troyw Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 I'm doing a strat build and an considering adding a single coil sized humbucker in the bridge position. Can anyone recommend a good one for the price? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 What type of music do you play? I like the Seymour Duncan Hot Rails and Cool Rails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick500 Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 I know a lot of people don't consider Carvin when they think of pickups, but I really like their TBH60 twinblades. I have them in an alder Strat clone and they sound great. Good value for $43 too. >LINK< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 i really cant recommend a rail pickup, but since its a strat you are building yourself why not route for a full size humbucker instead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyw Posted January 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 What type of music do you play? I like the Seymour Duncan Hot Rails and Cool Rails. Hard rock or blues, usually Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPA or death Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 I used to have a strat with a SD Hot Rail and it was pretty nice. I like all the SD pickups I've ever played. You might also look into Bill & Becky Lawrence's Wylde pickups. All of them have rails rather than single pole pieces and are fairly priced. One caution: being a mom and pops establishment, ordering is as smooth as a corncob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narcissism Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 I had SD Hot Rails for quite a while. I sold them for an EMG ZW set. I do miss it a lot. With my next guitar, i'm thinking of going with rails, too. I definately recommend the SD Hotrails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyw Posted February 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 (edited) I used to have a strat with a SD Hot Rail and it was pretty nice. I like all the SD pickups I've ever played. You might also look into Bill & Becky Lawrence's Wylde pickups. All of them have rails rather than single pole pieces and are fairly priced. One caution: being a mom and pops establishment, ordering is as smooth as a corncob. How about the Bill Lawrence wylde L-45S? Anyone have or used these? Anyone know how the Wyldes stack up against the SD or GFS rail humbuckers? Edited February 1, 2009 by troyw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 Hard rock and blues you could go with either the Cool or Hot Rails. Take a listen to the sound clips and see what you like. Is there any reason why you want a rail pickup and not a pole piece? You might want to take a look at the Duckbuckers as well. They have a really nice tone, are a split rail design SC humbucker and sound surpisingly good even at high gain. They give a lot more output than I expected and have a glassy clean tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyw Posted February 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 Hard rock and blues you could go with either the Cool or Hot Rails. Take a listen to the sound clips and see what you like. Is there any reason why you want a rail pickup and not a pole piece? You might want to take a look at the Duckbuckers as well. They have a really nice tone, are a split rail design SC humbucker and sound surpisingly good even at high gain. They give a lot more output than I expected and have a glassy clean tone. Pole pieces are file...I'm just looking for a good humbucker sound in a single coil size. Also something cost effective since i've already spent some cash on this build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted February 2, 2009 Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 Bill & Becky Lawrence... ordering is as smooth as a corncob. I couldn't disagree more. When I wanted some tele pups for my first build, I gave them a call. Becky was thorough and very informative. I placed the order that day, and they arived pretty quickly. Maybe IPA had a bad experience, but mine was outstanding. As for pup choice, it's really tied to price. You can get some for $100/each, or you can find them for $15/each, both brand new. Sometimes you can tell a significant difference, sometimes you really can't. My suggestion would be decide on what you're willing to pay, then do some homework on those that fall in that range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyw Posted February 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 Bill & Becky Lawrence... ordering is as smooth as a corncob. I couldn't disagree more. When I wanted some tele pups for my first build, I gave them a call. Becky was thorough and very informative. I placed the order that day, and they arived pretty quickly. Maybe IPA had a bad experience, but mine was outstanding. As for pup choice, it's really tied to price. You can get some for $100/each, or you can find them for $15/each, both brand new. Sometimes you can tell a significant difference, sometimes you really can't. My suggestion would be decide on what you're willing to pay, then do some homework on those that fall in that range. Yeah, I'd like to keep it under 50 if I can since i've already spent a bit of money on this build. I was recently told that the L-45s is not a humbucker sound but more of a no noise single coil sound...true? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted February 2, 2009 Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 Depends - what does the description of the pup say? I can't access the site at work, so I can't comment directly on the description, but I CAN add this... Bill Lawrence designed the "noiseless single coil" for Fender, and holds the patent for Fender's version of them. They are stacked single coils, not humbuckers. They have MOST of the s/c twang, but with the stacked coils, there is a hint of HB in there. It's just the nature of the beast - you can't have it both ways. If the description of the pups say "noisless single coil", then that's what they are. If it says that they're rail HBs or HBs in a s/c size or something similar, then they're what you're looking for. FWIW: I personally think that Bill's pups are extremely good. You'll not find their level of quality for a better price. The main drawback is that you have to order them directly from them, so there's virtually no way to get a sound comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyw Posted February 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 Depends - what does the description of the pup say? I can't access the site at work, so I can't comment directly on the description, but I CAN add this... Here is the info from the site... The L-45S is Bill's twin blade masterpiece -- reincarnated from his classic design dating back to the mid '70's! The gleaming stainless steel blades guide a tightly focused magnetic window in a perfectly structured Alnico 5 circuit for unparaled accuracy and with low magnetic attraction and complete immunity to noise. The pickup is responsive to the finest nuances in playing technique, smoothly balanced from crisp highs down to a detailed, powerful low end. The L-45 excels in clarity and definition to let it shine with clean tones or high gain and dense effects. Bill's L-45S Single Coil Size Humbuckers - $46.00 Available in Black or White Covers I have been reading about Bill's PUPs and it sounds like they're awesome. But I do want the dirty HB sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 Well, that settles the question of are they rails or not. I think you'd be very happy with a set of BL's pups. I also think getting the crunch wouldn't be a problem at all. Part of the basic function of a HB over a SC is more power. They drive the amp harder, making the distortion easier to generate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyw Posted February 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 Well, that settles the question of are they rails or not. I think you'd be very happy with a set of BL's pups. I also think getting the crunch wouldn't be a problem at all. Part of the basic function of a HB over a SC is more power. They drive the amp harder, making the distortion easier to generate. Yeah and what a great price for a quality product! The only thing I've seen competitive price wise are the GFS pups. I'll probably go for the BL - wish I could hear a sound byte somewhere. Thanks avenger! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 That's what we're all here for. FWIW: The GFS pups are made by a Chinese company called Artec. There are a lot of eBay sellers that sell the exact same pups as GFS, and at a lot better price. A lot of folks here have used them and said they sounded pretty good. I have two sets waiting to go into two different builds, but I haven't put them in yet so I can't personally testify. That being said, I'm 100% confident that BL's pups are dramatically better than Artec's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyw Posted February 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 That's what we're all here for. FWIW: The GFS pups are made by a Chinese company called Artec. There are a lot of eBay sellers that sell the exact same pups as GFS, and at a lot better price. A lot of folks here have used them and said they sounded pretty good. I have two sets waiting to go into two different builds, but I haven't put them in yet so I can't personally testify. That being said, I'm 100% confident that BL's pups are dramatically better than Artec's. Yes, I did read that and have seen the Artec Alnico 5 Hot Rail all over e-bay at about $19 - kind of hard to swallow that they'd be worth a crap but I have read good things about the GFS PUPs and have also read that they're the same as the artec so there you have it! Sill leaning toward the "wyldes" but the price of the artec does make them appealing When you think I could get two for the same price. I'm not planning on doing any sound comparisons or busting out a spectrum analyzer once they're in...I just want a ballsey strat without doing the full HB conversion right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 When you're on a budget, it's really hard to pass up the inexpensive items that have had pretty decent reviews. A set of 3 Artec for $50-$60 vs. $50 each for the BL's can be a consideration. I'm not helping anymore, am I? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyw Posted February 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 When you're on a budget, it's really hard to pass up the inexpensive items that have had pretty decent reviews. A set of 3 Artec for $50-$60 vs. $50 each for the BL's can be a consideration. I'm not helping anymore, am I? Yeah - thanks a ton! LOL Honestly, I think having the mid and neck as single coil could have it's advantages. this would give me more flexibility sound wise I think. I've always been a Gibson player so I do like that fatter sound but it would be cool to have all the based covered. My other Guitar is the Flying V I posted here a while back (1977) and I am probably not going to have that out too much. This build will be my most played electric so it would be nice to have options as far as tone. In the old days, I mostly played hard rock but as I get older, I'm feeling more bluesy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyw Posted February 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 Here is one of the reviews I read on the Artec: http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews...+Humbucker/10/1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 And that's why I don't pay too much attention to Harmony Central. The output of this pickup is better than my beloved X2N.... A strat-blade-bucker hotter than an X2N? Not bloody likely! I guess I'm pretty jaded. Anytime I see a product with ONE review and it's all 10's, it looks like a rep from the company rying to sell it through the reviews. Then I see something crazy like that quote and it helps solidify my suspicions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyw Posted February 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 I was kinda thinking that myself! Although I've had other guys recommend the GFS so if it's the same PUP it might be all BS. When you going to install the two sets you've got? anytime soon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 When you going to install the two sets you've got? anytime soon? The original plan was in November. That kinda fell apart. In all honesty, one should be this month sometime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 Also, just keep an eye on ebay for name brand ones if you are not in a rush. I saw a brand new SD Duckbucker go for $36, and that is a $75+ pickup. Unfortunately it was already after I bought one and installed it. But if you are patient, their are deals to be found. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.