What pickups should I get?

J

Joe Garfield

New member
I just got a nice new semi-hollow guitar (Indie IPR). I love it, best playing instrument I've had. It has some proprietary Alnico pups that sound decent but are fairly bright and thin.

The guitars I want but could never afford all come with the SD '59 in the neck and bridge. I could go with those and probably be pretty happy. But is there a better choice? Other pups I am considering are the SH-2 Jazz, Seth Lover, Pearly Gates, and the Custom 5ive.

My biggest influence is Phish (Trey Anastasio, Languedoc Guitar, likely a custom '59 PAF style pup). I want a FAT tone, ability to get some nice gnarly (but controllable) growl at the bridge, and some singing cleans for bridge solos.

I guess my only hesitation with the '59s is that people say they are muddy. I like the idea of clean but do not want to give up lows/mids and want to maintain a fat tone.

This is my first post. Thanks for your suggestions. Check out the Indie IPR hollow guitar - it is beautiful and an absolute blast to play :)
 
Re: What pickups should I get?

Welcome to the forum.

If you are looking for a sweet, clear sound, the SH-1 '59s should provide it. How muddy the low end on the neck pickup sounds depends on several constructional factors. The Seth Lovers may be more complex-sounding but, equally, they may expose any shortcomings in your instrument.

If the budget is tight, consider Tonerider pickups - Alnico II Classic N and Rocksong B.
 
Re: What pickups should I get?

'59s should do fine in a semi-hollow; their mids are a bit scooped, which will nicely complement the guitar. Singing, warm, rich, and highly responsive to your amp's EQ. If you find the neck pup a bit boomy or muddy, it's really cheap and easy to replace the magnet. Another, even cheaper method, is to buy a neodymium magnet and weaken the pup's magnet, which will give a more balanced EQ.

"FAT tone?" The stock Jazz neck is out, but a magnet swap can do wonders.

A Custom 5 in the bridge will give the same basic tone as a '59 bridge, but with more beef.

I'd go with the '59 set, or a '59 neck and a C5 bridge.
 
Re: What pickups should I get?

Welcome aboard!

'59's have A5 magnets, which menas they have lots of treble and low end, and scooped mids. In some guitars they're bassy/boomy. Not a good choice for a 'fat' tone. Jazz's also have A5's, and they pretty bright and thinner-sounding (the 'jazz' name is misleading, they're not warm jazz PU's). The Custom 5 is n overwound PU with an A5 magnet; also bright and thin. Seeing a trend here?

A2 magnets have more mids and texture (not a lot of treble); they have a fatter sound. Duncan uses them in PG's, A2P's, and Seth's. I think Seth' are better; more complex, open tones. More clarity in the neck than a PGN, and more fullness and body in the bridge than a PGB. A2P's would be my second choice.
 
Re: What pickups should I get?

Thanks guys, lots of good stuff here! SD doesn't make it easy with so many good options. It was easier when I thought it was just the '59. I'm not too worried about the guitar making anything sound muddy - between the ebony fret board, 25.5 scale, wrap-around bridge and smaller chambers (than say a 335) the guitar is fairly bright sounding.

I don't have a ton of experience with this stuff - a good humbucker might be fat and growly as it is. The pups in my Epi are cheap - a 57 in the bridge (cool gnarl but cheap sounding) and a mini 'bucker in the bridge (pretty nice tone). These are the first two guitars I've ever considered messing with the electronics. Was going to upgrade the Epi but it's neck heavy which is a total PITA - nice guitar otherwise. The Indie is 10x more fun to play, but needs more depth.

My amp is an Egnater Tweaker - all tube with a ton of tonal capability. Actually there is a 'bass/tight' switch that is perfect for bouncing between the two guitars I have. I play through a pair of TS-9's and a Keeley comp so I'm geared more toward cleans and over-driven cleans and some sustain.

I will look around for some more tone samples. It's tough to tell from the one lick on the SD site - who knows what it will sound like with my fingers and guitar.
 
Re: What pickups should I get?

The 59 are HUGE sounding but not -thick and warm like the various A2 PAF designs. The thick warmth comes from the extra mids. The 59 isn't muddy but it has so much bass that you have to have an amp that can handle it, otherwise it could muddy a weak amp without the headroom to keep up. The scooped and fat punchy sound reminds me a little of a gigantic strat. They're super punchy and huge. For extra gnarl on the bridge, check the 59/Custom hybrid.
 
Re: What pickups should I get?

IMO the 59 set will work well in your guitar. If I am not wrong you got 24 frets right. I think you would benefit a bit with 59N. Just my 2 cents.
 
Re: What pickups should I get?

So I have narrowed it down to the '59 and PG. It sounds like '59 is a safe bet, but I have to think about scouped mids. I generally have the mids cranked to about 8 on my amp, treble and bass between 5-7. Maybe that's because most pups I've played are trying to imitate late '50s PAF?

The PG sounds really good on the SD sample page. Definitely more mids and funk with the clean neck pup, still good clarity, sounds more alive but also sounds less distinct from the bridge pup. How is the bottom end on these, especially the bridge? That is probably my biggest concern with the PGb. With my current guitar I have the bass cranked higher than ever and still find the sound to be a little thin. I think setup (next Tuesday) will help a little at least.

And yes, 24 frets, 25.5" scale length, ebony fretboard, semi-hollow (not a ton of sustain though) and wrap-around bridge.

As an aside I'm thinking about a new bridge for more sustain. I am between the Gotoh and TonePros, third/fourth choices are Pigtail aluminum and that harp-looking thing. I upgraded my last guitar to a Gotoh and was surprised at how much of a difference it can make. I know sustain has to do with many things, but a quality bridge is definitely in the recipe for sustain. I'll talk to the luthier about it. I think raising the action a touch, lowering the pups a touch, and getting my wonderful DR pure nickle strings will help a bunch.
 
Last edited:
Re: What pickups should I get?

Joe Garfield said:
I guess my only hesitation with the '59s is that people say they are muddy.
Click to expand...
They are not muddy. If anything they are quite hifi - but they do have a lot of low end compared to their fairly restrained mids.
However from what you have described i think PG's will suit you better. The neck is fat, the bridge is gnarly. Ive tried both sets and others in my 335 fwiw
whats the amp you are using btw?
 
Last edited:
Re: What pickups should I get?

I think for what you want you would be happier with Seths or the PGs or the A2Ps. I really think you would like the seths. If I had a semi hollow thats what I would get.
 
Re: What pickups should I get?

Maybe I missed the last two posts before buying... I went with the '59's and think I hate them. I feel like I lost a lot of fullness and gained a ton of brights - maybe too much clarity? I don't have pickup covers on now, not sure how much that matters. But it sounds like someone else's guitar, not like any of the past guitars I've had with humbuckers. The stock set sounded a little thin, not as clear but warmer and more natural and just more like my tone.

Side note, I love the series/parallel.
 
Last edited:
Re: What pickups should I get?

Totally go for a seth in the neck or an a2pro in the bridge. Or MAYBE a phat cat in the neck if you're feeling adventurous.
 
Re: What pickups should I get?

Never played Seth's - but from what I understand they are a likely safe bet all around. And if the guitar is super toneful acoustically, I'm gonna say pay attention to the guys that recommend that.

Otherwise, I might suggest a PG neck and 59 bridge. The PG neck just really balances the eq of a 59 in the right way in the neck position IMO.

But again - is this guitar dark and boomy in the neck currently, acoustically speaking? If not, a pair of 59's may be just great too.

59/59 is the "stock" answer for great semi-hollow tone.
 
Re: What pickups should I get?

Aceman said:
Never played Seth's - but from what I understand they are a likely safe bet all around. And if the guitar is super toneful acoustically, I'm gonna say pay attention to the guys that recommend that.

Otherwise, I might suggest a PG neck and 59 bridge. The PG neck just really balances the eq of a 59 in the right way in the neck position IMO.

But again - is this guitar dark and boomy in the neck currently, acoustically speaking? If not, a pair of 59's may be just great too.

59/59 is the "stock" answer for great semi-hollow tone.
Click to expand...
I'd actually say the seths are the stock semihollow tone, that's exactly what they went into after seth made them. Even to this day most gibson ES guitars feature unpotted pickups, similar in design to the seths. The brightness and airy articulation was matched by the warmer sound of the hollow body and the thicker strings usually associated. I've actually noticed many semihollow guitars have pickups that are microphonic right off the back, new at guitar center, so they pickup the acoustics of the body more, and not just the strings.
 
Re: What pickups should I get?

Kinda funny how he posts that hes already bought pups and and thinks he hates them and people ignore his post and even gets a suggestion for the pickup he just said he hates.
 
Re: What pickups should I get?

Falloffthebonetone said:
I'd actually say the seths are the stock semihollow tone, that's exactly what they went into after seth made them. Even to this day most gibson ES guitars feature unpotted pickups, similar in design to the seths. The brightness and airy articulation was matched by the warmer sound of the hollow body and the thicker strings usually associated. I've actually noticed many semihollow guitars have pickups that are microphonic right off the back, new at guitar center, so they pickup the acoustics of the body more, and not just the strings.
Click to expand...

Interesting observation.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top