ways to find the perfect pups without spending a small fortune?

[RG 2570]

I thought of trying listening to clips? good concept but they are usually on a different guitar and amp
I thought asking and researching about different ones, seems there are many different opinions on the same pups
what does that leave?
a exchange policy is great but how many times can you exchange before the guy at the music store declares you insane? :smack:
I like what i am using at the moment but keep getting the feeling that i am only 95% of the way to the perfect tone foe me?
without buying and putting the pups in my guitar and hearing myself i just cant think of another way can you?

 

[Cory_Dylan]

Re: ways to find the perfect pups without spending a small fortune?

you could always go insane. maybe there will be someone like lew in the nuthouse that you can discuss your problem with until they let you out.

 

[RG 2570]

Re: ways to find the perfect pups without spending a small fortune?

you could always go insane. maybe there will be someone like lew in the nuthouse that you can discuss your problem with until they let you out.

wow that was a big help but it was funny! :laugh2:

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: ways to find the perfect pups without spending a small fortune?

wow that was a big help but it was funny! :laugh2:

I can pretty much only help with getting a traditional blues or jazz or rock tone...when it comes to metal or grunge or sludge or punk I haven't got a clue! :burnout: Lew

 

[RG 2570]

Re: ways to find the perfect pups without spending a small fortune?

I can pretty much only help with getting a traditional blues or jazz or rock tone...when it comes to metal or grunge or sludge or punk I haven't got a clue! :burnout: Lew

:laugh2: sludge? :laugh2: thats a new one to me!

 

[Cory_Dylan]

Re: ways to find the perfect pups without spending a small fortune?

the only way i can think of is to go to a guitar store w/ a good selection of guitars and try to find guitars with Duncans on them or pickups that are similar to duncans. Like the ESP with a JB/'59. Also a lot of ibanez guitars have dimarzios. Play em! If you like a dimarzio, come on here and ask what Duncan it compares with and which is better. for example, IMO, if you like the PAF pro, you'll LOVE the '59. There are a few RGs with PAF pros. this will help move you toward the tone your looking for.

btw, i don't think anyone on here has found the "perfect" pickup, but a lot are pretty damn close. don't worry you'll find what you want. you can always check into the forums Trading post later on!

 

[rspst14]

Re: ways to find the perfect pups without spending a small fortune?

What I've always done is to take into account the body, neck, and fretboard woods, figure out what type of sound I want, and then eliminate the pickups that don't meet my needs. I prefer low-medium output pickups, so that eliminates the Custom series, JB, Invader, Distortion, Full Shred, etc. I also take into account magnet type, as I can tweak a pickup a little bit by installing an A3 or A4 magnet. As a general rule I've found the following to be true:

pickups that work well in a bright guitar: Alnico II Pro, Custom Custom, Seth Lover, '59 with an A3 magnet, Blues Trembucker

pickups that work well in a warmer guitar: Alnico II Pro, '59, Pearly Gates, Demon, Jazz, C5.

Notice that some pickups seem to work well despite the wood type. For example, the Alnico II Pro is great for warming up brighter guitars, but it also sounds amazing in a warmer Les Paul.

Ryan

 

[RG 2570]

Re: ways to find the perfect pups without spending a small fortune?

the only way i can think of is to go to a guitar store w/ a good selection of guitars and try to find guitars with Duncans on them or pickups that are similar to duncans. Like the ESP with a JB/'59. Also a lot of ibanez guitars have dimarzios. Play em! If you like a dimarzio, come on here and ask what Duncan it compares with and which is better. for example, IMO, if you like the PAF pro, you'll LOVE the '59. There are a few RGs with PAF pros. this will help move you toward the tone your looking for.

btw, i don't think anyone on here has found the "perfect" pickup, but a lot are pretty damn close. don't worry you'll find what you want. you can always check into the forums Trading post later on!

funny cause that is how i found out i like the wolfgang pups that i bought for my RG, by playing a wolfgang at the store:laugh2:

 

[Curly]

Re: ways to find the perfect pups without spending a small fortune?

well, there's quite a bit of experience to draw from on the forum ...

I haven't followed your posts, but you can begin by describing your equipment, then the tone you're aiming for ... by now, I don't think there are too many big surprises, tone wise, although there are always the subtle combinations of guitar/ amp/ pickups that are a revelation once in a while, and we're all mining for those discoveries

from spending time on the forum, I can often make an educated guess as to what will suit someone, although I only comment on the pickups I've actually used

a little time and patience are good assets, too

but, the journey is half the fun

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: ways to find the perfect pups without spending a small fortune?

Buy a few, keep the ones you like and sell the rest! Doing that is not that expensive!

 

[ranalli]

Re: ways to find the perfect pups without spending a small fortune?

Buy a bunch used that you might be interested in, don't cut the hell out of leads, try em all out and keep the one(s) you want, sell the rest on Ebay for about what you bought them for. Nothing lost but time there.

 

[garublador]

Re: ways to find the perfect pups without spending a small fortune?

No one has given the least expensive solution...change your idea of what "perfect" tone means.

Chances are you'll spend a lot of your time thinking you're only 95% of the way to your perfect tone. The only way you'll reach 100% is if you decide you're sick of searching.

 

[jeremy]

Re: ways to find the perfect pups without spending a small fortune?

what fun is that? logic always takes the fun out, go insane its funner

take your time and really play each pup you try. if you buy them right and sell them right youd be supprised how far a hundred bucks can go

 

[Falstaff]

Re: ways to find the perfect pups without spending a small fortune?

No one has given the least expensive solution...change your idea of what "perfect" tone means.

Chances are you'll spend a lot of your time thinking you're only 95% of the way to your perfect tone. The only way you'll reach 100% is if you decide you're sick of searching.

That's true...you can drive yourself nuts with all the information out there. 95% is pretty good, and I'd bet that a lot of the guitarists on some of the albums with tone we all try to emulate were not at 95% satisfaction when they heard how the albums sounded.

Just play and enjoy it for what it is without comparing it to some holy grail that may or may not exist. I'm sure you sound great, and the 'if onlys' might tend to get in the way of your expressing yourself fully through your music.

IMHO, YMMV, etc., etc. Good luck!

 

[papersoul]

Re: ways to find the perfect pups without spending a small fortune?

I agree with others.....pick a new Duncan you'd like to try like the Custom and return or exchange if you would like to try something else. But, I wouldn't go nuts exchangin more than that as it could become a hassle. I would then loo to the used market and buy pickups you know have value to other users so you can swap around.

 

[Hellion]

Re: ways to find the perfect pups without spending a small fortune?

One of the local music stores in this area used to have a modified electric guitar ( I think it was an Ibanez or a Yamaha, nothing special) that had been routed out to fit different pups mounted onto blocks that you could "plug in" to the guitar. It was a great way to compare pups. Maybe somewhere close to you there's a music store that copped the same idea?

 

[RG 2570]

Re: ways to find the perfect pups without spending a small fortune?

No one has given the least expensive solution...change your idea of what "perfect" tone means.

Chances are you'll spend a lot of your time thinking you're only 95% of the way to your perfect tone. The only way you'll reach 100% is if you decide you're sick of searching.

I like this a lot! it is easier and cheaper!

 

[Metalblaze]

Re: ways to find the perfect pups without spending a small fortune?

A robbery.
:chairshot No! Seymour, I didn't mean it!

 

[Metalblaze]

Re: ways to find the perfect pups without spending a small fortune?

One of the local music stores in this area used to have a modified electric guitar ( I think it was an Ibanez or a Yamaha, nothing special) that had been routed out to fit different pups mounted onto blocks that you could "plug in" to the guitar. It was a great way to compare pups. Maybe somewhere close to you there's a music store that copped the same idea?

That's guitar stores should do, to help us a little.

 

[RG 2570]

Re: ways to find the perfect pups without spending a small fortune?

One of the local music stores in this area used to have a modified electric guitar ( I think it was an Ibanez or a Yamaha, nothing special) that had been routed out to fit different pups mounted onto blocks that you could "plug in" to the guitar. It was a great way to compare pups. Maybe somewhere close to you there's a music store that copped the same idea?

I like that! but keep in mind many stores dont feel that the pup is all that important like we do or that store did.
i asked the clerk at GC what is a good duncan he said the JB i said how do you know that?
he said because it is the biggest seller, and that tells me squat about how it sounds! :laugh2: