Seth Lovers for hard rock?

[Soulcrusher_X]

I have the opportunity to trade a set of pickups for a set of Seth Lovers. I have been thinking about trying some lower-output pickups lately, and I hear these are some of the best. I have tried some Gibson Classic 57/57+ in this Les Paul, and with a boost, they could easily get into metal tones with my amps. They sounded suprisingly good, as well. So, would the Seths be able to do some good rock/hard rock in addition to classic rock/blues rock? I'm not looking to do metal or anything really heavy, just some good, old-fashioned, ballsy rock. What do you guys think?

 

[Aceman]

Re: Seth Lovers for hard rock?

Why not?

I mean, what do you think is more important to that style sound anyway? A TS-9 and a MArshall not over-done, or the pickup?

I'm saying amp and attitude is 99% of it. I'd guess those pups would actually sound better than most for that. You'd really hear the differences tonally without drowning the sound of the guitar in gain and compression.

PAir of 59's would be fantastic too. Me - I'd go Pearly Gates, but I just love that sound. Get the pup that has the EQ you need.


IMO, this would be all - and I mean all - about the amp and any pedals you might choose.

 

[lemonman]

Re: Seth Lovers for hard rock?

They can certainly do anything short of metal, although there are a couple things to consider. One, they have A2 magnets, (as do the 57s, but IME the 57s are somewhat tighter in stock form) which means they are mushier/looser in response, especially palm muting. Two, they are unpotted, which gives them a 3D quality most potted pups lack, but also makes them susceptible to squealing when the gain gets really high. Most of the squeal is usually from the covers, which can be removed, or dampened w/o affecting the coils' tone. And the A2 mags can be replaced with A5s, which tightens them up a lot and makes them much more aggressive. All my Seths have A5s in them now.

They are terrific pups, beyond them in the PAF realm there is different, but not necessarily better; and as I pointed out above, can easily be tuned for specific needs and guitars.

 

[Simon_F]

Re: Seth Lovers for hard rock?

Seths work great for Thin Lizzy and AC/DC - if that fits your definition of good, old-fashioned, ballsy rock!

 

[blueman335]

Re: Seth Lovers for hard rock?

Seth's are great in Les Pauls; remember a lot of the late 1960's Brits were using Gibsons with original PAF's and playing some pretty loud and heavy music.

 

[Soulcrusher_X]

Re: Seth Lovers for hard rock?

Why not?

I mean, what do you think is more important to that style sound anyway? A TS-9 and a MArshall not over-done, or the pickup?

I'm saying amp and attitude is 99% of it. I'd guess those pups would actually sound better than most for that. You'd really hear the differences tonally without drowning the sound of the guitar in gain and compression.

PAir of 59's would be fantastic too. Me - I'd go Pearly Gates, but I just love that sound. Get the pup that has the EQ you need.


IMO, this would be all - and I mean all - about the amp and any pedals you might choose.

Man, I would love to try a set of Pearls, but since this is a straight trade, it's a serious consideration. One thing I've noticed is that even for really heavy stuff, lower-gain settings on the low gain channel on my JSX does wonderfully with just a slight boost. I might be gravitating from extreme high gain. My current amp build is a 20w JMP/JCM kind of deal. I'm thinking the Seths would work nicely.

They can certainly do anything short of metal, although there are a couple things to consider. One, they have A2 magnets, (as do the 57s, but IME the 57s are somewhat tighter in stock form) which means they are mushier/looser in response, especially palm muting. Two, they are unpotted, which gives them a 3D quality most potted pups lack, but also makes them susceptible to squealing when the gain gets really high. Most of the squeal is usually from the covers, which can be removed, or dampened w/o affecting the coils' tone. And the A2 mags can be replaced with A5s, which tightens them up a lot and makes them much more aggressive. All my Seths have A5s in them now.

They are terrific pups, beyond them in the PAF realm there is different, but not necessarily better; and as I pointed out above, can easily be tuned for specific needs and guitars.

Are the covers on the Seths not dampened? I DID notice that when I was doing a bit of amp work a while back, we both had Splawns and both used 57+. Mine had nickel covers and tended to feed back first. Interesting. Good thing to consider. I also have a few magnets hanging around, so I might have some fun with swaps.

Seths work great for Thin Lizzy and AC/DC - if that fits your definition of good, old-fashioned, ballsy rock!

Seth's are great in Les Pauls; remember a lot of the late 1960's Brits were using Gibsons with original PAF's and playing some pretty loud and heavy music.

Two very good points. Thanks guys, been a while since I've been here. I think I'll try them.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Seth Lovers for hard rock?

That low gain setting on a gain channel - I actually do that with a Boss HM-2 Pedal. Yeilds unbelievably gnarly grinding results. I assume the JSX does the same. In my old age I have been finding less gain = more tone.

 

[tonaholic]

Re: Seth Lovers for hard rock?

Why not?

I mean, what do you think is more important to that style sound anyway? A TS-9 and a MArshall not over-done, or the pickup?

I'm saying amp and attitude is 99% of it. I'd guess those pups would actually sound better than most for that. You'd really hear the differences tonally without drowning the sound of the guitar in gain and compression.

PAir of 59's would be fantastic too. Me - I'd go Pearly Gates, but I just love that sound. Get the pup that has the EQ you need.


IMO, this would be all - and I mean all - about the amp and any pedals you might choose.

Spot
On

 

[Aceman]

Re: Seth Lovers for hard rock?

You have to figure a crap ton of our hard rock faves from the 70's were likely made with a pair of T-Tops or whatever the standard Gibson A5 pup was in the guitar they had.

 

[Soulcrusher_X]

Re: Seth Lovers for hard rock?

That low gain setting on a gain channel - I actually do that with a Boss HM-2 Pedal. Yeilds unbelievably gnarly grinding results. I assume the JSX does the same. In my old age I have been finding less gain = more tone.

For the longest time, I LOVED using tons of gain. Then, I started using less and less as time went by. Stupidly enough, all that gain covers the grind of the amp. From my Splawns, Rectos, MKIII, what have you, the less gain you use, the more you can get a wonderfully 3D tone from the amp.

 

[BRHGM]

Re: Seth Lovers for hard rock?

Seths are great for most kinds of music. 59s are also another cool option. You may want to consider the Whole lotta humbucker as well. The Seth neck is clear and a little honky in most guitars, but the 59 neck is muddy in some guitars. JB/Jazz, Custom/Jazz, Slash set and PG set are also good vintage sounding sets. I like the Seth and 59 sets best. It really depends on the guitar and the sound you want to achieve with your gear.