Pickups for Ic300?

[crumpy]

Thank you all for sharing your thoughts.

I now use a Mooer Little Monster AC 5w Tube amp. I'd like something bigger at some point, but I'm not going to be gigging anytime soon, if ever, and this suits my 'bedroom amp' needs for the moment. It's a significant improvement over the Marshall amp I had. I 'get' the tube amp thing now.

The IC300 is indeed a mahogany body with bolt on maple neck, AH1 and AH2 humbuckers. It may not be the perfect base for the direction I'm going in, but I really like the way it looks and feels.

Currently it definitely sounds strongest smashing out power chords with the gain cranked up or using a distortion pedal, I suspect that it could be made into a formidable metal axe. It's got weight or power, but perhaps lacks crispness particularly when played clean, like it could be brighter and more sparkly for the stuff I like to play. I could just be talking out of my *** though.

[AndyR]

I think you might not go far wrong with Stormy Mondays.

I'm a strat-man really, but I have a bunch of other guitars. Recently I got a Les Paul Traditional and thought I'd try out the Stormy Mondays (I have Mules and Riff Raffs in other humbucker guitars). I have to say - this guitar has completely stopped me playing the strats for the moment. It does the cleans, it does the rocking. It's fast turning into my favourite go-to guitar.

If you want to go P90, I have Mississippi Queens. They were in an SG for a long time, they're now in another Les Paul but I haven't used it much yet (all the pickups got switched round at the same time, and apart from a little run-through and adjustment for the others, I haven't put the Trad with it's Stormies down). The SG with the MQs definitely produced the sounds you're talking about when I rolled off the volume - nice cleans that encouraged funky blues playing. But I find them slightly harsher and more punchy than the Stormy Mondays.

The SMs have been a bit of an eye-opener for me - I use a single channel valve amp, no pedals, I control it all from the guitar, and prior to this, if I wanted a "versatile" sound, cleans and dirties etc, the whole thing, mellow, funky, raunchy, I'd always pick up a strat or a tele. The guitars with humbuckers or, indeed, the MQs always suggest dirtier blues/rock etc to me. But I'm now using a Les Paul with humbuckers (Stormy Mondays) for everything. It doesn't sound like a strat, but it gives me the same vibe.

How things will work with a mahogany body and bolt on maple, I don't know, though...

[FELINEGUITARS]

Crumpy has brought the Iceman in to us to bring back to life  after taking a backseat to other hobbies.

We intend to make a lovely job of tidying up the fretboard and electrics too.
We have a lovely Mississippi queen ready to go and Chris at BKP is speeding a blue note through so we can get  the guitar done in record time so Crumpy can have it  back before he goes on his travels.

We'll put some nice pots and a Jensen cap in too, and the guitar will have a lot of usable range

[crumpy]

Hah! I wondered if you'd be on here.

Really looking forward the changes.

[FELINEGUITARS]

Here is how the beast looks now:



We were looking forward to putting the HSPs in and first revamped the cavities - screening them with nickel paint.
With Ed's permission we addedan extra control - because Icaman guitars look so much better with 3 controls like the classic PS10, and it would also allow individual control of each pickup.
We chose to use 500k pots as they would allo the full top end spectrum to shine through and make the guitar more versatile .
But we paired it up with a BKP/Jensen 0.022uF cap , so there is a nice smooth treble roll off available.

A replacement switch as the old one was troublesome and the frets given a little fret dressing and the guitar is a joy to play.
The choice of MQ and Blue Note is superb and will cover rock and blues nicely.

[Dave Sloven]

Beautiful job!

[crumpy]

  Phwoar! That third pot really does make a big difference to the way it looks.

[AndyR]

Nice!

[Slartibartfarst42]

I agree that three controls just looks 'right'. I can't think how anyone would prefer it any other way.