Pickups

Q

What kind of pickups are in your explorer. What are you looking for from your pickups? Flat response, a little color? I feel like Ive got to the point where Im making little steps as far as better “tone”. Really trying to work on consistency in my rig. Thanks for any help, appreciate you. Miss your insight on The Gear Page.
-Lego

Lego, Ohio

3 Thoughts on Pickups
    22 Aug 2019
    2:42am
    Comment:

    hi Lego!
    The pickups in the Explorer were wound by Larry DiMarzio before he started his aftermarket business so they’re “Pre-DiMarzio” DiMarzio’s if such a thing is possible.

    A prototype for the Super Distortion by all appearances, ceramic magnets, double row of hex screw poles etc, wound on T-top Gibson bobbins.
    They sound nice. .

    I don’t know spec-wise what I’m looking for in advance, I like a lot of very different pickups and they don’t really declare until they’re on a guitar and the guitar itself is sorted out in terms of playability.
    I know I don’t like bumping into PU’s or sharp edges with my hands, and I know I don’t like PU’s too narrow for the guitar’s string spacing. High E drop-off, that’s a drag, so some problem areas are visually predictable.

    I prefer the response of a blade or flat-pole pickup to staggered poles, and generally prefer single coils to humbuckers.
    Oversized blades are better than narrow ones, big steel slugs are better than little screws, almost anything is better than stagger, looser mounting is better than rigid mount, on into absurdity.
    All my fave stuff either conforms exactly to the above conditions or it’s exactly the opposite.
    Or some combination.

    Regarding tone and consistency, best bet is usually start with the pickup as low and flat as adjustment allows.
    If you have a standard humbucker, you want the screws level with the top of the bobbin just like the slugs, top of the bobbin level with the bezel, and work up incrementally from there.

    We’ll continue the pickup discussion later, right now I’m gonna bail out to pack for Fur Peace.
    Catch y’all on the flip side.

      10 Sep 2019
      3:08pm
      Comment:

      Okay. Thank you for replying. I had a problem seeing that you had replied. My own mental deficiency I’d guess.
      I hate noise in my rig and any single coils seem to be the mating call of noise. You seem quiet though so… I tried shielding and different noise cancelling things from the wall to power conditioners.
      Seperate question. Have you had a cgance to play the Two Rock Bloomfield? Was curious what you thought. Thanks, Lego

        30 Jan 2020
        4:23pm
        Comment:

        Yeah, I’ve played at least a few of the Bloomfield’s hanging out at Bill’s.
        i don’t recall if I’ve gigged with one.

        They’re spectacular, all the most recent Two Rock stuff is.
        Literally more amp than I need tho, I do fine with any old Fender at this point.

        Single coil noise is here to stay if you only have one PU or don’t have an RWRP option for two or more.
        ideally RWRP bridge on a Strat with the switch wired to give you neck and bridge.
        That’s the arrangement with the most utility when things get noisy imho.

Leave a Comment

LEAVE A COMMENT