Deserted Island question

[OnTheFritz]

Ok, you're stranded on a beautiful deserted tropical island.
You have a couple Hawaiian Tropic bikini models to tend to your needs, the coconuts contain beer, and you have 120 vac outlets all over the island for your myriad of Marshall amplifiers.

One catch, you have only one Les Paul, and one choice of bridge pick-up.
For all around blues, classic, and hard rock sounds, what would you pick? (new production)

[yngwie308]

EMG 81...there I said it
yngwie308

[OnTheFritz]

EMG 81...there I said it
yngwie308

I read that, and Sarah winking at me sorta freaked me out!

I'm actually leaning towards the Gibson '57 classic plus, any thoughts?

[Flames1950]

I'll stick with my Manlius Fat Dianes for now.

[fillmore nyc]

Ok, you're stranded on a beautiful deserted tropical island.
You have a couple Hawaiian Tropic bikini models to tend to your needs, the coconuts contain beer, and you have 120 vac outlets all over the island for your myriad of Marshall amplifiers.

One catch, you have only one Les Paul, and one choice of bridge pick-up.
For all around blues, classic, and hard rock sounds, what would you pick? (new production)

For sounds related to a "hard rock", Ill take the bikini models, please.
/

(Oh, alright... a WCR Fillmore. )

[NY Chief]

[
(Oh, alright... a WCR Fillmore. )

Beat me to it, fill!

But, I need to know...what size coconuts are we talking?

[fillmore nyc]

But, I need to know...what size coconuts are we talking?

16oz minimum, and I'd opt for a shot of Jack in each of 'em.

(Yeah, them ol' Boiler-Makers... sure did the job RIGHT QUICK, didnt they???)

/

[yngwie308]

Hey I want my credit for standing up for the choice of Zakk, before it was popular here...the toneless, faceless EMG-81, love it or leave it, it your guitar sounds like crap, it won't make it sound any better, but if your guitar sounds right, it is a plus, power handled well has it's own rewards..
yngwie308

[Tone Slinger]

I agree, the EMG's (and Zakk imo) sound shitty. It's like they 'feel' the same in your hands, regardless of the gain you throw at them. Passive pick ups are WAY more dynamic. I say go for a Duncan '59.

[frenchie]

I've got an EMG89 in bridge position , and had a 59 duncan before ....maybe you'll think i'm crasy but i noticed a HUGE improvement ...though my guitar is all ebony and rosewood .....emgs do a real good job with warm sounding and not trebley woods ,and it adds lots of precision and punch when wired properly -> if you tech left 1kilometer long wires in the cavity then he's screwing you even if there's 9v battery increasing the signal , and the "character" supposedly lost don't really count on already dark sounding woods .... my two cent but about current factory production pups (not hand wound pups ,i never tried ) i think EMGs are terrific ......and if you add a good amp over that .....

[yngwie308]

Yes frenchie, I think EMG makes a great pickup, humbucker and single coil, I don't expect this to be a popular position, but I like them, despite the thrash/drop metal crowd who go for them these days.
yngwie308

[Tone Slinger]

I guess what I was refering to (the overall feel, in regards to dynamics,sag, etc) is something MANY (Zakk & countless 'thrashers') just do not see, since they love the out put, resiliance and 'transfer' that active pick ups exude (not to mention the emg mid hump.

To me, to contrast/compare a good passive pu to a active one is like saying the active pick up sounds like all these 100 % digital recordings( more of 'everything' sonically) and the passive ones sound like good 'ol analog. I like less technology. But to be fair, sometimes I get into a different mood, and a emg can interest me for a few minutes.

[frenchie]

there's probably one key element man must care about also ... different production batches ....same with gibsons and amps ....my EMGs89 are 11 years old , they weren't as popular as it is now the day i bought them ....perhaps quality decreased a little since the day i bought them dunno , i never have tried new ones ......that's why i always like buying new brands to test stuff , they make good stuff when they ain't got a NAME after popularity does it's job it oftenly become another story .....all i can say is that my personnal emgs in my particular guitar sound great .... and i don't play too much metal stuff

[fillmore nyc]

I say go for a Duncan '59.

REALLY?? I've never found them to be musical at all. To MY ear, they sound generic, or wooden and lifeless, but maybe thats just my guitar/rig/hands conspiring against me, or maybe I got a set made on a shitty day, who knows. I have a friend that swears by them, so... ???

Im not a huge Duncan fan anyway, but if I HAD to use 'em, my choice would be either Antiquities, or maybe Seth Lovers, or even Pearly Gates.

Still, I'd opt for one of the boutique-y pickups any day. Lollars, WCR's ect DO sound better to my ear.

BTW, anybody ever try Stephens Design PAF clones?? He claims them to be THE PAF, if thats what you're after. I've never heard them myself, except for the clip on Youtube, and its hard to tell thru computer speakers.


BTW... sorry Yng... Im on the EMG sucks bandwagon. Never heard a set I liked, unless they're used for ultra-metal playing, thru a nuclear meltdown amp. Not my cup of tea.

[Tuco]

Wolfetone's Dr. V. A set of these have been fantastic in one of my Historic LPs. Great Peter Green tones.

However, I'm on the list for a couple of sets of the new Throbak Limited PAF clones. Early reviews are quite, quite, quite good. Wound with NOS wire and on the same machines that were in use by Gibson back in the golden era of PAFs. They also include custom-spec A2, A5, and unoriented A5 magnets. Could these finally be the answer to real PAFs?