Members martinidol1166 Posted February 11, 2011 Members Share Posted February 11, 2011 i have a 1984 esp strat and the pickups and all the electronics in it are just old and tired. im looking for some new single coils to put in it, i've heard fender fat '50s are really good. i want a buddy guy kind of sound out of it, any ideas or suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaleH Posted February 11, 2011 Members Share Posted February 11, 2011 Buddy Guy uses Gold Lace Sensors with a clapton mid boost kit.Fender Vintage Noiseless would get you there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members billybilly Posted February 11, 2011 Members Share Posted February 11, 2011 Lindy Fralin blues special. I have them in my tele and just recently did an A/B against my mates 2007 fender deluxe tele and mine blew his away. I am sure they would be the same in a strat. http://www.harmonycentral.com/products/106220 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lank81 Posted February 11, 2011 Members Share Posted February 11, 2011 Buddy does play with the lace sensors now a days but before that, he probably played with what was equipped in the strat he bought. Buddy wasn't making money back in the day compared to what he probably has made today with album sales, tours, etc. Anyways, the other secret to his tone is the old Bassman and now the Buddy Guy Sig Amp by Chicago Blues Box. He doesn't use many pedals, it's basically wah, and maybe 2 other pedals. He controls his clean / overdrive via the volume knob. Anyways, The set of pickups I have in my Strat are the DAllen CS JM 60s Rock and Blues based off of Mayer's black strat. Very stratty, great for blues. I think they'd do a great job of capturing that early Buddy Guy tone as well as other great players like Mayer, Clapton, and even more rockers like Frusciante or Mike McCready. DAllen Pups Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members streetknight Posted February 11, 2011 Members Share Posted February 11, 2011 I like the Fender CS69's myself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Faber Posted February 11, 2011 Members Share Posted February 11, 2011 Are we talking modern or old Buddy. Modern a set of Lace Sensors + the occasional use of mid boost would get you there. For the old BG sound any kind of vintage voiced strat pickup will get you in the ballpark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesnapper Posted February 11, 2011 Members Share Posted February 11, 2011 I like slightly hotter pickups for blues - Texas Specials or BKP Irish Tours - but if you want the classic Buddy Guy sound I'd recommend more standard pickups - the Fender CS69s would do fine, as I'm sure would the Fralin blues - or even standard Fender USA pickups. But yeah, the key to the sound is getting a nice clean Fender tube amp and turning it up really loud - we're talking slight natural break-up here, not massive Marshall overdrive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Norcal_GIT_r Posted February 11, 2011 Members Share Posted February 11, 2011 An overwound set of my Vintage 60s would be a great choice for you. You can get info at www.bg-pups.com Let me know if I can answer any questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bubbluz Posted February 11, 2011 Members Share Posted February 11, 2011 the pickups and all the electronics in it are just old and tired. sounds perfect for the blues Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alecto Posted February 11, 2011 Members Share Posted February 11, 2011 An overwound set of my Vintage 60s would be a great choice for you. You can get info at www.bg-pups.com Let me know if I can answer any questions. Norcal makes a good product. 2x satisfied customer over here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members martinidol1166 Posted February 15, 2011 Author Members Share Posted February 15, 2011 sounds perfect for the blues no i mean they sound OK at best. i know the guitar itself can sound awesome its just so old. the thing is older than i am. i want to put new tuners on it and new pickups in it and block the trem as i dont use it ever. how do we all feel about seymour duncan pickups? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members martinidol1166 Posted February 25, 2011 Author Members Share Posted February 25, 2011 what about fender fat 50's?? anyone heard how a strat sounds w/ them or have them in their own axe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaleH Posted February 25, 2011 Members Share Posted February 25, 2011 I think Fat 50s are great pickups. Versitile pickup set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BoneNut Posted February 25, 2011 Members Share Posted February 25, 2011 I like the Fender CS69's myself Me too and think they are that classic "Strat" sound. Regarding the OPs question... Wouldn't the amp be more critical to obtaining Buddy's sound? Well, that and a {censored} load of practicing phrasing and attack? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cratz2 Posted February 25, 2011 Members Share Posted February 25, 2011 Honestly, the amp and how you handle the guitar are going to impact how you sound radically more than which specific set of pickups. The Lace Sensors are more about noise reduction than any specific quality of sound. I've owned a lot of fine pickups and have played many more sets for extended periods and to be honest, the Lace Hot Golds aren't exceptional at all in my opinion, but they do a much better job than most traditional single coils at reducing and minimizing noise which, is my guess, why Buddy Guy, Clapton and others have used them, particularly on stage. As far as which specific set of pickups... man... there are SO many great choices. My two favorite sets are the Duncan Antiquities and the Fender CS54s, but I prefer a more syrupy type of sound vs the more stinging type of strat sound. Other good sets are the Fat 50s, the CS69s, Duncan SSL1/2s, APS1/2s, Bryans Vintage 60s not to mention Lollars, Fralins, Kinmans... there are at least 15 sets that I've played that I could happily live with, but they do sound different. If you have a good amp, I can assure you any set of sound more complex than the stock ESP pickups though that's likely a GREAT guitar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nuke_diver Posted February 25, 2011 Members Share Posted February 25, 2011 An overwound set of my Vintage 60s would be a great choice for you. You can get info at www.bg-pups.com Let me know if I can answer any questions. Throw another vote for BG Pups. I love my V60's and Bryan can dial in anything specific you need. Great Pickups great price great guy 2X Happy customer here as well.. You snowed in yet Bryan? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members diceman1000 Posted February 25, 2011 Members Share Posted February 25, 2011 as per my norm... contact Ken at Rose Pickups or Bryan at BG Pickups/thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Norcal_GIT_r Posted February 25, 2011 Members Share Posted February 25, 2011 Throw another vote for BG Pups. I love my V60's and Bryan can dial in anything specific you need. Great Pickups great price great guy 2X Happy customer here as well.. You snowed in yet Bryan? Totally snowed in!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members honeyiscool Posted February 25, 2011 Members Share Posted February 25, 2011 The Lace Sensors are more about noise reduction than any specific quality of sound. I've owned a lot of fine pickups and have played many more sets for extended periods and to be honest, the Lace Hot Golds aren't exceptional at all in my opinion, but they do a much better job than most traditional single coils at reducing and minimizing noise which, is my guess, why Buddy Guy, Clapton and others have used them, particularly on stage.What? Hot Golds sound great. They don't act like traditional pickups, but that's not a bad thing. Certainly being able to use all the overdrive in the world without worrying about noise is a good way to get some types of sounds out of an amp. Lace Sensors work better with pedals and amps than any other type of pickup IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cratz2 Posted February 25, 2011 Members Share Posted February 25, 2011 What? Hot Golds sound great. They don't act like traditional pickups, but that's not a bad thing. Certainly being able to use all the overdrive in the world without worrying about noise is a good way to get some types of sounds out of an amp. Lace Sensors work better with pedals and amps than any other type of pickup IMO. Just an opinion, man. I have about 6 great sets of strat pickups and have had probably another 5 or so... Doctor Morbius has about 16 strats, all of which are upgraded, one of which has the current Hot Golds and, while they aren't bad by any stretch, I can say they are the set that tonally inspires me the least. I think it's a comparison thing though... if I it's been a few hours since I've played any guitar and I plug in the one with the Hot Golds, I think it sounds great, esp on the #2 and #4 positions. But when you plug any of his other guitars or any of my guitars in to compare, the Hot Golds lose out. But definitely don't take that as a slam against them. For venues or houses that have noise issues, I think the Hot Golds are a great relatively budget option. Among other very affordable noiseless or reduced noise options, I prefer the Fender Vintage Noiseless on the neck or middle positions alone, but I prefer the neck+middle position of the Hot Golds. Not a bad commentary against them... quite the opposite. What I'm saying is that for many people and in many capacities, the actual goodness of tone does and should take a backseat to the ability to use them in a variety of ways... with high-ish gain or in noisy venues. But if you play the Hot Golds and the Fralin Vintage Hots back to back, not many folks are actually going to prefer the 'tone' of the Hot Golds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members honeyiscool Posted February 25, 2011 Members Share Posted February 25, 2011 I've had Kinman pickups and for clean rhythm guitar or for effects-heavy stuff, I actually prefer the Hot Golds. It's not a set of pickups I'd have on more than one guitar at a time, though. Also, I don't think it's a budget thing. At that price range you have DiMarzio Area pickups, which are a lot more similar to the other pickups you mention. The reason you would choose Hot Golds is for the tonal characteristics, not for budget. Two of my short-scale basses have Lace Red pickups. I love the natural compressed attack they have, perfect for bass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cratz2 Posted February 26, 2011 Members Share Posted February 26, 2011 I hear ya... I mean 'budget' compared to Kinmans or something like that. You can usually find a set of Hot Golds for just a bit over $100 compared to ~$300 for Kinmans. I still say the reason you would choose Laces is for the noiseless quality, more than tone or budget. It's all good though man... I'm not knocking your pickups. I clearly said they are a solid choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BydoEmpire Posted February 26, 2011 Members Share Posted February 26, 2011 I dig the DiMarzio Cruiser in the neck of my '57 reissue. It's not a true single coil, but I like the tone. I think it sounds great on a variety of genres, including blues. Not super edgey, but not dull either. Just enough bite to be interesting. Maybe not what you're looking for but I like it so I figured I'd through my 2c in... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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