Looking for pickup advice

[Rancid Rumpboogie]

If he likes the guitar, how it plays and feels, selling the guitar and finding one with pickups he likes and that plays and feels right and that he really likes is much more hassle and probably more expensive than simply spending $100.00 for a Duncan Quarter Pounder for the bridge and a GFS Alinico II Classic for the neck and two cents for soldering iron electricity. Or even $200.00 for a Quarter Pounder and Bare Knuckle Stormy Monday or Gibby '57 Classic.

And if a soldering iron doesn't scare him, he could put a 4-way switch it to get both pickups on in series and howl at the moon.

I have 16 electrics and all but three (once I get my 17th one, a Gibby SG) have had their pickups replaced. I have a ton of pedals. I have found that if a pickup makes you wanna barf, no pedal can cure its barfiness. And ...there is nothing magic about a Klon.

 

[Elio]

Sell that guitar and buy one that has the feel you like with the pup you want in it already.

Or you could try a treble boost or maybe a Klon clone of some kind? Even a graphic equalizer....

With a Klon clone you might find you want it on all the time. Mine generally is.

Looks like he considers it a project guitar that he can use to learn how to change pickups, so I'm guessing that replacing the guitar is not an option. I have done that on at least two lower end guitars that have turned out to be really great sounding and playing guitars that unlike my higher end gear, I'm not worried about traveling with or taking to a jam.

 

[mountain man]

Looks like he considers it a project guitar that he can use to learn how to change pickups, so I'm guessing that replacing the guitar is not an option. I have done that on at least two lower end guitars that have turned out to be really great sounding and playing guitars that unlike my higher end gear, I'm not worried about traveling with or taking to a jam.

Yep! That's why I have an American Standard Strat or the Wolfgang stoptail for humbuckers. I also have a couple Gibson Traditional Pro's in the Flying V and Explorer.

 

[B.J.Thomas]

Good evening all,

I have an ASAT Classic tribute Bluesboy. I love the feel of the guitar, but I'm underwhelmed with the pickups. The humbucker in the neck is a bit muddy, and the bridge doesn't have that Tele twang.

I knew it was a cheaper guitar and actually have another one with all single coils and love it.

So, in terms of pickups, I'd love some recommendations for a neck humbucker that has that nice creamy blues rock sound, and for the neck I really want that classic Tele twang.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

I'm with you. I do not like that humbucker at all. I have zero tech skills-tools but my good friend who does, opened it up and says the 250 pots many have a lot to do with the sound. He says he would change them to 500 before changing the pickup itself.

 

[Silicon Valley Tom]

Are you sure that the problem is with the pickups? Perhaps it is the amplifier or pedals or lack of pedals. Gee, what fun this could be!

Sorry for that.

Tom

 

[B.J.Thomas]

A good friend (who knows things) listened and his analysis was to change the 250 pots to 500 before any pickup changes. I got the idea a tube amp might be the ticket. Music stores are at least 50 miles but I made it today and plugged it into a Blues Jr. There it was! The sound I want! Problem. My wife works at home (permanently). I doubt i'll be able to get to the volume i'll need to get that sound and use what the Jr. is capable of. No headphone jack, either. At another store, the owner (who I really like) told me in my situation I couldn't utilize a tube amp. With my low budget I could swing it but would rather not (the used one was $399, new $699). He told me the KatanaII would be the best way for me to go. He said I could find the blues dirt i'm looking for and more. He had the 100 but told me I should get a 50. He may not get one for months. On another note, the store owner (different town) i've been in touch with (email) says the amp for me is a Blackstar Studio 10 and he wants to sell it to me for $729 and I won't be happy with a Katana. At the moment I am using a rotten MustangI (bought used for $75 when I needed an amp period switching from acoustic). I hate the Mustang. None of the preset amp sounds are good to me. The reverb and delay are out of whatk. Just a mess. From a YT video I finally learned how to get a clean channel. A friend let me have a distortion-overdrive pedal cheap so i'll see how it sounds in the clean channel. I also use a Blackstar Fly battery amp for convenience and I can take it outside when the weather is nice (won't be much longer here!). Summation. I loved the sound of the Jr. The Katana is probably what I need at least with the headphone jack. The ability to get the tone I want? I don't know. It definitely fits my budget better. I have been looking hard (and watching videos of it) at the Roland Blues Cube. Another thing is that most times I struggle to change strings so the tube changes and amp maint. that comes along are way over my abilities. I am not a "tube snob" but hearing what my guitar sounded with the Jr. really left a mark on me. However, if I can't play that loud at home what good is it? Long ramble. Sorry.

 

[artyman]

I have a Katana 50 Mk1 I think it is a great amp, perhaps it's only drawback is no send and return loop, so for example if you put down a rhythm with a sound then changed to another sound for lead it would also change that as it would be going into the front of the amp. I use BT's through the Aux so not a problem for me. Using Boss Tone Studio you can get any sound you want, it can also be switched between 50, 25 and 0.5 watts, the 100 version is 100/50/0.5 watts. There are a couple of excellent Katana Facebook groups as well.

 

[cowboy]

my .02...if you like the way the guitar plays and feels, keep it...next:

1) try adjusting the height of the pickups and see what happens.
2) check out the quality of the pots and wiring...those changes can make a big difference...
3) research some of the SC/HB combinations that are out there...finding the "right" one is more about trial and error...

with the 25-1/2 scale you are more in the Fender camp than the Gibson camp. There are lots of good pickup options at all price levels...I have three tele guitars...one with sc/hb combo and the other two are sc/sc...each one is its own beast...not better or worse just different...can't even tell you all the pickups in them...

I can tell you it is a hit or miss situation...I have Gibson Classic 57's in my Les Paul and love them...I have another set in my Epiphone Wilshire and the sound completely different...go figure...same issue with my strats...

haven't told you much except for "if you like the way the guitar plays and feels, keep it"...#1 most important starting point...later.

cowboy

 

[B.J.Thomas]

I have a Katana 50 Mk1 I think it is a great amp, perhaps it's only drawback is no send and return loop, so for example if you put down a rhythm with a sound then changed to another sound for lead it would also change that as it would be going into the front of the amp. I use BT's through the Aux so not a problem for me. Using Boss Tone Studio you can get any sound you want, it can also be switched between 50, 25 and 0.5 watts, the 100 version is 100/50/0.5 watts. There are a couple of excellent Katana Facebook groups as well.

 

[B.J.Thomas]

I don't even know anything about a send and return loop so I wouldn't have thought to look for them. I'm just concerned with getting the "tube sound" (or a very good approximation of it). Hard to explain, but when I plugged into the Jr. and strummed with the dirty sounds (all amp, no pedals) I felt it, not just heard it. Had never experienced that before. It was strange. Thanks for you comments on the Katana. He will let me know when he gets 50's in. He says he can't keep them in stock. I checked and the Blackstar Studio 10 (tube) does have a headphone jack. I can't pay that other store guy $729 but I did find some used ones on Reverb and Ebay for about $375-$400 and not crazy shipping I'm also watching the used Roland Blues Cube's that show up. I am also thinking that I should somehow hold out to see what deals come out on Black Friday-Cyber Monday. Not sure i'll be able to do that, though.

 

[Silicon Valley Tom]

My suggestion: Have patience! Do not make a purchase until you try an amplifier you like! Otherwise, you may end up with a house full of amplifiers, guitars, pedals, and headaches.

As for modifying your guitar, that could get out of hand very quickly.

I have several amplifiers, tubed and solid state. I got rid of my Fender Mustang III. My preference is to have an amplifier I can turn on, and do what I want. A send and return loop can be very important, if you use pedals.



Tom

 

[Terry B]

Otherwise, you may end up with a house full of amplifiers, guitars, pedals

I thought this was the goal?

 

[Silicon Valley Tom]

It is possible that headphones will not give you the sound you want, as compared to the speaker of any amplifier.

In order for many amplifiers to "sound great", you have to crank them up to maximum volume.


Tom

 

[B.J.Thomas]

I'm sure headphone sound will have to be compromise (but hopefully not total) but in my situation I don't have much choice. As for getting an amp now. The Mustang (v1) I bought used, I had to have an amp of some sorts coming over from acoustic. It has proven to be nothing bur junk. The Fender amp sets are a joke, the other even worse. As for trying to dial in any sort of sound, perhaps it is me but reverb, delay, etc. won't shut off and the whole deal is just junk. So, I bought a Blackstar Fly battery amp to get by. I can play it at volume, not expecting a lot (and it delivers that).. it has a headphone jack. I don't want to have it as my #1, though. A nice band-aid and reserve. I sort of liked the Katana (100) I tried, although (and understandably) didn't cure my pickup the way the Jr. did0 and feel it may have to be the compromise. The store guy (nice guy I know somewhat) wouldn't see me a 100 but he didn't have a 50, he says they are his top seller and can't keep them and his next order is more than likely on a ship somewhere. The Katana with a little mix of Crunch and Brown with the Blues Driver dialed in was a good spot for me. Find a few settings I like and keep them there. like my Yamaha drums I play sometimes, there are all sorts of sounds I can dial in with them but I just set up the best regular drum kit for me and haven't touched the settings since.

I may also get one of the monoprice 5 or 15's (depending on a sale) so i'll at least have a tube amp to play around with. May even be able to get a nice sound I like at a low volume. I can get both that amp and a Katana for less than a Jr. Will check into any options for an external headphone hookup via pedal or something. Again, I realize headphone quality is nothing like the amp quality but when you have to...or else...nothing. I am hoping the Katana 50's come in soon. i will then try to find a weekend to make the 50 mile drive and plug in. One thing this has proven is that there is an amp fix for my pickup instead of a mod, which I neither want to or am personally able to do.

 

[Elio]

A good friend (who knows things) listened and his analysis was to change the 250 pots to 500 before any pickup changes. I got the idea a tube amp might be the ticket. Music stores are at least 50 miles but I made it today and plugged it into a Blues Jr. There it was! The sound I want! Problem. My wife works at home (permanently). I doubt i'll be able to get to the volume i'll need to get that sound and use what the Jr. is capable of. No headphone jack, either. At another store, the owner (who I really like) told me in my situation I couldn't utilize a tube amp. With my low budget I could swing it but would rather not (the used one was $399, new $699). He told me the KatanaII would be the best way for me to go. He said I could find the blues dirt i'm looking for and more. He had the 100 but told me I should get a 50. He may not get one for months. On another note, the store owner (different town) i've been in touch with (email) says the amp for me is a Blackstar Studio 10 and he wants to sell it to me for $729 and I won't be happy with a Katana. At the moment I am using a rotten MustangI (bought used for $75 when I needed an amp period switching from acoustic). I hate the Mustang. None of the preset amp sounds are good to me. The reverb and delay are out of whatk. Just a mess. From a YT video I finally learned how to get a clean channel. A friend let me have a distortion-overdrive pedal cheap so i'll see how it sounds in the clean channel. I also use a Blackstar Fly battery amp for convenience and I can take it outside when the weather is nice (won't be much longer here!). Summation. I loved the sound of the Jr. The Katana is probably what I need at least with the headphone jack. The ability to get the tone I want? I don't know. It definitely fits my budget better. I have been looking hard (and watching videos of it) at the Roland Blues Cube. Another thing is that most times I struggle to change strings so the tube changes and amp maint. that comes along are way over my abilities. I am not a "tube snob" but hearing what my guitar sounded with the Jr. really left a mark on me. However, if I can't play that loud at home what good is it? Long ramble. Sorry.

It is possible that headphones will not give you the sound you want, as compared to the speaker of any amplifier.

In order for many amplifiers to "sound great", you have to crank them up to maximum volume.


Tom

I have the same observation. I have a little digital practice amp by Acoustic that I bought for my work office years ago so that I could use it with headphones and an mp3 input for backing tracks. I really hated the sound but used it for 6-7 years for convenience. I finally brought it home thinking I would sell it. Once at home, i played through it a few times without headphones and discovered that it is a really great sounding amp through the speaker. An amp's cabinet and speaker are a huge factor as to how it will sound, and headphones do not do a good of job without really good cabinet simulation. I now keep it as the practice amp in my home office where I can use it without headphones.

 

[Elio]

I'm sure headphone sound will have to be compromise (but hopefully not total) but in my situation I don't have much choice. As for getting an amp now. The Mustang (v1) I bought used, I had to have an amp of some sorts coming over from acoustic. It has proven to be nothing bur junk. The Fender amp sets are a joke, the other even worse. As for trying to dial in any sort of sound, perhaps it is me but reverb, delay, etc. won't shut off and the whole deal is just junk. So, I bought a Blackstar Fly battery amp to get by. I can play it at volume, not expecting a lot (and it delivers that).. it has a headphone jack. I don't want to have it as my #1, though. A nice band-aid and reserve. I sort of liked the Katana (100) I tried, although (and understandably) didn't cure my pickup the way the Jr. did0 and feel it may have to be the compromise. The store guy (nice guy I know somewhat) wouldn't see me a 100 but he didn't have a 50, he says they are his top seller and can't keep them and his next order is more than likely on a ship somewhere. The Katana with a little mix of Crunch and Brown with the Blues Driver dialed in was a good spot for me. Find a few settings I like and keep them there. like my Yamaha drums I play sometimes, there are all sorts of sounds I can dial in with them but I just set up the best regular drum kit for me and haven't touched the settings since.

I may also get one of the monoprice 5 or 15's (depending on a sale) so i'll at least have a tube amp to play around with. May even be able to get a nice sound I like at a low volume. I can get both that amp and a Katana for less than a Jr. Will check into any options for an external headphone hookup via pedal or something. Again, I realize headphone quality is nothing like the amp quality but when you have to...or else...nothing. I am hoping the Katana 50's come in soon. i will then try to find a weekend to make the 50 mile drive and plug in. One thing this has proven is that there is an amp fix for my pickup instead of a mod, which I neither want to or am personally able to do.

My experience with Mustang (and Fender GDEC) amps is that almost none of the included presets were ones that I liked at all. With that said, spending a little time with the Fuse software, I can usually dial in a sound I really like a lot. I also have both the 5w and 15w Monoprice amps. The 5w is great for home guitar practice, and it serves as my harp amp, while the 15w is what I always take to jams, since it's lightweight, inexpensive and sounds great.

For home practice with headphones, I use my Spark amp from PositiveGrid. It's got a great sound and lots of great technology for learning new songs.

 

[snarf]

My experience with Mustang (and Fender GDEC) amps is that almost none of the included presets were ones that I liked at all. With that said, spending a little time with the Fuse software, I can usually dial in a sound I really like a lot.

I'll ditto this. I have a Mustang Floor. Of the 100 presets that came in it, I use exactly none of them. However, I've got about a dozen presets that I built using Fuse that I like. On the occasion that I use the Floor, those are the only ones that I'll use. The Floor is a pretty fun piece of kit if you don't mind taking some time to learn how to build your own sounds. I, also, think it's a little more versatile than the Mustang amps because floor controller + foot switches = I can turn effects on and off on the fly. I don't know if the amps will allow you to do that.

 

[Elio]

I'll ditto this. I have a Mustang Floor. Of the 100 presets that came in it, I use exactly none of them. However, I've got about a dozen presets that I built using Fuse that I like. On the occasion that I use the Floor, those are the only ones that I'll use. The Floor is a pretty fun piece of kit if you don't mind taking some time to learn how to build your own sounds. I, also, think it's a little more versatile than the Mustang amps because floor controller + foot switches = I can turn effects on and off on the fly. I don't know if the amps will allow you to do that.

The breakthrough for me was starting with a totally clean tone on an amp model and then dialing in the effects myself. Virtually every one of the pre-installed presets was disappointing.

 

[Bernie Fitz]

Check out a website called "intheblues" I found a number of presets that could be downloaded using Fuse that sounded very good. If you can't play at volume anyway and you already have a Mustang it's worth a shot before you spend on another modeling amp. The pre-sets loaded in are mostly useless but unless there is something wrong with the amp you might find a few you like.

 

[snarf]

Check out a website called "intheblues"

His website is actually guitarpedaldemos. Not sure why Shane has his website under that when everything else he does is called In the Blues. Also, here's a link for the specific page. I've kept it bookmarked because he's one of only a couple that actually have the Fuse software available too.

https://guitarpedaldemos.com/fender-fuse-mustang-v2-archive/