Rock/Metal Guitar Pickups

[davidmichael]

Hey everyone .

I would be very interested to hear what pickups people are using for rock/metal guitar , as I have a few guitars Im thinking about possibly changing the pickups out on .

A brief description of the pickup and the qualities they have that you like would be great !!!

Interested in both humbucker and single coil applications and configurations .

David

[TCgypsy]

I use humbuckers for the most part. I like the sound of single coils for some things but I hate the noise issues that are inherent in that design.

 

I have Gibson pickups on my Les Paul. They are the stock pickups that came with it, and I will never change them. If you have a collectible guitar, and change the pickups, KEEP your old ones safe and secure. If you ever decide to sell the instrument, it can make a huge difference in value to the buyer.

 

I have Seymour Duncan pickups on my Schecter guitar. The best way to describe these is "ballsy" - I think the one on the neck is the PAF. I can't remember which kind is on the bridge.

 

I have played around with EMG and Demarzio pickups as well. I liked the EMGs for their output and focused tones. I liked the Demarzios I had for sheer brutality and rock/fusion vibe. 

 

There are so many pickups out there now and nearly every manufacturer has a wide range of pickups to address various styles. My best advice would be to find demo audio/video presentations to hear different ones, and frequenting some local music stores and playing some of the different guitars they have.

 

I am more of a player and less of a connoisseur of guitar tech but I am sure some of the cats who frequent this subforum will have more info.

 

Peace,

TC

[TapperMike]

There is no end all be all.  and getting a lot of descriptions to a lot of brands / models will likely not be of much use to anyone.  Rudi is a fine guitarist.  He and I share a great deal of idea's.  One area we differ on is Seymour Duncan Pickups.  I love em, he hates em.  That's fine,   You have to trust your ears.  Pickups in guitars often are the smallest part of the equation. The comfort level you have with your guitar and the ability you have to express yourself through it come first.  

[TCgypsy]

15 hours ago, TapperMike said:

There is no end all be all.  and getting a lot of descriptions to a lot of brands / models will likely not be of much use to anyone.  Rudi is a fine guitarist.  He and I share a great deal of idea's.  One area we differ on is Seymour Duncan Pickups.  I love em, he hates em.  That's fine,   You have to trust your ears.  Pickups in guitars often are the smallest part of the equation. The comfort level you have with your guitar and the ability you have to express yourself through it come first.  

 

I love my Seymour Duncans! For that guitar (the Schecter) they are just perfect. The neck pickup is solid and creamy; the bridge pickup is just plain mean (with a coil tap that comes in handy).

 

Pickups are a big part of the sound of any electric. There are SO many different brands and flavors, it all comes down to personal preference as Mike stated.

 

Have fun shopping for pickups. Shopping for new toys is always fun.

 

Peace,

TC

 

PS => just noticed the focus in your profile, Mike.  "Musical Influences: Steely Dan, Steely Dan and then there is Steely Dan." - I couldn't agree more; all 3 are great! 

[TapperMike]

The other day I was in a guitar store.  And I was so broke I couldn't pay attention...  Anyway they had a brand that I was unaware of previously..... Vintage Guitars.   Designed by Trevor Wilkinson Who is a well known parts and pickups builder.

 

 

 

Blackie tone.  Pure Eric Clapton 70's blackie tone.  I've had an 80's EC signature strat plus with lace sensors The same one he used back then.  As much as I loved it it was no Blackie.  I've played maybe 30 fender strats in my life looking for Blackie tone.  This is the closest I've ever heard.  I'm more than happy with my Variax and it isn't going anywhere.  But if I were in the market for another strat...this one would be the one.  A Vintage (brand) V6   That wont be in my shopping cart for  anytime in the foreseeable future.

 

For the time being it's all about the adventure of making the most of what I have.  Which isn't a bad place to be in.  I'm an amateur  That allows me much more creative freedom and exploration then an average working musician.   It doesn't allow me much in the way of recognition. 

 

 

 

 

[davidmichael]

I guess people didnt understand what I was shooting for in this post.

I have quite a few guitars , Gibsons , Jacksons , Carvins , Ibby's , PRS , Fender , etc.

They have mostly stock pick ups , so I obviously know what the Gibson T-Buckers sound like. I also have one with Bill Lawrence pick ups.

My Jacksons all have Duncans but they are all the TB-4 and the SN-2 combinations so i know what they sound like .

The Carvins are all stock with C or M series pick ups.

I have a Fender with Lase Sensor's .

My Ibanez's are some stock , some with Dimarzios that were changed or I had changed.

As for the Dimarzios I have Evo's , XN-2 ,Tone Zone , Norton , PAF ,and a few others.

I was looking for helpful , specific information on some of the other Dimarzio ,Seymour Duncan, or other aftermarket pick ups that you don't find in stock guitars hanging in the wall in guitar shops.

As far as sound bytes ,yes , that will give you a basic idea , but who knows what its being played through or how the sound sample has been processed or how true of a reflection of the pick up you are actually getting by the time it comes through your speakers . 

That is why I was asking for  peoples descriptions and opinions of AFTERMARKET pick ups , as I value peoples opinions , as stupid as it may seem to some .

I'd imagine some of the guitarists here are playing something besides stock pick ups.

Any useful info would be appreciated.

[Rudi]

I haven't chimed in here before because I dont use much gain, let alone anything like metal. In truth, with enough distortion, all pickups sound much the same to me.

 

You seem to have a lot more guitars than I do too. The only replacement pups I currently have are Creamery's Domino Split Coils. They are alnico II and fairly modest output.

http://www.creamery-pickups.co.uk/

They would probably suit a Fender style of build more than anything else. Creamery are pretty good generally. 

 

Bare Knuckle are also highly regarded. https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/main/

Now I have heard these. Both 'Mothers-Milk' single coils and also 'Nail Bombs' humbuckers. Both sounded great. The Nail Bombs were being used for metal at the time.

 

Those links do have sound samples. I agree, that is not a great way to make an informed choice, but they are reasonable quality samples and give a general idea. Happy hunting!