What pickup does it sound like I'm describing to you?

St_Genesius

New member
Going into a thinline, full-hollow guitar. Laminate maple top, back and sides. Mahogany neck. Rosewood fingerboard.

Fits a standard HB rout.

Strong, but tight bass. Enogh woof for low single-note runs to hit hard on a loud, clean(ish) channel, with minimal flabbiness.

Fairly shy low-mids. Not much thickness here.

Very airy, complex, 3-D upper mids without much honkiness or harshness.

Clear and open, but smooth highs. Not at all muffled sounding but not so much treble that high notes sound piercing.


Any maker. Bridge position or bridge/neck combo.
 
Re: What pickup does it sound like I'm describing to you?

There's no single right answer; just curious what this sounds like to others' ears and minds.
 
Re: What pickup does it sound like I'm describing to you?

C5

It's like a 59 with more bass and smoother highs, yet with some transparency like the 59.
 
Re: What pickup does it sound like I'm describing to you?

DiMarzio Virtual Vintage PAF is my answer - check the postings about it in this forum and you will see. I will get a 70ties L-5 Copy (made in Japan) which shall have this. I had it in two different guitars before and i tell i never heard such a 3D like pup ( i have a dozen pup including the C5, JB, Custom, The Mag and some other DiMarzios and custom windings including some mags i swapped in). Maybe i can tell you more in some weeks.
 
Re: What pickup does it sound like I'm describing to you?

hamerfan said:
DiMarzio Virtual Vintage PAF is my answer - check the postings about it in this forum and you will see. I will get a 70ties L-5 Copy (made in Japan) which shall have this. I had it in two different guitars before and i tell i never heard such a 3D like pup ( i have a dozen pup including the C5, JB, Custom, The Mag and some other DiMarzios and custom windings including some mags i swapped in). Maybe i can tell you more in some weeks.


I agree with this and also you may want to consider the Virtual Hot PAF also. I have them both and they just rock in my wolfgang special (in matter of fact, I have a wolfgang standard that I going to do the same with).

The 59 would be my second choice but it doesnt have the "3D" quality that you mentioned.
 
Re: What pickup does it sound like I'm describing to you?

I'll have to go with the DiMarzio V-PAF too. That 3D/airy spec pushes me in that direction.
 
Re: What pickup does it sound like I'm describing to you?

That's an important part of it. Basically what I'm hearing in m head is a slightly more complex/3D/airy version of a great hollow-body country guitar sound.

Alvin Lee Fan said:
I'll have to go with the DiMarzio V-PAF too. That 3D/airy spec pushes me in that direction.
 
Re: What pickup does it sound like I'm describing to you?

St_Genesius said:
That's an important part of it. Basically what I'm hearing in m head is a slightly more complex/3D/airy version of a great hollow-body country guitar sound.

You might want to look at the DiMarzio Eric Johnson pickups, too then. He wanted humbuckers that sounded like Gretsch Filtertrons.

How much you looking to spend? TV Jones has humbucker-sized Filtertron copies that nail the sound you're talking about.
 
Re: What pickup does it sound like I'm describing to you?

Oh yeah, the TV'tron is an option, but I'm not sure that any Filtertron clone will have quite the sound I'm thinking of. They chime and shimmer and all, but the sound in my head is a bit more...hmmm....polite. I played a guitar with Unbuckers in it not long ago and part of the sound was there...

I'll check out the EJs. I'm not familiar with them at all.
 
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