Stag Mag as a neck pickup?

[STLMTLHD79]

So i have seen some very nice vintage MJ wound Stag Mag pickups for sale on various websites. I love the fact they are A2, somewhat bright, high DCR, but dont seem to be that high output. does anybody have experience with these as just a standard neck pickup with a 3-way switch? I could possibly buy one for another 5-way/split application in the future, but more curious to know what they sound like as a humbucker.

 

[hamerfan]

Re: Stag Mag as a neck pickup?

I wouldn't buy it as humbucker. 99% of the time i use it as single or parallel. In short a bit mushy and bland in the neck. Caveat: the big pull on the strings. You need to back it off from strings in the neck like on a strat, too much more than i like.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Stag Mag as a neck pickup?

I agree with this. The best sound out of a Stag Mag is not its series humbucker sounds. In parallel or split it is wonderful. I'd bet most people who use it don't use the series setting as much or at all.

 

[Blille]

Re: Stag Mag as a neck pickup?

I have one in the neck I really like but I bought it mostly for the split sound. I do use the series sound and like it but it's a wooly sound that goes great for fuzzy solos but not much more. I got mine with flat poles as a custom floor option btw.


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[jestre700]

Re: Stag Mag as a neck pickup?

I like mine in the neck as a series bucker (though I bought it for its splitting ability), but I wouldn't say it's a usual bucker sound. In my guitar it's not mushy; it's actually pretty clear. Just different. But IMO nothing wrong with that...

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Stag Mag as a neck pickup?

I would think it a great fit in the neck (yet have only had it in the bridge.) I don't mind the series sound, to my ears it maintains single coil-like attack, response and brightness, with a lifted midrange and less high end harmonic content. Series also retains the "splatty but tight" bottom of a lot of Strat singles that works well with fuzz.

 

[audiocheck]

Re: Stag Mag as a neck pickup?



I use 2 StagMags. My neck pup is flipped to keep the, middle coil split, RWRP where I want it. In a Les Paul the StagMag has a classic LP neck pup tone when in series mode. I did primarily buy it for it's split tone, but it is an awesome neck LP pup.

 

[MB_01]

Re: Stag Mag as a neck pickup?

I've found the Stag Mag to vary in the neck between guitars more than other neck pickups I've used.

I had one in the neck of a mahogany body, mahogany neck, rosewood 'board, 25.5" scale guitar and I thought it sounded great - very stratty even in humbucker mode but a huge, warm strat sound, which I loved. It sounded great split too and paired with a Distortion in the bridge, it was well balanced and not overly loud or perceivably high output. The only issue was I found it too bright in comparison to the bridge pickup - I wanted the tone slightly rolled off all the time which was annoying in a guitar with 1 volume and 1 tone! Ended up swapping the 59 back in there.

I put one in the neck of my Washburn N2 and in that guitar it seemed pretty dead and dull, actually, which surprised me as it's alder body, maple neck, Floyd rose and half the controls of the other guitar it was in. Didn't dig it in that guitar, either.

I'm very tempted to try a Catswhisker S-Bucker at some point. Allan makes the best pickups I've ever heard and for less than the price of a new SH-3, a handwound pickup built in the UK based on a similar premise is very tempting.

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