Pickups too dark

[Evster]

Just got an awesome new Anderson Cobra S. It has the HF1/HF3 pickup set. It’s way too dark, especially when swapping with my other guitars. I can switch between my LP and Strats with a quick adjustment of the treble knob on my amp, but that would be impossible with this one. I need something brighter that will give me a more vintage Les Paul tone. I don’t do scooped or metal stuff these days. Just want something along the lines of the Seth Lovers in my Knaggs, and the Burstbuckers in my Paul.

Here’s the important part: A/B-ing this Cobra against my other Anderson, which also has an Anderson humbucker in the bridge, this beast is crazy dark. It’s a great singer, it just has no snap or chime with these pickups. So I’m thinking that just throwing a pair of Seths in it might not be the answer. I might need an extra bright pickup to compensate. Not too hot, I like a vintage wind, with wires for split and series/parallel wiring.

Any recommendations would be welcome. Thanks

 

[TVFV]

Re: Pickups too dark

The Jazz set would be my first thought.

 

[PierceOkken]

Re: Pickups too dark

The custom or custom custom I have found to be very bright in a LP

 

[Mincer]

Re: Pickups too dark

Antiquites would be my choice, although a Jazz neck and bridge might be a little more modern. If you are after a PAF-thing, then go with the Ants, which are pretty clear and bright.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Pickups too dark

Just got an awesome new Anderson Cobra S. It has the HF1/HF3 pickup set. It’s way too dark, especially when swapping with my other guitars. I can switch between my LP and Strats with a quick adjustment of the treble knob on my amp, but that would be impossible with this one. I need something brighter that will give me a more vintage Les Paul tone. I don’t do scooped or metal stuff these days. Just want something along the lines of the Seth Lovers in my Knaggs, and the Burstbuckers in my Paul.

Here’s the important part: A/B-ing this Cobra against my other Anderson, which also has an Anderson humbucker in the bridge, this beast is crazy dark. It’s a great singer, it just has no snap or chime with these pickups. So I’m thinking that just throwing a pair of Seths in it might not be the answer. I might need an extra bright pickup to compensate. Not too hot, I like a vintage wind, with wires for split and series/parallel wiring.

Any recommendations would be welcome. Thanks

First I’d check to see if that guitar has 250k, 300k or 500k pots. 500k is what I like with humbuckers.

If it has 500k already than I’d take the covers off of a set of Seth’s and put them in.

They’re rawer sounding and ballsier sounding without the covers.

And if you’re lucky, you might find a set of zebra or double cream coils under those coils.

But that’s what I’d do. I’m not a fan of split humbucker tones...I’d rather play my Strat for a single coil sound and hear the real deal.

 

[PicoRiveraTele]

Re: Pickups too dark

Just got an awesome new Anderson Cobra S. It has the HF1/HF3 pickup set. It’s way too dark, especially when swapping with my other guitars. I can switch between my LP and Strats with a quick adjustment of the treble knob on my amp, but that would be impossible with this one. I need something brighter that will give me a more vintage Les Paul tone. I don’t do scooped or metal stuff these days. Just want something along the lines of the Seth Lovers in my Knaggs, and the Burstbuckers in my Paul.

Here’s the important part: A/B-ing this Cobra against my other Anderson, which also has an Anderson humbucker in the bridge, this beast is crazy dark. It’s a great singer, it just has no snap or chime with these pickups. So I’m thinking that just throwing a pair of Seths in it might not be the answer. I might need an extra bright pickup to compensate. Not too hot, I like a vintage wind, with wires for split and series/parallel wiring.

Any recommendations would be welcome. Thanks

That's kind of a shred stick right? I'd think you'd need wax potted pickups for the kind of music you'd typically be found playing with that guitar. I think the APH-2 is similar to Seths, but wax potted and a little cheaper in price.

 

[Evster]

Re: Pickups too dark

The Jazz set would be my first thought.

Reading over the spec descriptions, this was the one that immediately caught my eye. I definitely want something airey that cleans up well with an amp just on the edge. Though currently I’m using a Port City Pearl with a Timmy set for just a mild buzz when I pick Hard. I kick it with a TS9 when I want power chords and singing leads. But I can get dirt many ways. The main goal is that the guitar into a clean Blackface Twin style amp has dynamic space.

The thing about this particular guitar is that when I play it clean, it’s really really dark. It may be a shred machine but just because it facilitates that doesn’t mean it should be limited to that. Besides, even used for scooped shredding, it wouldn’t be a “V” eq shape. It would be bass max and everything on a downward slide.

I need a pickup that will give a dark guitar a bass cut and a presence boost. Mids can sit where they are.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Pickups too dark

1 meg pots are available, but in my experience pot changes won't really cause a guitar that's "too" anything to become what you want. I agree a Jazz set might work well. Or a Screamin' Demon.

 

[TVFV]

Re: Pickups too dark

Full Shred is a another option.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: Pickups too dark

I like the Jazz recommendation for this issue a lot. It will definitely add the brightness. I think the Seth's have more bite and brightness vs. the Antiquity, just from personal experience. Another thing to consider is the Saturday Night Special set. The A4's give a nice balanced sound, but very cutting as well. I've been listening to all kinds of clips and demos and the more I hear the more I like. It's still a vintage wind and tone, which I greatly prefer.

Just another suggestion to muddy the waters.