Warmest Humbuckers ?

[MikeyT]

  What are the warmest, sweetest sounding humbucking pups you are familiar with ?



                    Thanks.



  PS
Twangy is no problem. Neither is sparkle & chime, for that matter.

[johnny problem]

Lowering the pick up height can allow you to get a warmer/woodier tone.

[Worthless Willie]

I really like the Burstbucker Pro's I have in my LP Standard.  Nice and warm, not shrill in the least.

[NoSleepTilSleep]

Sort of insanely subjective, but if you want to narrow your own search, look for buckers with alnico II magnets. Those are the ones that
get all of the adjectives  like "woody, earthy tone" etc. obviously things like a lower "k" rating will also help.

Are looking for warm pickups that are also high output?

[MikeyT]

^
        Naturally I want all of the good qualities associated with any pickup in one pickup.

           A pickup that I can easily find.

               And also buy at an extremely reasonable price.   

[MikeyT]

Sort of insanely subjective, but if you want to narrow your own search, look for buckers with alnico II magnets. Those are the ones that
get all of the adjectives  like "woody, earthy tone" etc. obviously things like a lower "k" rating will also help.

Are looking for warm pickups that are also high output?

           'Subjective' isn't a problem. I look at each suggestion and then investigate further.

Alnico II mags are probably the way to go. They'll sound sweeter than Alnico III's or V's ?

I'm switching most of my guitars over to "pure nickel" strings, for what that's worth.
Doing it for playability (I bend strings like crazy), but they also seem warmer, albeit not as bright and with less sustain.

I have this Tradition SG. It's a good copy- solidly built, sweet neck, but the pups aren't cutting it. I want the "warm, vintage sounding" pups for that guitar (& possibly others). They don't necessarily have to be high output. The wiring should be upgraded too.

I hear a lot of bad things about GFS pups (cheap sounding, inconsistent), but also some good things (warm tones) & heard some nice sounds on youtube from Dream 180s. Dream 90s & Mean 90s didn't sound bad, either (those P90s are made to fit in a humbucker space).
Gretsch might be a good choice, too.
I'm open to Gibson, Seymour Duncan, etc. and might even go DAllen (his are great & reasonably priced) , but if the cheap pups'll get me there, why not ?

I have other guitars for Blues/R&B/Soul and Hard Rock/Blues-Rock/Metal, you know, so I want this one to sound different. More for Rock'n'roll, Rockabilly, Country, Country Rock.
 

[Baltar]

GFS all the way.  I have the '59 and Dream 180.  I have a buddy back in Detroit that's been playing for 30+ years and he won't use anything else.

[MikeyT]

Interesting.
With that encouragement, I'll continue to investigate GFS.

Speaking of GFS.
 I got a '95 Mexican Stratocaster from a guy last year.
He had 11's on it, which I would not use (ok, possibly on a guitar dedicated to slide work).
For some reason (maybe the string gauges in combination with the smaller frets they put on the old Mexi Strats ?) it was extraordinarily hard to bend strings on the thing. That, together with my tendonitis has kept me from playing it more than a handful of times. I did notice it had a kind of sweet, warm tone, though. He said he put a Texas Special in the bridge, and two "Jimi Hendrix" pickups in the middle & neck positions. I said what do you mean by "Jimi Hendrix" pups? He said they came off a Jimi Hendrix model guitar. Further attempts to elicit a more specific answer were met with a vague response.

Just put some D'Addario 8's on it last week (which I also never use under normal circumstances), and it's still hard to play. And now it sounds trashy. Those strings are just too bright/too light with the pups & that maple neck.  I'll try some DR Pure Blues 9's on it, next. That should make it easier to bend on and less trebly/trashy, with bigger low tones, and retain all the warmth. The so called Pure Nickel strings are very easy to bend.

As I was trying to figure out this guitar, it came to me that maybe the other 2 pups were the GFS Jimi Hendrix model pups ( & he didn't want to admit that) because they sure don't sound loud or strong enough to be Fender Custom Shop '69's, which is probably what came on Fender's Jimi Hendrix model guitar.

Anyway, these pups sound sweet, warm, vintagey, but kind of weak & slightly cheapish.
I'm thinking they'll sound pretty good with the right strings, played through a decent tube amp.

[Baltar]

Haven't used any of the single coils, they might be meh. 

[MikeyT]

  
         Well, bear in mind that I was trying that guitar out through a Fender/Squier SP10, ha, ha.
I live in a a little apartment complex now, so I have to keep things pretty quiet. I can only play through my Fender Pro Jr. at certain times in the afternoon, and then only on 1.

         I think GFS actually has a pretty good reputation for single coils.

[Worthless Willie]

Yeah, I've gotten Tele and Strat pickups from GFS, and they've all been great.

[RacerX]

You want warm? These are like a thick chocolate shake.

http://www.dimarzio.com/pickups/humbuckers/high-power/tone-zone

[Baltar]

I had the Super 2's in my LP Studio.  They make a good pup too.  I'd still use GFS even if I won the lottery.

[MikeyT]

 Baltar, I checked out every vid I could find on youtube, including what they have on their (GFS) website.
 Couldn't find all the samples I wanted, but...

To me, they sounded a little thinner & cheaper than most contempoary Duncan, Fender, & Gibson pups.
Maybe less solid & professional.
On the other hand, they also generally sounded a little sweeter, warmer, and more organic.
Some of the GFS humbuckers & P-90's seem to split the difference between the Fender & Gibson sounds. Kind of like Gretsch ?
The GFS pups just seemed to have more of a vintage vibe, which is what I like.

Also checked out videos for Gibsons, Duncans, etc. etc.
MyLesPaul.com had some GFS vs Gibson/Duncan/Dimarzio/Boutique threads & links to various vids. For example, Seth Lovers are highly regarded, but the vid I heard sounded sterile/boring. Don't know if it was because a Blues Lawyer(?) playing didn't know how to squeeze the juice from his setup or what; but it was blah. Same for many of the others. I do like some of the Tonerider stuff.

I dug the Surf 90's & Vintage 59's.  Also, the Dream 180's, and maybe the Dream 90's & Mean 90's (still sorting them out).

I was about to pull the trigger on a couple, but sat down with the Tradition SG one more time to try to discern the the body wood so I could choose the right ones.

Started playing Sugaree (Jerry Garcia) and then some Soul stuff. Sounded really sweet, so instead of holding onto my contempt for the thinness; I attempted to utilize it by reaching for more of a Country/Country Rock/twangy/hollow/snappy/Fenderesque sound. My baby did get pretty close to that with a really pretty clean tone & a nice mildly overdriven sound as well.
Not far from Gretsch/Rickenbacker territory.

At that point I realized the guitar pretty much already had the "warm, vintage sounding" pups mentioned in a previous post and they didn't need to be replaced* **.
Listening to all those vids opened my mind up to it's sonic possibilities.

    Crazy, man, crazy.





* It was worth it to learn more about GFS. I'm sure I'll buy some for another guitar eventually.

** "If it sounds good and plays good; don't mess with it! "

[Fuhgawz]

I put a Rio Grande BBQ bucker in the bridge position of an SG that really warmed the sound up. That might work for you.

EDIT: just read in your last post that you don't want to change any more. Sorry for posting anyway...

[VOLVO)))]

Are the frets on that Strat worn flat? That would explain the bending difficulty. If you want to do a little maintenance on it, that anyone can do, but usually scares folks, take some 0000 steel wool to the frets, and just polish them. Takes all of the dirt and bullshit off them, after that polishing you can use some of that 8000+ grit finish scratch remover on each fret, then polish with a microfiber cloth. You can't really fuck it up, it won't hurt anything, and it'll only make the guitar play better.

If they are worn flat, you can have them recrowned, which will decrease the surface area under the string, making less friction = easier to bend. Just sayin'... lighter gauge strings are nobody's friend.

[nonoman]

I'll second the Burstbucker Pros, they're fuckin butter.

I'm a pure nickel string convert myself, what kind do you use MikeyT? I can only find the Dunlop Jimi Hendrix ones locally, but they're great.

[MikeyT]

   Bought a 2006 MIM Fender Ash Strat (FSR) from a guy on ebay & it had DR Pure Blues (aka Pure Nickel) 10's on it. Liked the strings, so I shot him an email to find out what they were.


The pups are Fender TexMex from what I understand. Wanted a 70's Strat like the Ash ones I used to have (& can no longer afford to buy) but in a natural finish, and it was cheaper to get that than the MIM 70s Re-Issue.
The FSR has a 4 bolt neck, too.

Remember when Ritchie Blackmore used to play a Natural sometimes in the 70s ?

                   


                 

    Was going to change the pups to maybe Fender Custom Shop 69's, but I kind of dig the TexMex pups, so I'm leaving them for now.
They sound a little "dry", but you can get some exciting sounds from them.
I'm sure the CS 69's or maybe even Texas Specials or CS 54's or boutique would sound even better, but again, "if it sounds good, don't mess with it".  You can always change your mind later, so I'm not in a hurry to change it.

   Gotta say this newer guitar is much smoother than the 95. The neck is shaped better, too.
In case anyone doesn't know, the MIM Strats from 2006 on have a heavier bridge (better sustain), and better wiring/electronics. Fender seems to have come a long way in restoring their former glory.

    Oh yeah, the DR Pure Blues are super easy to bend.
I just got some DR Pure Blues 9's for the 95 Strat, haven't put 'em on yet. That should solve the bending problem, Sunn O))); but I'll take a closer look at the frets. Thanks for the tip on fret maintenance.
Also got some Fender Pure Nickel 9's & D'Addario Pure 9's to try out & see which play & sound better.  

[MikeyT]

I put a Rio Grande BBQ bucker in the bridge position of an SG that really warmed the sound up. That might work for you.

EDIT: just read in your last post that you don't want to change any more. Sorry for posting anyway...

       Wondered about Rio Grandes. I'll remember that info when I get ready to upgrade my Epi G-400 (maybe next year).

     
           Here's a pic from MF of the Fender Mexico FSR Ash Strat for anyone who might be interested:


           

   They're $499 new (same as Fender MIM Standard), but I got mine used.

[dogfood]

Stevie "Oaklawn" Vaughn was, perhaps, the inspiration behind putting Heavy Ass Strings On A Fender Tuned To Standard.  He bent the shit out of notes on a meh tremolo equipt'd maple and alder piece.  With standard tuning and 9's his bitch would sound tinny.  But, bad motherfucker slapped some heavy ass 12's on that honkey an' worked that Ho like a Pimp!  Mind you I am not really a SRV fan but give the dude his due he really, really worked over a Strat.  And, heavy ass strings were a big part of the tone.  I'm guessing here but I'd figure he had weak/untensioned springs hooked up to his trem to assist with all the bending. 
As for Humbuckers and I was looking for some warm tone I'd look for someone who hand built, balanced coil, slightly overwound, degaussed, PAF estilo humbuckers.  But, where are you going to find that kind of pickup???

[Worthless Willie]

"lighter gauge strings are nobody's friend."

You should inform The Reverend Billy Gibbons of this news.

7-38.

[eyeprod]

^^ yeah, and that blew me away when I learned that he uses 7's. I wanna try it, but not sure my heavy handed picking style would groove with 7's.