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I'm so confused...

4K views 19 replies 8 participants last post by  6fingers 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hey dudess,

Another query from me today...

For someone who has never played anything but stock pickups I am really confused on all the different combinations and magnets, staggered pole pieces, materials ect!!
very overwhelming...

So, Where do I start? i need to make judgments, I have an Ibanez RG350DX, everything is stock Inf4 (bridge bucker) Inf3 (middle singlecoil) and Inf 3(Neck bucker).
I have not read up on these pups, but compaired to my Tokai les paul, (which are "vintaged voiced") they seem to add a bit more distortion on, but overall seem really muddy?

I have recently bought a new Tele, maybe it's my ears that have gotten used to the clean bell-like single coils, I don't know...
I don't want all of the cheap dudes saying "well for stock they aren't bad" that isn't the answer I'm really looking for...

With all these pups out there... I thought I'd give a company called "Dragonfire" and on a Whim bought a set of these

http://www.dragonfireguitars.com/product_info.php?cPath=124_129&products_id=383
I actually bought a pair of solid green ones, but they where the last pair.

Very sorrry to the "purists" out there that spend god knows how much on "real pickups" that woll scorch me for buying such Peasant-like pups, but I don't have the money, or the skill to enjoy a good pair...

I have heard, that for the price, they are excellent pups, so i thought "hell, why not"
I hope they will be better than my...lets say I hope Im right in saying "bad" stock Infinities...

What branded pups would you guys reccomend for me, I am looking for clarity, I hate with the Ibanez pickups that with gain they sound muddy as F***. also I love that velvety sound of a neck pup, when you play fast and you can hear the pick hitting the strings for that "pop" sound, love it! for a bridge, I hate it too clear, harshness, kind of high's, so not too high, but nice and punchy like someone is grabbing you by the sack...wow what a weird simile...

And for my Tele, I also don't know if I should swap the pups out, because again, I don't know how "real" pups should sound!

I noticed the Neck pup can't take distortion very well... When I put it on medium gain ( I know a Tele isn't for gain but I like it!) blue's rock setting the bass sort of overcomes the pup and the volume goes down... because of all the bass I suppose. I have tweaked amp settings to no avail.

I would also like to say that I know the amp matters more...but I'm not going to go out and buy 10 different amps when I have a Peavey vypyr at 1/200000000 of the price...
On that note, I would like to say, because I have a good modelling amp, I have tweaked around alot, and the muddyness is still present, which leads me to believe it is the pups

Thanks ever so much!!!
 
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#13 ·
+1 I will only buy GFS pickups from now on. you cannot beat the quality for the price. I also have VEH set, power rails, PAFs, Tele rails, etc. cant say enough good things about GFS. I even bought one of their Xaivier thinline teles and its awesome!
:mrgreen: I tried Dragon Mountain.. didn't like them at all. I swapped them in my RG350/450 and ended up putting the INFI's back in.
 
#3 ·
This is a really tricky question. After the guitar itself pickups are probably the most personal choice in a rig. Usually because they're cheap to replace and can give starkly idfferent results.

It's important to remember that one person's "fat" tone is another person's "muddy" tone and so on.

Overall I think there are certain pickups that should be trusted for a "beginner" things like a set of EMGs, like the Duncan JB (SH-4) and the DiMarzio Tone Zone and Paf Pro and thay're a good place to start, so maybe a second hand bridge pickup is the first port of call for you from fleabay?

I also think that if you don't have a lot of experience with pickups, identifying a sound on a record and chasing after that gear can be a good way of doing things, or at least saying "I want to sound like the solo in "song a" by "band b".

So who's tone on what song do you want?

One tone for neck, one tone for bridge.
 
#4 ·
This is a really tricky question. After the guitar itself pickups are probably the most personal choice in a rig. Usually because they're cheap to replace and can give starkly idfferent results.

It's important to remember that one person's "fat" tone is another person's "muddy" tone and so on.

Overall I think there are certain pickups that should be trusted for a "beginner" things like a set of EMGs, like the Duncan JB (SH-4) and the DiMarzio Tone Zone and Paf Pro and thay're a good place to start, so maybe a second hand bridge pickup is the first port of call for you from fleabay?

I also think that if you don't have a lot of experience with pickups, identifying a sound on a record and chasing after that gear can be a good way of doing things, or at least saying "I want to sound like the solo in "song a" by "band b".

So who's tone on what song do you want?

One tone for neck, one tone for bridge.
thanks alot for all the help :)

And I want MY tone! :p haha that's what everyone raves on at you about isn't it? how you should find your own tone?

But anyway, I dig Zakk wylde, Dime, Hetfield's rythm chug tone (which I just dialed in an awsome setting in on a peavey vypyr, but again, the picups are muddy as hell!) and many many others, Satch, Vai, jonny cash, ect, as you can see I ave a wide variety of tones, just don't know/how to find which ones to combine to make my own.
 
#5 ·
There's no confusion, just buy what your idol uses.
If you have a digital modeller just buy a hi gain humbucker and you'll be ready to play from clean to metal, covering all styles but you'll always have that modeller tone and not a "variety of tones" like you said.
To have a variety of tones you need different modellers or different amps(brands and models).
But as you're an "Amateur" probably 1 modeller will be able to give what you want cause as you don't have different modellers/amps your ears don't know the difference ;)
 
#6 ·
If you have a digital modeller just buy a hi gain humbucker and you'll be ready to play from clean to metal, covering all styles but you'll always have that modeller tone and not a "variety of tones" like you said.
To have a variety of tones you need different modellers or different amps(brands and models).
Whilst I agree wholeheartedly about the "nice high gain pickup and you're good to go" thing - just pick who you like best and buy their pickup.

I'd really disagree with the bit about "one tone" though ... Unless you're going to say next that a Boogie Mark V only gets one "tone" :p

My line 6 has loads of different "tones" none of them feel as good as their "real" counterparts, but they're definitely different tones :)
 
#11 ·
How long have you been playing for? Its only about a year isn't it?

Stop getting so worried about so much gear, develop your chops, then you'll start to understand the differences within guitars, amps, pickups, etc.

Play as many different guitars, amps, etc as you can and slowly work out what sounds you like over time as you improve as a player.

Try out those pickups you bought. They are supposed to be good for the money, but then concentrate on your chops, heaps of guitars and gear will not help you with that, practice will. ;)
 
#12 ·
How long have you been playing for? Its only about a year isn't it?

Stop getting so worried about so much gear, develop your chops, then you'll start to understand the differences within guitars, amps, pickups, etc.

Play as many different guitars, amps, etc as you can and slowly work out what sounds you like over time as you improve as a player.

Try out those pickups you bought. They are supposed to be good for the money, but then concentrate on your chops, heaps of guitars and gear will not help you with that, practice will. ;)
+1000

How many times I said .....people these days worry too much about gear(woods, pups, strings, amps, pedals etc) BEFORE learning to play.
People want their idols tones but hey, can you play like them?
It doesn't matter which gear you have if you can't make music ;)
 
#14 ·
I bought a pair of Dragonfire Screamers and loved them. Definitely worth the money. I have them in my 540S, RG570, and in my RG550. Gotta be honest, they sound terrible in the 550. Maybe they're all just hit and miss but im in the process of swapping them for PAF Pros in the 550. I dont think they like maple haha
 
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