Pickups for PRS SE EG?

[lagoausente]

Some weeks ago I started a thread asking for opinions about my next guitar after the Se Santana. Finally bought the SE EG, nice guitar but most of guys here suggested pups upgrade.
The ones it comes doesn´t sound bad, they are warm, seems nothing special but no bad.
There a lots of pickups to select, I should like you to recomend some to check it out.
I have listened to some samples on Thomann (not very reliable method really), and liked the Fender Texas Special, sounded very clear and type of blues sound.
I don´t think if will sound too thin? Or just right for a strato?
The other pickups like Seymour and Dimarzio ones, there are lots, sound warmer, more hotter then the Texas ones, but at least maybe the stock pups sound quite similar color.
Maybe there should be another posibilities, or PRS pickups that should fit the EG without modding much?
Opinions will be apreciated.
Thanks in advance.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

My opinion is to put lipstick all over that guitar,,,, as in pickups.

 

[lagoausente]

My opinion is to put lipstick all over that guitar,,,, as in pickups.

Don´t get the joke...

, bad guitar?

 

[sergiodeblanc]

No! Awesome guitar! I would just personally look into some lipstick-tube pickups for it.


http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/stratocaster/vintage-output/lipstick_tube_f/

 

[lagoausente]

No! Awesome guitar! I would just personally look into some lipstick-tube pickups for it.


http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/stratocaster/vintage-output/lipstick_tube_f/

:top: I just used google translator, it doesn´t know semour duncan :laugh:, I´ll check it.., thanks for the input.

 

[Sage]

It depends on what kind of sound you want. Do you want a classic strat sound? A hot Texas blues sound like Stevie Ray Vaughan? Do you want hum-cancelling pickups?

Lipstick-tube pickups have a very unique sound, be sure you like it before you go that direction.



Personally, if it were me I would go for the Brian May Tri-Sonic pickups (http://www.allparts.com/PU-6290-010-Brian-May-Tri-Sonic-Pickups_p_3109.html) but I'm pretty sure that's not what you're looking for.

 

[John Beef]

I don't remember who it was, but didn't someone send theirs to the PTC for some Starla pickups and a new pickguard? Wasn't it a black guitar? Or did I dream that?

 

[Danerada]

I don't remember who it was, but didn't someone send theirs to the PTC for some Starla pickups and a new pickguard? Wasn't it a black guitar? Or did I dream that?

I had one that I put Starla pups in. Freaking awesome!

 

[John Beef]

I had one that I put Starla pups in. Freaking awesome!

Post some pics!

 

[Danerada]

Only one I could find:

 

[RichardJ]

I am totally a Strat guy and have a few, most of which I have messed with at some time or another. I personally was really unimpressed with Texas Special Strat pickups, punchy but thin and quite hard to dial in a useful allround tone, whereas the Tele Texas Specials are amazing. I do however love Lace Sensors, lots of tone and a flavour to suit nearly everyone. I have them in two of my Strats and genuinely wouldn't replace them with anything else. My 2c.

 

[lagoausente]

It depends on what kind of sound you want. Do you want a classic strat sound? A hot Texas blues sound like Stevie Ray Vaughan? Do you want hum-cancelling pickups?

Lipstick-tube pickups have a very unique sound, be sure you like it before you go that direction.



Personally, if it were me I would go for the Brian May Tri-Sonic pickups (http://www.allparts.com/PU-6290-010-Brian-May-Tri-Sonic-Pickups_p_3109.html) but I'm pretty sure that's not what you're looking for.

You have reason, I´m asking for some suggestions to start from, then going to youtube and listening amout of videos. Even seems not very reliable reference it helps because since on youtube they use diferent mics, pods, amps and even guitars, listening to several ones using same picups I can get out the "common" character of all of them, the character the pickup itself gives to the sound. It´s a thing to do with time, hear and compare, hear en compare.
Lipstick sound very thin and cristalyne, but seems not very versatile. I´m really not sure what exact sound I want, I think it´s just like love at first sight.
I have already saw the Starla mod on previous search, it seems a original mod but I don´t understand the point, are not humbuckers?

Replying to Sage, I don´t need hum-cancelling pups, I use Pod X3 pro all the time so hum seems not be a problem, at leas for my experience now, I assume it´s more a problem with real amps.

In the other hand I don´t dislike the stock pups character, maybe they miss a bit in the high frecuencies and with some amp sims on the pod it gets agressive, but it´s tottally diferent for both Texas and Lipstick tone.
Definy a tone is quite dificult, we use terms like "thin", "fat", "tube sound", "soft hi-end frequencies", "hot" and so on.
What I look always in a guitar sound is that sound a bit sweet, I don´t like aggressive behaviour, will use probably 95% of time clean sounds on this guitar. I like the Santana for solos with or without distorsion. I´m planning to splic coils on the Santana aswell for more versatility, seems not that difficult.

I don´t know if serves as reference:
I lke a lot how sounds wicked game of Chris Isaak: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCPJCCLengk , it´s very special, maybe because of the musician and setup, but is sweet and doesn´t give my mi "indiferent" to the sound, it keeps on mind.
Also like how it sounds this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i2dcKd0JNU
And this both: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jxsnIRpy2E (uses diferent guitar, on min 6 or so can be heared more clear, it´s nice warm)
And of course the original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay3VjW8qS-8 Between this two versions of Sultans of swing I found the original too clasical, and the above concert too warm, (but that may depend on the recording and videlo quality).

I think the pickup character I´m after should be a compromise of the above strat sounds. Maybe if you have more experience than me will tell me they are all the same type of strat sound (or not) but I like to know your opinions about.

Thanks a lot in advance.

 

[lagoausente]

I am totally a Strat guy and have a few, most of which I have messed with at some time or another. I personally was really unimpressed with Texas Special Strat pickups, punchy but thin and quite hard to dial in a useful allround tone, whereas the Tele Texas Specials are amazing. I do however love Lace Sensors, lots of tone and a flavour to suit nearly everyone. I have them in two of my Strats and genuinely wouldn't replace them with anything else. My 2c.

Thanks for the input, another one to the database, I´ll search about..

 

[lagoausente]

I´m curious about this setup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h1g-ej--Iw
I have already a Hot rails on my Peavey, didn´t know it could be splitted. The video is not very good sounding, so I guess if split coils should sound strat, if so should be a very versatile setup, or maybe nothing strat at all.

 

[Sage]

It seems to me, based on your youtube examples, that you like a pretty standard vintage strat sound, slightly overwound for some extra punch and warmth. A set of Lindy Fralin Vintage Hot pickups will probably do what you want.

I don't have any experience with the Fender Texas Specials myself, but I do know that they were the standard pickups in the Mark Knopfler signature Strat. So if you really dig that Sultans of Swing tone then you may be on the right track with those pickups.

 

[Egads]

It seems to me, based on your youtube examples, that you like a pretty standard vintage strat sound, slightly overwound for some extra punch and warmth. A set of Lindy Fralin Vintage Hot pickups will probably do what you want.

I don't have any experience with the Fender Texas Specials myself, but I do know that they were the standard pickups in the Mark Knopfler signature Strat. So if you really dig that Sultans of Swing tone then you may be on the right track with those pickups.

Very good suggestions!

 

[lagoausente]

I think I´ll go fot the Texas ones, they are cheaper and I like how they sound on any youtube video I hear them. Vintage sounds warmer, but I think I´ll can get that tube-warm-vintage sound just adding a tube preamp or some colour preamp before the Pod if needed, but probably if get the Vintage pups will cannot get that puch-hot-defined sound anymore if I liked.
Texas Special videos really have a "special" sound, it seems sometimes it has a little inherent chorus some times. Also it has more detailed harmonics but not harsh.
As told before, I think is more easy to "vintage" a Texas pickup with a preamp, than to "Texas" a vintage pickup. I´m wright? In the other hand they are even cheaper than Lindy Fralin Vintage Hot pickups.
There are also Fender Vintage at the price of Texas but seems more boring than Lindy ones, so I think I´ll get the Texas ones.

 

[garrett]

As told before, I think is more easy to "vintage" a Texas pickup with a preamp, than to "Texas" a vintage pickup. I´m wright?

You have it backwards. You're better off starting with a more balanced pickup. The Texas Special has a very strong mid-range that will be very difficult to remove. It's easier to add focus to the mids with a pedal, or by using the tone control.

The correct approach for you will depend on what you want to accomplish. There are literally hundreds of Strat-sized pickups available. You need to think about the type of sounds you want to get and what is your budget. Take your time to narrow down the best option for you.

 

[John Beef]

Only one I could find:

Nice!

 

[lagoausente]

You have it backwards. You're better off starting with a more balanced pickup. The Texas Special has a very strong mid-range that will be very difficult to remove. It's easier to add focus to the mids with a pedal, or by using the tone control.

The correct approach for you will depend on what you want to accomplish. There are literally hundreds of Strat-sized pickups available. You need to think about the type of sounds you want to get and what is your budget. Take your time to narrow down the best option for you.

I confess I´m really confused. A guy replied me on my first thread about buying the guitar: "I think that an EG with a good Boss multiband equalizer would get you anything you wanted"

I wonder: Change pickups is mostly just a gain output and a frequency response? If so, should must consider first of all if stock pickups+multband eq could give me anything I want? Or that´s only partially true?
Regarding the "type of sound I want", it´s really imposible to focus on that, I like diferent tones, I liked the Texas sound, but always liked the vintage sound, it just depends on the type of song, and what the guitar will play on that song, so to cover all my wishes I should must have a buch of guitars (now understand why many guys have a buch of guitars).
I even liked the tone of the original stock ones, on this video, for example, in the first minutes, and the last minutes the guy play clean and soft, and I liked a lot how sweet it sounds,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MnKyGa8sMU

Of course that this sound is nothing at all similar to Texas or Vintage classic sound, but can have it all?
So I start again asking for your experiences:
- It´s posible to Eq and get diferent tones, but should it sound anyone authentic?
- If so, should be an improve a new balanced pickups+the multiband eq or maybe I´m ok with the stock ones?
- Or must just select one style and forget versatility and think that I should need a guitar per tone?
As you tell ,there are houndred of strat type pickups, and that´s my mainly problem.., maybe should I stay with stock ones? Or get a more quality balanced ones? Or just select one "style" and convince me I cannot get it all?
Thanks in advance for, all your replies, experiences and opinions help me.