Which pickup/guitar combos are you 100% satisfied with?

Gearjoneser

Gearjoneser

Gear Ho
We talk a lot about swapping pickups and directions we'd like to go, but I'm curious to hear about the guitars you own that are dialed in.....to the point where you wouldn't think of changing them.

Also mention what type of tone/music you use those guitars for.

Mine are...

LP Goldtop - Custom/Jazz B in neck.....I consider it my 'heavy sounding' guitar.
LP Std. Prem Plus - Brobucker/PGn......the perfect all around classic rock guitar. Nicely balanced and versatile enough for anything I'd use a LP for.
PRS McCarty - 15.3K overwound C-5/59....the way a PRS should sound IMO, and all the split tones are right on the money.
Fender US Strat - Chubtone El Gordo/63's....SRV/Mayer tone to the bone.
Fender US Strat - Chubtone rev stagger 69's....think Hendrix to Blackmore.
Fender US Strat - Surfer Custom/Surfers.....my best clean strat tones.

I have other guitars that are somewhat dialed in, but those listed are the ones I have no desire to tinker with anymore.
 
Re: Which pickup/guitar combos are you 100% satisfied with?

My Wolfgang and Air Zone (It is more EVH than the custom wound wolfgangs)
Revolver X and JB (JB in alder is Hair metal heaven)
 
Re: Which pickup/guitar combos are you 100% satisfied with?

Jackson JE10 humbucker in a JS20 (cheapo soloist)

edit: This is my least favorite electric guitar, but this pickup sounds really awesome in this piece of crap guitar
 
Re: Which pickup/guitar combos are you 100% satisfied with?

My kramer beretta with the screamin demon in it. Couldn't ask for a better combo, from VH to heavier stuff it works wonders.

Very tight percussive bass, taken back mids, and grinding highs.
 
Re: Which pickup/guitar combos are you 100% satisfied with?

I own three guitars, and after experimenting with nearly everything in the Duncan and DiMarzio lines (not to mention Custom Shop orders, hybrids and magnet changes), I have finally reached 100% satisfaction with all of them. It is sad in a way because experimenting with pickups became one of my biggest hobbies!

My Heritage is my #1 guitar and PGb / APH-1n combo gives me all that I need.

Les Paul Studio with a set of APH-1's (this one is interesting because this set in this guitar sounds kind of rude and growling - not the typical smooth APH-1 sound)

Carvin Bolt-T with a set of SSL-1. IMO, this combo does vintage Strat better than my old American Standard Strat.

Oh, I play bluesy classic hard rock (AC/DC to ZZ Top).
 
Re: Which pickup/guitar combos are you 100% satisfied with?

I have two that are "done". Oddly, they're both my Tele's.

1. Squier Tele SH: Antiquity 1955 bridge / Stag Mag neck.
The '55 Ant gives all the classic Tele twang without being ice-picky or shrill. Rich harmonics, open and airy. The Stag Mag is the perfect Tele neck. Wired as a single, it gives that "Strat-pup-in-the-neck" tone and blends beautifully with the Ant bridge. Then switch it to full humbucker mode for more punch for blues and rock.

2. Peavey Genny (Tele): Custom 5 bridge / 59 neck. These are wired so that the middle position is a virtual 3rd hybrid using the screw coil of the 59 and the stud coil of the C5 for three hum-free positions.
The Custom 5 has the basic "Tele-twang", but does it with humbucker beef. The 59 does the PAF duties and the "virtual 3rd" position is just a cleaner, smoother, open and airy version of both. Kinda hard to describe. You gotta hear it. ;)

I suppose that technically, even the Peavey isn't completely "finished" in that I now want a better axe to put that combo in. The Genny is from the cheap seats. A nice Fender ThinLine would be the perfect home for that combo.
 
Re: Which pickup/guitar combos are you 100% satisfied with?

I have 4 electric guitars ... 3 dialed in ... the other sounds good with any option (but have not decided yet)

1 - '80 Yamaha SA2000 (ES335 type) - totally stock - I've never wanted to change anything on it. I did some research and it has Alnico 5 and they measure 8.3k (neck) and 8.8k (bridge).

2 - New G&L Legacy - Stock Alnico 5 S-S-S Strat-like setup. I think I'm going to leave it stock. The controls set up is excellent ... like it better than the Strat I had with the volume, treble cut and bass cut.

3 - Schecter Tele - Currently SD Vintage Stacks with a switch to cut out the lower coils. I also have the neck pickup diconnected from the tone control. I really like the way this one sounds. I've put a lot of pickups in this thing but keep coming back to this setup. I think it's done.

4 - Washburn WI62 Idol - Still playing with this one ... maybe Phat Cats or A5 P90 hums next. But the interesting thing is I like everything I put in this guitar ... a lot. AP2, 59n & 59b in the neck ... 498T & 59b in the bridge. It all sounds good. I just put the set of 59n/59b in yesterday and changed the caps on the bridge to a .047uf ... sounds good too. I'm not sure why I keep playing with it. But if I was playing musical chairs and had to stop at some point with any of these setups ... I'd like it. Just lucky I guess.
 
Re: Which pickup/guitar combos are you 100% satisfied with?

Here's an interesting perspective. Strats, Pauls and PRS guitars are so synonymous with particular 'stock' sounds that the guitars could be genres themselves.

So what you would have is:

Les Paul Metal
Les Paul Rock
Strat Low Gain "Chime"
Strat Mid Gain "Smooth Breakup"
Strat High Gain "Woodstock"
McCarty All-rounder, which pulls from any of the above 'genres'
 
Re: Which pickup/guitar combos are you 100% satisfied with?

My MIA Strat is the only one I'd dare say today that wont change, for now :)
78' with SSL-2's in the neck and middle.
 
Re: Which pickup/guitar combos are you 100% satisfied with?

Les Paul - DiMarzio Super Distortion

Stratocaster - EMG 85n/81b
 
Re: Which pickup/guitar combos are you 100% satisfied with?

So far it's the Jazz/Custom combo in my LPC,&a DiM FT-2 @ the bridge with either a Chopper or Pro Track @ the neck in any Strat.

More to come,tho,I'm sure!!!
 
Re: Which pickup/guitar combos are you 100% satisfied with?

I'd be lying if I said I'd never swap them again, but if every soldering iron on earth broke, and every replacement pickup disappeared, I'd be extremely satisfied with my Kramer Focus (Air Classic bridge) and Ibanez SZ (Air Zone/Fred).

What's funny is, everybody is always trying to find the perfect PAF clone, and my guitar with real PAFs is the one I'm least satisfied with :)
 
Re: Which pickup/guitar combos are you 100% satisfied with?

The only guitar I am completely satisfied with is my Schecter E/A with the
C5/Jazz/Piezo combo. That being said I'm not really in any hurry to change the pups on my other guitars anytime soon.
 
Re: Which pickup/guitar combos are you 100% satisfied with?

I just put a set of Suhr Doug Aldrich pickups in my Hamer Studio Custom guitar a few days ago and after dialing them in over the past couple days, I think they're here to stay:
StudSuhr.jpg


The Aldrich set replaced a Distortion Neck-PATB1 bridge set which was also very good. The difference is the Aldrich set is less compressed and a bit lower in output, which makes the guitar more versatile (especially when it comes to cleaner tones). The neck pickup is particularly awesome.

Also, I have a guitar on the way with 3 P90's, Duncan Hot P90's in the neck and middle and a Duncan Custom P90 in the bridge. I've had the Hot P90-Custom P90 combo in 2-pickup guitars and it was awesome (the only set of pickups I never had any thoughts about changing out), so I'm sure I'll be satisfied with the combo in this guitar.

-Austin
 
Re: Which pickup/guitar combos are you 100% satisfied with?

i have 3 that are dialed in ,one in the shop right now getting duncans,and one stocklp. i have a fender strat ,that has a jb in the bridge and a mini sd george lynch demon in the neck ,this thing smokes i will have this guitar set this way till the frets fall out.i have a gold top les paul with a gibson 500 t in the bridge and just to experiment , a jb in the neck,and this one will rip your eyeballs out and fry your eardrums.then there is my les paul classic and its got the 500 t and 496 r which are stock gibson pups and its just perrfect. my newest guitar which is in the shop getting the same set up as the strat i mentioned is a jay turser lp copy.
 
Re: Which pickup/guitar combos are you 100% satisfied with?

Yamaha SG 2000--Custom Custom/Alnico II Pro set up--Great modern PAF style combo great for lots of different stuff.

Les Paul (58 reissue)--Antiquity set--This is what I always thought a Les Paul should sound like.

Moderne--Pearly Gates set--another killer PAF set has a great tone in the limba body.

#1 Strat--Custom Shop Alnico II Strat set with tapped bridge--best set of Strat pickups for me personally so far...,sound great clean and crunchy...everything from Knopfler to Beck and Clapton to SRV that can do it.

#1 Tele--Custom Shop Tele set with tapped bridge (alnico II bridge/Alnico 5 neck)--Simply amazing...great neck tones, combined tones are tight and clucky or nice and throaty and the bridge can be either bright and twangy or thicker and more agressive.
 
Re: Which pickup/guitar combos are you 100% satisfied with?

patb-1 + jbjr, emg 81 + 85, dimarzio norton + air norton
 
Re: Which pickup/guitar combos are you 100% satisfied with?

Thumbs up to:

Les Paul all-round setup: C5 bridge and jazz bridge in neck position
Les Paul hard rock: Custom bridge and Jazz bridge pickup in neck position
Mahogany Tele: Seth Lover bridge and strat hot stack neck
Ash Tele: BG1400 bridge and strat hot stack neck
 
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