Maybe it’s not the wrong pickup — it could be the wrong amp or speaker.
I think if anyone is going complain about stock pickups, they should have to disclose what amp and speakers they are playing though. They make a much bigger difference than the pickups.
You may be right... I will say that my sound has kind of solidified over the last eight years or so. It's been completely independent of the guitars I'm playing.
I play Blues, mostly with a West Coast twist, but a lot of Chicago stuff, too. I mainly play through a '58 Twin, with a mix of Celestion Neo Creamback and Jensen 12-100. But, there's also the '59 Bassman Reissue, the Cox Ultimate 5e3 and the Marshall Origin 20. I ALWAYS have a little reverb going. I tend towards single coils. So, for me and my sound, P-90's and Fender style pickups work the best.
Replacing pickups in a guitar I love the feel of, is a lot easier to take than giving up my Twin. I love the way this amp sounds and feels every time I plug into it (even with pickups I am not in love with, the amp still sounds good).
I have three guitars that came with humbuckers:
- One has Filtertrons. I love the stock Gretsch pickups, but I have contemplated upgrading to TV Jones at times, or even doing Tearmonds in a Filtertron mount. I still prefer my other Gretsch with the Dearmond 2000's, though...
- One had 490/498 combo and I never could get them dialed in. The neck was too dark, or the bridge was too brittle. I played with height, pots, settings on my amps and finally gave in and replaced them with Zhangbucker humbuckers. I love, love, love them!
- And, finally my '17 SE Santana. As I've outlined before, the SE pickups were okay, nothing really wrong with them. But, I wanted a different sound. So, I went with Zhangbuckers again, but this time P-90's in HB size and mount. Couldn't be happier with the tone out of this guitar now!
Because I play relatively clean, tone is everything... I honestly play that edge of breakup, and really like the touch sensitivity and clarity of single coil pickups. So, I like humbuckers that sound more like single coils. I am looking for a certain feel and sound out of my guitars. They all sound different, don't get me wrong. Each guitar has a certain personality. But, there is a certain something I need and want... Very few humbuckers I've owned have really gotten me there.
Another big factor is volume. I play a lot at home, but my tone at home is so much less important than my stage tone. Honestly, I probably play a lot more unplugged at home, even. Playing at 50 or 60 db at home is one thing. But, get closer to 100 and over.....
All that to surmise that for me, it's the total package, not just pickups, not just an amp or speakers or effects.... Also, what's right for me is certainly not right for everyone!