misterwhizzy
Well-known member
Just choose one. Although not best for everything, my favorite is the classic, stock Duncan Custom. It’s inspirational, and I love it.
What’s your single favorite pickup?
- Thread starter misterwhizzy
- Start date
freefrog
Well-known member
I'll cheat through an equivocal answer since there are pickups and pickups... 
Among single coils: the stock neck unit of a defined L Series Fender Strat. Chimey but not thin, clear but smooth. I've still to find a repro with the same measured LR specs and magnetic flux.
Humbuckers: some Gibson patent sticker models from the post P.A.F. era. Perfect blend of fullness AND transparency.
Both help to understand why so many aftermarket models are clones of vintage transducers. ;-)
Among single coils: the stock neck unit of a defined L Series Fender Strat. Chimey but not thin, clear but smooth. I've still to find a repro with the same measured LR specs and magnetic flux.
Humbuckers: some Gibson patent sticker models from the post P.A.F. era. Perfect blend of fullness AND transparency.
Both help to understand why so many aftermarket models are clones of vintage transducers. ;-)
marcello252
Well-known member
still the SSL-1
ehdwuld
A Ficus
This I have to agree on
If it's the low wind of the paf style pickup
If it's the a5 magnet
If it's the baseplate
I don't know
But the Jazz just seems to touch all the spots for me
Chistopher
malapterurus electricus tonewood instigator
The Super Distortion because its name sounds cool to say and it comes in double cream
beaubrummels
Well-known member
Custom Custom
Series, it's like a loud PAF
Parallel, it's like a Tele bridge pickup
Screw coil, it's like a P-90
Slug coil, it's like a Fender Strat single, almost quacks all by itself
I can get a lot of music done with a Custom Custom and full switching.
Two honorable mentions that get me almost all of the above are the StagMag and the Black Winter, just different flavors of the above. StagMag tilts more to a loose Fender single, BW tilts more to a tight Distortion humbucker, but both can do Fender quack and Tele bridge sounds, etc.
Series, it's like a loud PAF
Parallel, it's like a Tele bridge pickup
Screw coil, it's like a P-90
Slug coil, it's like a Fender Strat single, almost quacks all by itself
I can get a lot of music done with a Custom Custom and full switching.
Two honorable mentions that get me almost all of the above are the StagMag and the Black Winter, just different flavors of the above. StagMag tilts more to a loose Fender single, BW tilts more to a tight Distortion humbucker, but both can do Fender quack and Tele bridge sounds, etc.
GuitarStv
Sock Market Trader
I like the SSL-2 for the flat poles, but yeah . . . this is a great single coil sound. Bright and biting, but with decent bass avoiding the ballsless thing that a lot of single coils have.
weepingminotaur
Well-known member
Favourite bridge pickup: Black Winter. If it's in a guitar with coil-splitting, I can play just about anything I want on it, not just the chugga-chug stuff. Cleans up well. Articulate. Mid-forward. Ticks all my boxes. Honourable mention: JB
Favourite neck pickup: Classic Stack. Does everything I need a single coil neck pup to do without noise, and my gosh, it combines well with the CS middle. Honourable mentions: Jazz, Alnico II Pro
Favourite neck pickup: Classic Stack. Does everything I need a single coil neck pup to do without noise, and my gosh, it combines well with the CS middle. Honourable mentions: Jazz, Alnico II Pro
Are we picking multiple favorites and honorable mentions? Cool, I like that.
I'll expand on my Warpig choice and say the entire Warpig set. C-pig bridge is great for everything heavy that I do - clear, biting, full, with high output that doesn't get in the way of any nuances, equally good for riffs and leads. I can't stress enough how rare it is for a pickup to check all those boxes for me, let alone in both an LP and a Floyd equipped 26.5" shredder. It needs the blower switch to open up the high end and reveal its full potential.
And yet, if "favorite" means the pickup that brings me the most joy in the right guitar, it's the Cold Sweat bridge in my Explorer. It is my gold standard, the sound to which I'm always comparing everything else.
Honorable mention to Rebel Yell and 500T.
I'll expand on my Warpig choice and say the entire Warpig set. C-pig bridge is great for everything heavy that I do - clear, biting, full, with high output that doesn't get in the way of any nuances, equally good for riffs and leads. I can't stress enough how rare it is for a pickup to check all those boxes for me, let alone in both an LP and a Floyd equipped 26.5" shredder. It needs the blower switch to open up the high end and reveal its full potential.
And yet, if "favorite" means the pickup that brings me the most joy in the right guitar, it's the Cold Sweat bridge in my Explorer. It is my gold standard, the sound to which I'm always comparing everything else.
Honorable mention to Rebel Yell and 500T.
Der Oberherr
New member
If we're picking just one, for me it's the AHB-1 Original Blackout bridge.
I've got loads of pickups I like, but whenever I pickup my blackout loaded Dean Custom 550, it just sounds like 'me'.
I've got loads of pickups I like, but whenever I pickup my blackout loaded Dean Custom 550, it just sounds like 'me'.
fretburner
Well-known member
Bridge: Custom
Neck: APH1/2
Neck: APH1/2
