All Time Favorite Pickups?

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

That 89 is pretty cool. It's an 85 in dual coil mode and a SA in single coil mode.

I'll likely keep it for the bridge position and stick a SAV in the neck of whatever build I put it in.

 

[Day-mun]

Guitar (Tele): SD alnico II pro rhythm + SD little '59  :guitaristgif:

Bass: any and every quarter pound model SD makes!  :headbang1:

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

For Bass, my "go to" is the Music Man style hum bucker, either an original or a Duncan.
2nd for bass would be the old style predecessors to Duncan's current Live Wires, would be their old Active EQ bass pickups, had the 3 rocker switches that changed up the eq curve.

If you ran them all "on", it would pump up the gain structure for a lil grit & push the front end of the amp a bit.

 

[Kublai]

Bare Knuckle Mules. I have them in 2 guitars, and can't imagine them sounding anything but great in any guitar.

 

[NicosRebel]

DiMarzio 36th anniversary ! DP103 neck and DP223 bridge

Very open sound for humbuckers, awesomes harmonics, lots of dynamic, and total respect for the unplugged guitar sound... my best favorite combo !



(... but secretly I love the DiMarzio Super Distortion on bridge for Maiden stuff  :headbang: )

 

[Strat Avenger]

I've discovered that there's no one perfect pickup for all guitars. It really depends on the guitar as to what pickup is gonna deliver the tone you want.

I like the JB (I have 2 guitars equipped with one), however I must say that if it were even a tiny bit hotter, it would be to hot for my taste. It's right on the edge.

I also have 4 Screamin' Demons and they are perfect as far as output, but sound a little thinner than the JB. I think it's perfect for a Strat in the bridge position. The JB is little thick or dark-sounding in a LP, but really beefs up the tone on a OFR equipped guitar with maple neck.

My next pickup purchase is gonna be a JB for use in the neck position of one of my Super-Strats, but will be wired in parallel. Standard wiring would be way too loud and aggressive (and perhaps muddy) for the neck position.  So 2 JBs, series (standard) wiring at the bridge and parallel wiring at the neck.

 

[Death by Uberschall]

I also have 4 Screamin' Demons and they are perfect as far as output, but sound a little thinner than the JB. I think it's perfect for a Strat in the bridge position. The JB is little thick or dark-sounding in a LP, but really beefs up the tone on a OFR equipped guitar with maple neck.

My next pickup purchase is gonna be a JB for use in the neck position of one of my Super-Strats, but will be wired in parallel. Standard wiring would be way too loud and aggressive (and perhaps muddy) for the neck position.  So 2 JBs, series (standard) wiring at the bridge and parallel wiring at the neck.

Try the Screamin' Demon in the neck position,... seriously.

 

[Samhain]

Dimarzio Super Distortion!
My all time favorite pickup.
Over the years I've tried, Emg 81,85,60(with and without 18 volt mod) and the EMG x's. Duncan JB,Distortion, Custom, Black winters and the Blackouts. Gibson Burstbuckers, T500, 490,496, and the Dirty Fingers, Dimarzio Tone Zone, and a few others I'm forgetting.
For my type of music and for my lead work, nothing sings and wails like a Super D.
It's "my" pickup. I'm fortunate to have found one pickup that is a definitive pick up.

 

[Strat Avenger]

Dimarzio Super Distortion!
My all time favorite pickup.
Over the years I've tried, Emg 81,85,60(with and without 18 volt mod) and the EMG x's. Duncan JB,Distortion, Custom, Black winters and the Blackouts. Gibson Burstbuckers, T500, 490,496, and the Dirty Fingers, Dimarzio Tone Zone, and a few others I'm forgetting.
For my type of music and for my lead work, nothing sings and wails like a Super D.
It's "my" pickup. I'm fortunate to have found one pickup that is a definitive pick up.

There's no denying the great tone of the SD, but it's just too hot for Me. I put a SD-S (single-coil size version) in one of my Strats and it's nice because it has a bit less output than the full-size model.

JB is the hottest I'll ever go. With today's amps, you just don't need a super hot pickup.

 

[Cagey]

JB is the hottest I'll ever go. With today's amps, you just don't need a super hot pickup.

I agree. Modern amps are capable of a great many things, so you can get away with murder sometimes. Especially with some of the better modellers out there. They'll let you punch in just about anything and make it work one way or another.