pickups?

[RyanZ]

anyway change in pickups will have minimum effect if you're playing through some low end amps. changing pickups should always be the last alternative to achieve a sound you want

+1. This topic has been discussed many times. Seems like a lot of people still can't get it.

 

[dudelove]

anyway change in pickups will have minimum effect if you're playing through some low end amps. changing pickups should always be the last alternative to achieve a sound you want

no point saying that. i realised that no one ever listens.

 

[teleplayer]

So to get a better sound, i can change to high output pickups rite?

Lol. You don't need to ask for people's permission if you want to change-.-

 

[THOA]

so i can say that high output pickups are alot better than low ones?

Read that quote again. What do you constitute as better? When you want to change something on your guitar, it's always about trying to get it to perform better. But perform better at what? Hi-gain? Cleans? What exactly do you want to achieve with your tone?

If you play distorted, does that mean you will never play clean? And vice versa?

anyway change in pickups will have minimum effect if you're playing through some low end amps. changing pickups should always be the last alternative to achieve a sound you want

True to a certain extend. If the stock pickups are decent enough, no point fixing what isn't broken. If it takes only really minor tweaks on your guitar, pedals and amp settings to get that tone you want, then might as well tweak those first.

But I've had pickups that really sucks even on low ended amp, and I can only imagine that it gets worse at high ended amps. :?

Also, IMO, most guitarists will end up going jamming and performing, so I'm pretty sure at one point of time a good amp will come along the way. So, not a bad idea to have something that does well enough on a variety amps, yeah?

 

[THOA]

oh sorry about not specifing correctly. mine is MII..and i want a heavy tone

I guessing this is yours: http://www.epiphone.com/default.asp?ProductID=21&CollectionID=6

Unless your stock pickup sounds really bad, your best bet to get the tone you want would be to rely on the setting of your gear and amp. Or use a good distortion pedal. That being said the standard answer would be to have to use a mid output pick up like Seymour Duncan's JB or Tesla's Plasma III at the bridge, and a low to medium output pick up on the neck (SD's Jazz or Tesla's VR III).

If you want to go high output, you might even consider Seymour Duncan's Distortion or Dimarzio's Super Distortion at that position. Your basswood body, being a more neutral sounding wood, should be able to carry the tone pretty decently. Of course, that being said, it is advisable to counter set the tone at the neck with a lower, more neutral sounding pickup, in case you wanna go clean.

 

[LadyInTears]

yea agree with dudelove.
whats the point of changing pickups when you have a shit amp? probably the pickups would give you a placebo effect lol

 

[dudelove]

whats the point of changing pickups when you have a shit amp? probably the pickups would give you a placebo effect lol

cos ppl think its cool when they tell ppl their guitar is modded..

 

[THOA]

Unfortunately, at most times this is true. Doesn't dismiss the importance of pickups for me, but no point trying to capture a tone when your amp can't deliver it. :?