Pr3Va1L Posted May 20, 2005 Report Share Posted May 20, 2005 (edited) Hey there! what alternatives would there be, in a 2 humbuckers setup, to Seymour Duncans? i want to build something very versatile (from jazz to metal). I checked seymours and a jazz/custom setup looks very nice, but costy. so what kind of alternatives are there to seymours? i REALLY don't want anything cheap sounding thoug. If i need to, i'll pay for the SD pickups. thanks! oh also, i want pickups that'll sound good with outer coil and parallel modes Edited May 20, 2005 by Pr3Va1L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted May 20, 2005 Report Share Posted May 20, 2005 Dude, there are SO MANY alternatives to SD! I don't have any specific recommendations because there are too many. I've not tried his stuff yet, but I'd say at least have a PEEK over at swinesheadpickups.com. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nalo1022 Posted May 20, 2005 Report Share Posted May 20, 2005 depnds on how much you want to spend...i love bill lawrence pickups, ive heard good things about kent amstrongs stuff....depends on wat sound qualities your lookin for. For versatility in sound a stacked humbucker might do the trick (lots of diffrent sounds there) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mledbetter Posted May 20, 2005 Report Share Posted May 20, 2005 Kent Armstrongs can be a good value. GFS pickups on ebay are really excellent pups and you'll pay on average 20 bucks for a ceramic HB or 30-40 for an alnico HB.. 65 for a premium strat set or 85 for a premium tele set. Very well made and great sounding pups. Plus the GuitarFetish storeowner is a super nice and helpful fellow and ill ship your stuff out to you lightning fast. Dont forget too if you want name brand, check them out on ebay.. people sell off pickups a lot and you might get a great hit on a slightly used SD or DiMarzio item. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert_the_damned Posted May 20, 2005 Report Share Posted May 20, 2005 I would be another to sujest Kent Armstrong pickups....they are REALLY versitile and give lovely sounds plus they're about 1/2 the cost of SD's or DM's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crafty Posted May 20, 2005 Report Share Posted May 20, 2005 If the SD's give you the sound you WANT, then why substitute anything else? Seriously, you don't want to go cheap and spend your time thinking, "if only I'd paid another $20, I could have gotten exactly the sound I wanted, now I'll just have to mess with my amp, guitar, and playing style to get close." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3Va1L Posted May 20, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2005 (edited) some kent pickups look nice, but they don't seem to have any super-clean jazz neck pickups... Do they have any? what about the "duncan designed"... What are they??? Edited May 20, 2005 by Pr3Va1L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suregork Posted May 20, 2005 Report Share Posted May 20, 2005 I think they are cheaper versions of the Seymour's.. don't know if they are any good.. ..but Kent pickups are really nice, I recommend... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank falbo Posted May 20, 2005 Report Share Posted May 20, 2005 Duncan Designed are made in Korea like the Kent Armstrongs. That's why they cost less. It doesn't mean they're bad, just different. Until recently, Korean pickups were lousy. But about 10 years ago a couple plants invested in top notch machinery, and were actually better equipped than US and Japanese makers. But equipment is only half the equation. You need the right specs and materials. So a DD that's wound the way you like will be a fine pickup, as will a Kent Armstrong. Mighty Mite's are the same way. The Mighty Mite Alnico PAF style pups are really quite good. Used Duncans are a great buy, though. So keep an eye out for some $45 ebay deals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slabbefusk Posted May 20, 2005 Report Share Posted May 20, 2005 IMHO, Duncan Designed is utter sh*te, go for the real deal if you want duncans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mledbetter Posted May 20, 2005 Report Share Posted May 20, 2005 part of the problem with DD pups is they are only based on a small handful of real SD pups. And they aren't based on really nice ones.. they are fun of the mill. I think in the DD line there is a copy of the distortion, the jazz, the standard single coil and maybe a paf. You'll get a lot more variety with another company.. or just getting real duncans. Armstrong pups aren't super cheap, so it's not like you'll save a bundle. I've found GFS pups to be a lot less than even armstrongs, at least for the humbuckers. If you want something different, save up for a set of Rio Grandes.. like a set of BBQs or something.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivin Posted May 21, 2005 Report Share Posted May 21, 2005 Bartolini http://www.starspickups.com http://store.pickupcentral.com/bartolini.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3Va1L Posted May 21, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2005 well, Bartolinis look very nice, but they cost even more than SDs thoug i'm really starting to think about getting something along those lines... The kind of thing no one knows about but that's so great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivin Posted May 21, 2005 Report Share Posted May 21, 2005 Yeah, sorry about the price thing, I sort of forgot. For me in Australia $75US for a top quality pickup like a bartolini or a seymour duncan is awesome - Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambo Posted May 21, 2005 Report Share Posted May 21, 2005 Just to put another side to the story. These GFS pickups, I ordered a hotrails type pickup for my strat thinking i couldn't go wrong for that price, Oh how wrong i was! Sure it sounds hot and crunchy, but try and play any kind of run on it and it sounds like a mushy mess, even clean. Now changed to SD JB Jnr, And, well... i should have saved my money and gone for the SD straight off. Lesson Learnt. Have to say though, Those Swineshead pickups sound amazing! Might have to try some on a new guitar sometime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted May 21, 2005 Report Share Posted May 21, 2005 I'm particularly intrigued by the AMF model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambo Posted May 21, 2005 Report Share Posted May 21, 2005 Yeah looks good dunnit! I'm just seeing of they do custom builds ha ha ha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3Va1L Posted May 21, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2005 (edited) hmmmm, Swineshead pickups look nice! the little demos sound good something like neck- condor and bridge- warthog/AMP would probably work Edited May 21, 2005 by Pr3Va1L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackburncustomguitars Posted May 21, 2005 Report Share Posted May 21, 2005 I agree with the Barts. Contact Ron @ stars pickups and he'll set you up. Wonderful sound. Good luck, DaveBartolini http://www.starspickups.com http://store.pickupcentral.com/bartolini.html ← Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3Va1L Posted May 21, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2005 I agree with the Barts. Contact Ron @ stars pickups and he'll set you up. Wonderful sound. Good luck, Dave i would LOVE to get bartolinis (from the harmony-central reviews i read) but 200$ US + 20$ shipping is a very steep price... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sepultura999 Posted May 22, 2005 Report Share Posted May 22, 2005 i tried a squier master series telecaster the other day with duncan designed and holy crap it sounded so nice. I read a lot that squiers are made of plywood and lack quality but this one didn't sound like it or feel like it. It was mahogany chambered with a mahogany neck through (or set neck, cant remember which). I am not a fan of EMGs and pickups designed for metal. They just don't suite me. Haven't tried bartoloni's, but have heard good reviews. here's a list of guitar pickup manufacturers if you didn't happen to see this. http://www.projectguitar.com/ref/pickup.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3Va1L Posted May 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2005 I think i'll go with Swineshead... they are a LITTLE less than SDs, but they seem to be lots better. Contacted them, it seems you can get them customised for *NO* extra charges!! I asked for a smoother Condor and the guy said like no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambo Posted May 22, 2005 Report Share Posted May 22, 2005 'little more than sd's'?! You lot don't know you're born! swineshead are 39 quid each, SD's here range from about 65 at their cheapest upto 75 (ie gettin on for $150!) EACH! So me thinks i'll be using swineshead more and more They have a new model coming out which i thinks is gonna be ordered, and if they customise for free :P wicked! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3Va1L Posted May 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2005 (edited) actually swineshead are 39 GB pounds... exchange rates for these are about 2.2 CDN so 90$ CDN each, while seymours are 104$ each for normal models at my local shop... ( i said little LESS ) Edited May 22, 2005 by Pr3Va1L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambo Posted May 22, 2005 Report Share Posted May 22, 2005 Ahem! *learns to read* Ahhh yes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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