Neck pickup for blues..

LuttiS

Really not much of a pickup person so my knowledge extends as far as knowing that I have them in my guitars...

I've always been a rock/metal person but recently I've taken my playing back to basics and really gotten into playing blues.
 The humbuckers on chosen blues guitar are pretty hot. Usually play using the neck pickup, so can anyone recommend something a bit more suited because apparently all great bluesmen are totally obsessed with tone and gear and stuff. That's why I'm playing on a superstrat, a classic blues machine..

Don't really have much to splurge with, and whereas I'm enjoying it lots at the moment and it has totally reinvigorated me.. I'm aware it may still be a passing fancy.. so low low budget

So uh.. what should I look for in a bluesy pickup and what should I check on measure ents and stuff?

This ramble has been bought to you by Luttis. Carry on. 

koss59

Blues isn’t in the pickups mate, if moneys tight then save it by turning your volume down on the guitar a bit. I don’t mean this to sound patronising at all but blues can be played on anything.

Rabs

drwiddly

I'm no expert but on a budget I'd have a look at Irongear PAF style pickups - Blues Engine, Rolling Mill and maybe the Tesla Shark.

Also, have a look in the parts for sale section as sometimes @TheGuitarWeasel or @Alegree have a clear out and might have something suitable at a good price.

LuttiS

koss59 said:

Blues isn’t in the pickups mate, if moneys tight then save it by turning your volume down on the guitar a bit. I don’t mean this to sound patronising at all but blues can be played on anything.

I agree, volume is down and it does sound ok - but you can still hear the heat.. it's a ''metal' pickup.. i'm just imagining something more mellow.. 

koss59

Turn your tone control down too?
I’ve never known a pickup that’s too hot for blues if you back it off a bit and the amp is set sensibly.

LuttiS

koss59 said:

Turn your tone control down too?
I’ve never known a pickup that’s too hot for blues if you back it off a bit and the amp is set sensibly.

Yeah tone control is fiddled with too
As I said I don't know pickups, but after much fiddling that's that my unknowing mind decided it might be pickup related.. 

guitars4you

koss59 said:

Blues isn’t in the pickups mate, if moneys tight then save it by turning your volume down on the guitar a bit. I don’t mean this to sound patronising at all but blues can be played on anything.

a large extent this is true - trim the vol pot down until you find that sweet spot - Often around 6/7 - let this be your base camp and take back towards 10 when you need that boost - the vol control is an expression control

Slight confused @LuttiS ; as you mention humbucker, then Strat, so not sure what your set up is

 On a Strat, something like a Hendrix inspired 69 in the neck sounds different to a formvar wound SRV style pick-up with alnico 11 magnets - the 69 is more transparent with less mids, almost scooped - The SRV has  fatter mids - Both are crisp and funky - Both sound like Strats but in a different way

If a humbucker then anything paf flavoured is probably the best place to start

longjaw

Irongear Rolling Mill is a great pick-up.

LuttiS

@guitarsryou - it's a superstrat, nothing fendery

Thanks all, will have a fiddle and a browse

bbill335

I have a mojo gold foil in the neck of a tele and it's great for lofi sixties dirty blues. Like Junior Kimbrough, John Lee Hooker busking in the blues brothers, that sort of sound. Great for slide.

guitars4you

LuttiS said:

@guitarsryou - it's a superstrat, nothing fendery

Thanks all, will have a fiddle and a browse

okay - but a Superstrat can be HSH, HH or HSS so just curious as to what you have

Rabs

LuttiS said:

@guitarsryou - it's a superstrat, nothing fendery

Thanks all, will have a fiddle and a browse

You could also try lowering the pickup a bit to change the sound....

Jalapeno

For a HB, anything PAF derived would be ace.

For a Strat, Hot (or Cool) Rails sound awesome.

For a Tele - leave well alone, they're perfect already !   (Well if you must slap in a vintage set from any the p/u builders on here - Mojo, Oil City etc)

LuttiS

guitars4you said:

LuttiS said:

@guitarsryou - it's a superstrat, nothing fendery

Thanks all, will have a fiddle and a browse

okay - but a Superstrat can be HSH, HH or HSS so just curious as to what you have

I've been using a Cort X-6 HT for it, I think the current pickups are bluebuckers or something, it's HSH 

guitars4you

LuttiS said:

guitars4you said:

LuttiS said:

@guitarsryou - it's a superstrat, nothing fendery

Thanks all, will have a fiddle and a browse

okay - but a Superstrat can be HSH, HH or HSS so just curious as to what you have

I've been using a Cort X-6 HT for it, I think the current pickups are bluebuckers or something, it's HSH 

As mentioned earlier you can play blues on anything and adjust the vol pot to find a sweet spot - But IMO those locking trems suck the tone way - Fine with hi-gain when everything is saturated, but the cleaner you play, with less gain, the more they just take away the tone - Before you do anything, just try some licks on a mates guitar, or in a store and just see if it suits you any better - Something more 'taditional'

LuttiS

Yep - got some lovely sounds from my setup while using a mates Tele.. which is what lead me to thinking a more mellow pickup might go some way towards that 

guitars4you

LuttiS said:

Yep - got some lovely sounds from my setup while using a mates Tele.. which is what lead me to thinking a more mellow pickup might go some way towards that 

you obviously like the way the Cort plays so nothing wrong with that, but IMO the pick-up alone is not going to help you - It might be better than as is, but not convinced you'll get there - try the vol pot approach and lower the pick-up height as well - No cost there - Not sure what pots you have on that guitar and indeed if any treble bleed cap on the vol pot, but not sure how well yours will 'roll off' when you back off on the vol pot - Some loose far to much of the  voice, so only sound good when on 10 - Try it

LuttiS

guitars4you said:

LuttiS said:

Yep - got some lovely sounds from my setup while using a mates Tele.. which is what lead me to thinking a more mellow pickup might go some way towards that 

you obviously like the way the Cort plays so nothing wrong with that, but IMO the pick-up alone is not going to help you - It might be better than as is, but not convinced you'll get there - try the vol pot approach and lower the pick-up height as well - No cost there - Not sure what pots you have on that guitar and indeed if any treble bleed cap on the vol pot, but not sure how well yours will 'roll off' when you back off on the vol pot - Some loose far to much of the  voice, so only sound good when on 10 - Try it

Will try thanks

Not sure on the pots - it will be stock on what was a fairly cheap 12yr old guitar. Volume roll off isn't great - but there is a difference. 
Also noticed the pickup is a bit high, so will give that a lower too

interstellar

run through a boost/fuzz/gain pedal..roll back volume and tone and ye will have more dynamics and snap..try that to "wake" up your sound...my "clean" sound is gain rolled back

guitars4you

LuttiS said:

guitars4you said:

LuttiS said:

Yep - got some lovely sounds from my setup while using a mates Tele.. which is what lead me to thinking a more mellow pickup might go some way towards that 

you obviously like the way the Cort plays so nothing wrong with that, but IMO the pick-up alone is not going to help you - It might be better than as is, but not convinced you'll get there - try the vol pot approach and lower the pick-up height as well - No cost there - Not sure what pots you have on that guitar and indeed if any treble bleed cap on the vol pot, but not sure how well yours will 'roll off' when you back off on the vol pot - Some loose far to much of the  voice, so only sound good when on 10 - Try it

Will try thanks

Not sure on the pots - it will be stock on what was a fairly cheap 12yr old guitar. Volume roll off isn't great - but there is a difference. 
Also noticed the pickup is a bit high, so will give that a lower too

see how you get on with that - at least it is free