Vintage PAFy type pups - options and discussion
Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 10:23 am
Hi guys! I have been talking to Ash about a guitar. Brave of me I know. Pics when it happens, etc. You'll all be the first to know.
We've done most of the design work on it, but we still haven't pinned down the pickups. I'm polling the forum for wild speculations and general input on the matter.
The guitar will be of Fijian Kauri with maple neck and rosewood fretboard. It will have two humbuckers, wired with a PRS five-way rotary switching arrangement. There are some cool design features that will remain secret until finished
Soundwise, I play low gain stuff in a blues/jazz/fusion/funk kinda vein and occasionally break out into more classic rock kinda sound. I'm planning on vintage/low output style PAFs with four conductors. I want pickups that stand up well when clean, and generally I want a warm, sweet, singing kind of tone. I want to stay away from harsh treble and aggressive fat bottom end.
Specifically:
Neck Pickup - warm and able to do creamy/jazzy sounds without sounding too thick and muddy. Able to do runs with good definition between notes.
Bridge Pickup - clear and open without being too aggressive. Good note definition without too much compression or harsh attack.
Basically, my playing style relies heavily on dynamics and touch. I need the pups to be reasonably responsive to different weights of attack.
It's pretty difficult to make selections based on the tone clips I've been able to find on the web, as they've not been recorded off my future guitar. Can anyone offer any good suggestions/recommendations/war stories about some good choices? Any thoughts on specific combinations would be good.
So far, being considered are:
Neck:
SD Classic 59, Seth Lover, Alnico II Pro, Jazz,
Dimarzio PAF Joe, PAF 36th Anniversary, Air Classic,
Vintage Vibe (lower output magnets)
Bridge:
SD Classic 59, Jazz, Alnico II Pro
Dimarzio PAF 36th Anniversary, Air Classic,
Vintage Vibe (lower output magnets)
Ash, if I missed anything off that list can you let me know and I'll add it. Anyone else want to recommend anything not on the list?
Hit me up people!
We've done most of the design work on it, but we still haven't pinned down the pickups. I'm polling the forum for wild speculations and general input on the matter.
The guitar will be of Fijian Kauri with maple neck and rosewood fretboard. It will have two humbuckers, wired with a PRS five-way rotary switching arrangement. There are some cool design features that will remain secret until finished
Soundwise, I play low gain stuff in a blues/jazz/fusion/funk kinda vein and occasionally break out into more classic rock kinda sound. I'm planning on vintage/low output style PAFs with four conductors. I want pickups that stand up well when clean, and generally I want a warm, sweet, singing kind of tone. I want to stay away from harsh treble and aggressive fat bottom end.
Specifically:
Neck Pickup - warm and able to do creamy/jazzy sounds without sounding too thick and muddy. Able to do runs with good definition between notes.
Bridge Pickup - clear and open without being too aggressive. Good note definition without too much compression or harsh attack.
Basically, my playing style relies heavily on dynamics and touch. I need the pups to be reasonably responsive to different weights of attack.
It's pretty difficult to make selections based on the tone clips I've been able to find on the web, as they've not been recorded off my future guitar. Can anyone offer any good suggestions/recommendations/war stories about some good choices? Any thoughts on specific combinations would be good.
So far, being considered are:
Neck:
SD Classic 59, Seth Lover, Alnico II Pro, Jazz,
Dimarzio PAF Joe, PAF 36th Anniversary, Air Classic,
Vintage Vibe (lower output magnets)
Bridge:
SD Classic 59, Jazz, Alnico II Pro
Dimarzio PAF 36th Anniversary, Air Classic,
Vintage Vibe (lower output magnets)
Ash, if I missed anything off that list can you let me know and I'll add it. Anyone else want to recommend anything not on the list?
Hit me up people!