Which Pickup ?.

[macbeat]

I have a ES175 D but I'm thinking on changing the pick-ups- a bit too clunky sounding . There are a lot of options out there and when you can't really try them all out - let's find out if there is a consensus of opinion on which are the best all round jazz pup which gives that beautiful mellow yet with a hint of treble + airy -long sustain tone?.Gibson P-57 classic vintage NC or P-59 Burstbucker PAF -or any other contender . Sometimes l I feel that the traditional woody jazz sound is too limited a palette and lacks sustain .Any other opinions ?

[jorgemg1984]

I love Bare Knuckles Stormy Monday - much better than Classic 57.

[SamBooka]

Originally Posted by macbeat

Sometimes l I feel that the traditional woody jazz sound is too limited a palette and lacks sustain

Wouldnt that be more the body than the pickup? Just curious.

[robertm2000]

If you wouldn't mind a boutique type pickup I'd check into the Vintage Vibe pickups, made by Pete Biltoft. I bought a pair of his pickups - and promptly sod every other guitar I owned. Mine were single coil so I'm not sure what he offers in non-conventional humbuckers. But the two coolest things about Pete, you can talk to him and he will build you exactly what you want. And his pickups come with 2 pairs of interchangeable magnets-Alnico 2, 3, 4, 5, or ceramic magnets. That alone gives you a huge range of tonal variety. And his prices are quite reasonable. If it sounds like I'm a salesman, NOT. I'm just a very happy customer.

[PTChristopher]

In my opinion/experience, you may do best to not expect pickups to have any impact on sustain at all.

I suppose that in principle, it is possible to suppose that the magnetic field could have an impact on sustain - and if you put all three of a Strats PU's up to where they nearly touch the strings you can notice "warbling" and sustain trouble. But by then you have such a mess that I think this example is pretty unrealistic.

Highly motivated sales literature may claim measurable sustain effects from pickups. But any actual effect would be remarkable, and possibly contrary to the unification of magnetism and electricity (was that Faraday?).

And now to be slightly (or not so slightly) obnoxious:

It is my experience that tuners and pickups have a very specific and large perceived benefit:

They cost just enough shop time and money to give a mild (but accessible) sense of sacrifice. I suppose this may predispose one to expecting a specific and discernible benefit.

(Cynical, I know.)

But in practice, tuning issues are almost never associated with the tuners themselves, and one PAF vs. another can often change tone about as much as having the curtains open vs. closed in the room where you play.

But there are MANY, nicely designed and built pickups out there. So if some Alnico 2 and an exact copy of the windings on some famous guitar floats one's boat, then have at it.

In my opinion (subject to improvement by others), I'd buy a pile of picks (or nail flies) and look for smooth-but-articulate in the string attack first.

But lots and lots of players disagree with this opinion,... both in general, and regarding pickups somehow affecting the actual string sustain - or manifesting some remarkable non-linear response of the pickup to create apparent sustain.

[Bill C]

Originally Posted by macbeat

I have a ES175 D but I'm thinking on changing the pick-ups- a bit too clunky sounding . There are a lot of options out there and when you can't really try them all out - let's find out if there is a consensus of opinion on which are the best all round jazz pup which gives that beautiful mellow yet with a hint of treble + airy -long sustain tone?.Gibson P-57 classic vintage NC or P-59 Burstbucker PAF -or any other contender . Sometimes l I feel that the traditional woody jazz sound is too limited a palette and lacks sustain .Any other opinions ?

Do you hear the characteristics you are looking for when playing unamplified? If not it may be the acoustic properties of the instrument that are at issue as others have suggested. If using flatwounds I'd consider trying half/polished rounds or roundwounds before changing the pickup(s).

[oldane]

Originally Posted by PTChristopher

In my opinion/experience, you may do best to not expect pickups to have any impact on sustain at all.

Highly motivated sales literature may claim measurable sustain effects from pickups. But any actual effect would be remarkable, and possibly contrary to the unification of magnetism and electricity (was that Faraday?).

.....

..... tuning issues are almost never associated with the tuners themselves, and one PAF vs. another can often change tone about as much as having the curtains open vs. closed in the room where you play.

But there are MANY, nicely designed and built pickups out there. So if some Alnico 2 and an exact copy of the windings on some famous guitar floats one's boat, then have at it.

In my opinion (subject to improvement by others), I'd buy a pile of picks (or nail flies) and look for smooth-but-articulate in the string attack first.

I second that. What CAN make a difference is humbucker versus single coil. IMHO, humbuckers tend to be a little unbalanced in that they sound too bright when the buottom is clear and well defined, while the buttom is too muffled when the top is mellow. There may be differencies between humbuckers, though, but this is my experience from PAF PUs in a Gibson 175. Single coils seems to give me a more uniform sound from top to bottom and each tone of chords stands out clearer and more well defined. Single coils tend to hum more than humbuckers, but other factors play a role too such as the shielding of the rest of the harness of the guitar. My single coil equipped Partscaster with all cavities and the underside of the pickguard shielded with copper foil is the quietest guitar I have - much quieter than my humbucker equipped 175.

I have Vintage Vibe (Pete Biltoft) HHC pickups with Alnico II magnets in 3 guitars (neck position) and love them. Clarity AND sweetness. However, I might also have got the same tone with other single coil PUs (with slightly different amp settings). There are numerous single coil PUs available fitting in a standard humbucker mount.

And not to forget - the relation between magnetism and electricity (electromagnetism) was discovered by the Dane Hans Christian Oersted. All we Danes know him - he's a national hero (not too many of them in this small country, so we got to worship those we have).

[PTChristopher]

I thought Oersted invented those open-faced sandwiches you seem to get at every working lunch in Denmark? But sorry about not getting his more widely known work mentioned correctly.

[gerraguitar]

i put a 57 in the neck of my ibanez artcore and i'm set for life, i realize it's just sort of reiterating a point but there's a reason why they are classics....pure velvet tone and the response is ridiculous, i'd recommend them to anyone.

[oldane]

Originally Posted by PTChristopher

I thought Oersted invented those open-faced sandwiches you seem to get at every working lunch in Denmark? But sorry about not getting his more widely known work mentioned correctly.

LOL. Ah yes. Those open sandwiches, I forgot them. They are good, aren't they? Then we have two things to be proud about in Denmark (I doubt they were invented at Oersteds time, though.)

[nado64]

If you are from uk, I will go to a Bare Knuckle pickup, the stormy monday humbucker or a Manhattan p90.

[jorgemg1984]

And if you're not do the same.

[mattymel]

Lollar Imperial