Your top 5 neck pickups?

[UnderTheFlame83]

1. Sentient - All around my favorite neck pickup. Mixed between a 59/ Jazz. You get the best of both but little bit darker, little more edge. More bite. This is a versatile pickup and I think underrated.

2. Black Winter - Very close to being my number one pick. Very clear with just the right balance for a neck pickup. Works well with many high output Duncans. Excellent when split.

3. DiMarzio D Activator. Possibly the cleanest sounding neck pickup I've ever used. Not as high output as you would think. Not very bassy. Just enough treble and mids. Excellent shred neck with good harmonics. There's a reason I have this pickup in 4 of my guitars. My favorite DiMarzio neck

4. EMG 85 - Most people would probably say the 60 is their favorite EMG neck, but I like the 85 better. More volume and more chunk. Also its a lot more versatile than most think. Sounds good for any genre of music.

5. Duncan 59 - This pickup is popular for a reason. A classic. Everyone needs this pickup. My favorite neck pickup in a Les Paul.

 

[EC Strat]

For me:
1. SSL 1 - so mellow smooth and chimey A gold standard strat neck pickup
2. Klein epic 65 - see above but with a bit more mids
3. Fender PV 59 - very similar to the ssl 1 but a tad more presence / trebles
4. Fender PV 65 - a notch below the Klein 65
5. SD Texas Hot - a nice warm mellow sound that’s lower output -

 

[maug2122]

SD Pearly Gates
SD Screamin Demon
Dragonfire Modbucker
Bill Lawrence L250
Dimarzio HS 4
Dragonfire Duo Rail
Bill Lawrence Xl 500

 

[ErikH]

SD Screamin' Demon
SD Classic Stack Plus
Gibson '57 Classic
Gibson P-90
DiMarzio PAF (pre-36th anniversary model)

 

[Jeffblue]

Seymour Duncan '59
SD Five-Two for tele
SD Vintage P90
SD Phat Cat
Bill Lawrence 500XL

 

[Securb]

SD Jazz
Fralin Pure PAF
Pearly Gates
WLH
NULL - My favorite

 

[JOLLY]

In no particular order:

Alnico II Pro Pearly Gates
Blackouts

EMTY Blackouts

59

Jazz/Jazz bridge

 

[LLL]

SH-10n
SH-55n
Callaham H/SRV single coil

 

[beaubrummels]

[Humbucker]
59/A4
Pearly Gates
Jazz
Seth
496R

[Single Coil]
Fender 1966 Stratocaster (original)
Antiquity I Texas Hot
Fender Twisted Tele
DiMarzio Injector
DiMarzio '54 Pro

 

[GuitarStv]

SSL-2
'59
SSL-4 Quarter Pounder
SM-1
SLS-1

They all kinda do very different things, but I've really liked all of them for what they do.

 

[IMENATOR]

I have not used that many but here are my fav. No particular order.

1.- SSL-1, the Strat sound, period.
2.- STK-S6. Not as straty as the SSL-1 but it does sound very bluesy. if you split it and put an SSL-2 or SSL-1 in the middle the quack is very good.
3.- Full Shred. Great for lead but also great for rhythm as it cleans up very nice. Into a clean amp with chorus sounds amazing. This is the closest I have got to a single coil tone using a humbucker, use a FS bridge and you have a killer and super versatile HH guitar.
4.- Jazz. Great for lead but also great for rhythm as it cleans up very nice.
5.- STK-S10 YJM Fury. Less Straty than the STK-S6 and far from being a vintage tone but still a usable single coil tone. The lead sound was my favorite of all these 5 and can be used in an HSS config with a medium output hb.

 

[pskorz]

I’m finding more and more that my favorite neck pickup is largely dependent on what’s in the bridge. How the two blend and work together will vary a bit.
I’ve been loving the Duncan 59 with a hybrid or super distortion, whereas it was underwhelming to me paired with a JB. But with the other two I can dial the amp in to get them both how I like them.

having said that, based on their own merits:
1. Epiphone p90 (only p90 I’ve had, but I love it’s vibe)
2. Dimarzio Fred
3. Mojotone 59 clone.
4. 85/15 S (this is a case where the bridge position isn’t my favorite of its own accord, but does sound good in relation to the neck)
5. Duncan 59. (One of these days I’ll have more experience with some of its contemporaries, like the APH, Demarzio 103 PAF, etc.) gives a great clean sound, and the exact smoothness I’m looking for in my Les Paul.

 

[Mononoaware]

DiMarzio PAF (pre-36th anniversary model)

An under-appreciated pickup, imo. My list, in no particular order:

PAF Pro
59 neck
Jazz neck
Air Norton (flipped, in the right guitar)
Evolution neck

I'm a simple man with simple needs, I guess.

 

[soulforger]

#1: I still love the Custom Custom in the neck with a Dimarzio Super Distortion bridge, I thought I was nuts till I read Larry Dimarzio's EVH article talking about how Eddie loved a CC in the neck of his EBMM prototype so much that he wanted to keep it and just have Dimarzio make a bridge pickup and use the Seymour and Dimarzio together in the EVH model. Maybe I'm not so dumb!

#2 Screamin' Demon

#3 PAF Pro

#4 Peavey Wolfgang neck pickup

#5 I've always been very fond of the PRS Tremonti neck pickup! (It has been used in several PRS guitars under different names as is Paul's way! I think it's just a #7 neck as well as Santana)

 

[Spaghetti Bolo]

First ones that sprung to mind:

Jazz (My favourite for the last few years)
Seth
Harmonic Design Z-90
L-500
Wilde Tele Microcoil

 

[piblock]

Harmonic Design Z90 (Good call, Spaghetti)... If I could only have one guitar with one pickup, it would be a semi-hollow with a neck Z90. I haven't played anything that's similar. Go from refined to skanky by changing your pick attack. The dynamics and responsiveness are incredible.

​​​Wolfetone Dr. Vintage. Maybe a better PAF style neck humbucker exists, but I haven't experienced it.

Those first two are next level amazing pickups.

A recent favorite is a C/59 hybrid with an a2. I enjoy the midrange, I'm not sure that most people would. I don't like it as much as the first two, but it's a great pickup as well. I was thinking of getting another and trying an a8 bridge / a2 neck combo in my SG. In fact, I may buy or try to trade for one right now.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Not a big neck pickup user, but I like these best...

Dean DMT - MAB Hands without Shadows neck

Fokin Pickups - Rocket Queen neck

Lace Pickups - Matt Pike Dirty Hesher neck

Rose pickups- Mariposa (single coil neck)

Dominger Pickups - Whiskissippi neck

 

[Ascension]

For humbuckers in no particular order.
Duncan Sentient very well balanced and is quite versatile. Really shines with gain for smooth singing melody playing. Splits well better with fairly hot bridge pickups and aggressive music.
Saturday Night Special Very clear and defined leans to the bright side but isn't overly harsh. With the A 4 has a unique attack and needs the right bridge pickup to really shine. Holds up well under gain and also is very sweet clean. In my experience run as a set with the SNS bridge is outstanding and in the right guitar can be pure magic.
The Jazz Over looked underrated but very cool. Very well balanced and versatile. Sweet cleans splits well and remains clear and defined with gain.
Carvin C 22 J One of the last of the 22 poll Carvin designs. REALLY like this pickup as its smooth warm and sweet but not muddy. Splits very well and really sings for smooth bluesy flowing work. In particular fantastic when paired with the Carvin C22B in the bridge. On the dark side but not muddy and when used with the C22B in the bridge has an almost acoustic quality clean.
Kiesel Beryllium Very sweet vintage output A 2 pickup at just under 8K. Sweet and smooth very well balanced pickup that sings with gain and is very sweet clean. Was a real surprise the first time I played a guitar with one. Very very cool pickup!

 

[Mincer]

Alnico II Pro
Seth Lover
Classic Stack Plus
Five Two
Antiquity Humbucker

 

[maug2122]

Seymour Duncan Sceamin' Demon
Bill Lawrence L 250
Dragonfire Duo Rail
Dimarzio Chopper
Bill Lawrence XL 500

Dragonfire Modbucker neck pickup