If you had to put any 3 pickups in a guitar, what would they be?

[ImmortalSix]

I am making my first custom guitar right now, and I have chosen my 3 pickup configuration --- and it dawned on me - most folks are kind of limited to whatever pickup routes and pre-made pickguards are available.

Since I'm doing the body routes as well as the pickguard from scratch, it dawned on me --- I have been corralled by convention for a long time.

So what 3 pickups would you put in a 3 pickup guitar, if you didn't have to consider the routing of the guitar or the pickguards that were available?

[Bones]

JB/SSL1/Jazz.

[Sanford]

Interesting! I guess it depends on past experience with different pickups. I might get a little goose out of a guitar that had a mini HB neck, P-Rails middle and a P-90 bridge. But I'm kinda weird that way sometimes.

[Sanford]

If the P-Rails middle is a bit much, I might go with StraBro90 or tapped QP middle instead.

[sosomething]

Bridge: Harmonic Design Super 90 or Zhangliqun Paul Bunyan

Middle: Suhr V60 or Ace Frehley smoke bomb

Neck: PAF-style, Filtertron, or Charlie Christian style

[Christopher Caruana]

bridge: suhr aldrich bridge

middle: duncan '59

neck: suhr aldrich neck

[sonnyblu]

I like low gain humbuckers... they seem to be the most versatile.
It would depend on the tone of the instrument, but maybe start with Antiquity's then into the PG's or C5 area if I need more gain.
.

[ImmortalSix]

Interesting! I guess it depends on past experience with different pickups. I might get a little goose out of a guitar that had a mini HB neck, P-Rails middle and a P-90 bridge. But I'm kinda weird that way sometimes.

If the P-Rails middle is a bit much, I might go with StraBro90 or tapped QP middle instead.

That's the whole point - that we can break convention!

Guitars don't have to be HH or SSS or HSH or HSS --- we can really put whatever the heck we want wherever we want it!

[icantbuyafender]

zebra pups using gibson's shade of creme (that pinky color), solid brushed silver bases, zephyr silver coils, triple wax potted, epoxy sealed (ala Iommi), cryogenic treatment or whatnot, allen screw mounting bolts, invader styled black oxide allen screw pole pieces (nickel plated, tho), wound to a sh-1b/n specs, vintage braided conductor wire and alnico 2 magnets. NO SD LOGO.

and a similar humbucker rigged so that it mounts in the sound hole of my j-200.

[Sanford]

That's the whole point - that we can break convention!

Guitars don't have to be HH or SSS or HSH or HSS --- we can really put whatever the heck we want wherever we want it!

Then I stick with the original arrangement of mini-HB n, P-Rails middle, P-90 bridge.


You are doing the on-board effects loop and unity gain buffer, right?

[ImmortalSix]

Fun stuff so far guys --- I relish the idea of a Charlie Christian style pickup living in harmony with a hot humbucker and a P90.

That's what I'm talkin' about!

[Nagash]

PATB-1, SSL-5, P-Rails

Rule number one : if it sounds wicked, it's good.

[ImmortalSix]

Hell yeah man!

I bet an SSL-5 as a middle pickup between buckers / 90s would sound great!

[Nagash]

Hell yeah man!

I bet an SSL-5 as a middle pickup between buckers / 90s would sound great!

Then just ****in' try it dude !!!!!

[ImmortalSix]

Then just ****in' try it dude !!!!!

It's not my style, but it might sound great for some other playing style.

[Nagash]

I'll try it out one day, LOL

[ImmortalSix]

I would put a Quarter Pounder for Tele in the bridge, a P90 in the middle, and a mini-humbucker in the neck position.

The QP would give a big, girthy, meaty bridge tone

The P90 would give a great mid-position tone - perfect for what I wish a Strat's mid-tone was.

Then you have the Mini-humbucker neck, which will get you kind of a PAF sound if you want it, but with less mud and a more clarity.

Wire them like a Les Paul or a Telecaster, not a Strat, put the middle pup on a blender pot, and you are kicking some serious ass.

[Nagash]

If you want to put EVERY sound into a single guitar, this might be the way to go. I'd put a heavy pickup, another heavy pickup, and yet even another heavy pickup in there

[dd12939]

I would put a Quarter Pounder for Tele in the bridge, a P90 in the middle, and a mini-humbucker in the neck position.

The QP would give a big, girthy, meaty bridge tone

The P90 would give a great mid-position tone - perfect for what I wish a Strat's mid-tone was.

Then you have the Mini-humbucker neck, which will get you kind of a PAF sound if you want it, but with less mud and a more clarity.

Wire them like a Les Paul or a Telecaster, not a Strat, put the middle pup on a blender pot, and you are kicking some serious ass.

I dig this a lot, but I'd stick a Stra-bro-90 in there instead of the P90 in the middle. Smaller pickup = less in my way and it can get P90esque AND Stratesque sounds. But mostly I just love that pickup.

[idsnowdog]

Fastrack II/Duckbucker/JB jr.
JB/Duckbucker/JB jr.
Distortion/Duckbucker/JB jr.
Super Distortion/SSL5/Super II.
Loudmouth/QP/Loudmouth.