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Everyone should know the bluesy sound of a Strat neck pickup and the gritty or quacky in-between positions depending on the gain level. Tele's have their bark and the spanky middle position. Les Pauls seem to have an extra level of power, gain and sustain that you just don't normally find in a flat guitar.

More than that, everyone should try a strat into a marshall at mid gain, and a Tele into a vox, and a Les Paul into a soldano, then put a boost infront of it. Try a 335 or a jazzbox with only a neck pickup into a clean amp. Touch the tone controls.

What comes after that? P90s were a surprise for me because I always thought of them as an ugly vintage thing. I just hadn't paired them with the right amp and settings. P90s are so versatile and a great... "food group"?

What's next? Gold foils? Filtertrons? What's underrated?

Describe the guitar/pickup/amp/settings/sound.

P90's into a medium gain Marshall are fantastic. They can straddle the Jazz to Rock food groups.

Jaguar mid position lead voice thru a 6g16 reverb tank into a fender blackface (or transitional brownface ala Bassman 6g6b) with some palm mute for plocky drippy nirvana

I really do want to try some gold foils at the moment...

Zaulkin wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 8:27 am I really do want to try some gold foils at the moment...

Make sure you try some original Teisco ones and not the plethora of modern variations with 'gold foil ' in their title. The original ones that earn all the praise are the models with the pole pieces to the side, not in the middle.
They really are great sounding pickups but a lot of the mystique was because they sounded good for something so cheap. Now they cost a ton!

Humbuckers are so prolific on an infinite amount of guitars and for the most part they err towards the higher end of the output / gain spectrum. The experience of a lower output, unpotted PAF style humbucker is a thing of beauty. Clean jangle with a hint of grit. Lovely!

Filtertrons and Firebird pickups.

They might be the Goldilocks that you’ve been looking for if humbuckers are dark and hot, single coils too thin and noisy, and P90’s are too ballsy

Zaulkin wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 8:27 am I really do want to try some gold foils at the moment...

I have a set of humbucker sized gold foils available at the moment if that would tickle your fancy.

TmcB wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 9:11 am Filtertrons and Firebird pickups.

They might be the Goldilocks that you’ve been looking for if humbuckers are dark and hot, single coils too thin and noisy, and P90’s are too ballsy

Agreed. I suspect a filtertron equipped 335 (like the Chris Cornell one) may turn out to be my ultimate itch scratcher.

bender wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 9:15 am

Zaulkin wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 8:27 am I really do want to try some gold foils at the moment...

I have a set of humbucker sized gold foils available at the moment if that would tickle your fancy.

Go away please

kdawg2a wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 8:54 am

Zaulkin wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 8:27 am I really do want to try some gold foils at the moment...

Make sure you try some original Teisco ones and not the plethora of modern variations with 'gold foil ' in their title. The original ones that earn all the praise are the models with the pole pieces to the side, not in the middle.
They really are great sounding pickups but a lot of the mystique was because they sounded good for something so cheap. Now they cost a ton!IMG_20240202_123614.jpg

Great info and so true.

kdawg2a wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 9:00 am Humbuckers are so prolific on an infinite amount of guitars and for the most part they err towards the higher end of the output / gain spectrum. The experience of a lower output, unpotted PAF style humbucker is a thing of beauty. Clean jangle with a hint of grit. Lovely!

Yes! I put thornbuckers in Keons Suhr and those were refreshing.

TmcB wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 9:11 am Filtertrons and Firebird pickups.

They might be the Goldilocks that you’ve been looking for if humbuckers are dark and hot, single coils too thin and noisy, and P90’s are too ballsy

Yeah. I need to give them a proper try I reckon.

I've had an idea recently about a filtertron bridge / P90 necked doublecut with a bigsby style trem, I think theres a lot there to enjoy...

I do not think everyone must try any of those experiences.

Litterick wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 11:32 am I do not think everyone must try any of those experiences.

Well you've got me there. I like to try lots of different flavours because they are inspiring to me and it brings me a lot of happiness, but many people can be content with what they've got. I like 'genre bending'.

If I think back to my Dad's upbringing - you got the guitar that you could afford and that became your sound, and there's nothing wrong with not collecting them all.