Which pickups have been used by the most diverse range of recording artists?

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Which pickups have been used by the most diverse range of recording artists?

Definitely stock strat singles.

Bill

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Which pickups have been used by the most diverse range of recording artists?

Which pickups have been used the most? Why single coils and humbuckers, of course.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Which pickups have been used by the most diverse range of recording artists?

But we can't. The production tolerances were so much looser back then. The local tech of 30 years in my town was just telling me about a neck pickup he found in a '62 LP that had 18% coil mismatch and an A6, where the bridge had 4% coil mismatch and an A3.

With modern pickups, you're exactly a right, all pickups under a single name will sound darn near identical, but earlier on pickup winding machines didn't have an automatic shut off, and some companies (like Gibson) just bought whatever magnet was cheapest.

You either define production tolerance as part of it or not. Pick one.

And PAF's do have more likeness than not........DCR is NOT tone or output as you should know already.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Which pickups have been used by the most diverse range of recording artists?

You either define production tolerance as part of it or not. Pick one.

And PAF's do have more likeness than not........DCR is NOT tone or output as you should know already.

I refuse to argue with you any further on this subject. You are clearly failing to understand my previous posts, nor are you trying to, and therefore neither of us are going to shift our positions.

 

[Silver]

Re: Which pickups have been used by the most diverse range of recording artists?

Keep in mind that I was asking not what pickups have been used the most, but what pickups have been used in the most diverse range?

I know PAF humbuckers and Fender single coils were us were used for a whole lot of stuff... Though.

I also guess I was asking for specific pickups. The problem with stock fender single coils, for instance, is not just the loose tolerances of the time that have been mentioned... But also, didn't the design vary quite wildly over the years? I think there are probably some significant differences between a 50's, 60's and 70's stock fender single.

What I find cool about the pickups I mentioned is the range of tones that people have gotten out of them... As opposed to the actual number of artists.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Which pickups have been used by the most diverse range of recording artists?

I refuse to argue with you any further...

Thank God.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Which pickups have been used by the most diverse range of recording artists?

But we can't. The production tolerances were so much looser back then. The local tech of 30 years in my town was just telling me about a neck pickup he found in a '62 LP that had 18% coil mismatch and an A6, where the bridge had 4% coil mismatch and an A3.

Interesting. When I use my '62 LP, the neck pickup sounds kind of jazzy and the bridge pickup has considerably more bite. You know, the tonal characteristics most people associate with PAFs.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Which pickups have been used by the most diverse range of recording artists?

Interesting. When I use my '62 LP, the neck pickup sounds kind of jazzy and the bridge pickup has considerably more bite. You know, the tonal characteristics most people associate with PAFs.

Yeah, this Les Paul was a fairly bad case, the owner later traded for some original T-tops, which I don't think was the best choice, but hey, it's not my guitar. Your experience was different than his. The tech said that the neck was so dark that even with a wah stuck at full tilt it sounded like mud.

But still, I think it's crazy that what is commonly referred to as the golden age of Gibson guitars had insanely lax quality control. I mean, for every guitar that came off the line with a perfect set of p'ups, there were probably a dozen more that paved the way for companies like Seymour Duncan.

As a side note, what '62 do you have? I think '62s are one of the best years for "Les Pauls". I think I'm the only person in the world who actually likes side pull vibrolas.

 

[dxlxntxxlxr]

Re: Which pickups have been used by the most diverse range of recording artists?

most guitarists shy away from batteries in their axes.

...until fishman fluence

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: Which pickups have been used by the most diverse range of recording artists?

I think single coils (the generic term, not one specific type) has been used on more recordings than any other type of pickup, from the early 50's up to today, and literally from almost every sub-genre of music.... except maybe death metal, but probably even there.

If we talk humbuckers specifically, the JB is the best selling humbucker of all time. However, it's sound may be too specific to cut into ALL genre's.

 

[Sirion]

Re: Which pickups have been used by the most diverse range of recording artists?

There are two discussions here: pickup type, and particular pickup models. For the latter, I think one would have to limit oneself to retrofit pickups. So many artists (most?) have used stock pickups, which may or may not have varied so much from unit to unit that we, by today's standards, would not have considered them one entity.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Which pickups have been used by the most diverse range of recording artists?

With some reluctance... Yeah, I think single coils can do better at more styles than people give them credit for. Sometimes I play my single coil guitars and feel like I'm getting a tone that would nearly work for metal. Then I plug in my Jackson with the same settings and think, "Oh... Well that might be somewhat better. I guess." Then I turn up the gain with the single coils, and the argument begins anew...

I think fewer humbuckers excel with clean tones (though some do.) Even then, I don't feel the humbucker honking/bluesy cleans work with nearly so many styles as a Fender clean tone. With the amount of MIM Fenders sold to people wanting to emulate Clapton/Hendrix/Frusciante/Iron Maiden/Dick Dale etc. and the amount of satisfied buyers who never mod their guitars, I'm going to say MIM ceramics.

 

[dxlxntxxlxr]

Re: Which pickups have been used by the most diverse range of recording artists?

I think single coils (the generic term, not one specific type) has been used on more recordings than any other type of pickup, from the early 50's up to today, and literally from almost every sub-genre of music.... except maybe death metal, but probably even there.

If we talk humbuckers specifically, the JB is the best selling humbucker of all time. However, it's sound may be too specific to cut into ALL genre's.

Most people that have bought jbs over the years were hotrodding a more traditional axe. The high output, treble cut, and slightly hairy character all make sense for this. but its also popular with blues guys so...

 

[Jacew]

Re: Which pickups have been used by the most diverse range of recording artists?

With some reluctance... Yeah, I think single coils can do better at more styles than people give them credit for. Sometimes I play my single coil guitars and feel like I'm getting a tone that would nearly work for metal. Then I plug in my Jackson with the same settings and think, "Oh... Well that might be somewhat better. I guess." Then I turn up the gain with the single coils, and the argument begins anew...

I think fewer humbuckers excel with clean tones (though some do.) Even then, I don't feel the humbucker honking/bluesy cleans work with nearly so many styles as a Fender clean tone. With the amount of MIM Fenders sold to people wanting to emulate Clapton/Hendrix/Frusciante/Iron Maiden/Dick Dale etc. and the amount of satisfied buyers who never mod their guitars, I'm going to say MIM ceramics.

I've figured out the same. Reason why I use singlecoils almost solely.

With good setup and suitable pickups and rig it's not hard to get good distortion tones. Getting good cleans is not that easy even with singles, I can't be bothered to try to balance humbuckers for both.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Which pickups have been used by the most diverse range of recording artists?

With the amount of MIM Fenders sold to people wanting to emulate Clapton/Hendrix/Frusciante/Iron Maiden/Dick Dale etc. and the amount of satisfied buyers who never mod their guitars, I'm going to say MIM ceramics.

I don't think those single coils have been recorded on by "serious" musicians. I have a whole bucket full of them that I don't think have ever been played for more than 1 hour each.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Which pickups have been used by the most diverse range of recording artists?

Single coils have always been where it’s at in terms of versatility.

Eric Johnson can make his Strat sound like an overdriven violin!

Or like the PAFs in Clapton’s Les Paul or Wes Montgomery’s Gibson L5.

Or like anything...anything except heavy metal.

Humbuckers can do everything from B.B. King to heavy metal but they’ll never convince me theyre a Strat or Tele...ever.

Single coils are far more versatile than humbuckers.

I’ve heard single coils sound like humbuckers...never heard a humbucker sound as beautiful and chimey as a good singlecoil.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Which pickups have been used by the most diverse range of recording artists?

Humbuckers can do everything from B.B. King to heavy metal but they’ll never convince me theyre a Strat or Tele...ever.

Single coils are far more versatile than humbuckers.

I don't know... I have an HH Strat that with a bit of trickery in the wiring can go from Tele bridge to Strat neck, as well as a spot on impersonation of position 2 on a Strat. It's completely passive too, all it takes is a capacitor and a bit of phasing, a few resistors, and hybrid pickups sure help as well.

Wheras I have found no way to get a single coil to trick me into thinking it was a humbucker.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Which pickups have been used by the most diverse range of recording artists?

I don't know... I have an HH Strat that with a bit of trickery in the wiring can go from Tele bridge to Strat neck, as well as a spot on impersonation of position 2 on a Strat. It's completely passive too, all it takes is a capacitor and a bit of phasing, a few resistors, and hybrid pickups sure help as well.

Prove it.

I’ll go first.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Which pickups have been used by the most diverse range of recording artists?

Prove it.

I’ll go first.

Eric Johnson playing a little diddy does not prove anything. Toss Eric a Les Paul and with some fiddling of the knobs on his amp and a shift in playing location, he could make it sound like an underwound Strat.

The guitar itself makes a much smaller part of the sound than us guitarists like to admit. Choose a guitar based on how it makes you feel, choose your amp based on how it sounds. Even a Bullet Strat can breathe fire through a JCM800.

I'll give you extra brownie points if you can explain why you keep trying to insist my opinion is wrong. We've had two tangent arguments in the same thread. Do you really think me saying I think humbuckers are more versatile pickup than a single coil is an affront against you personally?

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Which pickups have been used by the most diverse range of recording artists?

Eric Johnson playing a little diddy does not prove anything. Toss Eric a Les Paul and with some fiddling of the knobs on his amp and a shift in playing location, he could make it sound like an underwound Strat.

The guitar itself makes a much smaller part of the sound than us guitarists like to admit. Choose a guitar based on how it makes you feel, choose your amp based on how it sounds. Even a Bullet Strat can breathe fire through a JCM800.

I'll give you extra brownie points if you can explain why you keep trying to insist my opinion is wrong. We've had two tangent arguments in the same thread. Do you really think me saying I think humbuckers are more versatile pickup than a single coil is an affront against you personally?

The “why” is obvious to anyone who’s followed your argumentive, nit picking posts.

Might be best to just add you to my ignore list.

There...done.