Pickups: clear, warm, not 'peaky' ...help?

[Grateful Ape]

I have an alder/RW strat that I've tried multiple different pickups in but this far not happy. I've tried Suhr V60lp's and Zexcoil vintage, but neither really suit. Acoustically, it's a dark, even- sounding instrument. I want that even-ness in the plugged in sound, without frequency spikes like with single coils

Am considering humbuckers or single coil EMG's. Any other ideas? Cheers

 

[bgmacaw]

That's what a compressor pedal is for. I use an Orange Kongpressor but there are other optical compressors that will perform the same way.

 

[Boreas]

Pot values??

 

[MattAndTheMachine]

I have just build a similar strat with similar tonal characteristics.
I used the Fender Pure Vintage 59 pickups and have to say that I absolutely love them.

I had a look at the pickups you already tried. The Suhrs are listed with a resistance of 6.3k to 7.2k which I think is quite high for a vintage style output. For reference, the Fender Pure Vintage ones have 5.8k.

For me, a strat definitely needs singlecoils to retain that lovely glassiness in the sound, but that's just my preference...

 

[rdjones]

All pickups are "peaky".
It is part of the characteristic resonance you get with an inductor (coil) loaded with varying amounts of capacitance and/or resistance.

You can suppress the level of the peak by resistive loading.
You can vary the frequency of the peak by varying the ratio of the inductance to capacitance.
If you load the pickup enough to fully suppress the resonance you will have a very, VERY dull sounding pickup, which is apparently what your goal is.
So, ... just load down your pickup with a low value of resistance and high value of capacitance.
Changing the value of inductance alone (the pickup) will not achieve the goal.

 

[dreamingtele]

I like the 57/62’s, 59’s and 64’s.

Dial down your treble a bit and get some bass into your sound.

 

[schmee]

Clear and warm don't seem to go together in my vernacular... But then... we all have our interpretation I guess!
When I think warm I think soft around the note edges, no cutting clarity.
A note played with tone turned all the way down will be 'soft and warm'. With the tone up, 'clear'.

 

[Si G X]

I have an alder/RW strat that I've tried multiple different pickups in but this far not happy. I've tried Suhr V60lp's and Zexcoil vintage, but neither really suit. Acoustically, it's a dark, even- sounding instrument. I want that even-ness in the plugged in sound, without frequency spikes like with single coils

Am considering humbuckers or single coil EMG's. Any other ideas? Cheers

Maybe humbuckers or lace sensors even ...I used to have a strat with a lace sensor blue in the bridge, that made that guitar sound very unlike a strat and had none of the spikey, glassiness of a typical strat pickup.

I think you've just proven to yourself (if nobody else) that the acoustic tone of a guitar doesn't really translate once you plug it in.

 

[Zepfan]

Vladimir's(Deneb-Tone Pickups) are like this, but it's hard getting a hold of him lately, he's in Dnipro Ukraine. I talked to him a month ago and he said the mail is still running and he's also in the Army now, so it could take awhile.

 

[Cali Dude]

+1 for Lace Sensor pickups. I really like the gold's. They have a nice vintage '50s tone.

 

[NTC]

One thing to try - turn the amp up a little bit and turn the guitar volume down to 7 or 8 and try that.

 

[NoTeleBob]

Maybe humbuckers or lace sensors even ...I used to have a strat with a lace sensor blue in the bridge, that made that guitar sound very unlike a strat and had none of the spikey, glassiness of a typical strat pickup.

I think you've just proven to yourself (if nobody else) that the acoustic tone of a guitar doesn't really translate once you plug it in.

That's what I was thinking... sounds like you're describing PAF Humbuckers. You can't get that in a Strat, but something that an HB with Alnico is probably where you want to go.

 

[NoTeleBob]

One thing to try - turn the amp up a little bit and turn the guitar volume down to 7 or 8 and try that.

I like that trend. Use the gain channel, but gain no higher than 9:00. Master volume to control overall volume. Should give you the best full and clean for any pickup IME.

 

[Grateful Ape]

Yep, normally on a guitar I'd run vol and tone both down a few notches.

The PAF is a good suggestion - I love Hiram Bullock's sound ..

 

[hopdybob]

lower the pickups on the high string side a bit, you can achieve that little difference with tweaking pickup heights.
try a curly cord if, that will eat some high end

 

[schmee]

The Lawrence Twin Blade types are humbucking and not super bright.... with the right user.

L45-S

Maximum Noisefree Versatility and a Bold New Look for Strats The L45 is the culmination of a decades-long mission to get the very best twin-blade performance into the restricted space dictated by the size and shape of a Strat pickup. By combining low inductance with very fine custom-made...

www.wildepickups.com

Twin blades: (Keep in mind he's often on position 2 or 4 though)


But much of this can be done with pedals and tone controls too. There are so many variables it's hard to say really.

I have the EC mid boost on both my Strats, not so much for any "woman tone" it can do, but because it adds more tonal options.
At 1-3 it adds a bit of fullness and warms up the top end just a touch.
At 3-5 it's great for slide work.
At 6+ it starts the smooth woman tone.
Along with the TBX that goes with it, you can do most anything.

 

[uriah1]

I have been in the SD antiquity Texas hot camp for my strat builds for awhile.
Always pleasing . imho