Author Topic: Pickup suggestions - Indie Shape (Read 4395 times)

bamboofrog · « **on:** July 01, 2008, 11:41:22 AM »

Hi

I have been thinking about changing the stock pickups in my Indie guitar, I find that it can be very bassy and that the sound can get a bit messy.

I am still very much a beginner so I am not really sure if the outlay for new pickups is justified.

I mainly try to play blues, classic rock (led Zep, pink floyd, zz top), I don't play metal.

My Indie guitar is a solid mahogony body and neck, flamed maple top, rosewood fingerboard.

I currenly play through an Epi VJ and use a Boss Blues breaker pedal.

That's about it, any thoughts would be greatly appreciated

Ratrod · « **Reply #1 on:** July 01, 2008, 12:03:00 PM »

Mules would work well for that guitar and music.

Twinfan · « **Reply #2 on:** July 01, 2008, 12:04:50 PM »

Nice looking guitar!

For the tones you're after, I'd look at:

* AII Stormy Mondays
* Riff Raffs
* VHIIs

The Stormies are warm and smooth. Riff Raffs have more clarity and top end bite. The VHIIs are more rock than blues, and have a bit less bass than stormies but more 'zing' - great for ZZ Top.

These are all my favourite BKPs. I personally don't like Mules, although you may want to add them to the list. I think the Black Dog is a bit too thick and and fat for what you're after - I like mine in my Squier Strat, but I wouldn't put it in my SG or LP.

My recommendation would be the SMs. If you're into the lighter side of Pink Floyd, and classic blues, Stormies are better suited than the others.

AndyR · « **Reply #3 on:** July 01, 2008, 01:06:34 PM »

+1 on the look of that guitar.

I'm going to suggest Mules or Riff Raffs, leaning slightly towards the latter.

I use mine for roughly the same sort of music as you do.

My Riff Raffs are in a mahogany body/neck, rosewood board, Gibson Explorer. My Mules are in a Japanese Tokai Love Rock, same woods as yours. One day I'm going to try swapping them over just to see what happens.

I personally struggled with the Mules to start with - I think I was expecting something "different" from what they actually do (I'd already been using the Riff Raffs for a bit, and was lusting after the "vintage late 50s sound"). However, I have grown to love them (after buying the Love Rock to house them!)

In my experience, the Mules seem to have "more" of everything (top and bottom end) but with a more open sound, whereas the Riff Raffs seem tighter or more "focussed". I think I had to learn to appreciate the openess of the Mules. But anyway, my experience might be the guitars they're in - which is why I'd like to swap them over one day, just to see...

I don't think you'd go far wrong with either set - what you really need is another guitar so you can have both!

EDIT: Sorry just reread the end of Twinfan's response - I've not tried the SMs, but from all I hear, and if you need the "cleaner" end, SMs might be what you're after. The Mules, with my settings, clean up into Paul Kossoff territory rather than Dave Gilmour. I don't know how to describe the clean of the Riff Raffs in my Explorer - I'm using it pretty much like Allen Collins in Lynyrd Skynyrd most of the time, or as my stock blues-beast, or as a "Ricky Medlocke in Blackfoot" sort of weapon!

bamboofrog · « **Reply #4 on:** July 01, 2008, 01:48:55 PM »

Thanks for the suggestions and for the Guitar appreciation.

The stormy mondays sound or riff raffs sound like the right direction. Would they be ok with some heavier stuff as well, such as Nirvana?

Is it worth changing the pick ups even though my playing is some what amateur? or is it more suited to a more accomplished player?

Twinfan · « **Reply #5 on:** July 01, 2008, 02:00:22 PM »

I find that the better my tone, the more inspired I am to play, and the more I progress. If you're unhappy with your sound, and you think pickups will change that, then it's worth a go!

Both Riff Raffs and Stormy Mondays will be fine for Nirvana-type tones. As they are slightly less 'defined' or 'hi-fi', I'd say the Stormy Mondays may be better suited.

Fikealox · « **Reply #6 on:** July 01, 2008, 02:01:04 PM »

If you find the pickups unpleasant, then it 's worth changing them because sounding nice encourages you to play, practice, and improve. I know when I found the first set of pickups I really liked, I played probably 4 times as much, and enjoyed it a lot more.

Twinfan · « **Reply #7 on:** July 01, 2008, 02:03:16 PM »

Just a thought - the EVJ is quite a bassy and thick sounding amp as standard. If you haven't already, try using your Blues Driver as a clean/treble boost by keeping the gain low-ish and upping the tone control to thin the sound out a bit :)

bamboofrog · « **Reply #8 on:** July 01, 2008, 02:08:04 PM »

Cheers for the advice and rassurance. I have to convince my wife that it is a good idea too. At the moment I spend to much time ogling guitars and not enough time playing :D

Cheers twinfan I will try using the bluedriver to thin out the sound a bit.

AndyR · « **Reply #9 on:** July 01, 2008, 02:16:21 PM »

I'm not too sure on the "heavier stuff" question - I only dabble in that direction, and for me the Riff Raffs do it better than the Mules.

On the "somewhat amateur" question though - I think most of us are to a greater or lesser degree :D

I think some people might argue that upgrading your amp kit will give you a bigger improvement at this stage, but I'm personally not convinced about that argument - I think it's up to you on which areas you want to upgrade first. It also depends on how/where/why you play - I play (almost) exclusively through modellers nowadays, and BKPs have given me a noticable extra mojo for what they cost me.

But the bottom line (for me anyway) is this - if you've got to the stage where you find yourself varying tone or voice with your picking attack and style, then BKPs will improve stuff for you, you'll find you get a lot more expression out of the speakers for the effort that you put in with your fingers. My vibrato has improved enormously since getting the BKP bug. And if you haven't got to that stage yet - well, BKPs will show you what is possible to do in that area!!

AndyR · « **Reply #10 on:** July 01, 2008, 02:33:09 PM »

Quote from: bamboofrog

I have to convince my wife that it is a good idea too.

I wondered whether that was part of it. I spent several months telling my wife about BKPs and what they might do for me. When I finally ordered (with some overtime money, so I didn't feel I was depriving her of anything!) she said she was surprised I hadn't ordered them months ago as I obviously wanted/needed them... :roll:

And by the way - even she noticed the improvement in my sound and playing.

+1 on what everyone else says, you play better and improve faster when you feel your tone is better - and we're all pretty much in agreement that BKPs have improved our tone. Even when I was struggling with my Mules, I loved the tone - I just didn't know what to do with it!

Daniel G · « **Reply #11 on:** July 01, 2008, 04:37:54 PM »

Bit late, but i'd say stormy mondays, or maybe some mules

kellar · « **Reply #12 on:** July 01, 2008, 06:03:52 PM »

Do what I did and get a Stormy Monday neck with a Riff Raff bridge. It's an extremely versatile set and should help brighten things up with the EVJ.
If you are planning on sticking with your EVJ, I certainly would not recommend Mules. The will make your dark amp even darker. I agree with the above, either a Riff Raff set, Stormy Monday set, or combination.

Buddha · « **Reply #13 on:** July 01, 2008, 08:18:29 PM »

another vote for stormy mondays from me

HTH AMPS · « **Reply #14 on:** July 01, 2008, 09:52:35 PM »

I'm quite surprised people are considering Mules to be dark sounding - I think they're classic PAF and thus quite a bright pickup. I don't have any problems with them in my Les Paul.

Anyway, I would say for the stuff you've listed a Riff Raff set would cover all bases.