How Simple or Complex do you like your Pickups and Controls?
- Thread starter baimun
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baimun
Funkasaurus Rex
My TRUE favorite pickup/control combo is not on very many instruments.... I got the idea from George Lynch but his single volume would pull up from humbucker to neck pickup. I have set up a few guitars with the single push/pull volume choosing Bridge humbucker or the Split+neck jangle.
Now days, I think Bridge humbucker, single volume, three-way toggle, and neck P90 might be my new fave. jj:
Now days, I think Bridge humbucker, single volume, three-way toggle, and neck P90 might be my new fave. jj:
Honkridge
UNACCEPTABLE!
A strat with a five way, maybe a button to engage the bridge and neck, tone on the bridge pup is about as far as I want to go. With a humbucker guitar I might want a coil split on the neck pup and a three way toggle. In the past I wired up a humbucker with a blender knob on one coil. That worked pretty good.
jp_nyc
Kick Henry Jackassowski
My ideal instrument would be a p-bass with no volume and no tone. Just a kill switch. Like the Marty Friedman MFM2 but a bass. Now that I think about it I could probably do this in under an hour with a custom pickguard, a little wire, and a switch.
But for guitar I want two pickups and V/V/T/T controls. Because Les Paul knew what he was doing.
But for guitar I want two pickups and V/V/T/T controls. Because Les Paul knew what he was doing.
baimun
Funkasaurus Rex
What would probably be the best option for those of us with ADHD, would be a volume knob and toggle switch.... but pull away a magnetically attached pickguard panel and there's hidden "mad scientist" panel with heavy duty clicky switches, mini knobs, and tiny chicken head rotaries.... so the master toggle is choosing between bridge pickup volume... and... whatever nonsense you chose in the "lab".
Gorgon90
Harmonic Dive Bomber
Voted 2 pickups and a three way toggle as that's what's on my PRS SE CE24 although it does coil tap both humbuckers with a pull switch on the tone pot. However there are days, I prefer 1 or 3 pickups, but I do like to keep my controls as simple as possible. Too many switches are a distraction.
Peen Simmons
Let’s Get Obtuse!
One pickup plus vol and tone is (for me) the minimum. I don’t dislike the more complex stuff though.
baimun
Funkasaurus Rex
Exactly... I feel like we need a minimal number of controls when playing... but don't mind a series of "fuck around just cuz" controls that can sometimes be accessible.
jrockbridge
Stealing Your Riffs
I voted 2 pickups, multiple vol/tone.
But, I need 3 pickups if it’s a Strat. Honestly,
I think I’d be fine with a single bridge pickup and volume on a guitar, especially if the pickup is a P90.
But, I need 3 pickups if it’s a Strat. Honestly,
I think I’d be fine with a single bridge pickup and volume on a guitar, especially if the pickup is a P90.
PunkKitty
The fates already f'ked me sideways
My favorite guitars usually have a single P90 and a volume control. That's it. However, what I play usually requires more. Strats, Teles with a 4 way, Les Pauls, my PRS custom 24 with a single volume and tone with coil splits. My PRS Zach Myers, and my PRS Santana all work depending on what is needed. On a bass, 2 prefer 2 pickups with active/passive electronics. I can cover a lot of ground that way.
tiger roach
Urban Bovine Knievel
Two pickups are mandatory. If they are buckers, I want coil splitters also.
In the unlikely event that I live long enough to be proficient at jazz, I would consider an archtop with a single neck pickup.
In the unlikely event that I live long enough to be proficient at jazz, I would consider an archtop with a single neck pickup.
Chicken Man
Kick Henry Jackassowski
I mostly play acoustic, because of the kind of music I could get work playing. I can get a lot of different sounds out of an acoustic. If I pay an electric, I'm pretty much looking for dimed-out tele bridge or, much more rarely, wooly archtop neck. I don't have a guitar with both of those options, so I've got two electrics and don't touch the dials.
Punchy
Slacker Supreme
Judging from the guitars I have and play, I'm thinking I'm a two pickup, switch, and volume kinda guy. It is fun to mess with a volume for each pickup, but not specifically necessary. I did get one of those Squier Bullets years back for cheap, the single bridge hummer model. Put a P-90 in the neck position and depending on how you messed with the controls you can get some sort of distortion out of the guitar without a pedal 
I think it's in how I wired the second volume control. . . or maybe I wired them both to a single volume with a diode in-between? That sounds right.
I think it's in how I wired the second volume control. . . or maybe I wired them both to a single volume with a diode in-between? That sounds right.
Monson
Sonic Automatist
At least two pickups.
I do like having a single volume, or a master volume like on my Gretsch. The Gibson-style two-pickup, dual volume and tone is neat for getting a lot of sounds but sometimes overly complicated in a live situation. But then again I don't really use it that much live anymore.
The classic Strat-layout is a no-brainer for me, but I'd like to have the lower tone control wired to the bridge pickup.
I do like having a single volume, or a master volume like on my Gretsch. The Gibson-style two-pickup, dual volume and tone is neat for getting a lot of sounds but sometimes overly complicated in a live situation. But then again I don't really use it that much live anymore.
The classic Strat-layout is a no-brainer for me, but I'd like to have the lower tone control wired to the bridge pickup.
Pine Apple Slim
Armchair Expert
I've used and played them all and each have advantages and disadvantages.
Its hard to beat the simplicity of one V&T and a 3 way.
The Gretsch thing is the weirdest but when you get used to it is actually pretty genius.
Lately I've reverted to the 2HB, 2V, 2T, 3way GIbson style cause the SG and old Carvin have been getting the most play.
I generally like 2 pickups, 3 on a Strat, but 3 on anything else seems like overkill. Maybe on a Nashville Tele but Ive never played one.
Ive tried single pup Juniors and Esquires and dont really vibe. I like a neck pup too much. Gimme an old Jazz box w/ just a neck P90 and Im way happier.
Its hard to beat the simplicity of one V&T and a 3 way.
The Gretsch thing is the weirdest but when you get used to it is actually pretty genius.
Lately I've reverted to the 2HB, 2V, 2T, 3way GIbson style cause the SG and old Carvin have been getting the most play.
I generally like 2 pickups, 3 on a Strat, but 3 on anything else seems like overkill. Maybe on a Nashville Tele but Ive never played one.
Ive tried single pup Juniors and Esquires and dont really vibe. I like a neck pup too much. Gimme an old Jazz box w/ just a neck P90 and Im way happier.
DinoMikeSr
I have the box
Zero
To hero. I can still add a coil tap toggle here. One is a neck pickup, other is cap select.
To hero. I can still add a coil tap toggle here. One is a neck pickup, other is cap select.
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Frank Prince
Slowhand
HHH or HSS or SSS with 5 way switch or HH or SS with 3 way is fine, maybe a coil tap for humbuckers.
I have a Brent Mason Tele which is pretty cool with a mini bucker at the neck, a Tele stack at the bridge, and a Strat stack in the middle that can be blended in with any combination of the others.
That being said, I have a serious lust for the Dann Huff modded Strat with all the series/parallel switches and the Demeter midboost. Tyler's model is pretty dead accurate, but is over 7K now.
I have an old EBMM Silhouette that I bought 20 years ago for $300.00 that I was thinking of modding to all the Huff pickups and electronics if I got ambitious enough. It had silent single coil electronics that I removed because they didn't work very well, so it already has a battery routing with an access panel on the back for the midboost.
I have a Brent Mason Tele which is pretty cool with a mini bucker at the neck, a Tele stack at the bridge, and a Strat stack in the middle that can be blended in with any combination of the others.
That being said, I have a serious lust for the Dann Huff modded Strat with all the series/parallel switches and the Demeter midboost. Tyler's model is pretty dead accurate, but is over 7K now.
I have an old EBMM Silhouette that I bought 20 years ago for $300.00 that I was thinking of modding to all the Huff pickups and electronics if I got ambitious enough. It had silent single coil electronics that I removed because they didn't work very well, so it already has a battery routing with an access panel on the back for the midboost.
shoeless
Riffin'
For a 2 humbucker guitar, I like the Gibson setup with a 3-way swtich and a volume and tone knob for each pickup. Add in a coil tap/split switch and that opens up a lot of tonal options.
For a Tele, I think Leo got it right with the simple volume & tone.
For a 3 pickup Strat style, I like a 5 way switch, but really don't fiddle with the tone knobs that much. I really would like to try a blender knob setup, but haven't gotten around to it.
For a Tele, I think Leo got it right with the simple volume & tone.
For a 3 pickup Strat style, I like a 5 way switch, but really don't fiddle with the tone knobs that much. I really would like to try a blender knob setup, but haven't gotten around to it.