Self made pickup dilemma

MSedg

I got a Frank Hartung Junico a few weeks ago (NGD now well overdue) - it’s been owned by a number of forum members according to google. It’s fantastic but came with a ridiculously overwound bridge HB and a great neck P90. Being somebody who would mess around with the pickups on a 59 Les Paul, I of course started tinkering.

The problem - it now has a Monty’s PAF in the bridge, and the original Haussel P90 in the neck. They’re both great, but totally mismatched (bridge is significantly weaker). I can’t decide which to replace. How to decide?

MSedg

Should’ve also said - 1 vol, 1 tone. So trickier to balance that would otherwise be the case.

OilCityPickups

I didn't realise they did a model with a HB in the bridge and a P90 in the neck ... or has it been modified?

March

OilCityPickups said:

I didn't realise they did a model with a HB in the bridge and a P90 in the neck ... or has it been modified?

These could be specced with a humbucker in the bridge and a P90 in the neck, as well as twin P90 and twin hum options. 

blueskunk

OilCityPickups said:

I didn't realise they did a model with a HB in the bridge and a P90 in the neck ... or has it been modified?

@OilCityPickups - slight diversion of main topic, forgive me (or tell me to fk off )

Acquired a Strat this week, main reason I was interested as it came with OC pickups. Fk me man, how do you do it ? Riot act in the neck and Beano in the bridge, five way switch and some of the best tones I ever heard in all positions.  

You’re a genius. 

ICBM

MSedg said:

The problem - it now has a Monty’s PAF in the bridge, and the original Haussel P90 in the neck. They’re both great, but totally mismatched (bridge is significantly weaker). I can’t decide which to replace. How to decide?

Unless you *absolutely love it*, I would replace the bridge pickup, because I always find standard PAF-types too weak and bright in the bridge position almost regardless of what else the guitar has. The minimum I like is a 'hot PAF', and even that is at the lower end of the useful range.

Sporky

MSedg said:

The problem - it now has a Monty’s PAF in the bridge, and the original Haussel P90 in the neck. They’re both great, but totally mismatched (bridge is significantly weaker). I can’t decide which to replace. How to decide?

Just based on your wording, the bridge.

If you liked the bridge, I think you might have described the neck as "significantly hotter". 

But I might be reading too much into it. Also I like mismatched pickups. They give you somewhere to go. 

MSedg

Yep - stock with a Haussel HB at bridge, Haussel P90 at neck, and a bigsby. Bloody excellent thing. 

MSedg

This is it, looks to have been through Sound Affects and (to me) via Coda at various points -  https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/229021/traded-frank-hartung-junico-w-bigsby-price-drop-1600

I’ll do some photos of my own at some point but they’ll be terrible as usual. I’m slightly leaning towards keeping the P90 and flogging the Monty’s, mainly because I guess with a hotter bridge it opens up half decent coil tapping options. Usually I strongly prefer one or the other though and I’m a big fan of both these- if only they were close to matched

earwighoney

ICBM said:

MSedg said:

The problem - it now has a Monty’s PAF in the bridge, and the original Haussel P90 in the neck. They’re both great, but totally mismatched (bridge is significantly weaker). I can’t decide which to replace. How to decide?

Unless you *absolutely love it*, I would replace the bridge pickup, because I always find standard PAF-types too weak and bright in the bridge position almost regardless of what else the guitar has. The minimum I like is a 'hot PAF', and even that is at the lower end of the useful range.

What is your preferred choice of HB at bridge? 

I might be alone but I generally prefer a P90 at the bridge, and an HB at the neck.

ICBM

earwighoney said:

What is your preferred choice of HB at bridge?

It varies a lot depending on the guitar, but I generally like the Duncan Custom 5, Custom Custom, JB and Screamin' Demon, DiMarzio PAF Pro, Super Distortion and Evo, PRS Dragon II.

MSedg

Until now, the Monty’s PAF it’s got in has been my favourite - had it in a couple of guitars, switched it out of a Les Paul that’s on the block because I really like it. I think if I could find something that was equally open/airy, but hot enough to match with the p90, I’d be up for the change. I haven’t found anything that ticks that box though, everything I’ve tried (inc other stuff from Monty’s) has been less responsive, more compressed. I have a feeling part of it is I prefer non-potted pickups, but that might just be cork-sniffery.

Funkfingers

ICBM said:

It varies a lot depending on the guitar, but I generally like the Duncan … JB and Screamin' Demon.

Somewhere roughly halfway between these two lies the Perpetual Burn (Jason Becker signature) model.

OilCityPickups

blueskunk said:

OilCityPickups said:

I didn't realise they did a model with a HB in the bridge and a P90 in the neck ... or has it been modified?

@OilCityPickups - slight diversion of main topic, forgive me (or tell me to fk off )

Acquired a Strat this week, main reason I was interested as it came with OC pickups. Fk me man, how do you do it ? Riot act in the neck and Beano in the bridge, five way switch and some of the best tones I ever heard in all positions.  

You’re a genius. 

Why thank you sir ... The Beano and Riot Act do play well together ... alnico 4 bridge and 3 neck is a good combo with any pickups. 

Funkfingers said:

ICBM said:

It varies a lot depending on the guitar, but I generally like the Duncan … JB and Screamin' Demon.

Somewhere roughly halfway between these two lies the Perpetual Burn (Jason Becker signature) model.

And interestingly my own Blackbird ... It's interesting that I designed that for technical Metal musicians ...which was definitely the area Jason was heading for before his sad illness.  
If anyone has not seen the fantastic documentary film 'Not Dead Yet' about Jason's fight to still continue with his music ... it's well worth a look. My apologies for a derail ... but Jason's story is both shattering and uplifting. 

earwighoney

ICBM said:

earwighoney said:

What is your preferred choice of HB at bridge?

It varies a lot depending on the guitar, but I generally like the Duncan Custom 5, Custom Custom, JB and Screamin' Demon, DiMarzio PAF Pro, Super Distortion and Evo, PRS Dragon II.

Thanks for the info, I'm not aware of most of their specs, but I will look them up.  

I've only had the Super Distortion through my hands, and I regret selling it for peanuts a few years back.  It was a fantastic pickup. 

Just looking at the Custom 5.  I have a Catswhiskers pickup with roughly the same spec, 14k AWG43 with an Alnico 5 magnet, which was a good pickup if my memory serves me right.