Pickup Suggestions for my New Guitar

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BeniRose

BeniRose

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Hey guys! I managed to get a killer deal on a handmade guitar on craigslist. Someone was going on tour and was strapped for cash so he sold me one of his guitars for only 100 bucks! It's an Ibanez RG neck, custom body (he said the thick of it is mahogany, and the surface was something else I can't remember) with grover tuners and the pickups are EMG 85 and 81 (ZACK WYLDE BRAWWWW!). It's an amazing guitar, feels great, plays great. Worth much more than 100 dollars that's for sure (I slipped him an extra 10 because I felt bad!) but I'm not a huge fan of the pick ups. They sound beyond incredible clean, but as soon as I start adding gain, they are just WAY too metal for me. I'm going for that pop-rock sound, almost like a nice gibson (I understand I don't own a nice gibson, but the guitar is pretty solid and shouldn't have a problem getting somewhere in the ballpark). Maybe something with a distortion like the tone you'd find in a Kelly Clarkson song or something of the similar genre. Nothing too scratchy, nothing too ballsy. Something that would be versatile and not pigeonhole me into one genre of sound. I'm planning on selling the EMG pickups and then probably putting another 50-100 towards the new ones, so I guess my budget is around 200 for two humbuckers (or really any combination). Any and all suggestions are appreciated and samples would be even more appreciated. Thanks guys! I'll leave you with some pictures!
body.jpg

newguitar.jpg
 
why not just trade for a guitar with passive P-ups?
Those EMG P-ups are some pretty darn good p-ups
you can always play the guitar in passive mode.
 
Yeah I knew they were active, and they sound great because of it. Would putting it in passive mode effect the tone that much (especially of the distortion). How do I do that? I don't even know where the batteries are, there's not an access on the backside or anything so I'm assuming I have to take off the pickguard to get to it. Like I said, I really love the tone of the clean sounds, but the distortion is just WAY too metal for me.

Also, I found out the surface/cap is "lace wood" which is apparently a type of sycamore. Rules.
 
Sorry, I misread your post. I really like the look and feel of this guitar and even more like it's hand-crafted qualities. It's just the pickups I'm not really happy with. And I'd feel guilty selling someone else's custom work, because I really do appreciate it. So unless someone wanted to trade like a Gibby Les Paul for it or something, I'm keeping it.
 
BeniRose said:
Something that would be versatile and not pigeonhole me into one genre of sound.
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A Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge position, and Seymour Duncan Jazz in the neck. Don't listen to anyone else, I've just given you exactly what you need. Trust me. I've done this combination for at least hundreds of people, and NO ONE has ever been let down by it. If it is versatility you want, those are the pickups. For even more versatility, get a push/pull pot to tap the coils, and you'll be swinging.

By the way, this is easily the single most popular after market combination of pickups on the market, for just the reason you are after; it's versatile as hell. And as a side benefit, if you don't like it, Seymour Duncan will replace it anytime within the first 21 days as a part of their 21 Day Real World Return Policy.

(I should also mention that I'm personally not overly fond of this combination of pickups, but mostly because I have no use for versatility. If I want a different sound, I'll grab another guitar - I've got plenty - but my customers love it, and if versatility is what you after...)


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Light said:
A Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge position, and Seymour Duncan Jazz in the neck. Don't listen to anyone else, I've just given you exactly what you need. Trust me. I've done this combination for at least hundreds of people, and NO ONE has ever been let down by it. If it is versatility you want, those are the pickups. For even more versatility, get a push/pull pot to tap the coils, and you'll be swinging.

By the way, this is easily the single most popular after market combination of pickups on the market, for just the reason you are after; it's versatile as hell. And as a side benefit, if you don't like it, Seymour Duncan will replace it anytime within the first 21 days as a part of their 21 Day Real World Return Policy.

(I should also mention that I'm personally not overly fond of this combination of pickups, but mostly because I have no use for versatility. If I want a different sound, I'll grab another guitar - I've got plenty - but my customers love it, and if versatility is what you after...)


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
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I have to agree w/ Light on this. I have the Seymour Duncan SB/Jazz combo in my es335 and couldnt be happier. Extremely versatile, great sounding PUs.
 
Light said:
Don't listen to anyone else, I've just given you exactly what you need. Trust me. I've done this combination for at least hundreds of people, and NO ONE has ever been let down by it. ...
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you'd make a great televangelist light!
 
Just to clarify, you mean these two right:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Seymour-Duncan-SH4-JB-Humbucker-Pickup?sku=300035
and
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Seymour-Duncan-SH2N-Jazz-Model-Pickup?sku=300060

I'll check my local music shop and see how much they're going for. I figure I can get about 100-120 for the EMGs. I'd like to swap out the pots so I can switch to single coil, but I have no idea how to do that. I'm not sure why the guy who made it didn't do that already, but I guess he was thinking "who uses single coil in metal, duh?"

Also, I REALLY like the bar look of the EMGs. Can I get covers for those SD pups or will that effect the sound too much?

Thanks for your suggestions Light! I'll probably also go to GC or something and see if they have any models with either of these in them so I can sample them. Especially if they have any mahogany body guitars with them.
 
Another vote for Duncans. If you like that old classic pop/rock sound use Alnico II pros. You can buy them as humbuckers, stacked humbuckers or Fender-style single coils.

If you can afford a little extra cash, Lindy Fralen pickups are really the cream of the crop...simply incredible.

-Kev
 
BeniRose said:
Just to clarify, you mean these two right:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Seymour-Duncan-SH4-JB-Humbucker-Pickup?sku=300035
and
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Seymour-Duncan-SH2N-Jazz-Model-Pickup?sku=300060

I'll check my local music shop and see how much they're going for. I figure I can get about 100-120 for the EMGs. I'd like to swap out the pots so I can switch to single coil, but I have no idea how to do that. I'm not sure why the guy who made it didn't do that already, but I guess he was thinking "who uses single coil in metal, duh?"

Also, I REALLY like the bar look of the EMGs. Can I get covers for those SD pups or will that effect the sound too much?

Thanks for your suggestions Light! I'll probably also go to GC or something and see if they have any models with either of these in them so I can sample them. Especially if they have any mahogany body guitars with them.
Click to expand...

Yes, those are the ones. And don't go to GC, support your local music shop!!!!

They can be had with either gold, or chrome (or maybe nickel) covers, but not the epoxy case of EMGs (EMGs are molded in epoxy).


Kev7555 said:
Another vote for Duncans. If you like that old classic pop/rock sound use Alnico II pros. You can buy them as humbuckers, stacked humbuckers or Fender-style single coils.

If you can afford a little extra cash, Lindy Fralen pickups are really the cream of the crop...simply incredible.

-Kev
Click to expand...


The Alnico II (one of my favorite Seymour pickups, by the way) will not give him the diversity of a JB/Jazz combo. It's a little more of a character driven pickup, rather than a versatile pickup.

And yes, Lindy makes amazing pickups. Probably not what the OP is looking for, but I suppose he could go with a High Output Humbucker in the bridge, and a more traditional one in the neck position. It wouldn't be the same (the JB has an Alnico V magnet, instead of the Alnico II that Lindy uses, which makes the Lindy's a bit more distinctive, but gives up some of the versatility.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Awesome thanks guys. I'll be buying from my local music shop for sure. I can walk there, I have to take a train into NJ to get to a Guitar Center so I rarely go there unless it's to try things out that I know the local shop won't have. Sucks they don't have a black cover, but I guess silver will do =D Thanks again!
 
The guitar I have has this pickup config with a kind of coil tap in it...not the sense that most people think of, and I can do just about anything tone-wise. You really can't go wrong with this set of pickups.
 
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