New pickups or a new guitar?

3 years ago by sailicalvin to c/guitars

I've got a 1970s Hohner Les Paul and the humbuckers are starting to die. I was looking at Seymour Duncan's but for that cost does it make sense to just get a new guitar?

LambentMote 9 points 3 years ago

What do you mean by > 'the humbuckers are starting to die?' They're just magnets with copper wire wrapped around them, they don't really wear out. What's the problem you're trying to solve? If it's quiet/scratchy/noisy you probably just have a bad potentiometer or a cold solder joint. If you don't like how to guitar feels then yeah something different may be in order. If you like the guitar but something about the sound isn't perfect then maybe different pickups will help, but your amp will have a much larger impact on your tone than different humbuckers.

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sailicalvin 3 points 3 years ago

That's a great question! So the issue I'm having is that the sound coming out of the guitar via the amp sounds off and by off I mean off key, out of tune. So I tune the guitar and play (not thru amp) it sounds right. Plug it into the amp and play, it sounds off. Plug in one of my other guitars to the amp and it sounds fine. All I can think of is something ain't right with the pickups.

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DarkInspiration 7 points 3 years ago

Well, to me it sounds like your guitar needs to be setup.

If you tune the strings but they sound out of tune when you play.. Most likely your intonation is off.

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sailicalvin 3 points 3 years ago

When I play it not through the amp it sounds fine that's why I suspect pickups but it very well could be something other piece of electronics.

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dorzig 8 points 3 years ago

@sailicalvin @DarkInspiration Try lowering your pickup height. I had an issue similar to what you’re describing, lots of weird overtones that sounded like the guitar was out of tune once the amp was on, but it was in tune when played acousticly. Worth a shot, doesn’t damage anything and it only takes a minute or so.

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Ds4zkMjT 5 points 3 years ago

That's really strange. The other electronics in your guitar might be better suspects.

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XTL 4 points 3 years ago

Pots in particular. They are literally a moving part and suffer from wear, dust, and oxidation. Worth bypassing or replacing with known good ones when troubleshooting in general.

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LambentMote 3 points 3 years ago

How close are the pickups to the strings? If they're very close try lowering them a bit. When they're too close the magnetic field from the pickups can influence the vibration of the strings and cause odd sounds.

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DarkInspiration 6 points 3 years ago

It depends if you like the look and feel of your guitar already. If you do, then maybe the pickups are a good option.

Otherwise, a new guitar might be the option.

In the end only you can decide tho

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tostiloco 4 points 3 years ago

I know your issue’s been solved already but for me it would come down to how you feel about the guitar body+neck. If you love the look and have some sentimentality attached to it, change the pickups. Otherwise get a new guitar

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michaelfone 2 points 3 years ago

What pickups are you looking at that are as costly as a new guitar?

I’ve replaced a bunch of my pickups in my guitar. It’s a great way to get exactly what you want, and often you’ll get higher quality than most guitar brands use stock. Pickups will have the largest effect on a guitar’s tone outside of the amp.

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sailicalvin 1 point 3 years ago

Not saying the pickups are more expensive than a guitar. The question is more does it make sense to put $200 worth of pickups into a off brand Les Paul. Or do I put that 200 towards a better guitar that's all.

If you have recommendations on cheaper but good sounding humbuckers that would be appreciated.

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XTL 2 points 3 years ago

Roswell, Wilkinson, Tonerider, Dimarzio, Bare Knuckle is about my slippery slope. Used ones may come very reasonably priced now and then.

I also wouldn't shy away from great and expensive pickups if you have a guitar you like. They are about 90% of the sound, so why not combine great guitar with great sound? If you get a more expensive piece of wood and metal for your pickups later, it'll be an easy swap. Or sell the pickups. There's a good market for wanted models in most places.

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