Your backup pickups?

El Supremo

El Supremo

New member
Recently, I sold a lot of gear I used so sparingly, that I just couldn't justify keeping it. Among the stuff I sold were a lot of pickups. I kept my Full Shred bridge, Dimarzio X2N and EMG 81 & 85 set though.

The Full Shred might return to my Jackson, if one day I decide to tune it down again. Rhythms sounded so tight, while the leads were almost as sweet as the JB.
The EMG sound is just one of a kind.
The X2N has now found it's place in my V Blade.

So which pickups do you keep in the drawer and why?
 
Re: Your backup pickups?

In the past not so much now I used to acquire a new guitar, would then proceed to try 3 or 4 sets of pickups for it to see what i liked best in it... then decide to sell the guitar and slap the stock ones back in it. In this way the pile grew steadily larger. I have on a rough guess probably 20 to 25 different pickups (and a few doubles) that arent installed in guitars. Now I know what i like, sometimes i throw something different in just for giggles but i know what works for me and pretty much stick with.
 
Re: Your backup pickups?

None of them actually. I have backup guitars, amps, cables, wireless etc but no pickups. Back in the time I experimented a lot with different brands and models but as soon as I realised that certain pickups fit me perfectly and some others not at all, I sold the whole bunch and remained in the comfort zone. I have a habit of getting some budget axe that feels good in my hands then upgrade it to the max. I tend to give away all the pickups that they were originally shipped with. I have students and fellows who find fun to experiment with these.
 
Re: Your backup pickups?

I have a drawer full of Schaller Golden 50 pickups. I know I can drop them in anything, and it will sound great. Also, I have quietly been picking them up from Ebay over the years for about $25 a piece. They might be too bright for some folks, but I like playing bright. It helps separate my sound from my bass player's sound.
 
Re: Your backup pickups?

I have no "back up" pickups, just a bunch of them awaiting the right host guitars.
 
Re: Your backup pickups?

I have a Demon, an old jazz and a Gibson BB3 in my parts box right now because I'm trying out a Custom Custom in my LP right now. The Demon is just a tried a true versatile backup for just about anything and the Jazz was going to go into the neck of a body that I picked up but the Duncan Designed jazz that is in there now is actually pretty decent.
 
Re: Your backup pickups?

I've been trying hard to clear out excess pickups, but I still have a few that I haven't quite convinced myself to let go of (though that may change eventually...). At the moment, my short list includes the LACE "Hammer Claws" Brent Hinds sigs, a vintage Duncan JB, a DiMarzio Illuminator, DiMarzio Virtual Hot PAF, an SD Custom Shop "El Diablo" (the original, not the Iommi/Donegan), a set of SIN "AXIS" clones, an MHD Homewrecker (aka: Asylum) set, a first-year PATB-1 (when it was called the SH-TB1) and a stock pair of pickups I once pulled out of a guitar I sold because they sounded so good. Problem is, I'm trying to whittle down the collection to 4 electrics, so I know I won't have space for everything. Decisions, decisions...
 
Re: Your backup pickups?

I keep whatever came out that doesn't have a place to go at the moment. No reasoning. Just a temporary purgatory before the next assignment….


I'd rather have a pickup waiting for the right guitar, than the right guitar without a pickup for it.
 
Re: Your backup pickups?

Seths - they go in as needed for vintage tones (which get used for every era of music from 1955 - 2014)

'59 is another floater I have available, not as good as Seth but can do a similar job.
 
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