Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: littleredguitars2 on October 28, 2013, 11:11:18 AM

Title: choices for my dark 335
Post by: littleredguitars2 on October 28, 2013, 11:11:18 AM
the more i play my 335, the more i notice how dark it is. i put a seymour duncan that i had lying around in it (that i loved in my strats) and it sounds pretty terrible. at the time, i guess i didnt really notice how dark it really was. plus i know i would REALLY benefit from upgrading the pots. right now i'm thinking of just upgrading the bridge. i could upgrade the neck later on.

so i was thinking The Mule. i want a classic vintage tone that can cover a lot of ground but is it good in a dark guitar? and what about potted vs unpotted? i was thinking maybe asking for a mule with a bit more output. i know people say that the abraxus is pretty much a hotter mule but on the charts for both pickups, the abraxus seems to lose a good ammount of highs which i think i really need for this dark guitar

thoughts?
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: Kiichi on October 28, 2013, 11:32:52 AM
On the HB side I think the Stormy would be nice on the vintage side. From what I hear it has a certain brittle (not the right word...well it is not the fullest in the mids) quality that should work very well with a darker guitar.
If you wanne go hotter the Riff Raff will breathe life into any darker guitar.

However my personal favorite pick would probably be a MQ. Vintage voicing, versatile, sits great in darker guitar, etc. MQ in a dark 335 just feels right. Gives you amazing vintage blues sounds, rocks like heck and can go metal if you need it (but with a distinctly different flavour than your SH).
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: littleredguitars2 on October 28, 2013, 11:42:00 AM
yeah people had suggested the stormy mondays before. but i never really gave any thought to the riff raffs. a p90 would be cool for the neck if i ever decide to swap that out too. but i'm not sure i want one for the bridge.
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: Dave Sloven on October 28, 2013, 01:20:28 PM
I would have guessed Riff Raffs for their reputation for being bright.  In the vintage hot range an alternative to the Abraxas would be the Emerald, which has a reputation for being bright.
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: Kiichi on October 28, 2013, 02:39:36 PM
yeah people had suggested the stormy mondays before. but i never really gave any thought to the riff raffs. a p90 would be cool for the neck if i ever decide to swap that out too. but i'm not sure i want one for the bridge.
Not everyone likes bridge P90s as much as I do, gotta decide that for yourself. Now that you have the SH you got some reference point. I can see a Riff Raff MQ combo work very well too in that kind of guitar. Should really give you wide variety of tones and brighten up the whole thing. Can hardly go wrong that way.
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: Telerocker on October 28, 2013, 05:18:54 PM
I think a MQ-neck might need a hotter bridgepickup for a good balance. Personally I would try a calibrated Mules-set. Mules are quite balanced, and sound deep and full, yet slightly scooped in the mids, but not that much. They also have a lovely crispiness to them and are quite touchsensitive. The neckpickup sounds georgeous. No mud there. Very expressive pickups.
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: bandmaster188 on October 28, 2013, 07:44:51 PM
i've got a mule bridge and stormy monday neck in my 335. but i can definately vouch for the mule in a 335. works really well for the blues and southern rock styles i play. although i do like the stormy in the neck i kind of wish i'd gone for a set of mules as the mule neck is such a sweet sounding pickup.
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: littleredguitars2 on October 28, 2013, 09:37:09 PM
thanks for the mule feedback everyone. i really think its the way to go.
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: bandmaster188 on October 28, 2013, 09:48:25 PM
You could go open coils too which would help brighten things up a little bit more.
Zebra's look sweeeet on a 335 :D

https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=26053.msg342712#msg342712
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: littleredguitars2 on October 28, 2013, 10:31:40 PM
i'm going to do open. i like the look of the es333 more than the 335 with no pickguard and the open pickups. so when i eventually get the neck pickup i'll get an open as well.

but i never was a fan of zebra. probably will just go with black. but cream is a possibility
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: littleredguitars2 on October 29, 2013, 02:22:24 PM
Purchased the mule. Potted. Open.  Black coils. 4 conductor.  Wasnt sure if I should have went with unpotted to maybe brighten it up a little more. Oh well.  I hope it fits the guitar well
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: Telerocker on October 29, 2013, 06:55:01 PM
Purchased the mule. Potted. Open.  Black coils. 4 conductor.  Wasnt sure if I should have went with unpotted to maybe brighten it up a little more. Oh well.  I hope it fits the guitar well

Potted Mules have plenty of mojo!  :)
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: littleredguitars2 on October 29, 2013, 07:01:43 PM
Yeah I'm sure of that.  Just wasn't sure if unpotted was better for my situation
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: Telerocker on October 29, 2013, 10:56:27 PM
Yeah I'm sure of that.  Just wasn't sure if unpotted was better for my situation

That depends on how much gain you use and how loud you play. For blues I can see the unpotted Mules being the icing on the cake.
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: littleredguitars2 on October 30, 2013, 12:49:08 AM
i tend to be on the gainier side for sure.
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: Telerocker on October 30, 2013, 09:58:17 AM
i tend to be on the gainier side for sure.

Regarding your amp I guessed so!  :)
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: littleredguitars2 on October 30, 2013, 11:26:42 AM
lol yeah. i love this mesa.
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: AndyR on October 30, 2013, 11:35:26 AM
Bit late to this... but yep, thumbs up from me :D

I have Mules in a 335. Mine are unpotted, but then I don't use much gain.

They replaced the stock 57 Classics and really opened the thing up. It didn't change character much, just more "edge" or "bite" in a pleasant way. Really responds well to the guitar's volume and tone knobs now.

It was a straight pickup swap between the 335 and a Love Rock that could just about cope with losing some edge (although I am missing it when I play that one now!!).

Good luck with the rewiring! :lol: (Are you doing it yourself?)
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: littleredguitars2 on October 30, 2013, 12:09:40 PM
hell no i'm not doing it myself haha. these are a nightmare. to be honest i'm not sure what pickups were in it originally. theres a patent number on the back but google didnt really give me much help
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: littleredguitars2 on November 01, 2013, 05:35:03 PM
the mule shipped. i'm excited to try it out. i think i'm going to try it out in one of my strats before i bring it to my tech and have it thrown in the 335.  has anyone here ever tried a mule in a strat?
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: Telerocker on November 01, 2013, 06:40:58 PM
the mule shipped. i'm excited to try it out. i think i'm going to try it out in one of my strats before i bring it to my tech and have it thrown in the 335.  has anyone here ever tried a mule in a strat?

My friend had. A bit bright. He went back to his Crawler.
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: Philly Q on November 01, 2013, 06:57:00 PM
the mule shipped. i'm excited to try it out. i think i'm going to try it out in one of my strats before i bring it to my tech and have it thrown in the 335.  has anyone here ever tried a mule in a strat?

My friend had. A bit bright. He went back to his Crawler.

I like vintage-output humbuckers in set-neck guitars, but I find Strats need something a bit hotter and fatter.  I think that's just a personal foible of mine, probably because I'm more used to Gibson type guitars than Fenders.
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: littleredguitars2 on November 01, 2013, 07:39:18 PM
all of my strats are alder but i'm going to try it in the darker one and see what its like just for the hell of it. but i was always curious about the crawler too.
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: Telerocker on November 01, 2013, 11:14:27 PM
the mule shipped. i'm excited to try it out. i think i'm going to try it out in one of my strats before i bring it to my tech and have it thrown in the 335.  has anyone here ever tried a mule in a strat?

My friend had. A bit bright. He went back to his Crawler.

I like vintage-output humbuckers in set-neck guitars, but I find Strats need something a bit hotter and fatter.  I think that's just a personal foible of mine, probably because I'm more used to Gibson type guitars than Fenders.

I totally agree. I like my strats with something hotter/fatter than vintage. VHII, Abraxas, Crawler, and maybe a Holy Diver for me.
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: littleredguitars2 on November 01, 2013, 11:20:49 PM
One of the first bare knuckle setups I came across was a crawler set In a strat and the tone was immense. Best part was... the guy used the same amp as me so I knew it would sound very close if I got one. And I've thought about a juggernaut or holy diver maybe in another one as well.  Who knows
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: Philly Q on November 02, 2013, 10:15:10 AM
I totally agree. I like my strats with something hotter/fatter than vintage. VHII, Abraxas, Crawler, and maybe a Holy Diver for me.

Those are exactly the same ones I'd have on my list!  :lol:

I have an Abraxas, I have a VHII (not actually fitted in guitars, of course....), but not the other two.  Makes me want to go out and buy another Strat body.  Or two.  But I'm supposed to be selling stuff!  :x
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: littleredguitars2 on November 16, 2013, 01:35:18 AM
just got my 335 back. this mule has definitely breathed new life into this guitar. i'm used to much hotter pickups but i definitely needed something that was a bit less. i can't have all my guitars with super high output stuff! definitely a great pickup. my guitar tech really liked it too. he says it reminded him of some dimarzio pickups.
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: Philly Q on November 16, 2013, 09:49:31 AM
my guitar tech really liked it too. he says it reminded him of some dimarzio pickups.

That could be controversial!  :lol:   Which ones?
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: littleredguitars2 on November 16, 2013, 12:43:27 PM
my guitar tech really liked it too. he says it reminded him of some dimarzio pickups.

That could be controversial!  :lol:   Which ones?

i'm not sure. i think he meant closer to dimarzios than the seymour duncans that i've tried in the past
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: Telerocker on November 16, 2013, 04:23:04 PM
I had a few Dimarzio's in the past - PAF, PAF Pro and another one, forgot the model - but they sounded not close to a Mule.
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: littleredguitars2 on November 16, 2013, 08:01:30 PM
Yeah.  Not really sure what he meant but either way I love this mule. Great classic rock tone!Finally my 335 is a pleasure to play
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: Telerocker on November 17, 2013, 01:01:08 AM
Yeah.  Not really sure what he meant but either way I love this mule. Great classic rock tone!Finally my 335 is a pleasure to play

That's what matters.
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: gwEm on November 17, 2013, 08:45:39 PM
Glad you like the mule, it's great isn't it? I think you made the right choice getting a potted one.
Title: Re: choices for my dark 335
Post by: littleredguitars2 on November 17, 2013, 08:47:29 PM
yeah i think i made a good choice as well. it was definitely what i was looking for. upgrading the bridge pot DEFINITELY helped too.