a fool and his money are soon parted

A good livin' can be made just thinkin' up intriguin' names for pickups and writin' testimonials.
 
Changing pickups is difficult. I know a guy who changed pickups almost 20 times in his Strat Ultra, before he realized the guitar was not for him. I´m not so much into this, but I´ve always made a lot of research before I decide what to buy, and have only failed one time. I had a Lace Hot Gold 13k in the neck of my HM Strat Ultra. It´s a quite hot bridge pickup but it sounded quite close to what I wanted. But when Lace introduced a slightly less hot pickup (9k) called Burgundy (!), the cork sniffer in me woke up. I purchased it at once, but it was not the sound I was after. It made my Strat sound like an old jazzy Les Paul with a P90 in the neck. Probably many buy pickups due to names or they have heard that someone they like use it. I mean: how many metal rockers have purchased a SD Screamin Demon only because of the name?
 
I generally buy instruments that sound the way I want them to begin with.

My one exception is my 1979 Gibson The Paul, which has a neck pickup I've never liked (T Top) so at some point once I shake loose some extra cash for it I'll be getting a new set for it.

i think everybody tries to do this. but then you get to the point where you want a little more a certain way, and the stockers just won't do the job. best guitar i've ever played is my PRS. but those pickups sucked.

honestly, i don't think you have to go much past Duncan and DiMarzio. and TV Jones for Gretsch pickups. just about everybody else is trying to recreate some sound they heard on a record 40 years ago and trying to remember now with their geriatric hearing.
 
i think everybody tries to do this. but then you get to the point where you want a little more a certain way, and the stockers just won't do the job. best guitar i've ever played is my PRS. but those pickups sucked.

honestly, i don't think you have to go much past Duncan and DiMarzio. and TV Jones for Gretsch pickups. just about everybody else is trying to recreate some sound they heard on a record 40 years ago and trying to remember now with their geriatric hearing.

Most of my guitars came with the pickups that sounded right in them. The SUhrs came with what I wanted and I love the Burstbuckers in my The Paul. My "The Paul" has a set of mismatched pickups that someone put in it before I got it.

I guess some of it is that I don't buy very much in the way of "off the shelf" Fender guitars, which seem to be the biggest transplant recipients but I think that people spend too much time worrying about this stuff.

I came to a realization Saturday night (actually its been coming for a while but Saturday was the capper) as I was playing a gig through a fucking PEAVEY that most of this shit really doesn't matter that much as long as you buy decent stuff to start with and it's well maintained. And you learn how to play with good technique.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbOWLkHaaXw"]YouTube- w/All Star Trio Be My Girl[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tmKm-sYfFk"]YouTube- w/All Star Trio - Wonderwall[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aonsQRr3dtQ"]YouTube- w/ The All Star Trio - Everyday[/ame]
 
Ha ha. I like the guy that says, "Ummm... Fender."

I decided years ago that it's so much easier just to stick with stock. If the guitar sounds good, buy it, love it, and keep it. YMMV

Yep.
I've never swapped a pickup.
 
I came to a realization Saturday night (actually its been coming for a while but Saturday was the capper) as I was playing a gig through a fucking PEAVEY that most of this shit really doesn't matter that much as long as you buy decent stuff to start with and it's well maintained. And you learn how to play with good technique.

i dunno, i see pickups as personal preference. how the hell does PRS know that i like more vintage sounding pickups? so i took a great instrument and made it even better by putting in pups that sound the way i want them to. but there's still a limit on how much i'm going to spend.

my whole point of starting this thread was not to bash the replacement pickup industry. more to point out that when you ask what the "best ultra high end corksniffing pickup" is, that you're never going to get what you paid for. do some freaking research yourself.
 
i dunno, i see pickups as personal preference. how the hell does PRS know that i like more vintage sounding pickups? so i took a great instrument and made it even better by putting in pups that sound the way i want them to. but there's still a limit on how much i'm going to spend.

I can see that.

my whole point of starting this thread was not to bash the replacement pickup industry. more to point out that when you ask what the "best ultra high end corksniffing pickup" is, that you're never going to get what you paid for. do some freaking research yourself.

I'm just tired of people spending time money and energy on gear they'll never learn to use. I use to not really care since its their money and those are really the people supporting companies like Keeley and Xotic so that guys like me can have stuff we like but I guess the parade of students with $3k guitars has finally gotten to me.:annoyed:
 
I've replaced the "Duncan Designed" HB's in two of my Samicks with HB90's - definitely would do again.
Replaced the ceramic pickups in my MIM Strat with custom shop '69's.
 
Heh. I'm a bit surprised you're not banned yet for that one. :grin:



I figured I would have been banned for my 2 other posts over there when I didn't follow suit with a glowing review of the honda element. Instead, I told them what we didn't like about ours and the element lovers didn't agree:embarrassed:
 
I'm just tired of people spending time money and energy on gear they'll never learn to use. I use to not really care since its their money and those are really the people supporting companies like Keeley and Xotic so that guys like me can have stuff we like but I guess the parade of students with $3k guitars has finally gotten to me.:annoyed:

i'm happy to say that i don't see $3k instruments come through at all. and if i did, i'd probably spend the first lesson asking them why they bought such an instrument and pointing out every last issue with it.
 
i'm happy to say that i don't see $3k instruments come through at all. and if i did, i'd probably spend the first lesson asking them why they bought such an instrument and pointing out every last issue with it.

We have a ton of adult students with money in our studio, especially since we teach the blues classes. They have no problem dropping $1200 on their first guitar and then $4000 on an es335. I'm not going to correct a customer like that. I just wish they'd ask for an opinion before they went to GC and bought the first thing they saw on the wall.

3k is chump change to some people.

yep,
 
We have a ton of adult students with money in our studio, especially since we teach the blues classes. They have no problem dropping $1200 on their first guitar and then $4000 on an es335. I'm not going to correct a customer like that. I just wish they'd ask for an opinion before they went to GC and bought the first thing they saw on the wall.

you're teaching a blues class. who did you think was going to show up, the next RL Burnside?
 
I've done one pup swap. I bought a MIM tele at GC that was dropped and had a huge chuck of paint chipped of on bottom of the guitar. I got it for $200. I put some fender custom shop '51 nocasters in it ($189). Replaced the saddles with graphtechs, new pots and output jack ($60). The guitar plays and sounds better than any MIA standard tele I've played. Total cost, $449. Fifty bucks less than a non damaged mim tele new.


:santareindeer:
 
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