Please recommend pickups for my build !

[Ndavis1971]

I need some help!!

I play classic rocks, blues, Johnny Winter slide etc. I’m building an offset guitar with a humbucker bridge and a p90 or firebird pickup in the neck (with a p90 ring I can put the firebird in there). Of course I want them to play well together. I prefer to get dirt from a cranked amp, and really like the Monty or Throbak PAF for the bridge but am not married to them.

Can you recommend the very best of the P90, Firebird, and humbucker that will play well together? Maybe the mojo or Lollar firebird for neck, Fralin or Wolfetone p90 for neck, and a Monty’s traditional paf bridge ? Just spitballing.

For example, I know some P90’s in the neck and get real woofy and too thick. I also know that a mini might be too weak for a hungrier that’s too strong. So I’m just trying to find the balance.

Thank you so much.

 

[charliechitlins]

Last I heard, Epiphone was putting dead-on repro Firebird pickups in their guitars.
I think they came about because of the Joe B models.
I'm not sure if they're selling them separately.
There is no reason to splash out for P90s.
I've used tons of cheap-ass P90s and they all sound great except for 1 set that read something like 13+Ω.
I have several in guitars from the 50s and 60s, but my current favorites are a set of Chinese knockoffs in a Chibson that read 6.7Ω (!!) and the lack of risers puts them a hefty 3/8" from the strings.
I did NOT expect this guitar's tone to blow me away.

 

[metropolis]

If you do go Monty's in the bridge (and from the comparisons I've done Monty's are the brightest of the PAF replicas I've found) then I would have a word with Matt about his recommendations for a neck given he makes all the options you're discussing. He also does different flavours of the PAF now so either over or under-wound for the bridge (I'd personally love to try the overwound bridge and underwound neck together).

If I was doing that build my logic would be an offset (presume it's a bolt on and longer scale length) is naturally brighter, and I'm obsessed with mini-humbuckers so would probably go slightly overwound humbucker in the bridge and a mini-humbucker in the neck. All very personal choice though!

 

[Ndavis1971]

If you do go Monty's in the bridge (and from the comparisons I've done Monty's are the brightest of the PAF replicas I've found) then I would have a word with Matt about his recommendations for a neck given he makes all the options you're discussing. He also does different flavours of the PAF now so either over or under-wound for the bridge (I'd personally love to try the overwound bridge and underwound neck together).

If I was doing that build my logic would be an offset (presume it's a bolt on and longer scale lenfth) is natrually brighter, and I'm obsessed with mini-humbuckers so would probably go slightly overwound humbucker in the bridge and a mini-humbucker in the neck. All very personal choice though!

Exactly what I did! Spoke to him. Overwound paf in bridge, fully Monty p90 or firebird in neck. Got all but leaning toward firebird neck. Didn’t realize Winter played mostly the neck. So nice coincidence !

 

[metropolis]

Oh that's great, Matt is a really nice guy. A school friend used to work for him which is how I found the company (back when they offered a much smaller selection of pickups!)

I've never played a firebird pickup, other than an overwound abomination that came in a 2015 Les Paul Deluxe I had, but I think it would be right up my street in terms of brightness from a neck pickup. I would guess the P90 is going to be fatter and more mid-frequency focused?