choices for my dark 335

[littleredguitars2]

the more i play my 335, the more i notice how dark it is. i put a seymour duncan that i had lying around in it (that i loved in my strats) and it sounds pretty terrible. at the time, i guess i didnt really notice how dark it really was. plus i know i would REALLY benefit from upgrading the pots. right now i'm thinking of just upgrading the bridge. i could upgrade the neck later on.

so i was thinking The Mule. i want a classic vintage tone that can cover a lot of ground but is it good in a dark guitar? and what about potted vs unpotted? i was thinking maybe asking for a mule with a bit more output. i know people say that the abraxus is pretty much a hotter mule but on the charts for both pickups, the abraxus seems to lose a good ammount of highs which i think i really need for this dark guitar

thoughts?

[Kiichi]

On the HB side I think the Stormy would be nice on the vintage side. From what I hear it has a certain brittle (not the right word...well it is not the fullest in the mids) quality that should work very well with a darker guitar.
If you wanne go hotter the Riff Raff will breathe life into any darker guitar.

However my personal favorite pick would probably be a MQ. Vintage voicing, versatile, sits great in darker guitar, etc. MQ in a dark 335 just feels right. Gives you amazing vintage blues sounds, rocks like heck and can go metal if you need it (but with a distinctly different flavour than your SH).

[littleredguitars2]

yeah people had suggested the stormy mondays before. but i never really gave any thought to the riff raffs. a p90 would be cool for the neck if i ever decide to swap that out too. but i'm not sure i want one for the bridge.

[Dave Sloven]

I would have guessed Riff Raffs for their reputation for being bright.  In the vintage hot range an alternative to the Abraxas would be the Emerald, which has a reputation for being bright.

[Kiichi]

yeah people had suggested the stormy mondays before. but i never really gave any thought to the riff raffs. a p90 would be cool for the neck if i ever decide to swap that out too. but i'm not sure i want one for the bridge.

Not everyone likes bridge P90s as much as I do, gotta decide that for yourself. Now that you have the SH you got some reference point. I can see a Riff Raff MQ combo work very well too in that kind of guitar. Should really give you wide variety of tones and brighten up the whole thing. Can hardly go wrong that way.

[Telerocker]

I think a MQ-neck might need a hotter bridgepickup for a good balance. Personally I would try a calibrated Mules-set. Mules are quite balanced, and sound deep and full, yet slightly scooped in the mids, but not that much. They also have a lovely crispiness to them and are quite touchsensitive. The neckpickup sounds georgeous. No mud there. Very expressive pickups.

[bandmaster188]

i've got a mule bridge and stormy monday neck in my 335. but i can definately vouch for the mule in a 335. works really well for the blues and southern rock styles i play. although i do like the stormy in the neck i kind of wish i'd gone for a set of mules as the mule neck is such a sweet sounding pickup.

[littleredguitars2]

thanks for the mule feedback everyone. i really think its the way to go.

[bandmaster188]

You could go open coils too which would help brighten things up a little bit more.
Zebra's look sweeeet on a 335 :D

https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=26053.msg342712#msg342712

[littleredguitars2]

i'm going to do open. i like the look of the es333 more than the 335 with no pickguard and the open pickups. so when i eventually get the neck pickup i'll get an open as well.

but i never was a fan of zebra. probably will just go with black. but cream is a possibility

[littleredguitars2]

Purchased the mule. Potted. Open.  Black coils. 4 conductor.  Wasnt sure if I should have went with unpotted to maybe brighten it up a little more. Oh well.  I hope it fits the guitar well

[Telerocker]

Purchased the mule. Potted. Open.  Black coils. 4 conductor.  Wasnt sure if I should have went with unpotted to maybe brighten it up a little more. Oh well.  I hope it fits the guitar well

Potted Mules have plenty of mojo!  :)

[littleredguitars2]

Yeah I'm sure of that.  Just wasn't sure if unpotted was better for my situation

[Telerocker]

Yeah I'm sure of that.  Just wasn't sure if unpotted was better for my situation

That depends on how much gain you use and how loud you play. For blues I can see the unpotted Mules being the icing on the cake.

[littleredguitars2]

i tend to be on the gainier side for sure.