Topic: Deciding on pickups for classic rock -hard rock(mostly) -metal

[Woeful Wolf]

Hey! Thanks for reading this. I'm getting a PRS SE Custom 28 over at sweetwater, and before i have them ship it, im having them swap out the pickups for new ones. I want to play classic rock to hard rock (mostly) and some metal. I came across Seymour Duncan's Whole Lotta Humbucker pickups in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb2X0GB6Cog, and I really like how the bridge pickup sounds for the riff played at about 1:28. Not sure where that is in terms of treb/mid/low and output, resistance, and what not. I'm a beginner kinda sorta, so i don't know my stuff too well. I'm wondering if you could help me find a good neck pickup that will help me transition over to the kind of heavier side that works well with the guitar and bridge pickup i found. Or if the pickup I came across is even good for heavier rock at all. I'm not 100% sold on the Whole Lotta's but I really do like how they sound. I'm willing to ditch them if you can find me a better set of pickups that can do what I need. Across a range of all the pickup companies too. I really just wanna find that one thing i'm looking for. Not sure what it is, who makes it, but I know its out there somewhere.
Guitar specs: http://www.prsguitars.com/secustom24/specs.php
Whole Lotta Humbucker's specs: http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/humbucker/vintage-output/whole_lotta_hum/
Thank you again for reading this and if you reply!

 

[wolf5150]

Re: Topic: Deciding on pickups for classic rock -hard rock(mostly) -metal

If you're a beginner , learning to play well cures most tonal issues so my advice would be to focus on improving your ability.
However, the guitar's original pickups will do any style of rock, that's what they were designed for.
Save your money.

 

[Woeful Wolf]

Re: Topic: Deciding on pickups for classic rock -hard rock(mostly) -metal

Ah okay. The only real reason I considered swapping the pickups was because I had heard bad things about it, though maybe you're right. However if I were to still decide to get new pickups, what would be good?

 

[Rockstar216]

Re: Topic: Deciding on pickups for classic rock -hard rock(mostly) -metal

Ah okay. The only real reason I considered swapping the pickups was because I had heard bad things about it, though maybe you're right. However if I were to still decide to get new pickups, what would be good?

Heres something you need to hear and remember, don't put to much thought into what you hear and read on the web about gear. Only opinion that matters is yours and in order to form those opinions and personal preferences you have to try out and listen to tons of gear.

As Wolf said he's absolutely right in that practice will cure most of the issues you might have with tone. As for swapping pups at least try the guitar with the stock pups first to get a feel for what you like and what you don't like about them. Then come back and share that with us and we can go from their since you will have a better idea and hands on experience.

 

[Woeful Wolf]

Re: Topic: Deciding on pickups for classic rock -hard rock(mostly) -metal

Alright! I'll save my money and try out the stocks
Thanks guys.

 

[wolf5150]

Re: Topic: Deciding on pickups for classic rock -hard rock(mostly) -metal

Dude I could give you a guitar with the best pickups money can buy but unless you can play, you'll sound crap.
Stop worrying about pickups.
The internet is great for some things, like learning techniques and songs ( wish it was invented when I started ) but it's bad for other things like making you think you need better pickups.
YouTube is full of idiots showing off the latest pedal or amp or guitar or whatever and they can't play a bloody note or even tell they're not in tune !!!

You're getting a decent guitar.
At least try it for a while before you start worrying about the pickups.
I bet most of the bad reviews came from idiots like I've mentioned.

 

[Rockstar216]

Re: Topic: Deciding on pickups for classic rock -hard rock(mostly) -metal

I just looked at guitar. I know a couple people who gig with the SE models and have no complaints and these are guys who gig constantly and know how to play. Not sure if thats your first guitar or not but I will say it will make learning how to play a whole lot easier when you don't have to fight with the instrument.

 

[wolf5150]

Re: Topic: Deciding on pickups for classic rock -hard rock(mostly) -metal

I'm an old fart now and you wouldn't believe how bad my first electric was.
All I knew was that it looked like Clapton's black guitar..... I didn't even know it was a Strat.. ;-)

I sound like my dad ... lol

 

[Aceman]

Re: Topic: Deciding on pickups for classic rock -hard rock(mostly) -metal

werd -

Learning to PLAY, and even more importantly, PLAY THE AMP, will do way more than swapping pups in many instances.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Topic: Deciding on pickups for classic rock -hard rock(mostly) -metal

And after you do all of these things, THEN upgrade to maybe a Whole Lotta set. After all, I would imagine that the neck pup would sound quite good with the Whole Lotta bridge.

 

[80's_Metal]

Re: Topic: Deciding on pickups for classic rock -hard rock(mostly) -metal

Heres something you need to hear and remember, don't put to much thought into what you hear and read on the web about gear. Only opinion that matters is yours and in order to form those opinions and personal preferences you have to try out and listen to tons of gear.

Amen to this!

 

[Nacho8807]

Re: Topic: Deciding on pickups for classic rock -hard rock(mostly) -metal

I've never seen a thread with so much good advice. Kudos to all of you!

 

[jmcorey]

Re: Topic: Deciding on pickups for classic rock -hard rock(mostly) -metal

werd -

Learning to PLAY, and even more importantly, PLAY THE AMP, will do way more than swapping pups in many instances.

This.

Last Saturday I was playing a bunch of guitars through a Traynor YCV 40 with the Celestion 70/80 speaker. The guitar with the JB and Jazz sounded worst, and even the epiphone LP PRO with probuckers sounded better, not to mention the LP traditional with its 57 Classic pickups.

The thing about the Celestion 70/80 is that it has a lot of high end, and the Duncans, which usually sound great with other speakers, sounded fizzy and shrill on the top end in the drive channel.

In another amp, or the same amp with a different speaker, the pickups will sound very different. And also, with the volume down low in a music store is one thing, but then again could sound different with the amp turned up loud.

So, yeah, you play the guitar and in doing so, you play the amp.

 

[dvanburen]

Re: Topic: Deciding on pickups for classic rock -hard rock(mostly) -metal

yeah thats not a bad guitar. PRS doesnt make crap. Get a badass amp

 

[AlexR]

Re: Topic: Deciding on pickups for classic rock -hard rock(mostly) -metal

I'll add too that you can hear 'bad things' about every pickup under the sun. Some don't like certain pickups cos they're too hot, and some will swear by those same disliked hot pickups as they do precisely what they want.

I've bought a few guitars and thought to sell off the pickups - only to try them and realise they're much nicer than the net would have you think.