Why I feel local and Asian Pickups don't deserve your attention

[Poundcake]

Just a reminder, guys: boutique doesn't necessarily mean uber expensive every single time. For example, D. Allen pickups are really affordable and they sound great. I bought a Cheetah set for my Suhr Classic T for $150 and took out the stock Suhr Classic T neck/bridge pickups. The Cheetah set sounds better, in my opinion. Dynamic, less noisy and sounds better with OD/distortion.

[skunkyfunk]

Can anyone comment on BGPups?  They get some rave reviews and aren't as expensive...

[firemodel55]

but we need to learn..and sometimes it's the hard way (the brutal truth in this case) that does it best..plus wasn't it your intention to help improve the 'consciousness' of filipino musicians in regards to tone? that's why you started this thread to help right?

I think I already identified some great pickups and Ian even provided a more affordable alternative.  Better to focus on what sounds great because it solves problems rather than focus on those that are not.

[nathanmanansala]

thank you sir. appreciate this very much especially all this info coming from you.

this time let's flip the coin to the other side..

who would be your top 5 'worst' pickup makers/companies?

i'll have a go:

1) whoever makes pickups for RJ (the phrase "plastic sounding" comes to mind)
2) whoever makes those pickups that come stock on chinese ibbys (not the V7 and its series-mates)
3) whoever makes those pickups that used to come stock on Epis (between '99 to right about the time they moved most production from korea), the 57CH and HOTCH stickered ones
4) whoever fender uses to wind the stock MIM standard pickups
5) but those are almost forgiveable kasi they're in relatively cheap guitars but for a company that makes such expensive guitars to put them in, Gibson's 490R and 496R are pretty blah sounding neck pickups (they do ok in the bridge though).

[franzdean]

wow..so you mean, Seymour DUncan and Dimarzios have nothing to offer and are just hype and marketing?....hehehe in my opinion... di naman siguro, Im sure madami namang satisfied customers ang brands na yan...and has improved their guitars performance..and output..and they are still being used by a lot of players..plus installed in a lot of major guitar brands guitar models....

perhaps sa super duper, mega, higher, level ng TONE SEARCHING..pwede i-junk yung popular brands na yan.....

onga mejo naguluhan ako, as to dimarzios/SD pups are compared to worse..

well sir, given by your high level of judgement, and since there are those pickups that don't promise anything,, if you would consider dimarzios/SD boutique pickups, would you consider them as an entry level to your preferred tone/"magandang" tone? or for you sir they're just normal pickups that will give normal roar or give life to let's say a life less guitar? hehehe

[treblinkalovescene]

Just a reminder, guys: boutique doesn't necessarily mean uber expensive every single time. For example, D. Allen pickups are really affordable and they sound great. I bought a Cheetah set for my Suhr Classic T for $150 and took out the stock Suhr Classic T neck/bridge pickups. The Cheetah set sounds better, in my opinion. Dynamic, less noisy and sounds better with OD/distortion.

The offset guitar community has a member who winds pickups under the name Chnl.One, He specializes in Jaguar and Jazzmaster pickups. So far maganda ang feedback sa kanya ng mga naka vintage Jag and JM. It's $120 a set ata from him.

[firemodel55]

onga mejo naguluhan ako, as to dimarzios/SD pups are compared to worse..

well sir, given by your high level of judgement, and since there are those pickups that don't promise anything,, if you would consider dimarzios/SD boutique pickups, would you consider them as an entry level to your preferred tone/"magandang" tone? or for you sir they're just normal pickups that will give normal roar or give life to let's say a life less guitar? hehehe

As I said before, if you have an average guitar in terms of sound & character, pwede na ang seymour duncan, EMG or DiMarzio.  No point spending  on more expensive pickups if  the guitar wood is average.

[Poundcake]

Can anyone comment on BGPups?  They get some rave reviews and aren't as expensive...

Dodjie, I'm gonna try them out by early next year. I want to experiment on new pickups. Sabay ka sa order?

[TKTS]

I think I already identified some great pickups and Ian even provided a more affordable alternative.  Better to focus on what sounds great because it solves problems rather than focus on those that are not.

got balls?

i'll start here's my list of pickups to avoid:

1. rj pickups
2. gfs pickups
3. artec pickups
4. stock mim standard pickups
5. cheap ceramic china made pickups

disclaimer: these just didn't do it for me. but what doesn't work with me doesn't mean it won't work within your set up. kanya kanya lang talaga pag dating sa taste

[nathanmanansala]

Just a reminder, guys: boutique doesn't necessarily mean uber expensive every single time. For example, D. Allen pickups are really affordable and they sound great. I bought a Cheetah set for my Suhr Classic T for $150 and took out the stock Suhr Classic T neck/bridge pickups. The Cheetah set sounds better, in my opinion. Dynamic, less noisy and sounds better with OD/distortion.

+1

wilde pickups fall into that category din. better than anything from dimarzio or duncan and cheaper than most of the stuff those 2 companies offer too.

smits pickups are relatively inexpensive too and give you a lot of options pagdating sa combos you can get between winds and magnets.

[TKTS]

i'll have a go:

1) whoever makes pickups for RJ (the phrase "plastic sounding" comes to mind)
2) whoever makes those pickups that come stock on chinese ibbys (not the V7 and its series-mates)
3) whoever makes those pickups that used to come stock on Epis (between '99 to right about the time they moved most production from korea), the 57CH and HOTCH stickered ones
4) whoever fender uses to wind the stock MIM standard pickups
5) but those are almost forgiveable kasi they're in relatively cheap guitars but for a company that makes such expensive guitars to put them in, Gibson's 490R and 496R are pretty blah sounding neck pickups (they do ok in the bridge though).

you got balls sir, thanks for sharing.

[pitongjerome]

Just a reminder, guys: boutique doesn't necessarily mean uber expensive every single time. For example, D. Allen pickups are really affordable and they sound great. I bought a Cheetah set for my Suhr Classic T for $150 and took out the stock Suhr Classic T neck/bridge pickups. The Cheetah set sounds better, in my opinion. Dynamic, less noisy and sounds better with OD/distortion.

So it boils down to two categories: good sounding and bad sounding pickups.. And who determines which is which? The players ear..

[Poundcake]

So it boils down to two categories: good sounding and bad sounding pickups.. And who determines which is which? The players ear..

There are certain traits in pickups that are generally considered to be desirable and there are times when the methods in pickup construction that will allow for these traits to surface aren't very well-known. The pickup builders who know what those traits are and how they'll come out in their products mostly happen to be in the small-shop (i.e. boutique) industry. Due to this, price point isn't supposed to be the only focus; we should prioritize the builders' knowledge on pickups and how they interact with the other elements of guitars.

The great boutique pickup builders who slap high price tags on their products just happen to know how much their knowledge and experience are worth.

[pitongjerome]

There are certain traits in pickups that are generally considered to be desirable and there are times when the methods in pickup construction that will allow for these traits to surface aren't very well-known. The pickup builders who know what those traits are and how they'll come out in their products mostly happen to be in the small-shop (i.e. boutique) industry. Due to this, price point isn't supposed to be the only focus; we should prioritize the builders' knowledge on pickups and how they interact with the other elements of guitars.

The great boutique pickup builders who slap high price tags on their products just happen to know how much their knowledge and experience are worth.

well for me, there are some traits of those boutique things that i dont like.. though desirable for others..

i remember complaining about something in my guitar that does harmonics.. did go to arie for him to check it out, and says that to others its desirable.. wala na raw ako magagawa kasi character na ng guitar ko yun..well i just said to myself that i wanna get rid of it if possible..

[bakit?]

basta ako okay na ako sa rj ko.good na yun.

[Poundcake]

well for me, there are some traits of those boutique things that i dont like.. though desirable for others..

i remember complaining about something in my guitar that does harmonics.. did go to arie for him to check it out, and says that to others its desirable.. wala na raw ako magagawa kasi character na ng guitar ko yun..well i just said to myself that i wanna get rid of it if possible..

I don't know about you, but I only have six things that I check whenever I test a pickup: clarity, EQ/volume balance, harmonic response, dynamics, noise suppression and overall voicing. They're the usual characteristics that knowledgeable guitarists generally give more importance to. Application would then be the next consideration. Just like mass produced brands, boutique pickup builders also have different pickup models for different applications, but they only do it better on the average. For example, for low gain 60s Strat voicing, Fender 57/62 single coils will never match up favorably against Bare Knuckle Mother's Milk, Suhr/JS Technologies V60LP or Klein 60s sets.

[cayle]

+1

wilde pickups fall into that category din. better than anything from dimarzio or duncan and cheaper than most of the stuff those 2 companies offer too.

smits pickups are relatively inexpensive too and give you a lot of options pagdating sa combos you can get between winds and magnets.

+1 for Wilde pickups. For tele fans, you might want to check out Cavalier pickups by Rob Distefano of Frettech.com. He makes great tele and strat pickups. The tele pickups go for $60 each, so that's $120 for a set. I have the Lion bridge (hotterwound 50s style pickup) in the bridge position of my tele. Spanky, beefy twang. Pairs up nicely with the Twang King.

[Letour]

I think nathanmanansala should be reprimanded for making this thread serious again.

[nathanmanansala]

I apologize for being slow on the uptake. next time, please use html tags like this:
[justfeedingthetroll]talaga dude? how'd it go?[/justfeedingthetroll]

or let me in on the gag right away.

[psychic_sushi]

+1

wilde pickups fall into that category din. better than anything from dimarzio or duncan and cheaper than most of the stuff those 2 companies offer too.

smits pickups are relatively inexpensive too and give you a lot of options pagdating sa combos you can get between winds and magnets.

Wilde is wild 

They aren't considered "traditional", but I love the high fidelity of Bill's pick ups, and his principles on creating pick ups that do not focus on messing with frequencies that filter wood's inherent tone.

It's an acquired taste.

[stompmoko]

i'll have a go:

1) whoever makes pickups for RJ (the phrase "plastic sounding" comes to mind)
2) whoever makes those pickups that come stock on chinese ibbys (not the V7 and its series-mates)
3) whoever makes those pickups that used to come stock on Epis (between '99 to right about the time they moved most production from korea), the 57CH and HOTCH stickered ones
4) whoever fender uses to wind the stock MIM standard pickups
5) but those are almost forgiveable kasi they're in relatively cheap guitars but for a company that makes such expensive guitars to put them in, Gibson's 490R and 496R are pretty blah sounding neck pickups (they do ok in the bridge though).

+1 ako dito

[blackgino77]

What he lets me here is his playing, his guitars and his amps.  We don't fine tune by phone.  He calls me up to get my review of his pickups on my guitar.

Oh, you said kasi before na he "tests" your hearing through the phone for more than an hour or so and I found that baffling, coming from a tone guy such as you.

[Mardk]

i'll have a go:

1) whoever makes pickups for RJ (the phrase "plastic sounding" comes to mind)
2) whoever makes those pickups that come stock on chinese ibbys (not the V7 and its series-mates)
3) whoever makes those pickups that used to come stock on Epis (between '99 to right about the time they moved most production from korea), the 57CH and HOTCH stickered ones
4) whoever fender uses to wind the stock MIM standard pickups
5) but those are almost forgiveable kasi they're in relatively cheap guitars but for a company that makes such expensive guitars to put them in, Gibson's 490R and 496R are pretty blah sounding neck pickups (they do ok in the bridge though).

This! First hand experience. Tunog utot. Hahaha.

[Poundcake]

This! First hand experience. Tunog utot. Hahaha.

Hahahahaha. Pretty accurate description, actually.

[burnsbhm]

Same thing here with MIM strats. The pickup during its first month sounded fine. For reasons I can't put my finger on, the sound becomes very very dull after. Despite having Twin Reverbs and Bassman as amps, the guitar still cannot cut through.

I then I bought a new set while I was in Singapore. The clarity was there but it distorts too easily.

I thin bought a Fender 57/62 strat set. Not at par wit Sure and Bare Knuckles, but at least I don't have my nagging complaints anymore.