video made me strongly consider the Distortion and Jazz in a Fender, and is worth watching:

https://youtu.be/6f-LXtRYBIo

 

[beaubrummels]

WTH is shoegaze?

Google is your friend, Goob. Bands like My Bloody Valentine, Lush, Ride, etc. Typically using Jazzmasters and Jaguars.

 

[Mincer]

I agree with the Classic Stack in the middle for a better volume balance.

 

[Benjy_26]

This is me coming out of left field, BUT...have you considered EMG's?

IMHO, the DG-20 set up will do what you're describing and it will still sound reasonably close to a normal strat when needed.

 

[sboivin]

This is me coming out of left field, BUT...have you considered EMG's?

IMHO, the DG-20 set up will do what you're describing and it will still sound reasonably close to a normal strat when needed.

Not so left field, I thought about it. They would have to carve in and I wasn't too crazy about it.....

 

[beaubrummels]

I agree with the Classic Stack in the middle for a better volume balance.

There's no rail for the middle that balances the hot/cool in the bridge/neck? What about a bridge vintage rails or a bridge cool rails in the middle?

 

[ICTGoober]

Google is your friend, Goob.

Google is no one's friend.
And I was wondering where the hell the term originated....

 

[Blille]

I always thought P90s were great for shoegaze. So if you’re open to having a humbucker in the bridge (not sure how the legacy is routed) a PRails could be a good option.

 

[Blille]

Google is no one's friend.
And I was wondering where the hell the term originated....

From guitarists gazing at their shoes ie looking at the pedalboard because they used effects so much.

 

[PFDarkside]

Is the Cool Rails too smooth for this? I wonder if a compliment of Stack Pluses would do it? STK-S6/STK-S4m/STK-S4? I know it’s not quite the ripping Super D for Maiden but the rest fits.

 

[alex1fly]

Shoegaze is an FX heavy style of play. So you want pickups that shine through heavy processing. In my experience single coils do better than humbuckers, but YMMV. The Hot Rails is a thick mid heavy pickup - I wouldn't do this, unless it was wired to a switch for coil split or parallel. That way you can have the single coil mode for FX and then use the humbucker mode as a boost.

I'll let others recommend specific pickups that sound good with FX. Single coil stacks are probably a good move. JB Jr would be cool, I think, because it's not as thick as a lot of humbuckers.

 

[Mincer]

Is the Cool Rails too smooth for this? I wonder if a compliment of Stack Pluses would do it? STK-S6/STK-S4m/STK-S4? I know it’s not quite the ripping Super D for Maiden but the rest fits.

Cool Rails is closest to the Jazz humbucker. It isn't 'smooth' like the Hot Rails neck.

 

[Benjy_26]

Google is no one's friend.
And I was wondering where the hell the term originated....

It started because of the many, many pedals those cats were using and constantly looking at/messing with. On stage, they looked like they were staring at their shoes the whole time.

 

[Benjy_26]

This is me coming out of left field, BUT...have you considered EMG's?

IMHO, the DG-20 set up will do what you're describing and it will still sound reasonably close to a normal strat when needed.

Not so left field, I thought about it. They would have to carve in and I wasn't too crazy about it.....

Carve in?

 

[CaptainWhizz]

Cool Rails is closest to the Jazz humbucker. It isn't 'smooth' like the Hot Rails neck.

I’ve found it tough to find demos of the Cool Rails bridge being used for playing any rock or heavier, but I have no reason to think that it couldn’t work.

Guitar.com has a bunch of rig diagrams for shoegaze bands and contemporaries, if that helps? Although IIRC from when I have browsed them, they were mostly using stock pickups, or unspecified.

 

[ICTGoober]

From guitarists gazing at their shoes ie looking at the pedalboard because they used effects so much.

Clever. Thanks.

 

[Aceman]

I defer to the classic stack middle people, because they know and I don't. However - I'd tap that Hot Rails (or JB) bridge as well. Push pull, mini switch, whatever. whatever