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Author Topic: Another Pickup Suggestion Thread  (Read 10395 times)

alex.pinheiro.soares

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Another Pickup Suggestion Thread
« on: March 22, 2025, 12:32:02 PM »
Hello everyone!
I am looking for some objective recommendation (within each one personal appreciation) of pickup set for a Charvel Pro Mod Rel.
The guitar comes from factory with Seymour Duncan® JB™ TB-4 on bridge and Seymour Duncan® '59™ SH-1N on neck.

I basically play original (band) songs that flows from 60s rock through 70's Led Zeppelin/Wolfmother to 80/90s (somewhere around Guns N Roses, Motley Crue etc), of course not even near in terms of quality.

I am using a Marshall SH20 (20 Watts plexy) and i play a lot with guitar volume to get clean tones from it (either using a tele with Seymour duncan quarter pound and/or Strat with BK Irish Tour)!

So you may ask, why change pickups on the Charvel, i love the neck and the playability, and i was looking for some pickups that would react better to volume and would be able to get some decent cleans and dynamics (the JB is quite harsh/aggresive some times). I have to do some "intros" wich are heavy on delay/reverb effects and these pickups don't deal really well with it (in my opinion/ignorance).

So. should i drink a glass of water and wait for GAS to disapear or any of the below would fit my purposes and why:
- BK Mules
- BK Rebel Yell
- BK PolyPaf

I also have some Suhr Thronebucker set, but on an Ibanez FR1720 i had they lacked "character", too much HiFi for my taste!

Thanks for reading this!

Best Regards


b.gandt

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Re: Another Pickup Suggestion Thread
« Reply #1 on: April 01, 2025, 03:39:22 PM »
Alder body, Maple neck, right?  You may want to consider a Crawler.  It is hot, but more open than many other hot pickups.  Cleans up well.  I used one in a single H configured basswood MIJ Strat.  I can get a fair amount of sounds out of that single humbucker.

I used Mules in a single cut Korina PRS SE.  great classic sound that can be goosed for heavier sounds, very dynamic.  It may be brighter than you want in your chattel, though.  Only a guess on my part, though.

No experience with the Poly PAR and Rebel Yell.  I have read comments here that the Rebel may be too bright for a Strat.


shalev98732

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Re: Another Pickup Suggestion Thread
« Reply #2 on: April 16, 2025, 01:46:44 PM »
Hello everyone!
I am looking for some objective recommendation (within each one personal appreciation) of pickup set for a Charvel Pro Mod Rel.
The guitar comes from factory with Seymour Duncan® JB™ TB-4 on bridge and Seymour Duncan® '59™ SH-1N on neck.

I basically play original (band) songs that flows from 60s rock through 70's Led Zeppelin/Wolfmother to 80/90s (somewhere around Guns N Roses, Motley Crue etc), of course not even near in terms of quality.

I am using a Marshall SH20 (20 Watts plexy) and i play a lot with guitar volume to get clean tones from it (either using a tele with Seymour duncan quarter pound and/or Strat with BK Irish Tour)!

So you may ask, why change pickups on the Charvel, i love the neck and the playability, and i was looking for some pickups that would react better to volume and would be able to get some decent cleans and dynamics (the JB is quite harsh/aggresive some times). I have to do some "intros" wich are heavy on delay/reverb effects and these pickups don't deal really well with it (in my opinion/ignorance).

So. should i drink a glass of water and wait for GAS to disapear or any of the below would fit my purposes and why:
- BK Mules
- BK Rebel Yell
- BK PolyPaf

I also have some Suhr Thronebucker set, but on an Ibanez FR1720 i had they lacked "character", too much HiFi for my taste!

Thanks for reading this!

Best Regards

rebel yell would bne too bright for that guitar, i recommend trying a holydiver bridge and emerald neck, it would do the job for you and the emerald has such good clerans but also handles distortion very well

b.gandt

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Re: Another Pickup Suggestion Thread
« Reply #3 on: April 18, 2025, 08:05:33 PM »
Good god, I need to edit better…

alex.pinheiro.soares

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Re: Another Pickup Suggestion Thread
« Reply #4 on: April 22, 2025, 08:40:35 PM »
Thanks for the reply!

I was almost sure to go with The Mules, but know i am fearing they will be to bright! The Black Dogs/Emeralds i fear they will be to "aggressive", and i really need something that reacts great to volume knob and picking dynamics to switch between overdrive and clean!

b.gandt

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Re: Another Pickup Suggestion Thread
« Reply #5 on: June 29, 2025, 07:03:40 PM »
Did you solve your pickup problem?

RobAbrams84

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Re: Another Pickup Suggestion Thread
« Reply #6 on: September 18, 2025, 06:14:22 PM »
Mules or the Thornbucker 2 (it's higher output than the original).  In my opinion you really don't need higher output pickups than that unless you're doing metal.  If the Mule is too bright you can just turn the tone knob down, or change the value of cap or potentiometer.  I don't know what value pots and caps the Charvel comes with, but that's an extremely easy way to take off some top end (change a pot from 500k to 300k, or increase the capacitor value).