Your favourite pickup/switching config?

axisus

I'm building another guitar, but procrastinating terribly over pickup/wiring configuration. Just can't decide! I have HB guitars and SC guitars but never mini humbuckers or P90s so I have no idea what they are like. Also wondering about those SD P-rails?

I thought I'd throw it out and see what you lot like best. What combo excites you most? I quite fancy something unusual but I'm not tied to the idea.

Any opinions on mini humbuckers, P90s, SD P-rails or anything else I haven't mentioned?

Bucket

What type of guitar is it?

Maybe single P-90 would be cool. Actually, there's no maybes about it - single P-90s are ALWAYS cool.

Pyroman

  I've never played any of those pickups either, but I'm hopeful!

 Fwiw,  Neil Young's "Old Black" has a mini humbucker in the bridge.  It's one of the "secrets" to his tone- aside from BEING Neil, that is...  ( according to Billy Talbot, the main secret to sounding like neil, is to BE neil)

 Also, Allen Collins liked to swap out the bridge mini hb in his Firebirds with a dog eared P90.

  Both of those possibilities interest me,as those are two of my most admired guitarists.

  That SD P-rail you're asking about, is that the single coil sized humbucker they make??  I was just looking at that the other day.

  Whilst poring over the ridiculous number of different pick ups Lace makes, I saw that the Purple Sensor ( I believe.- It may have been the Emerald...) is supposed to be a P90-alike.  Especially when used in the neck position.

  Right now, my "pet" pickup config is HSS, with a coil split, and an on/off switch for the humbucker.  Standard Fender-type 5 way selector.  It gives you GOOD options for both single and 'bucker tones from one guitar.  Also lets you have the bridge and neck on simultaneously, for a Tele-ish sound.  ( or even all three pickups at once!)

  At the moment, I'm leaning towards a Lace Dually  Emerald/Purple, for the 'bucker with a 3 way mini toggle.  I'd have the choice of a P90, a Texas Special, or a 'bucker in the bridge position.

  Other than that, all my guitars are either hh or sss with 5 way switches.  Except for the lone ss Tele, of course.  They give me more than enough options.  The hh Strat, especially sounds DAMN nice in coil split mode using both inside coils.

ddlooping

axisus said:

I'm building another guitar, but procrastinating terribly over pickup/wiring configuration. Just can't decide...

... I quite fancy something unusual but I'm not tied to the idea.

  Why don't you ask Ash ( @TheGuitarWeasel ) to make you something special?

axisus

Type of guitar: well, tele shaped, but with no routs thus far so a nice blank canvas. I have a spare American strat neck so that will go on for now. I'll probably make a right B*stard again with a trem!

Actually, I had forgotten, but I enquired with Ash in the past about both SCs and HBs. All that info is locked up in MR right now - so annoying!

RocknRollDave

I have a hankering for a 2 x P90 Les Paul, but for a Tele I am personally happy with the standard Tele pickups and configuration - the right balance of twang/ bite (bridge) and warmth/ woodiness (neck) that I like.
If I were to upgrade, I'd stick a HB in the neck (see also Graham Coxon, Andy Summers, Keith Richards..) but then I am a big fan of using the neck pickup, it's a big part of my sound...if I have a sound..

GuitarMonkey

2xP-90 for me too. I always think it's best to keep things simple. 

Sporky

I really liked the P-Rails I had - good and versatile and plenty of decent sounds. The Triple Threat pickup rings work very well with them.

ICBM

I'd probably go with two splittable humbucker-type things. I like neck+bridge sounds best usually, but also the other two occasionally. I also like full humbucker sounds and clearer single coils, so combining the two gives six useful sounds with the simplest switching. I do also like mini-HBs and Filtertrons, so something along the lines of those, maybe slightly hotter than vintage types (esp. the bridge) and splittable would be good.

I don't actually find P90s very useful - I like the sound of them, but they tend to be a one trick pony, for me. (Flame suit now on!) P-Rails might be interesting, but I've never got around to trying them. I was going to put a pair in a cheap Gretsch I had, but sold the guitar before I got round to it.

Adam_MD

P90's are always fun.  I'm seriously enjoying the Mojo tele/p90 hybrid thingy that's in the Jooky Esquire I picked up recently.  I'd be tempted to put another one of those in the bridge and a full size p90 in the neck.  

GuitarMonkey

ICBM said:

I don't actually find P90s very useful - I like the sound of them, but they tend to be a one trick pony, for me. 

I'm aiming for a "signature" sound 

ICBM

That's OK as long as the P90 is your signature sound .

It isn't for me - I like something with more bass/treble and 'ring', and less midrange and 'honk'. I like P90s, but I wouldn't want them - certainly not two of them - on my only guitar, I would struggle to get 'my' sound.

Same with Strat pickups - I like them (the middle one especially, controversial ), but I don't really get on with the complete package of three of them. Luckily my Aria 'Strat-like' has a much hotter bridge pickup, which is good.

marktheharp

I have an Indonesian squire fat tele !
Full size humbucker in neck and an axerus hotrail single coil in bridge.
Tone control is push pull out of phase on bridge and vol,push pull coil split on bridge also ! Thus giving 9 switching options ,great useable mod X(
My guitar tech did the mod .
Cheers Mark .

GuitarMonkey

ICBM said:

That's OK as long as the P90 is your signature sound .

It isn't for me - I like something with more bass/treble and 'ring', and less midrange and 'honk'. 

The mids do it for me. 

axisus

Is there a guitar out there with HB/SC/P90? Would that work? I quite like the idea of something unusual.

ICBM

axisus said:

Is there a guitar out there with HB/SC/P90? Would that work? I quite like the idea of something unusual.

I think Gibson did one of the Nighthawks like that, although I could be wrong.

No reason it won't work, anyway.

OilCityPickups

My Tele Deluxe ... fitted with the original prototype pair of Oil City BrassKnuckles is my 'go to' guitar for rehearsals with the new band at the moment. Progressive single coil mode allows me to go from Tele cut,  to rock humbucker in the bridge. While the one in the neck goes from thick 'Wide Range' style to very close to Strat neck sound. And of course being progressive, all tones in-between. It's really my Swiss Army guitar
When we start gigging ... hopefully next month ... I will carry a couple more guitars for good measure ... but the 'dial a tap' or progressive coil shutdown is king for just getting the job done.

hywelg

In my favourite strat I have neck, Lindy Fralin VH, middle, Lindy Fralin VH, bridge Lindy Fralin Unbucker. The wiring is such that in normal mode I have the hot coil of the Unbucker as default.

I then have two Push/Push (so much better that Push/Pull) switches on Vol and Neck Tone. On the Volume know the switch puts the Bridge pup in series with whichever other pup is selected with the 5 way. On the Neck Tone the switch engages bothe coils of the Unbucker to give you a vintage output level humbucker tone.

Very versatile indeed, and the volume boost from the series switch coupled with a big boost in mids is great for solos.

bandmaster188

axisus said:

Is there a guitar out there with HB/SC/P90? Would that work? I quite like the idea of something unusual.

I recently had in my strat, a 57 classic in the bridge, stock single coil middle and a bucker sized p90 in the neck. The p90 was a little too fat & bloated for my liking in that position so I moved it to the bridge. WOW!! Sounds great there so have gone back to single coils neck and middle and the p90 in the bridge and it really works. The p90 is actually a mississippi queen neck pickup but it really suits the bridge of my strat.

mike_l

ICBM said:

Same with Strat pickups - I like them (the middle one especially, controversial ),

 

Me too...

Although I'd probably have to say either a bridge 'bucker or a bridge 'bucker and middle S/C are favourites.

Also I'd agree with the 2x 'bucker with coil taps/splits for versatility. My ESP has this and is probably my most versatile guitar sounds wise

hotpickups

I recently bought a set of Monty's guitars Humdinger pickups. Truly lovely vintage pickup and loving them. I've got mine wired out of phase via a push pull. Expensive yes but they are hand wound etc. Really recommend him ]

http://www.montysguitars.com/products/humdinger