Which (common) brand has the "worst" stock pickups?

Re: Which (common) brand has the "worst" stock pickups?

Funkfingers said:
Older members will remember the horrors that appeared on non-American guitars of the Sixties and Seventies. (Burns Flyte, anyone?)
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Boy! Do I remember those. They were so bad that they were good for some things (the cheap tinny 60's sound). Even when trying to get as clean a sound as possible, they were fizzy sounding.

Yes, I remember a Kent guitar that I kept for over 30 years because it had this cheapo tinny fizzy sound that you couldn't get rid of. Played with the guitar volume up all the way and it was fuzz-city...so bad it was cool, for a different sound. Even though I had an unbelievably great 1959(?) Gibson 330 and a marvelous 1968 LP Custom, I would sometimes pick up that Kent because it was so awefully ugly-wonderful sounding.
 
Re: Which (common) brand has the "worst" stock pickups?

In the 90's, Fender had the absolute worst stock pickups on the Mexican AND American models.

Nowadays they're using Fat 50's pickups in the American Standards, which are great pickups any day of the week. The MIM Standard stock pickups are still just as terrible as ever though.
 
Re: Which (common) brand has the "worst" stock pickups?

ibanez powersound pups were awful. muddy neck and harsh spikey bridge
 
Re: Which (common) brand has the "worst" stock pickups?

I don't mind the MIM stock pickups at all. But, the set I have are in possibly the best electric guitar I have (unplugged), and the guitar has mojo like you wouldn't believe. It's baseless superstition, but I am really hesitant to replace these MIM pickups in case I mess up it's mojo.
 
Re: Which (common) brand has the "worst" stock pickups?

Single coil cowering inside a humbucker cover? I had an Avon Les Paul copy with those. Decovering those buggers to find out why they hummed was what got me into pickup changing to begin with. :)

Thanks to a pickup ID thread that began early today, my next nomination is the stock Chinese bass humbucker on the Flea Bass. Vast mid spike. No top. No Bottom.
 
Re: Which (common) brand has the "worst" stock pickups?

Heh... When I saw the thread title, my first thought was Ibanez INFs. I have a few guitars with them, and they always leave me with the impression that the guitar has so much more to say.

IBANEZ_RG350DX_WH.jpg
 
Re: Which (common) brand has the "worst" stock pickups?

On average, Ibanez picks are pretty horrid. I think they sound thin. I liked the pickups on my Epiphones in general, but they have been changed to a Distortion and 59 in the bridge and neck, respectively.
 
Re: Which (common) brand has the "worst" stock pickups?

Active EMGs in high-end Custom Shops. I mean, give me a pickup that works with the guitar, not one that I could put in a 2x4.

EMG HZs are USA-made. Says so right on the bottom plate. The H3s aren't bad with the AfterBurner on about 3 with considerable gain (more than "low" but not quite "high"), and don't sound too bad with clean tones.

Same with the Mexi-Strat I used to have (SSS). I'm sure the USA pickups are way better, but I could find no fault with them.

Jackson had 2 good stock hums - the J80 and J90 models. The J200 singles were good, but they were designed around the active circuitry they were typically installed with. The Jackson J150 bass pickups, however, leave a lot to be desired, even with the active circuitry. My Duncan Designed bar-style-loaded Jackson C5P stomps all over my precious P/J-combo'd Concert V. My USA JZB2 has two J-style pickups without the active board, and it's weak as a kitten. However, the new Ellefson import with the EMGs really needs new pickups. There's just no helping them, and it's got active circuitry.

Looks like the Steve Harris Duncan will be going in the Concert V with a Duncan QP J, and I guess some Duncan Js in the other. Might have to look into EMG replacements as well.
 
Re: Which (common) brand has the "worst" stock pickups?

EMG Selects are some of the worst pickups I've heard the last 20 years.
 
Re: Which (common) brand has the "worst" stock pickups?

Yeah, they're so totally forgettable that I forgot about them :lol:

Glad to see no one mentioned any MMK-45s :lol:

I've had a few guitars with DiMarzios as stock (Charvel SoCal). Not my bag at all. Sounded like they were trying to do something, but I couldn't figure out what. Like they were not speaking my language. I've tried several Dimzos over the years, and I just cannot find anything I like about them.
 
Re: Which (common) brand has the "worst" stock pickups?

I have a glen burton which i love, but the stock pickup was horrendous. Swapped it immerdiately
 
Re: Which (common) brand has the "worst" stock pickups?

dotsdad said:
The stock ceramic pickups in the Mexican Fender Standard Strat are the ****tiest pickups on the planet. I think they make 'em suck on purpose to make the American Standard sound $1,000 better in comparison...
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Really?? 'Cuz I ditched my Am Stndard singles in favor of the Mexi ceramic singles. But, then again, I don't like the bright quack on strats either. I do what I can to make it darker and meatier sounding.
 
Re: Which (common) brand has the "worst" stock pickups?

The Ibanez Powersounds are terrible and some of the worst I've played. Not much clarity or power. No joy of any sort to be found in those.
Ibanez INF pickups in my opinion are 'blah'. No memorable qualities of any sort, not much of an interesting voice. But not bad per se.
The Ibanez V series pickups are better (the V7 neck is nice) but still a Duncan Designed wipes the floor with them.
The Ibanez S1 single coil (found in japanese RGs and stuff) is a damn good pickup on the bridge of a SSS Strat. Ballsy and powerful!

The stock single coils on the lower-priced Yamaha Pacificas aren't so bad,
but their humbuckers are terrible, the bridge humbucker on their entry-level HSS models is hopelessly muddy.
Possibly worse than the Powersounds now that I think about it. Maybe it's because it shares the 250k tone pot with the single coils?
 
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Re: Which (common) brand has the "worst" stock pickups?

Until 2011, Epi HB p'ups were your worst tonal nightmare, and one you just couldn't wake-up from...

Having said that, their new Pro line is quite decent, to be completely honest.

They're no Duncans, mind you, but nevertheless pretty useable.

EMG HZ are pretty bad too, I can't believe they're US made! (or are they..?)

HTH,
 
Re: Which (common) brand has the "worst" stock pickups?

I have the Ibanez INF 3 and 4 set in an LTD I have, simply because the stock LTD pickups were the most bland and lifeless pickups I have ever tried. They sound better, but it seems like recently the bridge is nothing but treble and with the tone knob at 0 and the amp's treble on 0 it still is bright. It is nothing but treble/presence now and the bridge pup apparently has an A5, so I'll swap that with either a big ceramic or an A2, and the neck pickup is a little bit too muddy, so I'll take the large ceramic out of that and put in an A2 or the A5 with the "air mod". I might also make a hybrid out of the two by swapping the one of the coils with one from the other but use different magnets in the bridge and neck.
 
Re: Which (common) brand has the "worst" stock pickups?

My personal Hell is cheap Ibanez pickups. To be clear, I'm talking about the ones that come stock in sub-$500 Ibanez guitars. I'm not familiar with model names, but they are absolutely horrid! I have an Ibanez RG3EX1 that came with passive Ibanez pickups "Designed by EMG". While waiting for the $$$ to get some Duncans, I have been so irritated with their sound that I stuck the only pickups I had lying around in the guitar to replace them temporarily. Never thought I'd consider the stock Epi pickups from my Epi LP a "dramatic improvement" over any other pickups, but they are!
 
Re: Which (common) brand has the "worst" stock pickups?

Older epiphone pickups were absolutely horrendous. When I replaced the bridge pickup in my Epiphone Les Paul with a Dimarzio D-Sonic it was like a blanket had been lifted out from in front of the guitar.

The D-Sonic isn't even a bright pickup!
 
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