Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: axg20202 on January 03, 2007, 06:22:53 PM
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Hi folks,
After getting such great results with my BK Yardbirds in my Tele, I've turned my attention to my ailing backup axe, which is a Fenix Strat copy (floyd rose system) with a HSS pickup configuration. It's no Rolls Royce of a guitar for starters, but having just forked out for a new Frenzel amp, new 2x12 cab etc, I'm too broke to buy a new backup guitar. Updating my Tele with BKs has highlighted just how much the stock pickups in my strat really suck - weak, lifeless and tinny.
What I'm looking for is an HSS set that will offer me something quite different to what i'm already getting with my Tele. i.e. I want something hotter with more attitude and all-round bollox. Something for a more gutsy british rock sound (but not a shred/death metal sound) - I have the twang, sweet cleans and bluesy single-coil sound nailed with my Tele. Any thoughts? (other than binning the Fenix and saving up for a LP)
Thanks,
Andy.
PS. is it actually possible to turn a fair-to-middling strat copy into a Les Paul just by swapping the pickups? LOL
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I have several BK HSS sets, but the one that I think will do what you want best is the Rebel Yell with 2 Mothers Milks. I also have the Holy Diver with 2 Trilogy Suites, but that is more of an 80's sound. You could also look at a Crawler with 2 Irish Tours, or for more of a 70's British sound you could go with Slowhands instead of the IT's.
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I cannot comment too much on the h/b but I think a Crawler and 2 Slowhands might be a good choice (as per one of Phil's suggestions).
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Holy Diver/Irish Tour set - I love the HD for it's massive thick midrange & nice high output. Crawler might be a better bet though if you don't want to go quite so "metal" as the HD.
FWIW I don't think you will ever make a strat (copy or otherwise) sound exactly like a Les Paul, but you can seriously beef up the sound that comes out of it with a good set of pickups. My korina strat sounds massive - OK the body wood has something to do with that - played acoustically it has resonance to die for - but the HD bridge gives single notes enormous weight :)
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Thanks for the tips guys. I'm pretty sure which set I'm going to go for (Crawler for the bridge at least), but I've decided to hold off and upgrade the guitar itself first. BKs would help my strat I'm sure, but you can't make a silk purse out of a bag o' shitee, as the saying sort of goes.
I'm probably going to get a modern LP/PRS style, which will better suit the sound I'm looking for. It'll undoubtedly be a copy as current funds wont allow the real deal :-( Any suggestions on good ones that are cheap? Failing that, any tips on spec I should be looking for when searching?
Thanks,
Andy.
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If you want prs-esque look schecters are very well made guitars. you can pick the good ones up for around £400 at soundcontrol or around £250 on ebay. Ive got a 006 elite and it is awesome most come with ducan designed pickups but im sure you'll whant to change them for bkp's. Ive got a miracleman in mine.
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If you want prs-esque look schecters are very well made guitars. you can pick the good ones up for around £400 at soundcontrol or around £250 on ebay. Ive got a 006 elite and it is awesome most come with ducan designed pickups but im sure you'll whant to change them for bkp's. Ive got a miracleman in mine.
1) Best username ever. :drink:
2) at that kind of price, you could also look at the PRS SE models- I prefer them to schecters, to be honest, but obviously a lot of that is just personal preference. EDIT: I'd also take a serious look at the washburn wi65/66 pro Idol, the Washburn x50 pro (assuming you like PRS doublecut shapes), Yamaha AES series, and possibly Ibanez SZ series (again, if you like the PRS doublecuts, and it's not just a single cut you're after).
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^
+1 on the PRS SE series and the Washburn Idols.
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Thanks guys. I like the look of the Schecters, I prefer the round top to the flat top PRS ES budget models. Will need to play some I guess as I've never bought a guitar on-line before and don't intend to ever.
Hmm, G.A.S still not resolved even after Christmas....
Classic. Started off thinking about ugrading some pickups and now I'm looking at new guitars. Pickups are very easy to sneak under the wire, but a new axe will not go down well with the missus. Better leave it a week. lol
Cheers.
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Better leave it a week. lol
Good idea. I find GAS usually clears up after a week or two. If it's still there after a month it's time to go spendin'. :wink:
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If you want prs-esque look schecters are very well made guitars. you can pick the good ones up for around £400 at soundcontrol or around £250 on ebay. Ive got a 006 elite and it is awesome most come with ducan designed pickups but im sure you'll whant to change them for bkp's. Ive got a miracleman in mine.
Schecters aren't too bad a bang for the buck, but you can do sooooo much better with Carvin regardless. It's not like I have anything against Schecters, it's just nothing can compete against Carvins when it comes to bang for the buck.
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I have a customised Fender Hm Strat and for the bridge I had a holy diver in it which didn't really work, the nailbomb was better but just didn't feel right. Finally the Rebel Yell works really well.
Also I've had Irish Tours in it which worked really well but I wanted higher output in the neck and better cleans so changed to Trilogies which work really well, pretty much matching the output from the Rebel Yell with the right adjustments.
I play mostly crunchy marshall tone stuff, 80s metal and hard rock. Also a lot of instrumental guitar stuff but I don't play Mega distorsion stuff, less gain let the fingers get the tone
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Very useful info Muso, thanks. Sounds like you've been through a good process of elimination. Could be a good option if I decide to upgrade the strat instead of getting another axe. Or both! (Sshhh, the wife's listening!)
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Very useful info Muso, thanks. Sounds like you've been through a good process of elimination. Could be a good option if I decide to upgrade the strat instead of getting another axe. Or both! (Sshhh, the wife's listening!)
As I've said many times, the best sounding guitar I have ever played is my Les Paul with Rebel Yells...
However I am very interested in Crawlers as well.... perhaps you may like the Crawler + Mother's Milk set in a HSS strat if you go that route.
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You could have a look at somee tokai Love rocks? there Les Paul junior copies look really really nice, and you cant fault the build quality, even on the Koreans ones.
Joe
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VHII and two irish tours.. you wont be disapointed!
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Thanks everyone for suggestions on pickups and new axes. Well, I've shelved the idea of getting a new axe since I spent the weekend doing some serious work on my Fenix strat-floyd HSS. I levelled and dressed the frets and gave it a thorough setup. I now have it playing extremely well and can properly diagnose what is lacking in the current pickups. The situation remains the same: they are lifeless, particularly the bridge humbucker which is a bit of a eunuch. The singles are quite woody-sounding and not too bad, but overall this axe needs more bottom and mids and more punch and attitude. So, as you can see, I'm back to the idea of replacing the pickups.
All of the suggested HSS sets sound like possible options but the key I think is selecting a set that will complement the natural sound of the axe (what? - you say you want cr@p pickups? lol). Seriously though, I want to compensate for rather than accentuate the fairly bright tone of the guitar (or is it the stock PUs?), without going too far and making things too dark. It definitely needs more bottom though. I like a fairly present sound but I want attitude not 'single-coilness'. I am also more of a rhythm player than lead, so the whichever bucker I get should be for adding general chunk. I want a pretty hot output with typical humbucker meat and potatoes, but with the versatility to cover some different genres. I'm not looking for 80s big-hair or modern high-gain, but I also don't want a medium output vintage strat sound either as this probably isn't quite pokey enough for what I want. My amp is a Frenzel all-tube 'deluxe/vintage marshall hybrid', p-to-p tube rectifier, push-pull head into a 2x12 - its no dual recto high gainer - it's a tone monster. I'm not sure if all this clarifies my needs any further than my original post but I'd appreciate people's input on an HSS set, particularly on humbucker choice as I'm having a really hard time selecting this from the descriptions. Sorry for the long post.
Cheers,
Andy.