in need of new pickups

[Orpheo]

I've been reading this thread for a while now.  :sad1:

Orpheo, you said you found a sound and feel you liked in some of those pups. Why not get the the tone and feel you like first, then either use an onboard switchable boost (there are some transparent one's out there) or a clean boost pedal?

I'm really shocked that you can't get enough gain out of any pick up with that Engl SE head. It's a monster.

I'm feeling that you are expecting too much from one guitar and one amp. Don't take it the wrong way. I own many guitars and many amps for the purposes of variety. "Jack of all Trades" or "Master of a Few"? Each guitar and amp have a personality that I take advantage of.

All those pups on one guitar are going to kill your sustain by pulling on the strings too much.

Contact the bigger pick up companies, tell them what you want out of a pick up and see if they can build it. Either they will say yes with a price, or say it's impossible to get all that from one pup. Easiest thing to do would be to call the builder of the pick up you like the best, tell their custom shop what you would like changed and see what they can do. Example: You like the JB, but think it's a little too bright (which I don't understand since you want a strong mid, upper mid, hi end tone with tight bass) and tell SD what would make it perfect for you. Since it's their pup, I'm sure they will know what to do to it. If the JB is perfect for you other than the very hi end treble, use the tone knob to tame it or find the tone cap that tames it for you and install it permanately in the control cavity.

Personally, I think you are over thinking it.

you've got a point there. but for some things, the problem is language. its not really the 'output' thats lacking. its more like the broadness of the tone, the complixity, and 'output' kinda relates to that. The JB is ok, but its not that it has too much mids/highs or whatever. its got a spike somewhere in the tonal range, that I dont like. its a harsh, gritty, nasal spike, and that one, I dont like. I tried stuff with the caps and stuff, but that tames the 'beastness' inside.

the Engl SE has enough gain, thats not the problem. all the pickups I have are not broad enough, so to say.

As I said before, I want a Prail, but with more highs and upper mids. i.e.: more 'scream'. also, I'd like to see the p90 coil be coiltappable, just for more options in tone.

I want a pickup which is enormously versatile in tone and voicing (like the prail and motherbucker), with a good dosis of output, broadness (mismatched coils, for example), complexity in tone, good representation of harmonics, musically chalanging.... in other words: prails with alnico8+ceramic magnet, OR motherbucker. the rest is just not usefull enough for me.

The luthier who's making my crimsons had a great bunch of pickups, by Wizard pickups, I just realised that. He had a set with a lot of wiring options, where every coil has a distinct sound (unlike, lets say, the JB; the left coil sounds too much like the right!). Just wondering how much they'll be. otherwise, I'll settle for a cool motherbucker (18k) in bridge, and motherbucker (27.5k !) in middle and neck positions. since they're so hot, I can lower them a lot, to maintain volume balance, and also, that will be a good thing regarding magnetic pull.

 

[Orpheo]

I've been thinking about my previous idea, the 6 mini humbuckers.

for each spot, you have 2 magnets. 1 ceramic, 1 alnico5, or sometimes 2 ceramics. how does that differ from a motherbucker, which has 2 ceramics, or the duncan invader, which has 3 magnets? well, it doesnt, I presume. maybe its even less, cause these pickups are designed to have low string pull.


Still undecided! can't figure out whats the best way...

 

[stubhead]

http://www.ratcliffe.co.za/articles/pickupheight.shtml

Tone
While while the exact effect depends on the specifics of the pickups themselves (how powerful the pickups are and how microphonic the coils are), closer to the strings, you will usually get more punch and percussive attack, as well as an increase in brightness. Backing off the pickups mellows out the attack, darkens the tone and you will start hearing more of the body's tonal contribution.

It's conventional wisdom that lowering the pickups also makes the tone muddier, as well as lowering volume and magnetic pull. A very large portion of the "conventional wisdom" you hear pertains to stuff that was happening in the 50's, 60's, 70's.... I'm not sure how much it specifically applies to 2009, Bill Lawrence & Seymour Duncan know what "magnetic string pull" is and have designed around it, surely. However, it's safe to say that a powerful pickup either lowered or turned down is not the same as regular pickup set high.... I've listened carefully to people who are real careful about what they do, and it seems to me that four-pickup Morse still didn't nail a certain Les Paul darkness, though he could get a couple of Strat sounds. Three-pickup Vai actually got neither Strat or Les Paul tones - however both guys seem to have muddled through their careers, somehow. :sad1:

I think it's great that you're an idealist and have set such high standards, gee... sounds to me like the Crimson guy is your BEST bet, cause he can match the pickups to the body resonances too - A JB with it's resonant peak tamed, a Motherbucker with whatever-was-wrong-with-that fixed etc. Have you considered going acoustic? :toothy12:

 

[kboman]

Have you considered going acoustic? :toothy12:

This made me actually laugh out loud

This thread is interesting and has made me look up the motherbucker. If only I had an income!

 

[Death by Uberschall]

Ok Orpheo , sit down and be prepared, I'm gonna be saying a whole lot of nasty four letter words here (actually three letter words :icon_biggrin: ). But read on and do some research with the links I provided. I don't really think you could go wrong with this stuff.

How about this:

Bridge: EMG 81-x or 85-x for warmer tones or 89 for coil tapping (89 is an 85/SA combo in one pup)
Middle: EMG S-x & SA-x
Neck:  EMG S-x & SAV- or 60-x or 60A or 89 for coil tapping

Install EMG SPC & EXG controls (assignable to certain pups or all) and you will have all the tone options you need.

EMG uses smaller ceramic & alnico magnets to reduce string pull, so putting as many as you want is not an issue.

Links:
81-x
85-x
89
89R
60-x
60A
S-x
SA-x
SAV
SPC
EXG

The new EMG stuff sounds really good, not sterile like in the '80s. Give it some thought.

p.s. Loved the "going acoustic" comment, was hilarious!!

 

[Orpheo]

I understand that an EMG might be the answer, but I really, really hate them and their tone. its just not what I want.


@stubhead: interesting read but as I said; if the motherbucker with 2 huge ceramic magnets doesnt have so much stringpull that the note/tone fades out and is dull and whatever, I suppose the hotrailcombination with 2 smaller magnets won't have that problem, at all.

 

[JohninSC]

the dimarzio d sonic, well, its dimarzio. its not really high end. I want to have the best pickups around. that simple.

HA! Tell that to Petrucci, Vai, Satch, and Paul Gilbert!

 

[nathan a]

Have you considered going acoustic? :toothy12:

Honestly is my usual relationship with electric guitar! I always go back to acoustic after a little while, either its the feel of the sound or any myriad of things. Acoustic all the way!  :guitarplayer2:

 

[Orpheo]

the dimarzio d sonic, well, its dimarzio. its not really high end. I want to have the best pickups around. that simple.

HA! Tell that to Petrucci, Vai, Satch, and Paul Gilbert!

I have to play my guitar, i have to make my tone; they have theirs, and I am not impressed by their tone.

 

[bpmorton777]

http://lacemusic.com/electric_pickups/dually_series/dually_specs.php

 

[Orpheo]

http://lacemusic.com/electric_pickups/dually_series/dually_specs.php

thats indeed my idea, but then with seymour duncans

 

[dbw]

Orpheo you shouldn't need to get the pups exactly right to get "your" sound.  I'm pretty sure I could recognize a tape of myself playing no matter what guitar it was.

 

[Orpheo]

Orpheo you shouldn't need to get the pups exactly right to get "your" sound.  I'm pretty sure I could recognize a tape of myself playing no matter what guitar it was.

no, its not that its not 'my' sound, but its not like 'yeah, this baby really delivers the goods'. I have to fight them too much to get what I want, in almost every aspect, and that bugs me...

 

[NLD09]

Get TV Jones pickups.

 

[Orpheo]

Get TV Jones pickups.

no, not enough output or versatile enough

 

[NLD09]

well you said you liked the p-rails. The supertron is essentially the same concept but will have more mid-high range.

idk about output though. i've got one in the neck position that's louder than the p-rail i've got in the bridge. i'll hopefully be replacing that soon.

 

[Orpheo]

well you said you liked the p-rails. The supertron is essentially the same concept but will have more mid-high range.

idk about output though. i've got one in the neck position that's louder than the p-rail i've got in the bridge. i'll hopefully be replacing that soon.

same concept...? 2 very, very different coils with 2 magnets? well, I'lll check them out

 

[Death by Uberschall]

Give this company a good look, might be what you are looking for.

Motor City Pickups

 

[stubhead]

Or these guys at Throbak - they've tracked down a couple of "authentic" winding machines, though personally I could care less about authenticity or vintageousity, I just want stuff that sounds great (hoo-ray Bill Lawrence.... :hello2.

http://www.gundrymedia.typepad.com/

 

[mikeymdl]

Just my opinion, but I suspect that Orpheo is a poser that doesn't even have a guitar or amp. He just likes to pose these questions and fictitious issues just to jerk everyone's chain and try to get an answer to an impossible question. Well, maybe he has a Squier. LOL :icon_jokercolor: