looking for pickups that offer variety

[bostjan]

lolll I remember when CL+LF was THE way to go and duncans were not.. djenty

The history of ss.o pickup recommendations:

1. Get the Blaze Custom. Avoid the Tone Zone 7 at all costs!
2. Get the Air Norton 7 and the D Sonic 7!
3. Get the Lundgren!
4. Only BKP will do. Try the Warpig!
5. Get the Crunchlab and Liquifire!
6. You need Illuminat...
7. No, get Fishmans!

I have tried almost all of those, along with EMG's seven string pups earlier on, those whacky Blackouts, and a bunch of other mainstream and boutique stuff in between. Pickups absolutely will make a huge difference in your sound, no doubt. But even pickups I've hated could pull off some great tones with the right amp and settings. And, with the wrong amp with the wrong settings, every pickup will sound equally terrible. So, swap the amp first, 100%, but then if you still have cash to spend, swap out the bridge pickup and, then, if you still have money to burn, go ahead and swap the neck pickup. Pickups with a flatter response will be more versatile by virtue of being easier to dial in EQ (I got flamed for saying something similar in another thread, but I don't care, it's still true), but if you want a certain tone to use with multiple styles of music, that's just totally up you you, you know?

 

[bostjan]

Double post.

 

[Cheap]

I needed variety for sessions I'm working on as I only really have one guitar to use and I thought the Fishmans were my answer (and I LOVED them), but on a whim I found a really good dealer for Tom Anderson pickups and after talking to him directly we landed on a set and specific wiring to have a 5-way in combination with a push-pull and it's easily the best I've sounded in any genre I'm working in.

Went with the H1- neck and H2 bridge and it's stupid how amazing they sound and how versatile they can be. Also, they're on the cheap end! I got the set for $170 new shipped

 

[TedEH]

swap the amp first, 100%, but then if you still have cash to spend, swap out the bridge pickup

To some point, it makes sense to me to go the other way around unless you're starting from a bad amp to begin with. Swapping amps is a much more expensive move in terms of trying to fix a subtle tone/feel issue.

 

[bostjan]

I'm much more likely to listen to a clip of guitar playing and correctly guess the brand of amplifier than the brand of pickups, at least on average. You plug in a guitar with a pair of Dimarzios and a guitar with a pair of BKP into a Marshall and a Boogie, and I'm pretty confident that I could tell the difference between the two amps, given the multiple choice, but I'd be at a loss as to which pickup is which, most likely. Granted, if you choose an arbitrary amp and arbitrary pickups, I'd be batting less than .001, unless you gave me a hint or made it multiple choice, but still, I'm certain that most guitarists with a fair amount of gear experience would have an easier time identifying the sound of an amplifier than the sound of a pickup. Do you disagree?

But I do see your point. Amps are really expensive, but the expense would simply be more effective at redefining the tone, IMO.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

the amp has the greatest impact on the overall sound imo. Like I said in my previous post, I've been down this exact same path and scoring a good amp will make the greatest difference.
There's a good amount of versatile pickups out there, it's just a matter of what kind of tones OP is looking for exactly. Everybody thinks if you just try loads of pickups you'll find your "perfect" tone. I've tried a ton of pickups and I can tell you which pickups I hated more than which I liked. Nearly every pickup I've tried worked with my riffs/my amp. Choosing a pickup is just about which figuring out which flavor of sound you prefer, and what will pair well with your amp.
I have a ton of demo videos in my pickup shootout thread, check em out and see which sound good to you.
http://www.sevenstring.org/threads/6-string-pickup-shootout-no-bull-no-frills.326800/

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Even the tamest pickup sounds crazy through a boosted 5150.

I'd vote on the amp first

Yup, I made a fucking STRAT and TELE sound like a fire-breathing monster through a regular 5150 plugged straight in.

Also I'm gonna go against the mold and say the Duncan Sh-5 Custom 7 bridge and '59 neck. The Custom 7 is slightly lower output compared to most pickups, but has a plenty aggressive sound to it. The lower output will make it versatile and add clarity, but the voicing is plenty heavy. And the '59 is just good. Period.

Also, I KINDA agree that an amp plays a huge role. It definitely plays one of the biggest roles, but a proper pickup and guitar can do wonders. Like I said, I made a Strat sound plenty heavy through a 5150 (and before I modded it, a cheap-ass Tele that sounded mean through my Marshall 8100), but the Duncan Nazgul-loaded Schecter that was next to it sounded *much* more heavy.

 

[Lemonbaby]

the amp has the greatest impact on the overall sound imo.

No - it's the tonewood! But if you're one of the guys who can't even hear the difference between a flamed and a quilted maple top...

Just kidding. Fully agreed that if the amp sounds like crap, no PU can fix it. Just one word regarding the Crunchlab: have it on one guitar, it's by not my favourite, but also not a bad pickups by any means.