Help! Best pick up for post rock (ala Mono, Envy, Explosions in the Sky etc)

[Vegan Shinigami]

Hey guys,

New to these forums and fairly new to guitar gear. I currently have an Ibanez ARZ800, and have a solo project of making delay and reverb ridden post rock kinda stuff. The issue is my pickups are active, and just aren't right for the type of music I want to play.

Can anyone make any suggestions as to which bareknuckles would be best. I'm thinking Blue Mondays, but i'm not too sure.

Thanks in advance!

Ben

[BigB]

Hey guys,

New to these forums and fairly new to guitar gear. I currently have an Ibanez ARZ800, and have a solo project of making delay and reverb ridden post rock kinda stuff. The issue is my pickups are active, and just aren't right for the type of music I want to play.

Can anyone make any suggestions as to which bareknuckles would be best. I'm thinking Blue Mondays, but i'm not too sure.

Err... Did you actually mean "PG Blues" or "Stormy Mondays" ? ;-)

But anyway: as far as I can tell, most of the bands your named are mosltly using F-like guitars (bolton maple necks and single-coil pups), so you won't get similar tones with a LP-like. Perhaps getting a strat / tele / Jazzmaster / etc might work better.

If you want to stick to your Ibby, you may still have good results with a LP-like using either low-output vintage voiced buckers (Stormy mondays, PG Blues, Mules...) - eventually with a serie/parallel switch (parallel will give you a more single-coilish tone with still humbucking) - or HB-sized P90, but don't hope to get that crystal-clear, hollow, fenderish single-coil tones.

My 2 cents...

[Deadstar]

Yay another post rock fan  :D

I agree with BigB on the Fender type guitar might be a better starting point.
Yeah I was wondering about the 'blue mondays' thing as well???  :?

For the classic post rock sounds though I'd probably steer you nearer to single coils, most bands tend to use jazzmasters/teles and the like for the more noticeable leads - so at least a coil split option or p-90

I would suggest you have a word with Tim on the phone to see what they could do, there are plenty of custom options not listed on the website. I do believe I remember philly saying they made a wrhb styled pickup in regular humbucker sized housing but was actually a single coil underneath - also had a thought that you could ask if they could make a single coil using pole magnets underneath humbucker sized p-90 housing....might not be able to but it's always worth asking.

If you're dead set on a humbucker though I'd probably go for a 'Riff Raff' bridge and 'VH II' neck myself.

[Vegan Shinigami]

Ugh! What a moron!! Yes, I meant Stormy Mondays :)

Ah I see, that makes sense. I have seen both Mono and Envy and they mostly use Telecasters. It is definitely something on the cards in the future, but at this stage I can't afford a new guitar, and this particular Ibanez has huge sentimental value (long story, but I bought it in Japan and was a nightmare to bring back), so I definitely want to stick with it.

I was talking with a local luthier who suggested a series/parallel switch, so that seems like it might be my best option at this stage.

I will have a good read up on the pickups you guys have suggested. Thanks heaps! Will also have a think about the custom work, but I'm guessing that will be fairly pricey (as you can tell, money is an issue for me at this stage haha).

Do either of you have a post rock project at all? If so, I'd be interesting in checking them out :D

[BigB]

I was talking with a local luthier who suggested a series/parallel switch, so that seems like it might be my best option at this stage.

If you never did, you may also want to try out a guitar with P90s on it to see if they could fit your needs - not that they sound that fenderish, but they are still true single-coils, with a voicing of their own.

Do either of you have a post rock project at all?

Not me - mostly into blues / blues rock (at home) and alternative/punk/grunge (with my band).

[Telerocker]

If you stick to this guitar, I would certainly look at Mississippi Queens to get that shimmering F-type of tone.

[Vegan Shinigami]

If you stick to this guitar, I would certainly look at Mississippi Queens to get that shimmering F-type of tone.

Sorry, what's an F-type tone?

If you're dead set on a humbucker though I'd probably go for a 'Riff Raff' bridge and 'VH II' neck myself.

This sounds like a good combo. Will prob get them installed so I can split the coils and use them as single coils.

Cheers guys!

[BigB]

Sorry, what's an F-type tone?

F = Fender

If you're dead set on a humbucker though I'd probably go for a 'Riff Raff' bridge and 'VH II' neck myself.

This sounds like a good combo. Will prob get them installed so I can split the coils and use them as single coils.

[/quote]

Spliting a 'bucker doesn't make it a single-coil. Well, technically yes, but given the difference in construction and wiring, it won't make it sound like a fenderish single coil. Parallel wiring is IMHO the best option, still single-coilish (positions 2 and 4 on a strat or middle position on a Telly are 2 singles coils in parallel) but without the hum and usually sounds better than split (depending on the pups of course - I've not yet tested a splitted vintage-hot BKP bucker).

[Telerocker]

+1. RiffRaffs will deliver chime.