Members wankdeplank Posted January 6, 2015 Members Share Posted January 6, 2015 Decided to replace the neck humbucker in my Gibson Studio Lite and just ordered an SD 59 to match the JB I put in the bridge. Was on the fence about possibly cheaping out and going for a GFS or possibly a Duncan Designed (cheap on Ebay) but couldn't bring myself to do it. And yet I will have to say that when it comes to Strat Single Coils, I doubt I'll ever pay for name brand again after having great success with GFS. I know some people knock these Artec offerings, but I've compared them side by side to boutique (Pete Biltoft), and Dimarzio and these GFS don't take a back seat IMO. Still, after watching a few shootouts on Youtube, I'm inclined to think that humbuckers are a different animal. [video=youtube;F7_GhwkLPpM] ^I liked this comparison as it was done on guitars of the same caliber. And for people that diss on Seymour Duncans, there's this vid by our own Doc Jeff - kinda miss that guy (what a collection). [video=youtube;1RDThSJoqdE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RDThSJoqdE Opinions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pine Apple Slim Posted January 6, 2015 Members Share Posted January 6, 2015 Cheap pickups-Some are great, some are so so, and some plain suck. The guitar they are in makes a big diff as well. Agree that Lower end SCs seem to have a better batting average. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted January 6, 2015 Members Share Posted January 6, 2015 Well, starting off with the second vid first... I never heard of anyone bitching about the Duncan's. I happen to Love them overall, with the Trembucker and the JB being at the top of my list. my only complaint with the vids, is that while the guitars were similar, they weren't the same, and nothing was done in a completely clean setting. Clean, is my judge of pickups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted January 6, 2015 Members Share Posted January 6, 2015 In the three way demo, they all sounded like 20 dollar rejects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted January 6, 2015 Members Share Posted January 6, 2015 There are plenty of great buys out there and the only way you know what sounds good in a guitar is by trying them. I have a spare parts cab with maybe 50 pickups of all different kinds I've collected over the years doing repair work. Some I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy but chances are those may be the exact thing someone's looking for to get a match for their amp. I just did a pickup change for my buddy. He didn't have a clue what he wanted other then the fact he didn't like the ones in that guitar. It was a Ibanez Destroyer and he had changed out one of the pups years ago. He gave me the task of choosing something for him and he would pay for them. I could have gone with high end or boutique pups but I'd have just as hard a time choosing them as he would. I dug for awhile and snagged an Ibanez infinity 3&4 for peanuts. I was a little worried because the reviews were mixed, but I knew the sounds he wanted. I had used one of those pickups in a guitar before and thought it might be just the thing for his style, ceramic magnets and all. You know you hear allot of bad rap from people who knock pickups with ceramic magnets, but they can actually sound just as good as any other pickup made, if the magnetic strength is correct for the coil. I find them to be a bit fuller sounding with good pinch harmonics. After putting them in I was horrified at how they sounded. I expected them to be bright but not make the guitar sound like a fender with single coils. I did the tap test and all the coils were working, but the weak output and phase cut with both pups turned up got me suspicious at the diagram I was using. I did some more digging and found I was using the center coil tap as a hot lead and with the other lead grounded I was running the pickups in parallel instead of series. I fixed that quick enough and was happy enough with the sound. I had him come over and it was exactly what he liked using the whammy bar and all. I'll give him a month to use it then check back and see what he thinks. Sometimes time will change peoples opinions after not having a guitar for several weeks and with all the other work I did, he may not think as highly of them. I thought it gave the guitar back its 80's type guitar tone, but its hard to know what other peoples ears like unless they use it awhile so we'll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members knotty Posted January 6, 2015 Members Share Posted January 6, 2015 Unfortunately people tend to think that if something is expensive it must be better. Then they convince themselves that the percieved quality is worth the premium.eg. Apple anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted January 6, 2015 Author Members Share Posted January 6, 2015 ^Going to be interesting to see what he thinks in a month. I understand that a lot of shredder types prefer the ceramic buckers for that edge you talk about. Interestingly, it is Gibson ceramics that are being replaced in my guitar. The bridge was changed a long time ago (to JB), but the neck actually sounds pretty good - almost single coilish. I just want a fatter sounding hummer in there and something to match the JB I installed. Slim wrote: "Cheap pickups-Some are great, some are so so, and some plain suck. The guitar they are in makes a big diff as well. Agree that Lower end SCs seem to have a better batting average". That's been my experience as well. Penguin wrote: "Well, starting off with the second vid first... I never heard of anyone bitching about the Duncan's. I happen to Love them overall, with the Trembucker and the JB being at the top of my list. my only complaint with the vids, is that while the guitars were similar, they weren't the same, and nothing was done in a completely clean setting. Clean, is my judge of pickups." Two very valid points IMO. The only really fair comparison between pickups has to be done within the same guitar because of wood and construction differences. Surprising to me in the second vid, just how much fuller the LP sounded to my ears as opposed to the SG. I agree that clean is the best judge but I have run across some pickups that just don't overdrive well either - the Peavey Super Ferrites come to mind along with some single coils that came in my Japanese Aria Pro II RS Bobcat. Concerning Seymour Duncans, you know they're some of the most inexpensive "premium" brand pickups around and they get bashed by the snorkeldick crowd a bit. I think it's confirmation bias myself and the prestige of owning something more expensive. I don't know, but I like the 59s (will have them in three guitars) and the JBs in the bridge (but they can be a problem in a bright guitar IMO). 1001 wrote: In the three way demo, they all sounded like 20 dollar rejects. Yeah I think they were recorded straight through a POD or some other modeling device which certainly colors the sound. My take was that the GFS pickups did not sound as rich and full - a bit muted IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Juicy Elk Man Posted January 6, 2015 Members Share Posted January 6, 2015 Bloody hell! First vid - the first 2-and-half minutes was a harsh, squawky ear torture of maddening higher mids. Brutal, but not in a good way.As far as the pickups go, I was curious, but now I don't give a damn; my ears are damaged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted January 6, 2015 Author Members Share Posted January 6, 2015 Bloody hell! First vid - the first 2-and-half minutes was a harsh, squawky ear torture of maddening higher mids. Brutal, but not in a good way. As far as the pickups go, I was curious, but now I don't give a damn; my ears are damaged. That's funny, I'll have to go back and have another listen because that's just what 1001 Gear said above. To me it's the difference between actually using an amp and going straight through a POD or what have you to the recording device. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hellion_213 Posted January 6, 2015 Members Share Posted January 6, 2015 Unfortunately people tend to think that if something is expensive it must be better. Then they convince themselves that the percieved quality is worth the premium. eg. Apple anything. This - GFS has some really good stuff worth checking out, and Duncans, aside from EMGs are my most GASsed over pup choices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted January 7, 2015 Author Members Share Posted January 7, 2015 Unfortunately people tend to think that if something is expensive it must be better. Then they convince themselves that the percieved quality is worth the premium. eg. Apple anything. Excellent point Amigo and I concur 100%. helion wrote: GFS has some really good stuff worth checking out, and Duncans, aside from EMGs are my most GASsed over pup choices. Interesting about Duncans and I'm the same way (EMGs not so much - batteries and all), I like them as much as any Gibson pickup I've ever owned. But they do get slagged a lot, particularly on Youtube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phaeton Posted January 7, 2015 Members Share Posted January 7, 2015 I've mostly been very happy with cheap pickups put into cheap guitars. Doesn't mean expensive ones into expensive guitars are bad or a waste of money either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tall Posted January 7, 2015 Members Share Posted January 7, 2015 The SG sounded like crap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members billybilly Posted January 7, 2015 Members Share Posted January 7, 2015 There are good and bad pickups at any price point, however, you increase your odds finding a good pickup if you pay a little more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted January 7, 2015 Members Share Posted January 7, 2015 I think SG's sound like crap in the bridge position, period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members speakerjones Posted January 7, 2015 Members Share Posted January 7, 2015 Wank, I think you made the right call on the 59. Winning combo with the JB. I'll be the corksniffer, I guess. I don't really trust any cheap pickups. If I need to swap, I really just want to put in one set that I know will work. If I were a rich man, I would probably just put Novak and WCR pickups in everything. I'm not a rich man, however, so my go-to has been Seymour Duncan. I have four guitars with Duncans now - a Jaguar, a Hamer Special P90, and a Strat all with SD Antiquities, and another Hamer Special with Mini Humbuckers. All of them sound great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted January 7, 2015 Author Members Share Posted January 7, 2015 Well when it comes to Strat pickups, I've put those GFS 60's repros into everything including my 89 American. I refuse to spend stupid money when I can't hear a difference. Actually my 89 has a boutique ceramic in the neck, a GFS in the middle and a Dimarzio HS-3 (single coil mode) in the bridge. I think it sounds great. Then I have a Pete Biltoft (boutique) pickup in the neck of my 93 MIM Fender Squier Series - like the sound of that one too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted January 7, 2015 Author Members Share Posted January 7, 2015 I don't know what position that Robbie Krieger (Doors) played out of, but I always loved the sound of his SG. I tried one once, but they just feel funny to me with the neck a mile out from the body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted January 7, 2015 Author Members Share Posted January 7, 2015 Can't disagree with you there Billy. The problem is for me when you start paying a lot more. I could pay as much for a set of pickups or more than I've shelled out for a number of guitars. One hundred dollars or more for a single pickup is just outrageous IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted January 7, 2015 Author Members Share Posted January 7, 2015 Wank' date=' I think you made the right call on the 59. Winning combo with the JB. I'll be the corksniffer, I guess. I don't really trust any cheap pickups. If I need to swap, I really just want to put in one set that I know will work. If I were a rich man, I would probably just put Novak and WCR pickups in everything. I'm not a rich man, however, so my go-to has been Seymour Duncan. I have four guitars with Duncans now - a Jaguar, a Hamer Special P90, and a Strat all with SD Antiquities, and another Hamer Special with Mini Humbuckers. All of them sound great.[/quote'] Cool a man after my own heart with the two Hamers. I have a 93 Hamer HB Special and a 98 Hamer Mirage II, both from the old Chicago shop. Actually my first introduction to Seymour Duncan pickups - they seem to love that 59/JB combination and the main reason I've become such a 59 in the neck freak. I did have a guitar with some Burstbucker Pros installed that sounded pretty great as well, but those go for a lot more dosh as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members billybilly Posted January 7, 2015 Members Share Posted January 7, 2015 Ya, the most I've paid is 80, there is no need to pay more, IMO. My chrome BBpro set cost 110 for both, there are plenty of deals out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pine Apple Slim Posted January 7, 2015 Members Share Posted January 7, 2015 My favorite brand of pickups are inexpensive AND very high quality. Wylde. Most Epiphone humbuckers I've played were meh, but I love the ones in my Explorer. I really like GFS lipsticks, have them in two guitars. Have a GFS bridge lil killer rail in my Esquire project. Wasn't thrilled at first but I'm warming up to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alex <> W Posted January 7, 2015 Members Share Posted January 7, 2015 Haven't had much luck with cheap humbuckers but the gfs ferrite goldfoils are some of the best single coil pickups i have ever used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Ratae Corieltauvorum Posted January 7, 2015 Moderators Share Posted January 7, 2015 NO!......just NO. The problems with humbuckers is there's too much you can do wrong, from baseplate material, upwards. I've always found you get exactly what you pay for with buckers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted January 7, 2015 Members Share Posted January 7, 2015 I'll also add, what you have the guitar plugged into is the other 50% of the equation. Pickups have an impedance. Impedance deals with an AC waveform being produced and when they match an amp well you get maximum efficiency and frequency response. Matching pickups to an amp can be more difficult then many suspect. Most pickups will sound OK on most amps, but to get the best response possible, you really have to take the amp into consideration. Luckily sites like Seymour do give you some idea to the impedance and the frequency response curves of their pickups. If you have one of their pickups, then look up its responses, then you have some baseline to work from choosing a different pickup. Problem is with a different amp or speakers all that can change drastically so many times you are buying blind in hopes the tone may be better then what you had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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