Worst pups you ever used

Re: Worst pups you ever used

If you check out Angus Young's amp settings, he tends to a very different EQ setup than most Marshall users. Pickup may matter less, if he adjusts the EQ to match. May explain the unusual approach to EQ (SG volume & tone at 8), Presence 1, Bass 3, Middle 3, Treble 3, Volume 6, Preamp 8 on 1959 reissues (Superbass or Superlead, with added post-phase inverter master volume (PPIMV)). On record, he used a JTM45 with all knobs pointed straight up. Also used different cabinets with different speakers (live he uses Marshall 4x12s with G12M25s, studio anything from old 20W Celestions to newer greenbacks, and probably G12H30s at some points).

Typically, see bass around 3-4, but mids cranked, treble around 6-7, same for presence, and master volume cranked, but PPIMV would mostly preserve the cranked master setting at lower volumes.

My worst pickups in a guitar I own? Original V2, V1 & S1 were pretty terrible in my RG570. JB in it was an improvement, but an extremely limited one trick pony that was dire for cleans or anything outside hair metal. Flubby, dull, but with piercing upper mids all at same time. Not a good match of pickup to guitar at all.

Worst pickups I've played are probably the DiMarzio (I think Megadrive? Had a thick metal bar in one coil, and small allen heads in other) in a Reb Beach signature model. Not sure if the pickup was at fault, the wiring, or the guitar (cutout of body behind the bridge looked cool, but I don't expect it helped sustain or tone), but the guitar sounded harsh, thin and dull, and the output was pretty low as well. Worst sounding Ibanez I've played. I've always wondered if it was miswired in parallel or something... I watched the staff try the guitar after I did, check the amp, spend a few minutes trying to find a decent sound in the guitar, then give up and hang it back up.

I've played other guitars I didn't like the sound of, but most of them I could imagine some musical purpose someone might like, even if it wasn't one I had any use for. Not that one, which I hope wasn't representative of the model.
 
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Re: Worst pups you ever used

they said 1987 in the rig rundown, but hes wrong, they are all 1959 100w models.

i dont know if his approach is that odd, its pretty common for guys that are used to nmv amps with no pedals. as far as his pups, i dont know how much he ever used the signature pup.
 
Re: Worst pups you ever used

Original Lace Alumitone. No mids, flubby bass, super detailed high end. They sound like the worst no name import strat copy pups but cost a LOT more money.
 
Re: Worst pups you ever used

Without a doubt, the pickups that came stock in my olp and the v7/v8 that came stock in my prestige.

As a side note--- the pickups that came in my $90 ibanez gio sound surprisingly full.
 
Re: Worst pups you ever used

Dimebucker

Stock Dean pickups that are in the 79' series

Not sure what's worse, the stock Dean pickups in the 79' ML or the dimebucker everyone replaces it with

Also any of those whacky high output dimarzio pickups like crunch lab or whatever that are good for heavy metal power chords and that's all. I don't feel like I'm playing a guitar when I play those, I feel like I'm playing a comic book. It's not for me. I'm not sure what they're actually called it's usually when I'm trying out a friend's guitar.

Also way back in the younger years, like 2005 my friend had this Ibanez with the most horrible pickups. It was a black RG of some sort but that's about all I remember. I do remember the pickups were so bad I gave him a spare JB I had lying around and then we thought it would be fun to take the old pickup and rip it all apart and see what was inside a pickup. That was kinda fun.


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Re: Worst pups you ever used

Open lane said:
Without a doubt, the pickups that came stock in my olp and the v7/v8 that came stock in my prestige.

As a side note--- the pickups that came in my $90 ibanez gio sound surprisingly full.
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Same here. There's plenty awful pickups out there, like the stock ones in most Epi Std. guitars and INF/Powersounds by Ibanez, but none quite as terrible as those two.

The V7/V8 combo is dog**** and probably the worst pickups I've ever had. The fact they came stock in one of the most expensive guitars I've ever bought adds further insult.
I used a JB and a Breed among other pickups in that guitar afterwards and they were huge improvements.

I had a Jackson JS32T for a while that had some surprisingly good Jackson pickups, and that guitar was so ridiculously cheap, yet the pickups were clear sounding, reasonably powerful and well balanced. It can't be that hard, right?
 
Re: Worst pups you ever used

For me it was Stock pickups on the Gretsch Streamliner - broadtrons I think they were. Average as grits and a pretty flat EQ response. Dull.
 
Re: Worst pups you ever used

Dahla said:
I played a BC Rich KKV with them stock live for years. They sounded massive and awesome through a marshall dsl2000 cranked through a pa. :)

Someone uploaded a clip from one of our shows once. Probably can't hear them well...:


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It might be the years they made them. I had a Mick Thomson Signature Special Warlock as my first guitar and the pickups in the were absolutely mighty.

I got another MT Warlock about 8 years on and the pickups in that one were terrible - I took them apart and rewound them to get a better tone which, started me winding my own pickups.
 
Re: Worst pups you ever used

Open lane said:
Without a doubt, the pickups that came stock in my olp and the v7/v8 that came stock in my prestige.

As a side note--- the pickups that came in my $90 ibanez gio sound surprisingly full.
Click to expand...

I remember the V7/V8! They were bollocks...
 
Re: Worst pups you ever used

Any EMG Select pickups I have used have been terrible. So have the Kramer Quad-Rails.
 
Re: Worst pups you ever used

Mincer said:
Any EMG Select pickups I have used have been terrible. So have the Kramer Quad-Rails.
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The QuadRails are better in basswood and poplar guitars in my experience.

It does have a good tone to work with but, again, subjective.
 
Re: Worst pups you ever used

jeremy said:
i never liked that gibson angus pup either, the first time i heard it i thought it was broken it was so bright and shrill in the sig sg. it sounded okish through a cranked 2204 but still not what i would call good
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yeah that sums it up.
I like bright and scooped pickups for many applications, but this thing is just way too scooped.

i forgot the ceramic single in my first MIM strat. Also very unpleasant and screechy. But at that Price Point you do not expect too much, so no hard Feelings.
 
Re: Worst pups you ever used

Despair said:
If you check out Angus Young's amp settings, he tends to a very different EQ setup than most Marshall users. Pickup may matter less, if he adjusts the EQ to match. May explain the unusual approach to EQ (SG volume & tone at 8), Presence 1, Bass 3, Middle 3, Treble 3, Volume 6, Preamp 8 on 1959 reissues (Superbass or Superlead, with added post-phase inverter master volume (PPIMV)). On record, he used a JTM45 with all knobs pointed straight up. Also used different cabinets with different speakers (live he uses Marshall 4x12s with G12M25s, studio anything from old 20W Celestions to newer greenbacks, and probably G12H30s at some points).

Typically, see bass around 3-4, but mids cranked, treble around 6-7, same for presence, and master volume cranked, but PPIMV would mostly preserve the cranked master setting at lower volumes.
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yes those settings seem strange at first, but if you use bright PU through a plexi upper bright input it's not that strange.
on my JTM45/50 clone i keep the presence at 0.
bass at 0 to 1 (well it's originally a bass amp).
middle 3 to 4.
and treble at around 4. if you use 5 and higher with a bright pickup it's earpiercing.
So not that much differnt except the bass which i bet i would turn up more on a SLP/1987x type because of the different tone stack and smaller couple caps.
the super bright "front end" allows for the razor sharp AC/DC chord attack without any mud and farting out.
A more mellow pickup doesn't sound right with any of my amps.
The High voltage set really rips nicely but i will also try a t-top (clone) a some point. but first i need another SG.
because the high voltages are not coming out!
 
Re: Worst pups you ever used

jeremy said:
they said 1987 in the rig rundown, but hes wrong, they are all 1959 100w models.

i dont know if his approach is that odd, its pretty common for guys that are used to nmv amps with no pedals. as far as his pups, i dont know how much he ever used the signature pup.
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yes all 100 watters at least for that tour/gig.

Maybe Gibson made something for him and just the production model is totally off, that might be possible.
so far i only ripped on the sound of These Things, but the feel of the AY PU is also very stiff and i felt quite disconnected from the guitar.
the HV set is the complete opposite and so far the best feel i ever dicovered in a pickup, I believe it's likely he cares a lot about the feel of his pickups (and amps of Course).
it's hard to imagine he would settle for something like the prodution AY-sig model which doesn't come close to the HV-set and he obviously had a hand in them too
(Music Equipment is very subjective but in this case i have no problem to use the words better and worse)
 
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