pickup advice

Tat2dstesh

So I have a great gibson midtown and i love it but im fancying a change of pickups. I hated the burstbucker so went with a gibson 498t which was more my output style but recently since getting a flying v with a dimarzio distortion and having a les paul with a SD custom and SG with oilcity scrapyard dog plus (with alnico 8 mod), I've noticed recording it sounds the worst, maybe a little muddy and undifined. I know live with the band it sounds the biggest guitar out of the bunch and i love that but fancy something new to try. Nothing PAF style or too classic and nothing over the top. Whats good in the middle ground?

Flattop

Sd Jb or SD Custom 5

Funkfingers

IMHO, "middle ground" is 9 - 12k Ohms d.c.r.

• Seymour Duncan Screamin' Demon
• Seymour Duncan Brobucker (usually a Custom Shop special order)
• Seymour Duncan Whole Lotta Humbucker
• Seymour Duncan Saturday Night Special
• DiMarzio D-Activator
• DiMarzio The Breed
• Whatever Alegree, Bare Knuckle, Mojo and Oil City do in this output range.

Tat2dstesh said:

gibson midtown ... gibson 498t ... a little muddy and undefined. 

No surprises there!

The 498T combines overwound coils with an Alnico 5 bar magnet. Things might become more defined with a change of magnet to either Alnico 4 or unoriented Alnico 5 (UOA5).

timmypix

Sounds like the Bare Knuckle Rebel Yell would be right up your alley.

MrBump

Bareknuckle VHII (assuming they still do them...) - they're pretty much a vintage PAF.  I have a set in my Charvel Strat-thing, they're bright, lots of high end.  Almost like hot single coils, but with more body.  Split wonderfully too.

p90fool

Funkfingers said:

Tat2dstesh said:

gibson midtown ... gibson 498t ... a little muddy and undefined. 

No surprises there!

The 498T combines overwound coils with an Alnico 5 bar magnet. Things might become more defined with a change of magnet to either Alnico 4 or unoriented Alnico 5 (UOA5).

I run an alnico 3 in my 498T, it sounds fantastic, cures the mud and brings back a dynamic snap without losing its inherent rockiness. 

Best fiver I ever spent.

xscaramanga

timmypix said:

Sounds like the Bare Knuckle Rebel Yell would be right up your alley.

I was thinking this, or a Crawler. Rebel Yell more upper mid scream, Crawler more lower mid growl.

markr76

I've just fitted a rebel yell in my Patrick James eggle 96 and it's a stunning pickup. Very punchy with plenty of bite. Very harmonically rich for a slightly hotter pick up. I have it in the bridge position as there's a p90 in the neck. 
I was also very impressed with the bkp emerald as a pickup too. I had a set in my old prs single cut and they worked really well. A bit more scooped in the mids with a very tight low end. Had a very good bite on the top end also. Because of the definition on the top end it really did shine with the gain cranked up as it was very articulate. The single cut was all mahogany and quite honky in the mids. The emerald really balanced up that guitar.