The look of pickups

[nienturi]

Non traditional but awesome

 

[Gtrjunior]

A few of my favorite non-traditional looks, and one kind of rare, but traditional look...

I also like the look of all the dual-rail offerings. The Silverbird, the Nokie Edwards signature, El Diablo (second version), the Slug, etc.

Whatever that second one is, is badass looking.
What is it?

 

[Wound_Up]

That's very interesting. Come to think of it, I've never seen a plain uncovered mini. I think they look great.

Why are minis always covered?

They're always covered because they don't usually look like that. A majority of mini humbuckers have completely different bobbins and magnets.


I've never seen a set that are just a miniature version of standard humbuckers because they aren't normally made that way.

I thought that was common knowledge?

 

[donaldr]

Why not have a pickup where you can put whatever cover you like on it? Want yellow covers for your metal gigs, chrome covers for you church gigs and wood covers for your campground gigs, then just snap a new one in less than 2 minutes. Bars, screws, whatever, can be on the cover itself and not affecting the function of the pickup.

I will never buy an "exotic/different looking" pickup simply because when I'm tired of its look it will go directly to the pickup drawer, never used again, and like putting money in the trash bin. Just make a pickup in a frame I can fix on my guitar body, or a pickguard, and let the designers express themselves creating swappable covers.

Good examples of custom pickup covers (over rectangular soapbar pickups) can be seen in the luthier section of talk bass.com. Looks like bass players are less conservative than guitar players regarding design and look.

 

[Mincer]

You are right- bass players have all sorts of pickup forms. But high end basses look a lot different than most high end guitars, too.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

What pickups do you guys not like the look of?

For me, first place would be those BKP's that look like someone vomited on the cover.

I like the scratched up ones. Just not the vomit ones.

 

[MikeS]

My favorite "non-traditional" look was the first time I saw clear bobbins. The guitar was a dark matte gray with black hardware, and the thousands of winds of copper wire just popped.

 

[Mincer]

While these are some remarkable guitars to play, I really like how he redesigned the pickups to fit the overall aesthetic.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

While I do like the futuristic look of the whole guitar from the neck down, the 12 year old in me can't help but think the headstock does get kinda phallic, LOL.

 

[Gtrjunior]

While these are some remarkable guitars to play, I really like how he redesigned the pickups to fit the overall aesthetic.

The problem with this is that if you don’t like the pickups you can’t change them…
That’s a deal breaker for me.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

The problem with this is that if you don’t like the pickups you can’t change them…
That’s a deal breaker for me.

Yeah, that too.

But I found that's an issue more common than it should in other guitars too. TBH. Even with "standard" humbuckers. Particularly direct-mounted guitars. Either they make the routes too shallow, or the tabs only meant for DiMarzio/Suhr/EVH pickups that don't fit standard square tabs, or you can't fit taller pickups with oversized magnets or long legs. It's a mess.

 

[Mincer]

The problem with this is that if you don’t like the pickups you can’t change them…
That’s a deal breaker for me.

When you spend that much on a guitar, you specify exactly what you want.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

When you spend that much on a guitar, you specify exactly what you want.

I don't know about you, but I like swapping pickups even if I like them, LOL. I'm sure many people are like that. Like that meme where Pedro Pascal is like, "Life is good, but it can be better."

Even if I got like super high-end dream expensive guitar like a LPC, PRS 594, or something, I'd still probably swap the pickups just to try different stuff out.

I assume you wouldn't?

 

[Mincer]

Well, that guitar is more expensive than all of them put together. But no, I don't change things I like. I'd rather just play and write. Hoping for 'more better' is usually just a sideways step, or incrementally better. Not worth the time for me.

 

[Gtrjunior]

Yeah, that too.

But I found that's an issue more common than it should in other guitars too. TBH. Even with "standard" humbuckers. Particularly direct-mounted guitars. Either they make the routes too shallow, or the tabs only meant for DiMarzio/Suhr/EVH pickups that don't fit standard square tabs, or you can't fit taller pickups with oversized magnets or long legs. It's a mess.

That’s true.
I Have a Wolfgang Standard (?) that has pickup routs like that. When I swapped pickups I had to round the corners of the baseplates to make them fit.
It’s do-able but obviously more work.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

That’s true.
I Have a Wolfgang Standard (?) that has pickup routs like that. When I swapped pickups I had to round the corners of the baseplates to make them fit.
It’s do-able but obviously more work.

And I bet that if you wanted to mount a Gibson 500T or a Black Winter or an X2N or a Super Distortion, or an EMG 81, that'd be out of the question.

I adore the look and feel of Wolfgangs, but what's kept me from buying one is you're stuck with the pickups it comes with, which I bet are great, but I always want to swap pickups around, LOL.

 

[Securb]

The problem with this is that if you don’t like the pickups you can’t change them…
That’s a deal breaker for me.

It makes me wonder what is under the hood of those pickups. It could be standard humbuckers under funky covers. It would be very expensive for the builder to get unconventional pickup parts to assume that shape.

 

[Gtrjunior]

It makes me wonder what is under the hood of those pickups. It could be standard humbuckers under funky covers. It would be very expensive for the builder to get unconventional pickup parts to assume that shape.

Good point. That would be very cool if they were just covers on a traditional pickup. That walked simplify everything and still give you the chance to tone tweak.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

It makes me wonder what is under the hood of those pickups. It could be standard humbuckers under funky covers. It would be very expensive for the builder to get unconventional pickup parts to assume that shape.

I bet they're like the Duesenberg pickups which have oddly shapped covers, but inside, they're just humbuckers or humbucker-sized P90's.

 

[Mononoaware]

Yeah, that too.

But I found that's an issue more common than it should in other guitars too. TBH. Even with "standard" humbuckers. Particularly direct-mounted guitars. Either they make the routes too shallow, or the tabs only meant for DiMarzio/Suhr/EVH pickups that don't fit standard square tabs, or you can't fit taller pickups with oversized magnets or long legs. It's a mess.

I just recently bought--then sold--my first and probably last direct-mount guitar. I couldn't bring myself to modify pickups just to try them out. And don't get me started on fitting a new, slightly wider or taller single coil in a narrow single route. Nope. Rings and pickguards for me from now on.