# How has the pickup rabbit hole worked out for you?



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Did trying more than one pickup in a guitar (height and pole piece adjustments not withstanding) work enough to be worthwhile for you? 

I know we have lots of different players on this forum; some have one guitar some have 100. Some folks swap pickups hunting for “it” and some people just change strings. 

How has the pickup rabbit hole worked for you?


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

I bought 3 different sets to A/B against my lace golds and frankly for the money, I could have just left them well alone.

While there are slight differences between all of them, the voicing seems relatively the same to me. Perhaps it is just me, perhaps I bought too many of the same ish pickups. I dont know enough to know the answer.

Fender Noiseless 
Vineham Dippers
Xotic Raw Vintage 60s
Fender Lace Golds.

I like the Vineham and Xotix more than the Fender but I could almost not tell you why and they do sound more "natural" than the lace they all seem to be mostly rhe same....

Money well wasted


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Back 20 years ago I went through a phase where I changed out pickups in every guitar I had. I always had high hopes, buying in to the hype and pretty much every time I was disappointed. Sometimes I would perceive some sort of improvement but it would be subtle and hard to tell if it was just my imagination due to "hope" that its better. So I just made it a habit of finding guitars that sounded and played how I like it in stock form. 
The most modding I did was to my current Les Paul when I had the RS Guitarworks Vintage prewired kit installed. There are improvements. It did give me more high end clarity albeit very very subtle change. The audio taper slightly better. All in all for what it actually cost me I wouldn't do it again. Another case of expecting more than what was realistic. 
On the Les Paul forums I see guys taking R7\R8\R9's and changing out pickups, bridges, wiring, etc. I will search out an R9 that I like as is. Especially when paying that much money you shouldn't have to change anything. I love my standard 50's and really I didn't need to change anything. I was going to toy with after market pickups but I am very happy with how it sounds with the burstbuckers.


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## FatStrat2 (Apr 7, 2021)

Oh Jeez yeah. Swapping pickups is huge for me, it's like a different guitar. Definitely a rabbit hole though. But I have found some interesting use for it:

One setup I have is 2 guitars that have the same pickup in it, they both sound very much the same, except one plays differently than the other. So I'm inspired in different ways and play with a different style even though it's more or less with the same tone. Kinda neat I think.


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## Grab n Go (May 1, 2013)

One of my favourite rabbit holes. Pickups are like microphones (literally) and they all do something different. 

In the same way that I have a small mic locker, I also have a small stash of pickups. A pickup that doesn't work in one guitar might work in another. 

It's mostly budget guitars where I'll replace stock pickups. That was the case with my EART headless. But my nicer guitars are pretty much dialed in.


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## David Graves (Apr 5, 2017)

In a roundabout sorta way, yes.
I went heavily down that rabbit hole in the past with both strats and my old Liberatore.
I spent god knows how much on countless pickups. The good that came out of it, was that when I decided to change pickups in my LsL, I knew exactly what I wanted. But only because I'd tried so f--king many in other guitars. lol
The Seymour Duncan TB-12 was the only real choice for me. And thankfully, I was able to find one in Canada at a good price.lol


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

I havent done a ton of swapping lately because guitars havent needed it. My hss strats didnt need it but I had to soothe an ego lol.

The one thing I’m glad I do with any new guitar is record a clip using my main two presets and labeling the tracks with preset and guitar name. Lets me compare with fresh ears later.


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## BlueRocker (Jan 5, 2020)

I haven't swapped too many, but I've owned enough variety that I know what I like, and more importantly what I don't. I pretty much know what to expect from a guitar that has any of the combinations I'm familiar with. I don't feel like I'm missing out by not trying all the boutique options out there.


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## Grab n Go (May 1, 2013)

I think at some point, you just hit diminishing returns on the experimentation. If I think it sounds good, then I'm done. No more fixing required.


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

I learned a couple of things from my pickup changing phase. The impedance of a pickup is not the most important consideration. Pickups that sound great in one guitar may not be so great in a different guitar. Custom winders that know their craft can make a pickup that sounds like the tone you describe to them. Describing tone is hard to do. If you can give them examples and tell them the specs of your guitar they can get very close to the tone in your head. I prefer unpotted pickups.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

I went through all of this for a period with a few Strats I had. It was especially complicated because I was looking for lefty staggered. I bought after market SDs, lace sensors and even custom made noiseless. All trying to get a noiseless that sounded like a single coil. I never got there. I ended up putting the stock Fender American Standard pickups right back in (not even fancy custom shop models like they used for some years) and realized that they sounded the best. So I redirected my efforts into noise reduction through better shielding and never looked back.

I do have a couple of guitars that have had pickup upgrades, both done before I purchased it used, and they sound fantastic (to my ears).

I think, unless you’re looking for a VERY specific sound, almost any quality, similarly constructed pickup can sound fantastic….if you work with what it is and stop trying too make it into something else. If I want a different sound I use a different guitar.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

I swapped the 57 Classics in my R9 for a set of Voodoo 59s. I really like them, so I have no interest in trying another set. 

My P90 guitars are stock pickups, but they are vintage so I won't be changing them.

I put a set of Texas Specials in my Tele, that works for me.

The only guitar I struggle with is my Am Std Strat. I didn't like the stock pickups, so I have 2 complete pickguards, one with Texas Specials, one with 57/62s. I keep going back and forth, never sure which I like. But really, I'm not a Strat guy. So I may never be happy with it.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

When I was in about grade ten I got a set of Gibson mini humbuckers off some guy who had probably stolen them. Fabbed up a set of brackets, threaded them and had the pickups installed into a Pan Les Paul copy about 2 hours after I got home. They worked real good. That's the only time I swapped out a set of pickups.


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## markxander (Oct 24, 2009)

imo it's basically the only thing that makes a difference on an electric guitar but at the same time isn't that different. pickup type and height matter a lot, magnets and wire seem to matter, if they're broken or not matters a lot. 

at the end all of my guitars have different kinds of note profiles (the attack and fast they decay) but also kind of all sound pretty much the same.

you really want to change how a guitar sounds? get an acoustic guitar and then turn off your dehumidifier


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

markxander said:


> you really want to change how a guitar sounds? get an acoustic guitar and then turn off your dehumidifier


That's funny.

As for the more serious side of your post. I cannot help but agree. There really is very subtle difference to my ears across pups. Hell, even similarly styled guitars. I think, without being much of an authority, there really is only so much "different" a guitar can be sonically from one that is the same as it.

Now as for playability or feal or any of that other touchy feely stuff, well that can be miles and miles apart. Or at least that is what I tell myself so I can justify more of them I never play because they all sound the same


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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

I do a lot of pickup swapping. It's 100% worth it. If you mess around with them enough you get a pretty good idea if what works for you.


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## YaReMi (Mar 9, 2006)

When I listen to my guitars, sometimes before and after changing pickups or strings, I'm not quite sure what it is that I'm listening for and not sure of my sonic goal. I do know I don't have ability to nail the tone(s) I like and definitely no ability to write about it. So it goes
I have my favourite tones of my heroes of course .. Peter Green, Mick Taylor, etc. and I thought of trying to match them but .. no patience ...
I did buy guitars that I was not happy with and proceeded with pickup changes based on YT videos or general hype and in most cases I I was happy with the result (e.g. Godin Signature LG with SD Phat Cats). 
This seems to be my 'modus operandi' and I'm happy with it. So it goes


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## Grab n Go (May 1, 2013)

JBFairthorne said:


> I went through all of this for a period with a few Strats I had. It was especially complicated because I was looking for lefty staggered. I bought after market SDs, lace sensors and even custom made noiseless. All trying to get a noiseless that sounded like a single coil. I never got there. I ended up putting the stock Fender American Standard pickups right back in (not even fancy custom shop models like they used for some years) and realized that they sounded the best. So I redirected my efforts into noise reduction through better shielding and never looked back.
> 
> I do have a couple of guitars that have had pickup upgrades, both done before I purchased it used, and they sound fantastic (to my ears).
> 
> I think, unless you’re looking for a VERY specific sound, almost any quality, similarly constructed pickup can sound fantastic….if you work with what it is and stop trying too make it into something else. If I want a different sound I use a different guitar.


Yep, I did the noiseless single coil search for a long time and came to a similar conclusion. I'm a big fan of Ilitch noise cancelling pickguards for that reason.


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

I am down that rabbit hole now with three guitars being swapped. It's amazing how playing through a modeler with headphones brings out the "suck" in some pickups.

The problem is I suck at soldering. But, I will get better.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

Rollin Hand said:


> I am down that rabbit hole now with three guitars being swapped. It's amazing how playing through a modeler with headphones brings out the "suck" in some pickups.
> 
> The problem is I suck at soldering. But, I will get better.


Modelers really can bring out the suck in pups. Instantly anything I plug into the traynor is my favorite!!

and you WILL get better. I got better simply for the fact that I could not possibly get worse.


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

Mark Brown said:


> Modelers really can bring out the suck in pups. Instantly anything I plug into the traynor is my favorite!!
> 
> and you WILL get better. I got better simply for the fact that I could not possibly get worse.


What makes it worse for me is my dad was a TV and radio repairman who was a damned artist with his old Weller gun. When he fixed stuff it stayed fixed, every joint perfect.

My solder joints look like someone barfed hot lead on the back of a pot.


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## BlueRocker (Jan 5, 2020)

markxander said:


> imo it's basically the only thing that makes a difference on an electric guitar but at the same time isn't that different. pickup type and height matter a lot, magnets and wire seem to matter, if they're broken or not matters a lot.


After resisting for years, I'm in the tone wood camp now.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

BlueRocker said:


> After resisting for years, I'm in the tone wood camp now.


I'm in "the player sounds like the player not the guitar" camp but that's a whole different thread.

I've posted this on 3 different forums and the answers are generally the same amongst a variety of players, age bracks and rigs. Cool to see.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

Budda said:


> I'm in "the player sounds like the player not the guitar" camp but that's a whole different thread.
> 
> I've posted this on 3 different forums and the answers are generally the same amongst a variety of players, age bracks and rigs. Cool to see.


I have accepted this philosophy. Hell even my clarinet is starting to sound like my strat


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## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

I went through a period of changing pickups- sometimes for good reason (replacing something crappy) and some times just to satisfy my curiosity. It did help me figure out a few things- I prefer passive, I don't care for noiseless single coils and I prefer lower output to higher. I also found out that I can make pretty much anything work for me most of the time.


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## BGood (Feb 20, 2015)

Haven't seen the hole, what does it looks like ?

I have 3 humbuckers guitars.
One is a Gibson Studio LP with original pups in it. Great dark sounding guitar.
One is a 2004 Epiphone SG Vintage with Probuckers in it. Saw good reviews of those pups and a legit used set came up for $40. No brainer, the SG sounds killer.
One is an Epiphone LP Ultra. I won a set of boutique PAFs from Tyson Tone and they went in there. Perfect match right off the bat.
Both Epiphone previously had Alnico Classics that are OK average pups. I'm not fussy, I could well have lived with them..

I have several P90 guitars. I never heard a bad sounding P90. Epiphone, Lollar, Tyson Tone, PRS, all different, all fine.

If one pickup starts to sound less good, tweak my amp buttons. If it still not satisfying, I wait for the next day and they usually sound good again.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Wardo said:


> When I was in about grade ten I got a set of Gibson mini humbuckers off some guy who had probably stolen them. Fabbed up a set of brackets, threaded them and had the pickups installed into a Pan Les Paul copy about 2 hours after I got home. They worked real good. That's the only time I swapped out a set of pickups.


You need to turn yourself in and confess.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Yeah, I used to do the pickup swap thing a lot. Sometimes good, sometimes not so good, but I didn't generally swap out what were already decent sounding units. Seymour Duncan got a lot of my play money 20 to 30 years ago. 

Interestingly, of my current guitars, 2 Godin LGs are virtually identical except one has P-90s and the other humbuckers, and I _*could*_ change either as a perceived upgrade but haven't. I like the pickups but I think the tap/split on the Godin humbuckers is weak, they're otherwise fine. I might address this sometime. The SD P-90s are good but like any other, pole and body heights change a lot.

The Progression has the stock Godin revoicer that basically changes passive to active and I'm happy both ways. 

The Godin SD is awesome stock, but I sure had to tinker with heights. I wouldn't mind a second one to fit with lipsticks. 

The Tele Thinline has make-believe WRHB which I really do need to change to the real deal, but it's not my primary guitar so it mostly sits. Maybe I'll just sell it and buy another Godin or two.

Several Telecasters in my past benefited from a swap, usually to Duncans. One Strat came alive with Stew-Mac's house brand. Blew my mind.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

player99 said:


> You need to turn yourself in and confess.


Fuck em all and let god sort the bastards .. lol


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## Mike_Blaszk (Sep 16, 2021)

I swapped the bridge pickup on my 2009 Fender HSS Deluxe Strat (Fender DH-1 for Seymour Duncan TB-4) and both humbuckers on my 2019 Gibson Les Paul Standard (Neck Burtbucker Pro for Seymour Duncan SH-1 and Bridge Burstbucker Pro for Seymour Duncan SH-5 Custom). With my Strat, the pickup swap gave me everything I liked about the original pickup (it was essentially a cheap fender copy of a JB) with the addition of a slightly more refined/controlled high and low end and none of the noise issues. Well worth the change. Even more so, the swap on my Les Paul was completely night and day (particularly with the bridge pick-up). The Burstbuckers were medium output and, in my opinion, sounded awful for high-gain music with a completely undefined and flubby low-end in comparison to the Seymour Duncans that I replaced them with.

So, in reality, I think alot depends on A.) the type of pick-ups being swapped, and B.) the person.

A.) If you're going from low output to high output pick-ups or passive to active pickups or humbuckers to PAF's, for example, the differences will be quite noticeable. If you're changing pickups that are of relatively equal quality, output and construction, on the other hand, I think that most would admit that the differences would be minimal.

B.) Everyone hears things differently and has different objectives. Very minor changes in emphasis on lows, mids or highs and levels of gain or noise floor that the overwhelming majority of people in the world wouldn't notice in a one time side-by-side comparison could be a make-or-break issue for a lot of musicians, depending on your level of sensitivity to it, considering that you have to hear it every day/on every recording.

Personally, I find that everything affects your tone to some degree; amps, tubes, strings, picks, cabinets, speakers, guitar woods, cables, pedals, etc. Pickups are definitely one of those things.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Wardo said:


> Fuck em all and let god sort the bastards .. lol


Who's Gord?


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

player99 said:


> Who's Gord?


Dog spelt backwards; he inhales space dust and farts out galaxies.


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

I take $200 guitars and put $300 into them in pickups and upgrades, I then have $500 into a guitar that I can only get $200 for! These guitars make me very happy and I look forward to giving them to my grandsons so they have a decent guitar to play. I have been swapping pickups for over 35 years, I have never been unhappy with the changes. If I ever bought a high end guitar I would not change the pickups. If I am spending big dollars I want a certain sound that I am looking for.


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## hondamatic (Feb 5, 2019)

I have swapped pickups in a few guitars, and built a kit with pickups of my choice.

Definitely notice a difference, but in these cases (godin freeway classic, vantage Strat copy) the starting point wasn’t high end. Not sure I’d go through the same deal with an American Strat or lp.

And when you’re jamming with your friends at hearing loss volumes, the difference isn’t that noticeable 🤓. My drummer friend tells me all my guitars sound like guitars.


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

I tinker with (too many) new builds more than rejigging existing guitars. I generally look for sounds (pups) I want and put them in to start. 
My first partscaster had whatever pups came with the used loaded guard I bought. I got a great deal on some Wolftone Flashbacks. 
My Epi Wildkat had poor dog ear P-90’s and I put in TV Jones Filtertrons. And the parts Paul had all sorts of configurations of other peoples throwaways till I ordered the “Chrome LP Package” from Solo. 
Every other guitar has the pups it was built or bought with.

But pedals… that’s my tone chasing rabbit hole.


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## Dru Edwards (9 mo ago)

I went down that rabbit hole 15 years ago and I'm glad I did. I upgraded some guitars that had the Duncan Designed pickups and I noticed an improvement. Mostly Seymour Duncans and DiMarzios but I also bought a Vineham too.

I've never replaced the pickups on any of my Gibsons though (Les Pauls, SGs, and a Flying V). They're great the way they are, although the Dirty Fingers in the Flying V may be a little too hot... and I'm a hard rock/metal guy.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

JBFairthorne said:


> I went through all of this for a period with a few Strats I had. It was especially complicated because I was looking for lefty staggered. I bought after market SDs, lace sensors and even custom made noiseless. All trying to get a noiseless that sounded like a single coil. I never got there. I ended up putting the stock Fender American Standard pickups right back in (not even fancy custom shop models like they used for some years) and realized that they sounded the best. So I redirected my efforts into noise reduction through better shielding and never looked back.
> 
> I do have a couple of guitars that have had pickup upgrades, both done before I purchased it used, and they sound fantastic (to my ears).
> 
> I think, unless you’re looking for a VERY specific sound, almost any quality, similarly constructed pickup can sound fantastic….if you work with what it is and stop trying too make it into something else. If I want a different sound I use a different guitar.


I also went through a phase of trying to make a Fender noiseless. For me it was a Tele and I went with the Kinman Broadcaster set and the solderless wiring harness. It was ok. Below are a couple of songs I recorded (me on guitar) using that American Standard tele with Kinmans through a Dr z Maz 38. I ended up abandoning the noisless pickups as well.


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## jbealsmusic (Feb 12, 2014)

I am more convinced than ever that my knowledge and technique have more to do with "not getting what I want out of my gear" than my actual gear. Whether it be playing ability or the actual skill of dialing in a good sound. New gear can help a little at times, but if either of those is truly lacking, there will always be a gap there.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Budda said:


> I'm in "the player sounds like the player not the guitar" camp .....


Yeah, that's pretty much my experience.


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## diyfabtone (Mar 9, 2016)

Fralin P92's into a 2004 Epiphone DOT. It sounded much better but didn't turn that sow's arse into a silk purse!


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## AJ6stringsting (Mar 12, 2006)

I recently installed a Seymour Duncan Screamin Demon ( 10.20k ohms ) in the neck position of my 2007 Epiphone Les Paul Custom and it was perfect, has a great clean aggressive sound when distorted and when hit the switch on my SD Triple Shot pickup ring to put the pickup in parallel with an acoustic simulator, it's sounds like an acoustic.

That pickup was in two other guitars.
Now. It's got a permanent home.
As someone posted earlier, if it doesn't sound good in one guitar. It will probably sound better in another guitar .


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## AJ6stringsting (Mar 12, 2006)

Sometimes, you can get lucky and find the perfect pickup for a specific guitar.

I had a friend wax pot a cheap Jackson pickup, it had a great Mark Knopfler tone and I put it in Strat that I was working on .

I bought an expensive Bare Knuckle Nailbomb pickup and it didn't too great in a 24 fret S,S,H, guitar that I assembled . I tried a Carvin M22SD pickup and the guitar turned into a great Metal guitar and it became my favorite gigging guitar 🎸 😍


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