Are you a pickup swapper?

[jwhitcomb3]

Caddie's comment on the "stupid P-90" post got me thinking. I hardly ever change pickups. I can usually tell the difference between different pickups models, but have a hard time deciding which I like better. But from reading some posts here it seems that lots of folks experiment with new pickups all the time. So I was just curious...

-Jonathan

[wyldbil]

I am an inveterate pickup-swapper. Most of my guitars end up with a DiMarzio Super D in the bridge and a PAF Pro at the neck except for my Prototype which has a push/pull coil tapped X2N only. Well, one Blitz has Mighty Mite Motherbuckers. The jury is still out on those.

[Scottcrud]

I started with EMG 81's back in 1987 and over the years I've tried many a p-up, just about every brand out there and in the end, I always go back to the EMG 81's.

[Caddie]

Only did it once. Took the Seths out of my Newport Pro Custom and put in PhatCats, mainly due to the raves that I heard coming from this forum about the PhatCat/Newport combo. And because I already own an Artist with a pair of Seths. The raves were right. The Newport sounded very good with the Seths, it sounded awesome (to my lame little ears anyway) with the PhatCats.

Other than that, I've never changed a pup. I figure that the guitar designers have probably done a lot of pup swapping and experimenting before the guitar was released for sale. I have not been disappointed with stock pups yet. Maybe some of the disappointing guitars I use to own would have been more appealling to me with different pups. But they were also easier to sell when advertised as "100% original except for the strings".

But hey, what do I know. I'm just a hack with chronic G.A.S.

Cheers to all you pup swappers out there !!!

Noonan

[pesocaster]

When I buy a guitar I listen to it acousticly before I plug it in.... If it's cool that way then pickups are an easy change IF they are not up to snuff..

[Gabe]

Only did it once.  Took the Seths out of my Newport Pro Custom and put in PhatCats, mainly due to the raves that I heard coming from this forum about the PhatCat/Newport combo.  And because I already own an Artist with a pair of Seths.  The raves were right.  The Newport sounded very good with the Seths, it sounded awesome (to my lame little ears anyway) with the PhatCats.

Noonan

I have swapped the Phat Cats in my Newport for a set of Seth Lover's humbuckers.

But it has the original Phat Cats now again, because although the sound was good with the Seth Lover's I like it more with the Phat Cats. These seem to add some kind of a raw edge, whilst still having a nice woody sound on rolling back the volume. The Phat Cats sound very different from the P-90's in my Studio GoldTop, but of course that is a completely different guitar.

Gabe

[jwhitcomb3]

The Phat Cats sound very different from the P-90's in my Studio GoldTop, but of course that is a completely different guitar.

Gabe

I have those two guitars as well! One of my rare pickup swaps was to change out the SD custom P-90s in the GT for a pair of Gibson reissue mini humbuckers. I liked the Duncans, but because I so rarely have a call to use ultra hot pickups I wasn't reaching for the GT very often. Now with the minis the GT is in heavy rotation.

The Phat Cat Newport combination is magic.

-Jonathan

[killerteddybear]

Only once - I threw an EMG P-Bass pickup in my 1979-80 Yamaha bass. Later, I had a tech add an EMG J-pup to the same bass. They remain there to this day...

Since then, I've tended to buy instruments that I like the sound of in the first place, so swapping pickups hasn't really been a priority.

Maybe it's my short memory or shorter attention span, but I'm always afraid I'll forget what the original pups sound like. Also, I have so much EQ available through amps and pedals that I can squeeze out just about any tone I need.

[kizanski]

As long as Hamer insists on using covered humbuckers and black rings, it will be a requirement.

Which reminds me: who wants to buy a like new matching pair of covered '59's w/black rings?

[anotherfreak2]

Very rarely,

It is very rare for me to buy a new guitar, and it has to be pretty special from the start to make me buy it in the first place.

I guess it's more of a "total package" kind of purchase

[Hamer95USA]

Hey pickup swappers,

On my Hamer USA guitars, I've kept the stock pickup configuration (Dimarzios or Seymour Duncan) from the factory with the exception of the '95 Studio which currently has Gibson Burstbucker Pros on it now. That guitar has changed pickups so many times, it doesn't know which one it is. I plan on installing the original Hamer pots, cap and possibly the original Seymour Duncan pickups that came with it. I started to take a liking to Seymour Duncan pickups recently.

I changed out my '96 Les Paul Custom stock PAF pickups (IIRC, 490R & 498T ) to EMG 85s, my '84-87 Fender Japan Strat (stock Fender Japan single coils) to EMG DG-20 pickup set and my custom Frankenstrat with EMG 85, SA, 81 pickups. I didn't like the stock pickups on my Les Paul Custom or the Fender Japan Strat. The Frankenstrat was done as an experiment to see if the pickups sounded any good and I actually liked the EMG sound after using Dimarzio pickups for about 12 years. I would like to say to use guitar pickups that suits your playing style, effects, and amp. What might be cool for me, may not work for you.

Guitar George

[hamersandstrats]

By far my most sucessful pickup swap has been the Rio Grande Set in my '96 Special FM. With the stock Duncans it sounded very, very good, now it sounds completely awesome.

I have a warmoth tele that is routed for buckers that I've switched around alot-I have finally settled on a phat cat neck and an old (86-there is a difference!) JB in the bridge.

My next guitar, most likely another Hamer Special FM or Mirage II, will have either a Seth Lover or Alnico 2 Pro neck, and a 59 bridge

[atquinn]

Right now I have 3 guitars and only one (the Special) has it's original pickups. Part of the fun of buying used it that, even if I spend, say, $150 on different pickups, I'm still coming out far ahead of where I'd be if I bought used.

-Austin

[El_Natoro]

As long as Hamer insists on using covered humbuckers and black rings, it will be a requirement.

Which reminds me: who wants to buy a like new matching pair of covered '59's w/black rings?

Is the 59 bridge a 4 wire?

[bobbymack]

I believe that tone on many stock guitars can be improved significantly with some of the better booteeky pickups available today, as most of the "bigger" mfrs still use Duncans, Dimarzios or their own brand to keep costs in check. Some of them are good, others not so good, but people like Wagner, Lollar, Suhr, Wolfetone, VooDoo, and Rio Grande are making some great sounding pickups these days...

I've kept the stock Seths in my '96 Artist Custom, which is one of the great guitars I've ever played. I've left the Gibson '57 Classics in my Dickey Betts Les Paul as they just work with that guitar. My T51 has the stock Duncans which sound good except for the bridge, so I have a set of Lollars to try in that guitar when I get around to it...

There are now Wagner Darkbursts in my R8 and R9 LPs, and Wagner Goodwoods came in my R7. The previous owner of my 335 installed Tom Holmes humbuckers, which are really sweet. My Strat has Suhr V60LPs. All of these guitars sound really good in my opinion, so they will not be returning to stock, at least as long as I own them.

But, if a guitar sounds right to me now, I won't change for change's sake...

[tomteriffic]

I'm pretty conservative about swaps. If I'm reasonably certain that the change will be significantly for the better, I'll do it. However, sound clips through an amp you don't use, in a guitar you've never had one of, through cheap computer speakers ain't much of a reference. If I hear them in action, that's a different story.

And as far as trying to describe subtle differences in words, well, writing about sound is like dancing about investment strategies.

[holLoWskull]

I change pickups way too often! It was almost getting to the point where I spent more time swapping pickups in and out of my guitars than actually playing them...which ain't right. Anyway, I've sold most all of my "spare" pickups to reduce the urge to tinker with things that aren't broken, so hopefully I'll be able to put the soldering iron away for a very long time and enjoy guitars for what they're meant for...playing 'em!

[Disturber]

Any Hamer with a JB in the bridge I would probably switch

it right away.

Any old Hamer I would lay hands on that

for some reason has swapped pickups I would go a long way

to find original Dimarzio´s to put back in.

Other than that most Hamer's are fine

with the pickups they have.

[BCR Greg]

Been known to drop Rio Gandes in a few guitars, peppered with the occasional Voodoo Gregwind..........

[kizanski]

Is the 59 bridge a 4 wire?

No, they're both the briaded ground/single hot type.

[Guest pirateflynn]

Been known to drop Rio Gandes in a few guitars, peppered with the occasional Voodoo Gregwind..........

I'm curious about the Voodoo Gregwind.........

[tobereeno]

I generally swap out pickups to get a tone I'm comfy with, and then leave it. The most extreme example I think was my red Cali....I had the thing completely apart and stripped of electronics within 15 minutes of the UPS man dropping it off,

[bobsessed]

I'm sure I can't be the only one who's seen this....I bought my '80 Special new... and with its stock Dimarzios it sounded totally different than it does today...same guitar, same p'ups...25 years older. -Bob-

[JohnnyB]

I've done it consistently with Asian-mfr'ed guitars. I have a nice Hammamatsu (MIJ) Ibanez AS-180 (like a 335) and swapped out the Ibanez pickups for SD Jazz and '59. Replaced the Asian P-90s on my daughter's Washburn J-8 (hollowbody) with a Rio Grande BarPack (JaaaBar in the neck; BluesBar at the bridge). I have a nice MIK Gretsch Synchromatic jazz box with floating mini-bucker. Swapped out the original PU for a genuine NOS Gibson Johnny Smith I got offa eBay. That one truly transformed that guitar into a sweet, smooth jazzer with all floating top with a total investment of 750. I also put Fralin P90s in an Epi Casino.

I've never swapped PUs on a Hamer. But if I had it to do over again, I'd have swapped out the hot Firebird-style mini's in my 6-string Eclipse for the Duncan Vintage or Antiquities versions, the Phantom Custom might benefit from something a little sweeter and darker, and the Anniversary might do well with a Duncan Jazz or a Fralin Unbucker at the neck. It's not bad as it is, though.

The Newport is keeping its Phat Cats. I may get locking tuners for it someday, though.

And I like the stock MFD pickups in my G&L ASAT Classic Semihollow.

[Brooks]

guilty. i don't like the jb/59 combo that comes w/ a lot of hamers.

i fell into the combo of dimarzio tonezone bridge / hum from hell neck

back when i had my les paul, tried it on my slammer series and 25th anniv w/ success. used a duncan jazz neck before trying the HFH, had the tonezone/jazz combo in a few gibsons before i came to hamers.

now i'm way into the sound of phatcats in my duotone.

trying to decide on more phatcats or trying a rio/HFH combo in my other duotone.