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Favorite pickups and position?

Looking into my first build. Been thinking about pickups, especially humbuckers, as well as whether to mount bridge or middle or neck position. Just wondering what people have already experimented with. First idea was a Lace pickup somewhere in the neck position, maybe add a piezo too with a switch. There are a lot of pickups out there and position and the kinda box you have I assume are all factors. What you like?

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Permalink Reply by Eliah Holiday on August 18, 2018 at 7:56am

Any preference between the Flatpup and the MGB Mini Box Bucker Pickup 2.0?

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Permalink Reply by Korrigan on August 18, 2018 at 2:13pm

I haven't tried a Flatpup, only seen pics of it. I can tell you that the MGB uses a bar magnet so you don't have to worry about lining up strings to individual magnets.

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Permalink Reply by BrianQ. on August 19, 2018 at 7:04am

It seems to be a copy of a flatpup? So I’m guessing they’ll sound similar? I would go with the original, so buy a flatpup. Search Elmar Zeilhofer, a member here, he’s got a few videos on his page of them. Plus they’re super ez to install. Elmar is the proprietor of flatpup

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Permalink Reply by Paul Craig on August 19, 2018 at 3:57pm

When it comes to humbucking pickups, I like the real deal Firebird pickups the most because they have that single coil bite with that quiet double coil humbucking benefit. They also have the best gritty snarl for a humbucker(think Neil Young or Johnny Winter tone).

Second I have to give a shout out to Dimarzio for their 36 Anniversary PAF pickup for full size Humbucker.

I also like those old school Gretsch Filtertron, Gibson Burstbuckers, Original 72 Fender Wide Range Hum Buckers and several Seymour Duncan offerings.

All of those are 6 string pickups because I don't have much experience with the 3 and 4 string pickups.

Position comes down to personal choice, but you can make a guitar with a dedicated pickup position that can make other position tones by learning how to manipulate Volume and Tone Controls.

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Permalink Reply by BrianQ. on August 23, 2018 at 8:11am

Have you decided yet?

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Permalink Reply by Eliah Holiday on August 23, 2018 at 8:45am

From all the sample videos I've heard so far the Lace sounds the best. Mind you I haven't decided if I want the best or merely pretty darn good at half the price. Other than the Lace the other flat pickups sounded kinda thin. Considered the Wiggins Brand but they are same price as the Lace. The Snake Oil Humbucker sounded good and I like the P90 as well although single coil. Anyone seen a hot rail mini-humbucker in white?

At any rate basically now I'm just deciding on whether $70 pickup or $35 ot less pickup. And I decided on neck position thereabouts.

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Permalink Reply by Jerry Jordan on August 23, 2018 at 8:55am

Mini humbucker rail in white made by bill lawerence

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Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on August 24, 2018 at 9:42am

As far as position goes humbucker bridge and neck. With the volume pots wired independently.

independent / depended volume control

The 3 way in the center position. With great sounding pups you have total tone variations. Just by adjusting the volume knobs you can have a completely different sound. With the option of flicking the 3 way to give you the output of just one of the pickups. You wont achieve that out of phase sound of a strat. But that can be had with a chorus of phase shifter box on a light setting.