Pls help me decide which pup goes where..

[vegetablejoe]

Hi,

I've been through most of the related threads here and in the Vault and tried to map out the cool pup combos, but would still like to ask for your kind inputs in deciding which of my SD hb pickups should go in which guitar.

I have an Aria Pro II PE-SPL solid-body lp clone with Antiquity pickups, and I love this setup for the classic rock and blues that I play. However, I would also like to explore soft jazz and therefore acquired an Ibanez Artcore AS73 semi-hollowbody 335 clone (methinks double-purpose rock n jazz for this one).

I have a used '59 bridge pup coming to me soon, and, with that, I am one pup away from improving the tone on the second guitar. But which goes where then? And this is where your experience and opinions will be much appreciated:

1. Given that the local SD dealer stocks only the ff. from which to choose from to meet my needs - Jazz n, JB b, '59 n, Alnico II Pro, and Custom - which of these would most suit the '59 b?

2. After answering question #1, which set - Antiquities or the ['59 b / ? n] would better suit a semi-hollow body guitar such as mine?

Oh, I'm currently using a Peavey Classic 20, a Fender Champ 25SE and a Vox Pathfinder 15.

Thank you in advance for your inputs and opinions!

Jaime G.

 

[Scott_F]

Re: Pls help me decide which pup goes where..

I put a set of Seths into my Heritage 535 (similar to your Artcore) and they'll never come out. Those pups were made for that guitar.

 

[vegetablejoe]

Re: Pls help me decide which pup goes where..

Thanks for the recommendation, Scott. I did see your posts on the Seth and Antiquities thread in the Vault. And very modest of you, sir. The Heritage 535 ranks as one of the highest in quality and price, and in no way just similar to my low-end entry Artcore... Your input weighs heavily.

Unfortunately, Seth Lovers and Antiquities are not available at the local distributor. So I guess I could wait out a half-year, in case the product-in-charge at the store decides these are saleable and brings in a few :grumble: , or else go with one of the available models I stated above for the neck, plus the '59 b.

If I wasn't itchin from the G.A.S. I'd hold out for a Seth, but, oh man, that's a long, tough wait! :sad:

 

[Artie]

Re: Pls help me decide which pup goes where..

Hey Joe; after the Antiquities, its hard to beat the 59 combo. I have it in one of my solid-body guitars, and its my favorite combo. The 59 pair will soon be moved to either an Artcore like yours, or a Peavey JF-1, (or an OE-30, or a Sheraton II, or a . . . ) :laugh2:

 

[mongrollo]

Re: Pls help me decide which pup goes where..

In my opinion if you like yours first guitar tone it is better not to modify it unless you want to experiment with different pickups. That it is one of my problems, I am allways interchanging the pickups of my guitars!! In the end you can't have everything so if you like something just stick to it.

Soooo, from the list I have only tried 59n and JBb in the all posible positions and combinations. I can tell you that the 59n it is an amazing neck pickup, it is clean, articulated and touch resposive. Considering you already have the maching part (59b) i think the 59n it is a great option.

From what I have heard the Jazz it is very similar to that 59. It have a bit less bass and a bit more treble. The Alnico pro II could be a good option but it has a different tone curve than the 59. This can make you change the amp setting each time you change from bridge to neck pickup. One of the advantages of a mached set it that they sound good thru the same amp settings...

Let's see if you can get more inputs...

 

[vegetablejoe]

Re: Pls help me decide which pup goes where..

Thanks very much, ArtieToo and mongrollo! That's precisely the kind of feedback I wished for, to help me narrow down my choices. Unless others chime in differently, I guess I'll call the store later today and reserve the '59n before somebody else snaps it up.

Thanks again, guys!

Jaime G