Looking for a neck pickup -- advice wanted

[Eric***]

Hi all.

On my new-to-me Godin LG Signature, it's supposed to come with an SD Jazz in the neck and an SD Custom Custom in the bridge. I'm pretty sure the Jazz pup was filched by a previous owner. I tried adjusting the pickup height to correct some of the neck muddiness, but didn't have much luck. I was OK with it as is until I played it in practice last night, and *barf*. The neck pup was muck city.

So the question: what's a good neck pickup to get, provided I keep the Custom Custom in the bridge (which I think sounds pretty decent)? If I limit myself to Seymour Duncan, it seems like the main options are the 59, Pearly Gates, Jazz, and Alnico II Pro. I'm not sure about the 59, since I think it has a single wire and the guitar uses a coil split of the neck and bridge pups in positions 2 and 4 (i.e. I'm not sure if the wiring of the 59 would allow to route it for a coil split).

Any input from you guys? I'm also open to other brands, but I figure if I'm keeping the bridge (which is my tentative plan), it might pair best with another SD pickup.

For style, I tend to play rock-type stuff, anywhere from classic rock to modern rock, but usually not too over-the-top. I like the neck pickup to be something that works on softer/slower songs, blends in easily while strumming, and does a good job on sustained notes when arpeggiating. Clarity while remaining soft/warm (i.e. not too biting) are probably key. Also, pairing with the bridge to make a usable middle position on the guitar is absolutely key. I use the middle position most of the time, so it's important to have that be something that sounds good.

Looking forward to some input!

[Jx2]

I sure wish I knew what the pick up was in the neck of my Epi LP, its a Duncan but without removing it I have no idea how to tell what it is. I know its got exactly what your describing. Honestly if I had to guess I would go with a Alinco II based on a almost dead match to Slash's tone. Its just a little off and I do mean a little.

[marnold***]

Hmmm. I really like the Jazz in my Dinky. You can get a '59 with a four-conductor setup. I've never used one but a lot of people seem to like them. I will say that my Jazz tended to get muddy as you roll off the volume. A treble bleed mod took care of that.

[Eric***]

Well, I could probably get anything and be happy with it. It's so hard to know without really having it and trying it in the guitar itself. Right now I'd say my list looks like this:

1. Jazz
2. Alnico II Pro
3. 59
4. Pearly Gates

[hubberjub***]

I have SD 59's in one of my Heritage 150s. It a decent traditional pickup but it's a little muddy for my tastes. I would go with either the 59 or a Jazz because I don't really care for higher output pickups such as the Alnico 2 or the Pearly Gates. If you were to venture outside the SD world, I would recommend the DiMarzio Virtual PAF (if you can find it) or it's replacement, the Air Classic (I think). Traditional sound with a little more clarity. I've got Virtual PAFs in my Gibson Les Paul and it was a dramatic improvement over the stock 490 series pickups that came in it.

[FrankenFretter***]

If you want that sweet neck pickup sound, I'd suggest something AlNiCo II or IV. I've heard really good things about the Tonerider pickups as well. Is your neck pickup covered, or open coil? Just curious.

You could always go with a GFS Mean 90, too. It's a P90 in a full humbucker sized pickup. Just another option to consider.

[Eric***]

The pickup is covered, and I'd like to have the replacement be covered too. I'm just not sure how each pickup behaves or what its relative output is. For instance, I didn't know that the pearly gates or alnico ii pros were hotter.

I'll keep the DiMarzios in mind too.

[kidsmoke*]

I have a 59 paired with a Custom Custom in my Idol. Washburn uses that pairing extensively in their Custom Shop mahogany body guitars.

I absolutely LOVE the neck p'up in this guitar. I have it split as well, and get dramatic variation with it. This is a mahogany body, maple cap, set neck guitar, similar to yours, but for the cavity.

[Eric***]

I have a 59 paired with a Custom Custom in my Idol. Washburn uses that pairing extensively in their Custom Shop mahogany body guitars.

I absolutely LOVE the neck p'up in this guitar. I have it split as well, and get dramatic variation with it. This is a mahogany body, maple cap, set neck guitar, similar to yours, but for the cavity.

Hmm, well that's good to know. Every new post seems to be adding new info and refining my search, which I guess is exactly how it's supposed to work.

I know the original config in this one was supposedly Jazz/Custom Custom, so I guess they both work in that combo. I wish I knew exactly what the real-world difference was in each of them so that I could make a decent decision. The SD chart is mildly useful, but it doesn't exactly make my decision for me.

BTW, that's one purdy guitar!

[Tig***]

Cr@p! I was on the verge of buying an Agile and you posted your Washburn Idol! I forgot how much I like these, so in it goes to my very short list.
I found a few lightly used WI66PRO's for under $500... One just might take my heart...


· Mahogany body · Bound, carved flame maple top
· Mahogany set neck
· Fingerboard radius 14"
· Nut width: 43mm
· Bound rosewood fingerboard
· Bound headstock
· Pearl wing inlays on fingerboard
· Seymour Duncan® '59 reissue pickup in the neck
· Seymour Duncan® Custom Custom pickup in bridge
· 3 way toggle Switch
· Speed knobs
· Exclusive VCC control
· Tune-o-matic bridge with stop tailpiece
· Exclusive Grover® 18:1 gear ratio tuners
· Buzz Feiten Tuning System™
· Color: Flame Honey Burst
· Gigbag: GB4 Included

[kidsmoke*]

Cr@p! I was on the verge of buying an Agile and you posted your Washburn Idol! I forgot how much I like these, so in it goes to my very short list.

I highly recommend them Tig. For the record, Honeyburst is a fairly common finish on those, but not so with the tobaccoburst. Don't know if I've ever seen a WI66 in tb. I'd jump all over that!

But to the point, Washburn does pair those p'ups extensively, and design them for splitting, so, Eric, I think it might be worth a try. You can find 'em very reasonably online, as well.

I have another 335 style Washburn (HB35) with a 25 year old Seymour Duncan MJ wound JB in the bridge, and I love it. The neck p'up is stock, falling apart and needs to come out, and I considered the Pearly Gates just to have different guitars with variety and maybe a little heat, but I like the 59N so much in the Idol, I'm tempted to repeat.

And watching the Freddie King vids on that other thread has me wanting to get all I can out of that HB35.

Keep us posted Eric.

[hubberjub***]

Tig, keep your eye out. You'd be surprised how cheap USA made Washburns can go for. I can't really speak for their imports but the USAs are top notch.

[Eric***]

I listened to the clips on the website, compared specs and all, and it's really fricking hard for me to tell a difference between the 4 pickups in question, honestly. I'll probably just end up with whichever I can get for cheapest.

[kidsmoke*]

Tig, keep your eye out. You'd be surprised how cheap USA made Washburns can go for. I can't really speak for their imports but the USAs are top notch.

I had a shop owner tell me that Washburns Custom shop in Mundelein (Chicago) puts PRS, Gibson and Fender to shame. Keep in mind they build Parkers and Moog as well. The guy in charge cut his teeth at Gibson in Nashville decades ago.

check out this current listing (not affilitated in ANY way, just gravitate to the sheer beauty naturally), not cheap by any stretch, but absolutely gorgeous. And to make it relevant, it's equipped with 59/CC pairing.

[Eric***]

Huh. Well, tonight I pulled the pickups and...surprise. They're both what they should be: Jazz and Custom Custom. I guess I'll futz with it some more and maybe replace it anyway. The latest input I got is that a Seth Lover would probably clean up better.

I feel like there's a lesson in all of this about not making presumptions based on name, but I don't feel like teaching myself a lesson just yet.

[wingsdad]

... I like the neck pickup to be something that works on softer/slower songs, blends in easily while strumming, and does a good job on sustained notes when arpeggiating. Clarity while remaining soft/warm (i.e. not too biting) are probably key. Also, pairing with the bridge to make a usable middle position on the guitar is absolutely key. I use the middle position most of the time, so it's important to have that be something that sounds good....

...The latest input I got is that a Seth Lover would probably clean up better. ...

I have the SH55N Seth Lover in the neck of my G&L ASAT ClassicBluesboy. Alnico 2, NOT wax-potted...so it could tend to be 'microphonic'; described as 'warm', 'soft attack'....blah, blah, blah. Bottom line: It's a repro of Lover's original '55 PAF bucker, an 'old school' humbucker, not a supercalifragilisticexpialidotious hopped up hot rod. Some might say the bottom end with a Lover is a bit muddy, or 'loose', while the 59, a repro version of the 4 -year newer 'improved' 59 PAF (stronger Alnico 5 bar mag , wax-potted) has a 'tighter', stronger bottom end, like the mids are scooped. Lower output than the 59 by nature of its weaker Alnico 2 bar magnet. the Lover is definitely clean, and pairs well with a hot, bright bridge pup or in a bright wood guitar -- which the G&L MFD single coil in the ASAT (maple neck, swamp ash body) surely is...when played as you like in a middle position (both pups).

Since I also have a Wash Idol WI66 with that 59/SH11 Custom Custom config, that set pairs well, too.

Which of those 2 guitars are more like your Godin?

Since you obviously do your due diligence (homework), Eric, in researching before you decide, you may have found in the Duncan site that it suggests a Lover pairs well with a Custom Custom. But in what type of guitar?

The hardest part of all this input is it's all hypothetical and essentially poppycock; anyone can subjectively describe how pickups sound & what they like, etc...but you won't really know til you have the pups in your guitar playing thru your amp.

[Ch0jin]

For what it's worth I have the SD '59 in the neck of one of my Maton's and I love it in that guitar. Mine is uncovered and not coil tapped, but I have no desire at all to change it. Great PU.

However the unfortunate reality is as wingsdad described it. You just got to try as many as you can and see what floats your particular boat. I just chimed in to say the '59 is a good PU. Might not suit your style or guitar, only you can ultimately decide, but it's still a good PU and worth considering

[Eric***]

I have the SH55N Seth Lover in the neck of my G&L ASAT ClassicBluesboy. Alnico 2, NOT wax-potted...so it could tend to be 'microphonic'; described as 'warm', 'soft attack'....blah, blah, blah. Bottom line: It's a repro of Lover's original '55 PAF bucker, an 'old school' humbucker, not a supercalifragilisticexpialidotious hopped up hot rod. Some might say the bottom end with a Lover is a bit muddy, or 'loose', while the 59, a repro version of the 4 -year newer 'improved' 59 PAF (stronger Alnico 5 bar mag , wax-potted) has a 'tighter', stronger bottom end, like the mids are scooped. Lower output than the 59 by nature of its weaker Alnico 2 bar magnet. the Lover is definitely clean, and pairs well with a hot, bright bridge pup or in a bright wood guitar -- which the G&L MFD single coil in the ASAT (maple neck, swamp ash body) surely is...when played as you like in a middle position (both pups).

Since I also have a Wash Idol WI66 with that 59/SH11 Custom Custom config, that set pairs well, too.

Which of those 2 guitars are more like your Godin?

Since you obviously do your due diligence (homework), Eric, in researching before you decide, you may have found in the Duncan site that it suggests a Lover pairs well with a Custom Custom. But in what type of guitar?

The hardest part of all this input is it's all hypothetical and essentially poppycock; anyone can subjectively describe how pickups sound & what they like, etc...but you won't really know til you have the pups in your guitar playing thru your amp.

I'd say the Idol is probably more similar.

I think I'm going to spend some more time trying to get this current config to work, since at least now I know that it's not some garbage pickup that was swapped out. Yeah I know...use your ears and what not, but at least my paranoia is gone.

I talked it over at my lesson last night, and my teacher (the one who recommended a Seth Lover) said that it might be that I haven't quite adapted to the sound of this guitar yet, as I've used my Agile so much prior to procuring the Godin. I thought that was a fair point.

Anyway, much appreciated on the differences between the 59 and SL.

[sumitomo]

I like the JB in the neck and the Pearly Gates in the bridge.Sumi