when you find your perfect pickup do you put it in all your guitars?

[jr_vw2]

....if only it were that easy!

 

 

How right you are. I dont know anyone that has ever really believed their tone search was over.

[Brian Krashpad]

... and I prefer that my guitars sound different.

 

 

Ka-ching.

 

I've actually sold perfectly good guitars with the same pickups because they sounded too similar.

 

Plus, I reject that whole "Holy Grail" notion that is the unstated premise of the OP.

[twofoolsaminute]

You cold give me the pickups from my hero's guitar in multiple identical sets and I still would only put them in one guitar because I'd always believe there was a better tone out there somewhere.

[jr_vw2]

Plus, I reject that whole "Holy Grail" notion that is the unstated premise of the OP.

you are actually incorect on my intentions of this thread. I am mearly small talking here. None of my guitars have the same pickups in them because of all of the same stated reasons. I like variaty and I play alot of different genres of music.

So the "holy grail" of tones is not my unstated premise.

[twofoolsaminute]

It's an interesting topic. I wonder how many people with a number of guitars decided that the SD Alnico Classic II was their favorite humbucker and they put that in everything. I would imagine it happens now and then.

[megawzrd]

+1 on them sounding different depending on guitar type.

 

I don't think I have a single duplicate pickup out of my guitars I have currently. I really like guitars to sound different.

 

If the pickup doesn't work well in a guitar I will move it from project to project until it finds a home or I get rid of it if it is just not vibing well. then I try something else.

[guitarcapo]

Once you've decided what your favorite food is...do you eat it every meal?

[Angry Tele]

I always love those threads that show a pic of someones pedal board, invariably Eric Johsnon or Brad Paisely and then a few months later it will be totally different. lol everyone from noobs to pros are fickle and constantly change {censored} up...

[Harvester1199]

kinda, i put active emg's in all my guitars @18 volts of course, but wich model of emg is going in it depends on the woods.
In mahogany guitars i like 81/60, maple 85/85, alder 81/81 or 60 for example
it really depends on the guitar, if its too bright i wont put a 81 in it

[Rich4Once]

I have Bill Lawrence's L-500XL in 4 different guitars, and I'm very happy with them. All 4 guitars sound different, but the differences are from the guitars' construction. That's what I want. I have consistency of output, but the tones are different. 2 of those guitars also have Bill's L-500R in the neck position, and they're the same way...equal output, very different tone.

[caveman]

As far as pickups go, I like to sleep around. You have the perfect P90 bridge, the perfect tele neck, the perfect bucker etc. etc.

[ashasha]

I've tried hard to keep the variety up by having different pickups in almost everything, but I've caught myself starting to put the same thing in several guitars. So basically I do try to keep them diverse and try different pickups, but I end up trying to find a pickup that sounds just like one of my favorites if that makes any sense.

[lp_junkie]

yes, because for stage use I want a consistent sound.

I had my favorite pickups found by around 1980, but I am not afraid to try other things.

[rog951]

It's hard to beat an old Dimarzio Super Distortion, and I probably should have them in every guitar I own really, but I don't. I only have them in like 3 or 4 guitars.

[SwimmingPool]

I want the variety of different guitar tones but at the same time tend to look for a similar character from both my guitars. Not the same sound, but a humbucker and single coil version of it.

[tlbonehead]

When your tone search is over and you are 100% happy with your pups, do you then buy more of that pup to put in your other axes?

Heck no. Do you try and get all your guitars to sound the same?