Mr. B
New member
I've been teaching after school guitar lessons for high school students for almost a decade now. A lot has changed in that time. For instance, modeling amps like the Line 6 Spider has put an array of tones and effects within reach of a high schooler's budget. I don't feel like guitar quality has kept pace though. Although guitars are much less likely to have major structural defects now, the pickups in low end models are still horrible.
Too many students get tricked into buying 3-single-coil Squier Bullet strats when they want to play heavy metal. Even the humbucker equipped Squiers, Jacksons, and Epiphones have the worst sounding pickups ever in their lowest end models, and students do not have the money to buy a 3-400 dollar guitar with better pickups.
I've found a few good pickups that I can pick up cheap on Ebay that have good tone. The BHC pickups out of Epiphone Les Paul standards are a good combo. I can pick these up, in pairs, for around 25.00 on Ebay. I can use the neck in the bridge position for students who want a more rock/blues/classic metal oriented sound, and the bridge model there for those who are strictly metal players. My favorites though are the G-400 humbucker set out of an Epiphone SG standard, especially if the covers are removed and all the wax removed. They really are high quality sounding pickups after you remove those covers.
Squier also put out a H/S Tele Special several years ago that had a Duncan Distortion sounding bridge (a bit less harsh) and a really nice classic sounding neck single coil. Too bad they don't make that one any more.
With these, I can install pickups that will greatly improve their tone and they are only out the 12 dollar actual cost. I also keep the pickups that they are getting rid of as "payment", so I have something to install in student guitars where the pickups are broken and they can't afford to pay for new ones.
I know most of you will say you couldn't live with these, but if you could hear the students squawk about prices being too high when you offer to do a complete guitar setup and restring, with Daddario strings, for four dollars, you'd see what I mean.
Too many students get tricked into buying 3-single-coil Squier Bullet strats when they want to play heavy metal. Even the humbucker equipped Squiers, Jacksons, and Epiphones have the worst sounding pickups ever in their lowest end models, and students do not have the money to buy a 3-400 dollar guitar with better pickups.
I've found a few good pickups that I can pick up cheap on Ebay that have good tone. The BHC pickups out of Epiphone Les Paul standards are a good combo. I can pick these up, in pairs, for around 25.00 on Ebay. I can use the neck in the bridge position for students who want a more rock/blues/classic metal oriented sound, and the bridge model there for those who are strictly metal players. My favorites though are the G-400 humbucker set out of an Epiphone SG standard, especially if the covers are removed and all the wax removed. They really are high quality sounding pickups after you remove those covers.
Squier also put out a H/S Tele Special several years ago that had a Duncan Distortion sounding bridge (a bit less harsh) and a really nice classic sounding neck single coil. Too bad they don't make that one any more.
With these, I can install pickups that will greatly improve their tone and they are only out the 12 dollar actual cost. I also keep the pickups that they are getting rid of as "payment", so I have something to install in student guitars where the pickups are broken and they can't afford to pay for new ones.
I know most of you will say you couldn't live with these, but if you could hear the students squawk about prices being too high when you offer to do a complete guitar setup and restring, with Daddario strings, for four dollars, you'd see what I mean.
