pab
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Post by pab on Apr 19, 2006 15:03:58 GMT -5
I have a Fender Squier strat...
We all know how cheap pick ups could be in this guitar...
I'm doing right now shielding mod because at high gain my guitar is noisy.
But even that I think my guitar sound to much metal style... I want to have a more punk new rock sound just like bad religion or green day...
What kind of pickups(single coil or humbukers) are good for punk music... I play trough a MArshall 100DFX... I heard that dimarzio are very good, is it ?
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Post by Ripper on Apr 19, 2006 17:32:59 GMT -5
Hey Pab!...Welcome to GN2! Yes, Dimarzios are great pups. In fact if you go onto their web site the choices are overwhelming! Now im in my early 40's, so when you say " Punk" I think "Sex Pistols" or "Generation X"...well they used humbuckers as do Green day I believe. Loads of distortion, too muddy for my taste but hey!...whatever floats your boat huh?  I think the Dimarzio Super Distortion would be just what youre looking for my friend. Id set all of my amp settings at half dial, and tweak it from there untill you get the sound youre looking for. Not too much gain is needed if you install humbuckers. Good luck! |
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pab
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Post by pab on Apr 19, 2006 18:48:36 GMT -5
Good thank you! Dimarzio super distortion are humbuckers?
Should I replaced just neck pickup only?
Since my pickguard is done for single coils, I supossed I have to install a new pick guard!
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Post by Runewalker on Apr 19, 2006 19:40:03 GMT -5
There are plenty of Single coil form-factor humbuckers. All the majors have them, Dimarzio, SDuncan, etc. GFS has one called "little Killer", and an over the top seller on ebay called GuitarHeads has a nasty one that comes in at about 17K. So if you are wanting not to get a new pickguard there are plenty of options out there. And since punk is more about energy than nuance of tone then ceramic versions, which are frequently cheaper, should be fine.
Just another set of options.
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Post by Ripper on Apr 19, 2006 21:14:10 GMT -5
Yes, they are humbuckers. I used a set of Seymour Duncan " Hot Rails" on a Strat I had a few years back. Its a humbucker, but is sized to fit into a single coil slot. They really screamed I must say! They didnt call them hot rails for nothing. |
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jester700
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Post by jester700 on Apr 19, 2006 21:19:52 GMT -5
Just a note: all single coil sized humbuckers I've ever seen use ceramic magnets - even PAF style ones (Duncan's 'lil '59) They have to to overcome the thinner wire and fewer winds in those designs. So don't fret about the magnet used.
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pab
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Post by pab on Apr 19, 2006 21:51:35 GMT -5
I went to ebay, seymour hot rails are very expensive compared to GFS LIL Killer...
Where s difference between 2 models? Sound quality, realitibity...
I really think gonna try one of these hambukers... Difference between 2 models is amost 50 dollars... I just want hambucker for my bridge...
What do you think about this 2 models??? Wich one is better quanlity/price?
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Post by Mini-Strat_Maine on Apr 19, 2006 23:05:10 GMT -5
I have a Fender Squier strat... We all know how cheap pick ups could be in this guitar... I'm doing right now shielding mod because at high gain my guitar is noisy. Good plan, especially if you eventually put in hotter pickups. I dunno much about the style, except that I'm not "into" it. I didn't find punk or new rock on the list mentioned below, so I guessed "Alternative." Close enough? The type of pickup (HB or SC) might be a matter of personal preference, just like so many of the other things that can be different even among the same model of guitar, by the same maker. As long as your gear is at least halfway decent to begin with, "good" music of any style will flow from your fingers. But yeah, DiMarzio makes some good stuff. You can start at Dimarzio.com, and check out the "Pickup Picker" in the lower right corner. Then go through the list: Humbucker or Strat, body wood, style of music, whether you want more sustain, better harmonics, etc., etc. Then from their recommendations, talk to people who use those pickups (best if you can get a chance to "test drive" some) and/or read reviews of them. Harmony Central has user reviews for pickups, and somebody may mention artists that they know are using a certain make/model. They can also say for which style(s) they think the pickup is suitable or unsuitable. |
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Post by UnklMickey on Apr 20, 2006 8:50:23 GMT -5
...Where s difference between 2 models? Sound quality, realitibity... ... Difference between 2 models is amost 50 dollars... hi Pab, i think you answered your own question. the big difference is the price. and the pretty boxes that the Duncans are packaged in. will they sound different? sure! will the Duncans sound better? not necessarily. i'm will be putting some lil' killers on my own MIM Fender strat. at that price they're worth trying. i've been happy with the parts i've bought from them so far. unk |
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Post by Runewalker on Apr 20, 2006 10:20:24 GMT -5
I've tried a few GFS's and they always surprise me at the quality of sound they produce. Comments that follow assume you are putting a -hum in the bridge position. Neck pickup versions of the pups listed do sound different than the descriptions below. Looking at the -hums since that seems where you want to go, they have two basic channels: Alnico and Ceramic. If you want the Super Distortion style with ceramics (I have not tried these): extreme: store.guitarfetish.com/gfscrourhoov.htmlless extreme but still nasty: store.guitarfetish.com/crpafhublbrp.htmlFor Alnicos (I have tried these): Not on Jay's site, but is on Ebay ... go figure (link will eventually disappear) cgi.ebay.com/Boutique-OVERWOUND-Alnico-PAF-ZEBRA-Pickup-Bridge-H16_W0QQitemZ7340119000QQcategoryZ22670QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem This is a bit of a screecher. It is more trebley than a Dimarzio Fred and not quite a spontaneously harmonic generating. Loud and penetrating. Probably more in the ToneZone direction, but since I have not tested a ToneZone I can't be sure. Specs are similar to a ToneZone. store.guitarfetish.com/alfatpafbohu.html There are three versions of this H09, H11, h13 (I think those are his model numbers). They differ whether they are exposed coils or covered (gold tone and chrome). This pickups are adequately loud, modern voiced, get good but not overblown harmonics, balanced and articulate. They tend towards the "creamy" (singing, smooth overdriven sound without piercing treble, yet articulate in the higher frequencies) when driven through overdriven amplification/boxes. Covered versions are slightly more 'creamy.' I like this pup alot. Just put them in an LP set neck clone and did an A/B test against a real 1968 LP, and they actually sounded better than the Gibby pups (and this is a pretty fine LP), more full range, flexible yet soar more easily. However, they may be too creamy for punk unless you compensate at the amp/boxes level. They can get nasty and ragged if you manage the throughput side. A nice pickup for a variety of voices. But if you want a more monolithic sound, then the higher output, single voice types may be more for you. Most of these pups have 4 leads, except maybe that large pole on at the top. I think it only splits. So that does give you more options in your axe. And Nutz are all over options. Even punks don't wanna punk all the time. Finally, even vintage voiced pups can punk if you put enough junk between them and the amp, or if your amp gets ratty enough. Its not like the SexPistols or the Clash really spent a time thinking about their pups -- that would be too old school. They used a lot of thin, vintage style single coils and just cranked it up. Green Day probably spends more thought and $ on pup selection. Maybe as much thought and $ as the lead singer spends on eye makeup. |
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Post by Mini-Strat_Maine on Apr 20, 2006 13:28:18 GMT -5
Green Day probably spends more thought and $ on pup selection. Maybe as much thought and $ as the lead singer spends on eye makeup.   |
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pab
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Post by pab on Apr 20, 2006 14:20:02 GMT -5
What do you thinbk about putting LIL Killers -hum GFS on bridge pup, and for neck and middle pups vintage single coils???
Does someone have an idea how this config could sound?
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Post by Mini-Strat_Maine on Apr 20, 2006 15:14:57 GMT -5
What do you thinbk about putting LIL Killers -hum GFS on bridge pup, and for neck and middle pups vintage single coils??? Or Lil Killers in all three positions? Get (roughly) singlecoil size with humbucker capabilities. New member Slejhamer is using a Lil Killer in the neck position of a guitar he mentioned in another thread. Runewalker asked him to have a look over here, and maybe comment on the sound for you. |
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slejhamer
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Post by slejhamer on Apr 20, 2006 23:21:56 GMT -5
New member Slejhamer is using a Lil Killer in the neck position of a guitar he mentioned in another thread. Runewalker asked him to have a look over here, and maybe comment on the sound for you. I do indeed have a GFS Lil Killer in the neck of my Squier '51. It's an unusual pickup. Though it's sized for Strats, I don't find it to be very Strat-like. Of course, it's a humbucker, so it's not going to get that chimey single-coil tone, but it's REALLY fat sounding. Not muddy, the way some humbuckers can get, but with a notable boost in the lower mids. I don't like it much for clean tones - I have to EQ it to cut the lower mids and raise the upper mids significantly. Even then, it's just "okay." But with a high-gain amp and some overdrive or distortion (I use a Tech21 modeling amp and a cheap little Danelectro FAB Overdrive pedal), it really comes alive. Powerful, yet it retains string clarity. Punk tones? Yes, definitely. Though I find it odd to be discussing "good pickups for punk." Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols played a Les Paul with Humbuckers. Green Day's guitarist switched to P90s for American Idiot (I LOVE the growl from P90s - I put GFS Dream 90s in my Ibanez Artcore). Joe Strummer of the Clash played a Telecaster. Anything can be used for punk, in my opinion. Anyway, a Lil Killer in a Strat body will definitely give you a much beefier tone than the stock Squier single coils, and is a very easy swap. It's not classified as a distortion pickup, but as I said it seems to do much better in high-gain situations. Oh, and they come in different strengths. I have the "vintage" 6k version, which was a good match for my bridge pickup (GFS Bigmouth.) For strats, GFS does sell a calibrated set of three, with varying strengths. The 13k Lil Killer in the bridge would probably sound monstrous. store.guitarfetish.com/casetof3lilk1.htmlBut, something to think about: if you currently find your Strat "too metal," perhaps you need to tweak your amp settings to get more of a punk tone? Or add an overdrive or "grunge" pedal? Just a suggestion. |
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pab
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Post by pab on Apr 20, 2006 23:33:58 GMT -5
Whats about noise?
I'm doing shildiend and wiring mod because my Squier is very noisy...
Did youre hambucker lil killer introduce or cut some noise?
Maybe youre right, marshall amp 100dfx sound very metal, but I cant put pedals because with distorsion they FUC.... HUM,, thats piss me off...
For clean sound I have to use compressor susteain, but when I put some distorsion, oh my god,,, huuuummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....
Maybe LIL killer for 3 positions can be good,,, I want to get a high gain distorsion but punk sound and no metal like MEtallica and this stuff...
Last question, how is when you go from clean to distorsion?? Transition is smooth or there a big boost?
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slejhamer
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Post by slejhamer on Apr 21, 2006 5:45:03 GMT -5
Regarding noise: I also shielded my '51, and that did help somewhat, but the Lil Killer (being a humbucker) is reasonably quiet. But then, I don't really mind the hum from single-coils. It's rock 'n roll, after all!  I'm not sure what you mean about the transition from clean to distortion. Cranking the preamp gain is going to raise the volume, unless you offset the boost somewhere else (like a master volume control.) But that's a function of the amp, not the guitar. |
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pab
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Post by pab on Apr 21, 2006 9:07:23 GMT -5
YEah, but my HUM is just too much,,,, Evin My bandmates want to kill me!!!
What I mean about clean /distorsion trasition is that when I use my foot switch from Marshall for use distorsion, there's a big volume difference between clean and distorsion,,,
I'm a gig fan of clean and distorsion transitions during a song, so I need a config that can smoothly pass from clean to distorsion using my foot switch ...
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Post by Mini-Strat_Maine on Apr 21, 2006 9:50:22 GMT -5
What I mean about clean /distorsion trasition is that when I use my foot switch from Marshall for use distorsion, there's a big volume difference between clean and distorsion,,, I'm a gig fan of clean and distorsion transitions during a song, so I need a config that can smoothly pass from clean to distorsion using my foot switch ... Oh, okay, I know what you mean: the Marshall P801 footswitch, to go between the Clean and Overdrive channels on the amp. I think you (and your bandmates) might be happier if you used a separate OD/distortion pedal (or pedals). I've got an MG30DFX, and while the reverb and other effects on it are okay, I'm not all that impressed with the OD on it. That was the opinion of at least one other MG--DFX owner on another forum I use. (It's that solid state stuff, ya know.  ) |
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Post by Ripper on Apr 21, 2006 10:47:29 GMT -5
You should used balanced pups. I had a Strat Plus years ago. I took out the lace sensors that came with it and I used Duncan Texaz Antiquitys...It may be spelled wrong....anyway, I used two antiquitys in the neck and middle position, and a Duncan hotrail for the bridge for those soaring leads. Well the hotrail was much more powerful then the antiquitys and there was a noticeable volume difference when switching between them.
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pab
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Post by pab on Apr 21, 2006 11:45:23 GMT -5
But Right now i'm using stock pickups from Squier, so I supposed they should be already balanced...
Maybe problem comes with amp or pedal, because when I use CS-3 boss pedal with clean channel, it sound awesome, but when I turn on distorsion, then we hear a lot of hum even when we play,,,
Maybe mod will cure this problem, today i have practice after mod.. I'll try CS-3 with distorsion and hope hummm noise will dissapear... If not maybe I will finally change my single coils for LIL killer humb.
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pab
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Post by pab on Apr 23, 2006 2:40:07 GMT -5
I did shield mod and everithing seems work better but when I play strings a strange noise appear , no a hum, its like a crrrrrrr noise, its hard to explain...
It occur just when I touch my strings ... I will open my pick guard and investigate, maybe theres a littleshort somewhere...
For the pickup I will fianlly order a Dimarzio super distorsion humbucker fitting in single coil strat...
Well if someone have an idea what could be my problem , he s welcome!
I give you some upgrades...Later, after investigation and replace pickup ...
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