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Author Topic: Pickups and guitar woods combinations : Do and Don't  (Read 20147 times)

Twinfan

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Re: Pickups and guitar woods combinations : Do and Don't
« Reply #15 on: June 05, 2009, 05:41:31 PM »
Twinfan, do you think a MQ Neck and Crawler Bridge would work well in those guitars?

Yeah, I think they would  :)

DO -- make up your own mind instead of expecting a bunch of 1s and 0s to spoon-feed some magic formula to you.

Not everyone can afford to buy a whole bunch of £90+ pickups just to find the one they like best.  This is a discussion forum and we're discussing some examples of what has worked for us and what hasn't.

Denim n Leather

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Re: Pickups and guitar woods combinations : Do and Don't
« Reply #16 on: June 05, 2009, 06:26:55 PM »

DO -- make up your own mind instead of expecting a bunch of 1s and 0s to spoon-feed some magic formula to you.

Not everyone can afford to buy a whole bunch of £90+ pickups just to find the one they like best.  This is a discussion forum and we're discussing some examples of what has worked for us and what hasn't.
110101011110101010 PDT_008

_tom_

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Re: Pickups and guitar woods combinations : Do and Don't
« Reply #17 on: June 05, 2009, 07:31:03 PM »
I dont think I have a dont (yet) but


Pig 90 bridge /MQ neck - DO

Got these in an all mahogany Les Paul and it sounds/feels so much better than my Mule'd Epiphone :) Makes me want a guitar with the "proper" Les Paul woods to put the Mules in, though..

the prince of shred

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Re: Pickups and guitar woods combinations : Do and Don't
« Reply #18 on: June 05, 2009, 09:39:54 PM »

DO -- make up your own mind instead of expecting a bunch of 1s and 0s to spoon-feed some magic formula to you.

Not everyone can afford to buy a whole bunch of £90+ pickups just to find the one they like best.  This is a discussion forum and we're discussing some examples of what has worked for us and what hasn't.
[/quote]

completely agree with that... i dont really see this as any different to advising someone what pickup to choose its just a broader spectrum of other peoples experiances.... if your going to tell people to see what they like the best you may as well say that to anyone who asks what pickup in this guitar for this style...... which is $%&#ing ludicrous because as twinfan said not everyone is loaded.....

pagan7

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Re: Pickups and guitar woods combinations : Do and Don't
« Reply #19 on: June 05, 2009, 11:20:57 PM »


            DO - Calibrated set of Painkillers   in an Ibanez RG321 with an all mahogany unlaquered body, maple bolt on neck with a bound rosewood fingerboard , fixed bridge and through body stringing - Master volume and tone controls replaced with dual concentric pots so each pup has its own volume and tone - 5 way pup selecter switch replaced with a 3 way output selecter - so wired as per a LP apart from a mini toggle to reverse phase and another to switch tone pot caps from .022 to .047 (particularly noticable tone spectrum shift when pups are switched out of phase) fitted with 11's and mostly tuned to ..umm drop D flat I think (strings 1 - 5 down half a step and string 6 down a step and a half)
Simply superb

            NOT SURE - Calibrated set of Nailbombs in an Ibanez RGT42 - 5 piece mahogany/walnut through neck mahogany body wings - thick laquer on body and back of bound rosewood fingerboarded neck- locking nut and floyd and again wired as per a LP - and weighs nearly as much :(     - standard tuning on 10's
 Although the Nailbombs sound great, with excellent dynamic response and a breathing organic fluidity and definition, they do tend to emphasise the natural "middyness" of this guitar a little too much for my liking and I'm thinking of replacing them with a set of C-Bombs for a little added sizzle, and putting these A-Bombs on a recently aquired secondhand Ibanez RG1550 Prestige I'm refurbishing. I think the combination of its basswood body, all maple neck and fingerboard, locking nut and floyd and controls and pups all mounted on a pickguard as per a Strat, will allow the Nailbombs to breath and sing unfettered.
I'll report back if this thread is still going by the time I get things sorted  8)
So - good but not as good as they could/will be on other tone woods
CERAMIC NAILBOMBS + Ibanez RGT42DX and PAINKILLERS + Ibanez RG321MH and A5 NAILBOMBS + Ibanez RG1550

badgermark

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Re: Pickups and guitar woods combinations : Do and Don't
« Reply #20 on: June 05, 2009, 11:43:31 PM »
Holydiver in an alder guitar. My favorite pickup ever, sounds amazing in both strats and teles.
Mississippi Queens, Holydiver.

Philly Q

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Re: Pickups and guitar woods combinations : Do and Don't
« Reply #21 on: June 05, 2009, 11:45:23 PM »
I can't really make specific-pickup-in-specific-guitar suggestions, but as very general observations:

1. A pickup that's voiced with a lot of bass/low mids will be muddy in an all-mahogany set-neck, but can sound great (and totally different) in a guitar with a bolt-on maple neck.

2. A pickup which sounds bright in your all-mahogany set-neck probably isn't going to work in a guitar with a bolt-on maple neck.  Unless you really like the sound of chalk on a blackboard.

3. If your mahogany set-neck has a (thick) maple top, it balances out the natural tone and gives you a much wider choice of pickups which will work in that guitar.


IMO, of course.  All a matter of taste.
BKPs I've Got:  RR, BKP-91, ITs, VHII, CS set, Emeralds
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syr2012

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Re: Pickups and guitar woods combinations : Do and Don't
« Reply #22 on: June 05, 2009, 11:54:15 PM »
I can't really make specific-pickup-in-specific-guitar suggestions, but as very general observations:

1. A pickup that's voiced with a lot of bass/low mids will be muddy in an all-mahogany set-neck, but can sound great (and totally different) in a guitar with a bolt-on maple neck.

2. A pickup which sounds bright in your all-mahogany set-neck probably isn't going to work in a guitar with a bolt-on maple neck.  Unless you really like the sound of chalk on a blackboard.

3. If your mahogany set-neck has a (thick) maple top, it balances out the natural tone and gives you a much wider choice of pickups which will work in that guitar.


IMO, of course.  All a matter of taste.

+1
BKP Team: Bridge MQ, Black. Bridge HD, Raw Nickel.
To Do: Bridge Nailbomb in chrome (?)

Denim n Leather

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Re: Pickups and guitar woods combinations : Do and Don't
« Reply #23 on: June 06, 2009, 03:13:11 AM »
I can't really make specific-pickup-in-specific-guitar suggestions, but as very general observations:

1. A pickup that's voiced with a lot of bass/low mids will be muddy in an all-mahogany set-neck, but can sound great (and totally different) in a guitar with a bolt-on maple neck.

2. A pickup which sounds bright in your all-mahogany set-neck probably isn't going to work in a guitar with a bolt-on maple neck.  Unless you really like the sound of chalk on a blackboard.

3. If your mahogany set-neck has a (thick) maple top, it balances out the natural tone and gives you a much wider choice of pickups which will work in that guitar.


IMO, of course.  All a matter of taste.
Most logical post yet.

Zaned

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Re: Pickups and guitar woods combinations : Do and Don't
« Reply #24 on: June 06, 2009, 07:07:56 AM »
I can't really make specific-pickup-in-specific-guitar suggestions, but as very general observations:

1. A pickup that's voiced with a lot of bass/low mids will be muddy in an all-mahogany set-neck, but can sound great (and totally different) in a guitar with a bolt-on maple neck.

2. A pickup which sounds bright in your all-mahogany set-neck probably isn't going to work in a guitar with a bolt-on maple neck.  Unless you really like the sound of chalk on a blackboard.

3. If your mahogany set-neck has a (thick) maple top, it balances out the natural tone and gives you a much wider choice of pickups which will work in that guitar.


IMO, of course.  All a matter of taste.

Great post. I would like to add to it:

You can usually go towards your general wanted tone from several directions. For example, if you have maple-bodied guitar, the bottom is very tight. If you combine that with a pickup that has a tight and pronounced bottom, like the miracle man, you'll get a thick but tight tone. On the other hand, if you have guitar with a loose and warm bottom, you can combine that with a pickup that has a less bottom and a bright top, you'll have approximately the same amount of bottom between the two guitars. But the results are still very different.

This kind of thread has been tried before..it's a good thought, but definitive answers cannot be given :? Ultimately, there is no good tone or bad tone..there is only a need for a certain tone.

-Zaned
« Last Edit: June 06, 2009, 07:13:20 AM by Zaned »
Paths are for followers.

Dr. Vic

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Re: Pickups and guitar woods combinations : Do and Don't
« Reply #25 on: June 10, 2009, 09:32:01 PM »
There is no best. Only what is best for you. Even a terrible combination can sound perfect in certain circumstances.

definitive answers cannot be given :? Ultimately, there is no good tone or bad tone..there is only a need for a certain tone.


Yes that's very true but the aim of this topic isn't to ask for permanent rules as we know it has a lot to do with your context.  Indeed I think the review of twinfan is very interesting : having two similar guitars giving differents results speaks a lot to me !.

Which is why I think it's interresting in this thread to share personal-unique-experiences of what pup/axe combination(s) did or didn't work for you. And the more you comment on the description of your rig and the tone you were after, the better.


I can't really make specific-pickup-in-specific-guitar suggestions, but as very general observations:

1. A pickup that's voiced with a lot of bass/low mids will be muddy in an all-mahogany set-neck, but can sound great (and totally different) in a guitar with a bolt-on maple neck.

2. A pickup which sounds bright in your all-mahogany set-neck probably isn't going to work in a guitar with a bolt-on maple neck.  Unless you really like the sound of chalk on a blackboard.

3. If your mahogany set-neck has a (thick) maple top, it balances out the natural tone and gives you a much wider choice of pickups which will work in that guitar.


IMO, of course.  All a matter of taste.
Most logical post yet.

I think, for instance, that it would have been great to illustrate the general observations above with the pickups you found bassy/muddy and the one you found bright in your mahog guitar, still regarding the tone you were after..

And btw thanks guys for the nice review you started to put here....... 8)

To be continued....  :D

Philly Q

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Re: Pickups and guitar woods combinations : Do and Don't
« Reply #26 on: June 11, 2009, 12:03:36 AM »
I think, for instance, that it would have been great to illustrate the general observations above with the pickups you found bassy/muddy and the one you found bright in your mahog guitar, still regarding the tone you were after..

The reason I didn't mention particular pickups is that it really was a general observation based on many years of trial-and-error guitar-and-pickup swapping.  I made some really bad choices, but slowly learned to make better ones. 

I mentioned mahogany guitars and traditional bolt-ons because most of my guitars have been SGs (or similar), Strats or Teles, plus a few LPs.  I've never owned a neck-thru, or anything made of exotic woods, and I've only owned a couple of superstrats so I can't say too much about them.

And most of the pickups weren't BKPs, so they wouldn't be too relevant to this discussion.  I've tried loads of different DiMarzios, Duncans, EMGs, Bardens, Kinmans, Armstrongs plus stock Fenders and Gibsons so my opinions are mostly based on those, plus the 10 or so BKPs I've had.

For personal BKP observations:  I love Cold Sweats in an SG.  The Rebel Yell worked well enough in a thin-body LP, but ultimately I didn't really like it.  I found Crawlers very dark in a fairly lightweight Edwards LP (but others have said completely different - even that they're bright!).   But as for other combinations, I'm guessing - I can say, for example, that I wouldn't put a Crawler in an SG or a Riff Raff in a Tele..... but I haven't actually tried them, because I'm 100% sure they wouldn't work!*  :P

(* for ME, that is!)

BKPs I've Got:  RR, BKP-91, ITs, VHII, CS set, Emeralds
BKPs I Had:  RY+Abraxas, Crawlers, BD+SM

gwEm

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Re: Pickups and guitar woods combinations : Do and Don't
« Reply #27 on: June 11, 2009, 12:21:30 AM »
would avoid painkillers in a graphite board&neck/maple bodied axe unless you like a uber bright attack

even EMGs won't totally blot out a guitars natural tone.. so sensitive pickups like BKPs need to be used carefully
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MDV

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Re: Pickups and guitar woods combinations : Do and Don't
« Reply #28 on: June 11, 2009, 09:44:05 AM »
Do - listen to the acoustic sound of the guitar.

Do - make decisions on what pickup goes in what guitar on a guitar-by-guitar basis

Dont - make decisions on what pickup to put in what guitar on a wood-by-wood basis. On paper the speicies of wood in a guitar are guides to how it sounds, theres a lot of variation within the species and the only fact of how it sounds is how it bloody well sounds when you play it. If your all-maple guitar has a tonne of low end, DONT blunder along like a T72 tank thinking "but maple bright must use dark pickup" when your guitar doesnt fit that trend.

Do - use the knowledge and experience of others. People that have done similar things are the best guides youre going to get short of laying out the cash to experiment yourself, and its why we all joined here in the first place; those of us that have stayed try to help and continue to learn about guitars and ascociated stuff from one another.

Do - experiment, if you can afford it.

Do - Trust your ears

MDV

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Re: Pickups and guitar woods combinations : Do and Don't
« Reply #29 on: June 11, 2009, 09:56:33 AM »
would avoid painkillers in a graphite board&neck/maple bodied axe unless you like a uber bright attack

even EMGs won't totally blot out a guitars natural tone.. so sensitive pickups like BKPs need to be used carefully

Thruth-y!

The best guitar tones I've ever had are BK-powered.......and so are the worst!! BKs are very sensitive to the guitar they're in. The story of one mans miracle man - in an alder dean with a floyd and a maple neck; bright and crunchy as hell, tight bass, but not that much of it - in an epi LP; thick, chewey, muscualar, heavy but clear, in a ply-body fake-maple-neck Hondo (my first guitar) - shockingly thin, grating, obnoxious shallow evil tone. The story of a similar miracle man - 23k, double screw pole, in the same dean, similar to before but more low end, power and compression. In a maple neck basswood body FR jackson, much fuller, more open, smoother, thicker, bigger, tighter low end and more cutting top end. On paper the specs of those two giutars are very similar, in practice their acoustic tone is quite different, and in much the same way as the amped tone is different with the same BK in each

Similarly I've had NBs sound shite in a dean ZX (that ended up sounding best with a swinsehead in the bridge....sorry!) but PKs sounded great in it, and later I installed some NBs in a customers Epi LP and it sounded fantastic.

There are more where those came from too!

BKs are NOT turd-polishers. DO - remember that.
« Last Edit: June 11, 2009, 09:59:04 AM by MDV »