Humbuckers that dont suck.

[Pepe Silvia]

For years I have disliked humbuckers for different reasons. Too hot, muddy sounding, too compressed or not enough treble. Then I played a Fano SP6 (happens to be Nels Cline's) with Lollar Imperials and I was in love with the sound. I bought a Tweedy SG (two Wilco references in this thread, I swear I'm not a fan boy) with the intentions of replacing the already aftermarket pickups in it with Imperials. But now I am sitting here looking at my shopping cart on Lollars website, getting cold sweats because $365 for pickups is a lot of fucking money.

Is there anything comparable for $250 or less? I've looked at Antiquities (people complain the magnets are too weak, Fralins (seem too bright) or even putting Burstbuckers back into it.

[oid]

If you got a couple 1 meg pots sitting about wire those up with the proper shifting of the capacitor value, might do the trick, JM values are a safe starting place. The loading effect of the volume/tone circuit kills the highs and gives that compressed sound. Cheap and simple to test out and maybe all you need, at the very least it should open up some more options for pickup selection.

[Embenny]

Pete Biltoft at Vintage Vibe Guitars will make you a pair of HBs for $230, wound to your specs. His design allows you to swap magnets yourself, and for something like $10 each, you can get extra sets of alnico II/III/V or ceramic-8. I have had two sets of single coils wound by him but not an HB, but he's been around a long time doing amazing work. I've always been curious as to why he never made as big a name for himself as Fralin or Lollar. American company, scatterwound coils, fully custom winds, good designs, experience...he has it all.

It's super cool to be able to swap the magnets yourself without risking damaging anything. Alnico III in the bridge and V in the neck would probably be my choice, but you could test every combination that you could possibly want.

[Pepe Silvia]

I would rather not do custom pickups, I dont know what makes a pickup sound good, so it probably won't be as good as something already used and loved. Plus I want to focus on playing guitar, no obsessing over "can I make this better by swapping magnets?" I've given up project guitars and play standard factory guitars now. I just want to get pickups in my SG that are less hot than the pickups that were put in, closer to the factory burstbucker 1s, but wax potted and better.

I just want a good PAF, but everyone has their own idea of what a PAF is, many are overwound to be more rock, do you build them with balanced coils like Seth Lover intended? Do you need them machine wound like Gibson did them? It's all just too much. I know I like Imperials, I just dont want to pay $365

[Larry Mal]

Used Imperials? Shit, I don't know.

I mean, let's face it, you know you like Imperials and you aren't going to be as certain with anything else.

Also, Lollar Imperials will add value to the guitar whereas some guy making every bit as good of pickups out of his garage won't. That's a sad but true fact that might only be interesting if you think you might ever sell the guitar.

Just spend the money if you have it and get what you want. You won't be thinking about the extra hundred dollars a year from now.

[Pepe Silvia]

I have been looking for used Imperials, nothing out there at the moment.

I dont think I'll ever sell this one (but I've said that before), so not super concerned on resale, I just want it to sound right. Although if these keep going up in value then I may be tempted to sell if I could double my money...

[marqueemoon]

One of my guitars will be sporting Fralin Big Singles in about a week. Will report back. Never tried them in person, but they sound incredible from the Youtube demos I’ve seen, particularly the Waterslide Guitars ones.

Not particularly humbuckery sounding though, at least I hope not.

[Larry Mal]

For the record, I played some Lollar El Rayos and was pretty blown away by them. I'm not really recommending them here, but they were as crisp and clean as any single coil I've ever played, and if I got an SG I would likely put those in there... actually, if I got any general purpose humbucker guitar in the future it would probably end up with those in there.

They won't be any cheaper, I only mention it to maybe turn you onto something you don't know about but more than likely de-rail yet another thread, apologies in advance.

[Embenny]

I mentioned the swappable magnets just because it's a clever design feature that shows the thought that go into his pickups, but VVG absolutely do "off the shelf" models too. If you tell him you want a '59 PAF, that would be what you get.

But Larry is right - if you know what you want, the $100 difference isn't worth risking disappointment.

[Pepe Silvia]

For the record, I played some Lollar El Rayos and was pretty blown away by them. I'm not really recommending them here, but they were as crisp and clean as any single coil I've ever played, and if I got an SG I would likely put those in there... actually, if I got any general purpose humbucker guitar in the future it would probably end up with those in there.

They won't be any cheaper, I only mention it to maybe turn you onto something you don't know about but more than likely de-rail yet another thread, apologies in advance.

Those are really cool. Tempted to throw one in at the bridge of my strat

[leokula]

It's funny lol when I was young I came across several guitars with cheap HB in them that were super muddy... didn't like them. Then I managed to get some cool single coil guitars and stuff, but at some point wanted a HB guitar just because I think they have their uses. Then I got a couple higher end guitars with HB's and thought they were too clear LOL I thought "hell I got plenty of clear in my other guitars" so I ended up with an epiphone SG custom, the one with 3 pickups and boy they are hot and muddy!

Somehow, I like my HB's on the muddy side! That's the sound I have associated with them after all.

[BoringPostcards]

I'm dead serious when I say the best humbuckers I've ever used were simple ol' 57 classics from Gibson. They have a very good clean tone and are not muddy one bit. They take distortion well and other effects. They're relatively cheap for a set too. The 57+ are hotter and are not as nice clean.

[Larry Mal]

It's funny lol when I was young I came across several guitars with cheap HB in them that were super muddy... didn't like them. Then I managed to get some cool single coil guitars and stuff, but at some point wanted a HB guitar just because I think they have their uses. Then I got a couple higher end guitars with HB's and thought they were too clear LOL I thought "hell I got plenty of clear in my other guitars" so I ended up with an epiphone SG custom, the one with 3 pickups and boy they are hot and muddy!

Somehow, I like my HB's on the muddy side! That's the sound I have associated with them after all.

Right, that's why I keep the stock pickups in my Les Paul Studio. If I want "that sound", then that's the guitar I have that gives it to me.

I have a lot of guitars, though, so I guess I feel I can keep a few one trick ponies around (I do own a Gibson Sonex after all).

[budda12ax7]

The guy who lives in the desert makes great pickups....I can't think of his name....makes jazzy pickups..-aaa

[jeff m.]

^^^
TK Smith ?