$300 pickup budget for humbuckers....GO!

[KaiserSoze]

Thought I would drop some money into my Warmoth and saved a while to try a new set of premium pickups.  I can spend around $300.
My guitar is a mahogany strat body with a Gibson scale maple neck/ebony fretboard with Wilkinson trem.  I don't really play high gain stuff but tend toward blues rock and classic rock tones with some bite.

I've been researching manufacturers in that range and it gets complicated.  Fralin, BKP, Rio Grande, Anderson, etc.  They all sound so tasty, but I wondered about personal likes and opinions for a guitar like mine.

I can't imagine anyone has asked this question before.....

 

[sixstringsamurai]

Wolf Tone,
Bare Knuckles,
There are so many winders out there now...

I would however give Clint at Searcy Stringworks In nashville a call.
PM me for contact info or just google search him.

 

[AutoBat]

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/seymour-duncan-sh-pg1-pearly-gates-pickup
Get one neck, one bridge, and call it done!
I'm assuming you're routed for HH
Here's two other ideas:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/emg-emg-zw-zakk-wylde-81-85-humbucker-set
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/emg-81x-60x-custom-humbucker-set

 

[KaiserSoze]

Thanks.  I also wondered how important it is to have a 53mm spaced bridge humbucker?  Opinions?

 

[Hbom]

Have you looked here?
http://www.roadhousepickups.com/
Pretty neat & hard to beat.
:rock-on:

 

[KaiserSoze]

Currently have a Roadhouse in the neck position.  Its clear and balanced and I love it and it will be going into a different guitar.  I may still buy another set from Ken so yes, I'm considering that also. 

 

[Cagey]

Thanks.  I also wondered how important it is to have a 53mm spaced bridge humbucker?  Opinions?

It's an aesthetic issue more than anything else. Of course, there are always guys who'll claim to be able to hear a mouse fart in Tibet while standing in an apple orchard in Wisconsin, but I wouldn't worry about them unless they're the ones paying for the guitar.

 

[ThtOthrPrsn]

Bare Knuckle has my vote!
Worth every penny and much more!!

 

[Patrick from Davis]

I have a set of, well a lot of brands.  I found that the BKP (nailbombs) are great pickups, and do the sound I like.  But for those of us in the States, they require a mortgage on the house to get a set.  Then Ken at Roadhouse made me a set, and I think they sound quite similar, but they have the Roadhouse mojo.  And they are half the price.  I really like them more than the BKP, that mojo is a sinister hook.  Perhaps if I lived elsewhere it would change my opinion, but I am going to stick with Kens designs, unless there is something different I am going for, like TV Jones body style, or WRHB, or a less common form factor.

However, if you know what style of sound you are going for, it sure helps to cut down the choices.
Patrick

 

[oceanruckus]

I've always been a huge fan of Bill Lawrence pickups...the man is a legend in the pickup world.

His L90s are top notch...he builds all the pickups himself. All his business is really just word of mouth, he doesn't spend money advertising. The website for the l90s are (scroll down):

http://wildepickups.com/Wilde_Bill_s_Twin_Blades.html

I've got the 6H and 8H in my guitar...I play through a cranked Vox ac30 style amp and use the volume knobs for my clean tone. I love these pickups...All I've tried are some Seymour Duncans (OK) and some stock pickups in my friends Gibson. A lower H pickup (inductance) would be more suited for blues/classic tones.

Also, even though his pickups are handmade, cost is pretty good...mine were $120 for a pair. Turn around time for pickups are a bit slow, maybe a month or so. Happy hunting!

 

[aarontunes]

I know this isn't exactly the answer you're looking for, but for what you describe I find DiMarzio 36th Anniversary pickups tough to beat at any price point. I have heard them in many different guitars and they always sound great...especially in the neck position. I often pair a 36th in the neck with a DiMarzio AT-1 in the bridge for a similar sound with a little more output, which I prefer.

BUT

If I were dead-set on spending $300 I would be checking out some Bare Knuckles!  arty07:  I hear nothing but good things about them, but have never played them myself.

 

[KaiserSoze]

Thanks all.  Good suggestions.  I actually tried several times to contact Bill Lawrence to order some pickups for a different guitar, both by phone an email, with no luck and no contact back.  Are we sure they are still in business?

 

[Cagey]

They're still in business. It's a very small business. I just got some pickups from them, and they took 4 weeks. So, I'm assuming they're busy. I'm not sure how much help Bill is these days - he's gotta be in his '80s somewhere. That leaves his wife Becky winding & assembling p'ups and probably handling just about everything else as well.

 

[crash]

Thanks all.  Good suggestions.  I actually tried several times to contact Bill Lawrence to order some pickups for a different guitar, both by phone an email, with no luck and no contact back.  Are we sure they are still in business?

I just got a set of pickups from them last week.

 

[Jumble Jumble]

From what you've said in the first post, I gotta agree with what was said above. Set of Pearly Gates and you're done.

 

[swarfrat]

Given the nice selections in the 'ordinary pickups' category, and the huge variability from guitar sn2038020001 and sn2038020002, I can't help but think Steve Perry sounds like Steve Perry given 11 different SM58 clones. The frogs hair in tonal difference from pickup mfr A's version of well worn classic vs mfr B's copy of well worn classic vs mfr C's copy which was dribbled in snake oil under the light of a new moon - won't be heard when the frog hairs are all flattened by the 100w Marshall in heat that it's coming through. Not only that, but it won't make Joe Perry sound like Steve Perry even if he stole his mic.

$300 will buy more garden variety pickups of whatever color than will fit on a 24.75" scale guitar.

 

[Nando Vallart]

Bare Knuckle The Mule

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Gotta agree with Swarfrat's Stubheadian post.  I've been to too many jams and have seen 10 guys play the same guitar through the same amp and get different sounds to confirm the it's the player cliche.  I'm not tossing in the towel and declare all pickups sound the same, just that one doesn't have to spend $300 for a good set anymore.  Figure out if you're an overwound or underwound guy, ceramic or alnico, and go from there.  I like DiMarzio's website because it has the output listed as well as the 3 band description graphed out.  That's not to say I'm pushing them but if you're familiar with their pickups and make sense of their descriptions, it can guide you best to your flavor.  I can't tell by ad copy what a pickup sounds like because their written descriptions are so similar.  Deep bass, rich midrange, sparkling highs?

 

[Cagey]

Couldn't agree more. Been in same situations, seen/heard the same things.

 

[TroubledTreble]

I have to say that in general I agree that there are too many claims made of which most are hype. I can tell you just how hard it is to give a description of a pickup and sound credible or make people understand. Go too far and it sounds like you're trying to hard. There is some expectation by the public in the copy that is read. This has led to many repetitive overused terms.

Truly, tone lies within the player. The parts are merely tools. Some tools lend to the process better than others. Some detract. Just because something is a copy doesn't mean it's bad. One should not have to spend big bucks on a "label". There is a lot of "snake oil" in any realm of business. Some really do have it together and others are hoping the customer won't notice or know the difference.

Don't let the few bad apples spoil the cart.

-2¢-