Musician Forum - Band Discussion Board - BandMix

Ok guys, looking for a good humbucker recommendation here. I put Dimarzio Humbuckers in my 1968 Les Paul about 30 years ago. I was always under the impression that they were Super Distortions, but some recent research points to them being Super Distortion 2s, which have less gain, but much more top end than regular SDs. I can live with the one in the neck position, but in the bridge position this pickup model is just heinous. Plenty of output, but thin with no "beef" at all. To make matters worse it is an uncontrollable squealer. I'm not looking for an uber output metal pickup, just a medium output pickup with not such a prominent top end, that will fit the bill for classic rock. I've been doing research on all the manufacturers sites, but any first hand experience y'all have had would be a lot more helpful.

I have a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates in the bridge position of my strat. That thing really does the job. It provides that kind of 'depth' you get with Les Pauls.

Also been looking at EMG pickups which sound pretty brutal in ads and demos.

Demrarzios have been well thought of for a long time and would probably do you right.

The problem? There are so many options and you never really know until you get the pickup into your guitar and hear how it sounds with your wood. I know for me I'll always look at Seymour Duncan first simply because i like the one I have so much.

Talbot

Yep, Duncan 59 or Pearly Gates sound great in the bridge for classic rock. If you need a little more modern 80s tone without going full shred a Duncan JB works well. If I remember correctly EVH prefers a 59 in the bridge while Billy Gibbons uses Pearly Gates.

Good luck in your tone search. It never ends does it?

A friend of mine sold me a couple of Semour Duncan pups years ago. I tried the single coil pups but they were a bit flat sounding. No real high or bass. I pulled them right away and sent them to the stash box.

I finally got around to putting the humbucker in one of my newly constructed Strats, in the bridge position for a trial run.
It might be a bit bright for some pickers, but it is also really full with plenty of low end. I wish I had a drawer full of them as it one of the best sounding humbuckers that I presently have. The down side is that the string spacing is a bit too close for the Strat bridge, but it still sounds great. Bright, but it also has so much low end punch that I have to look down to see what pickup I am using at times. I couldn't be more satisfied with it.

Thnx for the input boys. I have been kind of leaning towards Duncan pickups in general, and Pearly Gates in particular. I'm a bit down on Dimarzios not because of the tone of the one I have (I just chose the wrong pickup) but because it squeals like a stuck pig. I hear great things about Gibson's replacement pickups, but they seem to be needlessly expensive.

Don't laugh, the Dave Mustaine signature pups are absolutely wonderful

I have not a clue.

But I'm following in hopes of learning something.

Etu Malku wrote:Don't laugh, the Dave Mustaine signature pups are absolutely wonderful

I'll bet they're great for his style of music, but that sort of active pickup would be too much gain for the sound I'm shooting for.

My "old" 78 paul custom has the same old stock pickups it came with. I wouldn't change them for anything. Maybe its not the pickups, maybe it's just the perception that it will make you a better player.
I know thats not the answer you were looking for, but I had a jam with some guys the other night, and the other guitar became engaged with the sound of my guitar. (STRAT PLAYER)(NOUGH SAID). I let him play my rig and it didn't sound any better than his.

It ain't just the guitar,,, It's how you play it.

Hey Jax, you still run your guitar through all them pedals?

Just asking, cause that alone is gonna make it too hard to figure out what a guitar sounds like..

I do have an opinion about pickups and guitars making a big difference in how you play. Sound is inspiration. When your guitar sounds crappy to you, your inspiration goes right out the door. And without inspiration, even a good musician sucks at times. When you get the sound you like out of your axe, you get absorbed in the sounds and are inspired to play better. When your gear sounds like sh1t to you, why bother?

When I jam with someone I play differently with different sounding gear. Some chops sound better through humbuckers, some sound better with single coils pups. When I can't get the sound that I want to out of someones amp or guitar, I change my style of picking so it sounds better to me. I thought every picker did that.

Just bustin Slacker, you have one of the best sounding fenders around. I knew you would have to say something. Always good to hear from you.