Humbucker Replacements

[lammie200]

Also be are to check out Lindy Fralin P-92. Basically a hum canceling P-90 in a humbucker size enclosure. I've played a few and they sound great.

This is what I put in my Tele project. They are very clear toned. Lots of note separation IMHO.

[FriskyFingers]

Thanks, Bebop Tom: I went thought your list and ultimately found that the strap connector (which is held in place by that single Phillips screw was a little loose. After tightening it most of my buzzing went away but I still think that I am getting a little buzz from where the metal pickups sit within their black plastic bezel. Somewhere in the past I recall seeing some Humbuckers with very thin felt separating the two but I do not recall where. As I mentioned, these are the original pickups.

[Herbie]

I have none experience with Toneriders but the Seth Lovers are great pickups – IF Your guitar is not from the brighter end of the spectrum. My current ES175 VOS is a such guitar and Seth sounded just thin in it.

Classic 57's are great but if You can grab Gibsons newest humbuckers, the MHS's, go for them! I have tried about a dozen of different pu's in my jazz boxes and the MHS's have it all. Dynamics, sensitivity, 3-dimensionality etc.

But if You found Your thrill in Toneriders, great!

[Greentone]

I like the Seymour Duncan SH-1 a lot. Your tech has a very good ear, IMO.

[sgosnell]

IME the most common cause of buzzing is the pickup springs. If they're even slightly loose, they can let the pickup vibrate and buzz. There are several threads devoted to archtop buzz on the forum. A relatively cheap and easy way to fix spring buzz is to use surgical tubing. You can get it from AllParts, Stew-Mac, or ebay, or from medical supply places. You just use it instead of springs, or some people buy larger tubing and use the springs inside it.

[GregoryL]

I have experience with other boutique pickups in other guitars, but I replaced the Charlie Christian pickup in my Collings Eastside LC with a Seth Lover about a year ago, and I've been completely satisfied.

[mateo2006]

I have the Lindy Fralin 'true' p-90s in a humbucker enclosure, not the aforementioned p-92 hum cancelling style. (which are also very popular but sound a little different it seems)

I think he still makes these even though they were taken off the website for a bit.

You can get them wound differently by asking Lindy. His starting point is closer to a traditional low powered wind which is good for jazz and blues but I think many of the less expensive, widely available p-90s today are generally hotter and some people expect those sounds nowadays when they think of p-90. Many jazzers will be happy for the difference though. Lower output p-90s are a bit more flexible while higher output ones definitely have their own vibe.

I had a Bernie Marsden PRS (a les paul style guitar with only a thin veneer maple top), very pretty guitar and an excellent value ... but "boomy" in the bass registers with the stock pickups. I put in the Lindy Fralins as they were the most highly rated of the humbucker sized p-90s and they did the trick. I was looking to go a little way toward getting into that old Burrell / Green territory when playing clean on the neck pickup. They got as close as could be expected in a solid body guitar.

Eventually sold the guitar and now those very expensive pickups are sitting in a drawer waiting for a more worthy instrument. They will probably wait a while.

But I think that was an excellent change because the guitar was too heavy in the bass frequencies (for my goals). P-90s are more 'honky' or should we say 'mid focused' which can be cool. It is like you hear more of the 'fundamental' and less of the overtones. This can sit nicely in a mix and is a hard sound to recreate with other pickups by just adjusting the EQ and amp settings. (I say this having spent a lot of time trying to do so.)

I think Duncan SH-1s are great and will give you a fuller sound in bass frequencies as well a thicker high end. The mids will be less pronounced and the guitar will sound more powerful. In a bassy guitar they might accentuate the negative. In a mid focused, 'closed sounding' guitar, they might bring it to life.

I have always wanted to put Seth Lovers or Antiquities into a guitar. I am attracted by the idea of weaker humbuckers which aren't too bright. I have always hesitated worrying about the usual brightness of weaker humbuckers but lots of people love them.

In the end, I would ask myself "What does this guitar sound like now?" and "What direction do I want to nudge it toward".

I know people who hated Seth Lovers in their Pauls and loved them in their 335s. I know a fellow who had Duncan 59s in one of his Pauls and it was killer and he had the same pickup in another identical model Paul and they just had to go.

For me, in a 175 which may already be a little dark and have a pretty complex tone, I'd love to go for a p-90 or low powered humbucker. (Fralin even makes a humbucker called "a Big Single" with a single coil vibe too) In a Paul a SH-1 usually beats the boutique offerings especially in the bridge. Of course, I grew up listening to that sound.

But it is "horses for courses". I happen to like that p-90 sound in many ES 175s and there are plenty of ways to get it that which are reversible.