What's your favorite neck pickup?

[Lemonbaby]

Cleans: DiMarzio Area 58
Distortion: DiMarzio Evo 2 or Seymour P Rails (P90 split)

 

[A.JohnHayes]

Bare Knuckle Polymath.

The split coil neck position is insane. When I first got my baritone Mayones, I didn’t even use the humbucker tones for about two weeks because I was enjoying the clean, ambient, and especially edge of breakup tones from the neck. I coped a John Cordy Andy Timmons preset for my Pod Go, and it’s still the sound I use the most 18 months after getting the guitar.

I don’t really know what I’d look for in a neck humbucker, since I don’t use them much for anything. I use the bridge pickup for leads. I’ve been getting into more jazz stuff lately and it sounds great for that, but I wouldn’t know how to evaluate it it beyond that.

Here’s a video of me playing on the neck pickup:

 

[AndiKravljaca]

I have been searching for Kee Marcello's 'flute tone' for many, many years. I play about 90-95% of my leads and solos on the neck pickup.

The way I've realized I'm most likely to get it is with a neck pickup which actually pretty much out-outputs the bridge pickup (like on some old Wolfgang guitars), as well as leaning into the role and having lots of mid and bass. The result is almost like having the tone knob slightly rolled off and engaging a boost for leads.

The three pickups I've found the most tonally satisfying are a Hot Rails bridge pickup in the neck (for HS/HSS guitars), or a Black Winter if it's a humbucker. Also the BKP Warpig neck pickup.

 

[Romeo Knight]

A singlecoil - Bareknuckle Cobra, especially on a sevenstring with cleans. The tone is so rich, it's almost like there's a chorus on it already.

 

[Asdrael]

After all these years... Blaze neck. Sharing the top spot with the BKP Cold Sweat. Although the PafPro split is also great for cleans.

 

[MetalDestroyer]

I had an Epiphone Alleykat for a few years and the stock neck pickup (generic mini-hum) in that guitar sounded like a cross between a bell and a piano under light overdrive. Been chasing that high ever since.

 

[slavboi_delight]

SD '59 Neck
Closely followed by

SD Jazz Neck
IF they have to be versatile

And the EMG 81 for flat out shredzzz

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

I had an Epiphone Alleykat for a few years and the stock neck pickup (generic mini-hum) in that guitar sounded like a cross between a bell and a piano under light overdrive. Been chasing that high ever since.

Mini buckers are great. It's why the EMG 60 sounds so great as a neck pickup because it's a mini bucker.

 

[c7spheres]

I like the 60-7. WIsh they'd make a 60-7a (alinco) Thinking of going back to a 707 but with an internal trim pot because that'd be awesome too with the alnico tone. THe 707 in neck is great but balancing the volume difference with the bridge can be tricky. THe 60-7 is great for basically everything though.

 

[Crungy]

Is the 707 too loud in the neck?

 

[Whoman Bean]

I used to be a fan of the Black Winter as a neck pickup (hate it as a bridge)..

This. Black Winter bridge is a meh, Black Winter neck is awesome, very first neck pickup I actually liked. Most neck pickups I've tried sound more or less like from bottom of well.

 

[DECEMBER]

EMG 60X. Clear and defined. Great with clean palm-muting. Using it with an 81X and active balance control instead of a switch, VMC variable mid control and EXG expander. Every other neck pickup I've had in my LP was muddy.
All the cleans in this song have the balance control set to over 50% neck: 'StarTwin' by DECEMBER

 

[Matt08642]

DiMarzio Evolution
DiMarzio Blaze
DiMarzio/IBZ Neck

I guess by extension I might also like the Super 2 (DiMarzio says the DM/IBZ neck is close to one).

I need to fix the switch in my Strat to give the Rainmaker a better chance, but I'm not as enamored with it as I was when I installed it.

 

[Bloody_Inferno]

Dimarzio Breed is still my favorite, with Gravity Storm and PAF Pro not far behind.

Though I don't often put the same pickup configs on my guitars so it's an instrument case by case basis. EG: I love the BKP Blue Note on my semi hollow, Blaze on one of my 7s, Dimarzio Satch Track on my AZ and either 85 or 60 EMGs on certain guitars.

I'm slowly getting into having the neck pickups on my HSH guitars reversed, so I can get the side closest to the neck to engage on position 4. I have an S540 with an Air Classic Bridge pickup reversed on the neck position, and I absolutely love the tone both as a standalone neck, and neck/middle option. Turns out Vai is doing the same with his Evo (Evolution bridge flipped on neck).

 

[ezboarderz]

the lundgren black heaven neck pickup is pretty nice for cleans and leads.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

DiMarzio Evolution
DiMarzio Blaze
DiMarzio/IBZ Neck

I guess by extension I might also like the Super 2 (DiMarzio says the DM/IBZ neck is close to one).

I need to fix the switch in my Strat to give the Rainmaker a better chance, but I'm not as enamored with it as I was when I installed it.

I probably should have included this on my list. The voicing is very similar to Super 2, but it's lower output.

Having this come as stock in multiple guitars has probably been a significant factor in what I want / expect from a neck pickup.

 

[gclef]

Single coil? Harmonic design vintage plus for tele. More of everything. More bass, more mids, more highs. High output too, but theyvdont sound overwound at all. Very clear, yet beefy at the same time.

Cross a tele neck and a p90 for an idea.

Humbuckers are more varied for me.

Full shred neck - I love these!
Air norton. I like the s version better
36th neck - close to perfect for a vintage type.
Breed neck. - I love what they do to a bright bolt on shredder. My rg921 has a bit of that fat les paul thing going on. Very cool
Tonerider rebel 90 - I didn't think much of these until I cranked my amp and started to play with guitar and pedal volumes. Think lower gain fat single coil. They are Very good. They surprised the heck out of me.

My current squeeze, believe it or not, is the emg 66tw. Full bucker is great, but I absolutely love the single coil sounds it gets. Having both a great single coil and humbucker sounds in the same guitar kinda pushes this one to the front of the line. The guitar it's in is a big part of it too, I guess

Mini buckers are great. It's why the EMG 60 sounds so great as a neck pickup because it's a mini bucker.

I think all their original buckers are the same.

I saw an 81 cut in half on a YouTube video recently. It uses 2 narrow coils like a mini hum. The extra space left over under the cover is where the preamp goes.
Apparently, the 85 is the same thing but with an alnico magnet.

Yep, I'm a nerd when it comes to stuff like this. Lol
Great for guitar forum discussions. Real world value is Less than nothing though.

 

[Marked Man]

Easy, the Air Norton. it's in my mighty Eagle and I like it slightly better than the similar Liquifire.

Runners up are Duncan '59N and EMG 60. Honorable mention to the Cool Rail, which I've heard is essential the Jazz in rail form, although it is rounder and anyway, the standard Jazz is too bright and polite for my needs. The '59N has more of the fat bottom I need.

DiMarzio Blaze Neck favorite among 7s (in green, thanks).

For HBs with single coil tone, Duncan YJM and EMG SLV or for somewhat single coilish, DiMarzio Chopper.

 

[Drew]

Another vote for the PAF Pro. Great attack, very liquid, very clear... it sort of has some of the overall vibe and response of a good neck singlecoil, but with the power of a humbucker. I haven't played anything else I like more in a humbucker.

Singlecoil Suhr ML Standard. Goddamn.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

Another vote for the PAF Pro. Great attack, very liquid, very clear... it sort of has some of the overall vibe and response of a good neck singlecoil, but with the power of a humbucker. I haven't played anything else I like more in a humbucker.

Singlecoil Suhr ML Standard. Goddamn.

I find it interesting that a lot of rock / metal guitarists (myself included) have a preference for neck humbuckers that have single-coil characteristics, over single-coil pickups or humbuckers that sound like normal humbuckers. I guess they're "the best of both worlds".