Pickups: Do They All Royally Suck?

[Mr. Badguy]

I know I haven't been a member of the forums for very long, but in the time that I've been here, I've noticed that there aren't many good things said about pickups that come with guitars. In just about every thread posted where someone asks about a guitar, there's always someone that mentions "It dosen't have great pickups." I was wondering, just how often DO guitars come with good pickups? I know that it must vary from brand to brand, model to model, but how often do you not need to swap out the pickups for better ones? And when I say better, I mean fitting for a higher priced guitar (around 700-1000, I suppose).

[prone07]

If you buy a beginner level guitar, the pickups will most likely blow.
If you buy a mediocre guitar, the pickups will probably be ok, like emg-hz's or duncan designed.
Other medium to high quality guitars will have high quality pickups such as Dimarzio, Seymour Duncan, active EMG's, or Gibson or PRS depending on guitar brand.
You only have to switch the pickups if you desire better tone. Some players swap out their pups often to experiment with different tones, and some find a set of pups that they like and stay with them for a long time.
And I'm not sure if you are asking this, but pickups cannot really wear out over time...maybe a very, very long time...

[Akeh]

You never need to swap them, but a squier strat's picup will not sound as good as a dimarzio or an EMG, Duncan or one of those company's pickups. If you're happy with your tone, stick with it.

[ChickenStu]

Many guitars come with pickups that are decent. People on this forum are very picky and spend a lot of time trying to get the tone they want. It all comes down to preference, however, and there is no need for a pickup change if you like your tone.

I bought my strat because I loved the pickups and knew I would never have to hassle with them.

[Pom-Bear]

I think people fail to notice the tone changes with their same amp settings.. u could probably get some decent stock pickups on a mediocre guitar to sound like some dimarzios..

with my current amp settings ive noticed my For The Love Of God tone sounds a lot better on my Rg350EX INF stock pickups than mine Jem 7V ones at the moment simply because i havnt bothered to change the amp settings so that they r specified to the Jem

[Mr. Badguy]

Prone: Ah, it's great to know that the pickups won't fade on a guitar. Here's to hoping that my squier dosen't ever (at least until it's replaced) go south on me! :chug:

Pom: I noticed a pretty big difference between amps as well. My squier sounded pretty friggin' awesome after I upgraded to another amp, and it really shocked the hell out've me.

Stu: Would you say that the general populace (of the forum) tend to gravitate toward any specific sound?

Akeh: I hear that, brother. But as I mentioned in another thread, I'm really looking to upgrade from my humble origins. Hopefully, I'll be able to snag a new guitar within the next month. Huzzah!

Thanks for the helpful replies everyone. You're awesome. :cool:

[StormX]

A lot of people on MX seem to whore Dimarzio. I prefer EMGs for heavier music and Lace Sensors for cleans.

[FakeReality]

Prone: Ah, it's great to know that the pickups won't fade on a guitar. Here's to hoping that my squier dosen't ever (at least until it's replaced) go south on me! :chug:


Actually, leaving your guitar near your amp a lot will cause your pickups to de-magnatize. This just means they will lose some of their brightness. Some people actually like this tone more. I heard a story about some famous blues player (can't remember who) who went to a luthier to have his pickups re-magnatized, and when he got his guitar back he didn't like the tone nearly as much.

[mutant!]

Yeah, as mentioned, people around here are tone whores. I know I am. I bought a MIM Strat about a month ago and I'm already scouting for pickups to fit in it. I'm thinking Seymour Duncan Vintage Flats in the neck and middle and a Quarter Pounder in the bridge. Not that the stock pickups suck or anything though... I just think SD goes to great lengths to accurately reproduce the vintage Strat sound. Then again, I might just get Fender '62/'57s - those appear on some higher-end models and they're wound by a chick who's been doing it for Fender for like 50-odd years.

[ChickenStu]

Stu: Would you say that the general populace (of the forum) tend to gravitate toward any specific sound?


Yeah. I would say the majority of people are looking for a metal sound. There are quite a few that play other music, however.

[ChickenStu]

Yeah, as mentioned, people around here are tone whores. I know I am. I bought a MIM Strat about a month ago and I'm already scouting for pickups to fit in it. I'm thinking Seymour Duncan Vintage Flats in the neck and middle and a Quarter Pounder in the bridge. Not that the stock pickups suck or anything though... I just think SD goes to great lengths to accurately reproduce the vintage Strat sound. Then again, I might just get Fender '62/'57s - those appear on some higher-end models and they're wound by a chick who's been doing it for Fender for like 50-odd years.


Yeah, Abigail Ybarra. Check out the Custom Shop 54's too.

[Mr. Badguy]

Actually, leaving your guitar near your amp a lot will cause your pickups to de-magnatize.

Oh, geeze! I've left my squier leaning right up against my amp just about every night since I first got it! That's pretty interesting.

How do you guys go about replacing the pickups? I assume you have to take off the strings. Are the strings still useable once you take them off?

[Screaming Solo]

basically why i think changing pickups is great is because you decide on what you want and the sound you're after instead of the manufactuers

you can choose pickups that not only sound better, but also suit you needs better

[The_Mop]

Pickups make a different affect on your tone. For me, instead of changing tones, different pickups have changed the tones a bit but changed characteristics a lot. Certain pickups allow for more harmonics, some allow for better distortion. I think you need to think about it more as an extension of sounds that your guitar can handle rather than a complete change in tone.

However, when it comes to the tone side of things, pickups can make the difference between a basic tone and a nice, sophisticated tone. It's easy to get a generally similar sound with a cheap humbucker and a Dimarzio, but the Dimarzio might just give you a bit more of an edge and push where your guitar can go.

[Miek]

could'nt have said it better than Mop

[TheColdNovRain89]

most people hate the stock INF pickups in my rg350dx. although i will probably swap it with an bill lawrence L500 eventually, i still think they are good for stock.

[mutant!]

Oh, geeze! I've left my squier leaning right up against my amp just about every night since I first got it! That's pretty interesting.

How do you guys go about replacing the pickups? I assume you have to take off the strings. Are the strings still useable once you take them off?
You can bet on your strings being worthless afterwards.

Anyway, replacing pups depends on the guitar. Strat-style guitars have their pickups mounted on the scratchplate, so you'd have to take off the entire scratchplate to manage it. Other guitars, such as LPs, have the pups mounted directly into the body.