Cheap Pickups for a Mid/High End Level Guitar... Is It Worth It?

[BoneNut]

Here's more kudos for BG pups. What's not to like about them?

Choosing them over others was easy for me. Personal attention from the owner /winder himself. Listens to your needs and then produces a product aimed toward them. Professional hand made product. Very low price. Extraordinary customer service, really above and beyond. More than willing to solve any problem you may have with shipping or the product itself.

The pups themselves were very articulate with excellent definition, even when playing chords. No mud what so ever, with a very wide tone range and wonderfully touch sensitive. Very well made, sturdy, product as well.

I've tried more expensive pups and mid priced from all major brand names. I've tried out the pocket change cheapies as well. In my experience, BG pickups are simply the best I've ever played at any price.

There may be the cheap flavor of the month pups out there and the ultra expensive "boutique" aspirational brands as well... but why bother with that when you can simply buy the best at such affordable prices? Mommy and daddy gave me my last allowance 38 years ago and I work damn hard for my money, so I try to spend it wisely. Without a doubt, my next set of after market pups will be BG.

[Belva]

 

So now back to pickups. Is there a difference between cheap copper and the purest copper in the world? You betcha there is.

 

 

Nope. I get the point you're making and you're very correct. But copper wire is copper wire. All wire is made using an extrusion process. As such, if the copper isn't almost 100% pure it will spit like a 2 buck hooker when melted to go thru the extruder.

Oxygen free? We've all heard that. IT'S BULL{censored}! Oxygen is an impurity in the extrusion world.

[DavidMgT]

I've had great experiences with Lollar, Harmonic Design and Fralin pickups. I have a set of Lollar Imperial in a Les Paul Studio, a set of Harmonic Design Z90s in a Hamer Studio Custom and a set of Fralin High Ouput humbuckers in a Gibson Explorer. In all three cases, the pickups improved the sound dramatically and were well worth the money.

[BG76]

 

I've had great experiences with Lollar, Harmonic Design and Fralin pickups. I have a set of Lollar Imperial in a Les Paul Studio, a set of Harmonic Design Z90s in a Hamer Studio Custom and a set of Fralin High Ouput humbuckers in a Gibson Explorer. In all three cases, the pickups improved the sound dramatically and were well worth the money.

 

 

Be careful there! I agree with you, but this is HCEG.

[=JL=]

When you buy expensive pickups you're paying for the research carried out by the manufacturer and the knowledge they have acquired in doing so. The material costs are a relatively small part of the equation.
When somebody has spent 40+ years dissecting vintage guitars owned by famous players, they know how to make a good pickup.
But, there's no reason another winder can't copy what those guys do. I have been delighted with some cheap pickups, others less so. If the OP has found some he likes, he should just put them in, however cheap they were.

[cephus]

Bah. This whole quest for tone thing is a bunch of {censored}.

 

People like to brag about their exotic tastes because they think it says something about them. I don't give a {censored} if you think you can hear the difference between A and B because you are likely some geeky couch picker who never played a paying gig in your life.

 

The best player I have ever known told me that mighty might pickups are awesome. I bought some GFS pickups one time and I really liked them. I played many gigs in 5 years on a guitar that I built from parts in my junk drawer. It had a fender strat bridge pickup from a mid 80s 62 RI, a seymour duncan jaguar pickup at the neck and some junky japanese strat copy pickup in the middle. I used the middle pickup 90% of the time.

 

If bragging on internet forums gives you wood, then buy a set of boutique pickups. Otherwise, get what you want and use them until you find a specific thing you don't like about them.

[plasticscouse]

OMHO, if it is a partscaster, then yes pay what you can afford, on the cheap and sound good, great get them.

 

I would have 2nd thoughts swapping cheap pickups in a

[PrawnHeed]

Brag, brag, brag, ... If bragging on internet forums gives you wood, then brag, brag, brag.....

 

 

 

[billybilly]

 

Bah. This whole quest for tone thing is a bunch of {censored}. People like to brag about their exotic tastes because they think it says something about them. I don't give a {censored} if you think you can hear the difference between A and B because you are likely some geeky couch picker who never played a paying gig in your life. The best player I have ever known told me that mighty might pickups are awesome. I bought some GFS pickups one time and I really liked them. I played many gigs in 5 years on a guitar that I built from parts in my junk drawer. It had a fender strat bridge pickup from a mid 80s 62 RI, a seymour duncan jaguar pickup at the neck and some junky japanese strat copy pickup in the middle. I used the middle pickup 90% of the time. If bragging on internet forums gives you wood, then buy a set of boutique pickups. Otherwise, get what you want and use them until you find a specific thing you don't like about them.

 

 

Nobody is bragging here... it is just opinions. Actually, we should all listen to you, you are awesome, playing gigs and everything. Wow!

[BG76]

 

Nobody is bragging here... it is just opinions. Actually, we should all listen to you, you are awesome, playing gigs and everything. Wow!

 

 

Pretty much. What you will constantly see here is that if you buy a bunch of cheap stuff you can {censored} all over people who may buy more expensive stuff but anyone who spends a little more is an idiot.

 

Like I always say, there are amazing deals out there for about the same money as a lot of the low end stuff that is so popular here. At the end of the day I buy what I like and what I can afford, as I don't have the resources to be buying tons of stuff and tend to save up and buy something. Like if I have $500 I would rather buy an old classic guitar or amp that needs a couple repairs or has some changed parts. I like to break even/make money if I decide to sell my stuff, which I don't do much.

 

If you're happy with your sound that's all that matters.

[DavidMgT]

Be careful there! I agree with you, but this is HCEG.

 

Yeah,we must be fools for willing to pay more from products from the evil, dreaded boutique companies! In addition to fooling us with loads of hype I hear they pay slave wages, kill babies and cause oil spills

 

After all, when it comes to guitars and all guitar related products (amps, effects, pickups, etc.) nothing makes a difference in predicting how good a guitar is. Unless of course it is made by GFS in which case it is somehow outstanding and Gibson in which case it is terrible

 

Good thing I do not rely on HCEG for making gear purchases.

 

The funny thing is people frequently complain about these so called elitists who trash budget gear. What I mostly see, and there are a couple of example in this thread, are people doing quite the opposite.

[BG76]

Yeah,we must be fools for willing to pay more from products from the evil, dreaded boutique companies! In addition to fooling us with loads of hype I hear they pay slave wages, kill babies and cause oil spills After all, when it comes to guitars and all guitar related products (amps, effects, pickups, etc.) nothing makes a difference in predicting how good a guitar is. Unless of course it is made by GFS in which case it is somehow outstanding and Gibson in which case it is terrible Good thing I do not rely on HCEG for making gear purchases. The funny thing is people frequently complain about these so called elitists who trash budget gear. What I mostly see, and there are a couple of example in this thread, are people doing quite the opposite.

 

Pretty much spot on here.

[diceman1000]

I'm not dogging anyone for buying what they like and can afford. But, I work for a living, have real bills, a wife, daughter, and a babt on the way. $3000 guitars with $300 pickups, $3000 amps, and $300 pedals are not now nor will they EVER be a reality.

Sure, if I had the $$$ to spend I'd love to have a PRS Custom 22, a Budah Super Drive 30, and somee Love Pedals or Wamplers. But I don't and won't ever have.

And even if I could afford high end gear, they'd still get BG or Rose Pickups and I'd still have Rose effects pedals. Like I said, I had a set of $300 Florence Voo Doos. They were nice, but nowhere NEAR $300 nice.

[BG76]

 

I'm not dogging anyone for buying what they like and can afford. But, I work for a living, have real bills, a wife, daughter, and a babt on the way. $3000 guitars with $300 pickups, $3000 amps, and $300 pedals are not now nor will they EVER be a reality. Sure, if I had the $$$ to spend I'd love to have a PRS Custom 22, a Budah Super Drive 30, and somee Love Pedals or Wamplers. But I don't and won't ever have. And even if I could afford high end gear, they'd still get BG or Rose Pickups and I'd still have Rose effects pedals. Like I said, I had a set of $300 Florence Voo Doos. They were nice, but nowhere NEAR $300 nice.

 

 

I guess we're different. I wouldn't buy a $3000 guitar I had to change the pickups in.

[honeyiscool]

I'm probably going to buy a Clapton Strat soon. I don't rag on anyone for buying expensive stuff.

 

But the following statements are all false for me:

 

- A product must be good because it's expensive.

- A product must be bad because it's cheap.

- A product must be overpriced if it's expensive.

 

I do believe, however, that to some extent, we judge products to a different standard depending on the price (hence some of us are willing to pay less for a B-stock, etc.), which leads to certain products being "good for the price" vs. just being "good, especially at the price."

 

SX and Douglas guitars, for instance, are good for the price, whereas Agile guitars are just good, especially at the price. I don't know about other Dragonfire pickups, but I do consider Screamers to be good, period. Those no-name AlNiCos that came on GFS loaded pickguards, meanwhile, they were only good for the price.

[Doctor Morbius]

... I don't give a {censored} if you think you can hear the difference between A and B because you are likely some geeky couch picker who never played a paying gig in your life.

In all honesty, I think the geeky couch player will be able to tell the differences in tone better than the average gigging musician with drums pounding, bass guitar slapping, singers yelping, cheering fans cheering, etc., etc. There's simply too much background noise for the gigging musician, whereas the couch player can dissect his tone adnauseum.

 

 

If bragging on internet forums gives you wood, then buy a set of boutique pickups. Otherwise, get what you want and use them until you find a specific thing you don't like about them.

I find a lot more bragging occurs on HCEG on the bargain side of the spectrum than on the boutique side. Seriously, how many NGD threads are there on HCEG for Squiers & Xavieres vs Suhrs and Andertons? This place is the antithesis of TGP when it comes to boutique.

[Doctor Morbius]

Yeah,we must be fools for willing to pay more from products from the evil, dreaded boutique companies! In addition to fooling us with loads of hype I hear they pay slave wages, kill babies and cause oil spills

I own a set of TV Jones pickups and I know for a fact he worships the Dark Lord Apothis.

 

All I can say is I've tried some of the HCEG favored brand pickups and I've ditched all of them except for a Tele neck pickup, which is currently for sale on Craig's List. After all of the work of swapping pickups around I find I like Seymour Duncan, Fender CS, Gibson & Fralin pickups. To me they are worth the extra dosh, even though those companies routinely have executive getaways where they go out clubbing baby seals.

 

After all, when it comes to guitars and all guitar related products (amps, effects, pickups, etc.) nothing makes a difference in predicting how good a guitar is. Unless of course it is made by GFS in which case it is somehow outstanding and Gibson in which case it is terrible Good thing I do not rely on HCEG for making gear purchases. The funny thing is people frequently complain about these so called elitists who trash budget gear. What I mostly see, and there are a couple of example in this thread, are people doing quite the opposite.

I call these kinds of people cheapo fetishists. It's the opposite of cork sniffing, except these people sniff soiled tube socks.

[BG76]

I own a set of TV Jones pickups and I know for a fact he worships the Dark Lord Apothis. All I can say is I've tried some of the HCEG favored brand pickups and I've ditched all of them except for a Tele neck pickup, which is currently for sale on Craig's List. After all of the work of swapping pickups around I find I like Seymour Duncan, Fender CS, Gibson & Fralin pickups. To me they are worth the extra dosh, even though those companies routinely have executive getaways where they go out clubbing baby seals. I call these kinds of people cheapo fetishists . It's the opposite of cork sniffing, except these people sniff soiled tube socks.

 

That's the thing. At the end of the day (for me, anyway) it's cheaper to buy a decent set of pickups once then it is to buy to or three set of some flavor of the month brands. I don't particularly enjoy swapping pickups multiple times and whenever I have bought the ones that were supposed to be awesome they were uninspiring and I ended up spending the money I should have spent in the first place on the better ones.

 

The thing is, most nice pickups are not that expensive. I have Lollar P-90s in a guitar and they were $200.00 and they fit right. I had tried the forum brand that claims to be better then the Lollars but they were very bright and the neck pickup was tall and not usable. The cheapos were about $70 for the pair, but didn't sound good and didn't fit right, so really I blew $70 + my time to find out I should have spent the $200 and be done with it.

 

I have Lollar Blondes in a Strat and I like them. They're a little pricey but I bought them used. I have CS 69s in another Strat and love them. They're about $130 a set - not that expensive.

 

Thing is I have been playing a long time and use different amplifiers then most here - 40s, 50s 60s Fenders, 60s Marshalls, Fuchs, Soldano, etc... so maybe the people here using the superior and more expensive Fender Mustang, Roland Cube, Line6, and those MDF "Vox" amps have some sort of circuitry which alters the tone.

 

Who knows.

[diceman1000]

how long are we really going to

[Doctor Morbius]

how long are we really going to

I guess until the people who prefer something other than bargain priced gear stop getting bullied. I remember how it used to be around here when one person would express a dislike with some of Jay's products and what followed was nothing short of a virtual tar and feathering. And that irrational fanboy-ism happened ALL THE TIME! For a while things settled down a bit, but as of late there has been a resurgence of boutique bashing.

[BG76]

 

I guess until the people who prefer something other than bargain priced gear stop getting bullied. I remember how it used to be around here when one person would express a dislike with some of Jay's products and what followed was nothing short of a virtual tar and feathering. And that irrational fanboy-ism happened ALL THE TIME! For a while things settled down a bit, but as of late there has been a resurgence of boutique bashing.

 

 

Well said.

 

And in the spirit of your post I shall add there are plenty here that will shill for pats on the head. We've all seen it many times.

[Elias Graves]

 

Well said. And in the spirit of your post I shall add there are plenty here that will shill for pats on the head. We've all seen it many times.

 

 

That's a loaded accusation. I assume you will name names and provide evidence.

 

EG

[diceman1000]

 

I guess until the people who prefer something other than bargain priced gear stop getting bullied. I remember how it used to be around here when one person would express a dislike with some of Jay's products and what followed was nothing short of a virtual tar and feathering. And that irrational fanboy-ism happened ALL THE TIME! For a while things settled down a bit, but as of late there has been a resurgence of boutique bashing.

 

 

that's just it though Doc, the two brands i mentioned ARE boutique...

[thecornman]

Actually if you go back to page one you will see that it is the anti cheap crap group that starts the trashing! With the exception of a couple people I don't see anyone boutique bashing! I do see people saying that for them higher price doesn't always equal better! Why that eats at some people so much I don't get! Like what you like and don't worry if not everyone agrees with you!

[honeyiscool]

The thing that gets lost is while I like some cheap pickups, I also like most high-end pickup manufacturers. I love watching clips of Mr. Lindy Fralin on Youtube and checking out what he's got going. I love listening to Bartolini bass pickups and checking out how they stack up against other pickups. I love Kinman pickups and am eyeing a set for my new guitar. Most of my favorite pickups are nice American-made pickups by Larry DiMarzio or Seymour Duncan and their lovely companies.

 

I've never trashed any high end manufacturer except Gibson on a few of their questionable decisions (like how useless their signature models are) and furniture top guitars because I think they look ridiculous, but I've made threads ogling beautiful and expensive guitars all the same.

 

And I think most of us are in a similar boat. We like high end stuff, we also like some of the low end stuff, but the thing is, everybody knows that the high end stuff sells itself, so we end up talking about low end because you don't need to tell people to buy PRS. They already know about it. It took a lot of positive reviews for me to finally pull the trigger on SX/Douglas/Agile guitars, and I really liked what I got.