Pickup Replacement Options in Starla S2?

[ericatunc]

I'm not really digging the pickups in the Starla S2. I'm looking for any recommendations others might have tried in this guitar. Right now I'm strong considering Lollar Imperials. I play rock and hard rock, Foo Fighers, STP, Strokes, Bush, Offspring, RATM, RHCP, Toadies, U2, etc.

I tested the Starla S2 pickups and they came out to 6.77k/Neck and 6.69k/bridge. Tapped it was 4.20k/Neck and 4.66k/Bridge.

Thanks for any advice.

Eric

 

[John Beef]

I would think any decent humbucker should make it do for you what you want it to do. Really it just depends on how you want the tones to change. Are you getting some frequencies in there you don't like? Do you want it to be brighter or warmer? More attack, or smoother attack?

 

[ericatunc]

I want it to be hotter, beefier, and a little more agressive.

I would think any decent humbucker should make it do for you what you want it to do. Really it just depends on how you want the tones to change. Are you getting some frequencies in there you don't like? Do you want it to be brighter or warmer? More attack, or smoother attack?

 

[gball]

I just plopped a set of Slash pickups in my S2 Mira and it had the effect you describe. They sounds really, really good in it.
I know it's not a Starla, but from the ones I have played (and it's a guitar I like an awful lot) I think they or something close to them would give the same result.

 

[cjmwrx]

I'm not really digging the pickups in the Starla S2. I'm looking for any recommendations others might have tried in this guitar. Right now I'm strong considering Lollar Imperials. I play rock and hard rock, Foo Fighers, STP, Strokes, Bush, Offspring, RATM, RHCP, Toadies, U2, etc.

I tested the Starla S2 pickups and they came out to 6.77k/Neck and 6.69k/bridge. Tapped it was 4.20k/Neck and 4.66k/Bridge.

Thanks for any advice.

Eric

Well, Chris Shiftlett uses Duncan JBs in his Tele Customes. So, yeah...

I've been using Duncan JBs or DiMarzio ToneZones for years now. Either one will do what you are looking for. They also cost half what an Imperial costs.

 

[Guitar Dude]

I have a Mira as well.

I wasn’t bonding with the original pups, so I selected a DiMarzio 36th Aniv for the neck because it’s in the PAF neighborhood, but is known for it’s clarity (especially in the neck) and it has an A5 magnet which helps me keep the pickup low and out of the way and still get a strong output. This turned out to be an excellent lead pickup for this all mahogany guitar. I literally could not ask for anything better.

For the bridge I put in a Gibson 498t. Many people think the 498t is meh, but I just love the bridge tone on my SG and since the Mira and SG have a similar design, I figured it would sound similar. I ended up getting the SG bridge tone I love, so I’m very happy with that choice as well. The 498t is a bit overwound with a DC resistance of 13.4 kOhm and it also has an Alnico 5 magnet. This pickup is typically described as mid heavy, tending towards somewhat bright or I've even heard it called brittle, but in the all mahogany Mira it is anything but. It’s actually a little on the dark and scooped side but with lots of output. Not boomy at all but good solid bass foundation and low to middle mids with a narrow high end sizzle and zing. I would say sounds like there is mild notch at the ice-pick frequency (1-2 kHz). When I want it to really cut, I use a treble booster and it just rips. Standalone it’s a very soulful sounding pickup in the Mira. Great for blues and rock. Very expressive (maybe cause it’s loud) in standard tuning or even drop D. It pairs very well (volume wise and eq wise) with the DiMarzio in the neck.

So lessons I learned… for these all mahogany guitars, err on the side of being a little bright to offset the darkness of the wood. Use at least 500k pots to keep your high end. I'm using a no-load tone pot which works great in this setup for the same reason.

I would also second the ToneZone as an alternative for the bridge. That’s a nice sounding pickup, and Noodles from The Offspring likes it too.

 

[garrett]

Imperials are great!