Strat pickups for most "universal" tone! Help me out!

[stubhead]

David Gilmour is quite famous for saying he can get whatever he needs to sound the way he wants to at any decently-stocked music store anywhere in the world. He considers the "tone freaks" to be completely insane. Whenever anyone gets around to doing some genuine, blindfold A/B testing, the inevitable conclusion is that people must be hearing with their eyes, because they can't identify a thing with their ears. Here, choose any three of these characteristics:

kerrang, blooming, detailed, girthy, meaty, crunchy, grind, growl, boom, balls, ass. dirty, gritty, spanky, muscular, dirty, rich, liquid, natural, transparent, open, bell-like, violin-like, flutey, solid, silky, slithering, galloping ,snarly, gnarly, knurly, clear, creamy, scooped, spank, sparkle, chime, glassy, screamy, throaty...

No matter what pickup you ask about, it will do that.

 

[Cagey]

Also, no matter what pickup you choose, the manufacturer or the pickup's adherents will say it's recommended for pop, country, jazz, blues, classic rock and heavy rock.

Apparently, nobody makes a pickup for nursery rhymes or Gregorian chant.

 

[Patrick from Davis]

You forgot "Slanky"
Patrick

 

[Great Ape]

I went out with a chick once who was kinda 'slanky', but that's another matter altogether... :icon_biggrin:

 

[mullyman]

David Gilmour sounds like David Gilmour because he's David Gilmour. I could hand him any one of my guitars and he'd sound very much like David Gilmour. He doesn't need his black Strat. He just needs a guitar. Same with anybody else with a famous sound. If I were to drag him, Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, Richie Blackmore and Robin Trower down into Clinton Caverns and gave each one of them the same guitar one after another, you'd think they all brought their own instruments. I hate to say "it's all in the fingers", as if gear doesn't matter, but there's a great deal of truth to that. Talk to any studio owner for some eye-opening experiences with different musicians on the same gear..

You know why I admire you so much, Cagey? Because the majority of the time you say the exact same thing I was getting ready to say. We may not agree on everything but we sure are pretty damn close.

There's a tale out there about Eddie Van Halen and Ted Nugent, and forgive me if I make any mistakes...

NOTE: I decided to Google this story to make sure my facts were straight and I came across an article from Eddie Van Halen himself...

"Ted was cool enough to give the band a sound check," he said. "He's standing off to the side and he's listening to me, and he comes up and says, 'Hey, you little shit! Where's your little magic black box?' I'm going, Who the **** is that? And it was Ted. Hey Ted, it's nice to meet you, thanks for the sound check. And he's going, 'Let me play your guitar!' I go, 'Okay, here you go.' He starts playing my guitar and it sounds like Ted.

"He yells, 'You just removed your little black box, didn't you? Where is it? What did you do?' I go, 'I didn't do anything!' So I play, and it sounds like me. He says, 'Here, play my guitar!' I play his big old guitar and it sounds just like me. He's going, 'You little shit!'

So, what I was going to add to this conversation, besides that story, is that Gilmour sounds like Gilmour because he's Gilmour *AND* he's got about a small country's GNP wrapped up in effects and processors. Sounds you're not going to really be able to recreate with some fancy pups and a few stomp boxes. In my opinion, when you go looking for pups, think of the sound/tone you like and research the pups. Do the trebles, mids, and basses stack up to the sound you hear in you head? Personally, I like pups that are heavy on the bass side, mid to low on mids, and mid range on the treble.

I hope you find something you like, man. I'm sure whatever you decide will be awesome!!
MULLY

 

[Great Ape]

Damn, y'all!!! Any quality set of pickups through a decent tube amp is gonna give you a range of quality sounds/tones! Will you get every sound out of 'em? Hell no--that's what yer OTHER guitars are for, silly!!! :icon_biggrin:

 

[Jumble Jumble]

People often tell me I've got the "Gilmour sound" but we actually share very little gear in common. I play through an Orange amp, very different to his EL34-based sound. I use a Line 6 M13 for 99% of my effects and he has some kinda space station plugged into his guitar. I guess a couple of our guitars are the same colour. (I do also have a Strat with the DG-20 pickups in)

Last time someone compared me to him I was playing a Tele with a rosewood fingerboard, a Little '59 pickup in the bridge and a 59 humbucker in the neck:

into one of these:


Boss eBand JS-10

I was using a Fender Twin modelled amp, and a little bit of generic drive and delay.

So yeah, try not to get too caught up with the gear.