ugh....the never ending search for good duo pickups

[cream123]

i will be playing a fender style combo of some sort as soon as i save up for one

my duo is getting a revamp...new paint job, pickups, bridge, new net, fret lvling (hopefully not tho), etc

first the pickups.

this is a Duo-Sonic with the 24" scale so i don't think that a set of the duo antiquities is what i want...as those are designed for the 22.5" instruments but make suggestions after you read the full post.

With this guitar i will be playing Weezer type stuff, some Ween (buckingham green), modest mouse, and more carribean style stuff.

alt rock (like 90s indie...), and jazz *influenced* stuff

i'll be playing most likely through a hot rod deluxe or an old integrated amp that will be converted for guitar use. we shall see. maybe a pignose. in any case, it'll be push pull 6l6 with the fender type of sound....i guess. lol i know it's probably too vague but i'm still deciding.

the duo's body is poplar and the neck is maple with a rosewood fingerboard.

i don't care what type they are, as long as they get me the sound i'm looking for. should be vintage to vintage-modern voicing....although i wouldn't mind a hot rails for the heavy stuff.....hmmm

they have to fit in single coil size. i will always use D'addario EXL 115s. i might go wound G because i really don't like how much it cuts through with the current pickups.

pedals: i use a homemade fuzz and tremolo (helpful, i know. ). the fuzz tends to be pretty darn thick. i'm still seeing what the trem is gonna sound like

tell me if i need more...hopefully not though

[thucydides]

Have you considered the QP for the bridge? The tapped model allows you to lighten up a bit when needed, and it really kicks when full on.

[cream123]

honestly, i don't know much of anything about the SC models (or any other models for that matter. )

so, no. but it sounds like a solid suggestion. what does the tap take it down to?

[Benjy_26]

I dug the hell out of a Fast Track 1/Fast Track 2 combo in my '65 Duo. The blades make the narrow spacing a non-issue and they kill for Weezer style stuff.

[cream123]

I dug the hell out of a Fast Track 1/Fast Track 2 combo in my '65 Duo. The blades make the narrow spacing a non-issue and they kill for Weezer style stuff.

good to know!!!!


are those dimarzio?

[cream123]

yes, they are dimarzio. LOL

[ibanezrocks]

Cool Rails. Smooth but plenty bright. Pretty much in between a single coil and humbucker in tone, very versatile. Perfect for Weezer stuff because they can sound bright and kind of jangly for the clean stuff but are still thick enough for the big distortion when called upon.

FYI if you go with the Cool Rails, they seem to be more sensitive to the height they're set at than any other pickup I've tried, no idea why though.

[cream123]

k, thanks for the heads up.

cool rails in neck and bridge??

[Truant]

The tricky part is that for some of the sounds you listed, you'd want single coil...and for the other sounds you listed, you'd want buckers.

Personally, I'd just set an axe up for buckers, and an axe up for single coils and avoid the long, frustrating process of trying to make one axe do everything.

If you insist though, I'd suggest trying like a lil '59 and either an ssl-1 or an aps-1. Experiment with which in the neck and bridge to see which you like, cause it's sort of a compromise either way.

[cream123]

good point. lol

[thucydides]

honestly, i don't know much of anything about the SC models (or any other models for that matter. )

so, no. but it sounds like a solid suggestion. what does the tap take it down to?

The full on QP is fat and ballsy, for a SC, and the tap takes it down to more of a stock sound, more or less.

[drew_half_empty]

just get the amp, plug into it, and go from there

[cream123]

yeah, i plan on buying the amp very soon.