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Firebird Pickup Comparrison Thread

Firebird Pickup Comparrison Thread

Postby analogsystem on Wed Aug 12, 2009 11:16 am

I thought it might be fun to have a master thread with a short description / opinion for each Firebird Pickup we've tried.

I'll only speak to Pickups I've had in my bird, no mini humbuckers that I tried in my LP deluxe.
I hope everybody can add reviews of the pickups they've tried so we can have the ultimate Firebird Pickup Encyclopedia!
:geek:
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Stock Gibson (2007) ceramic Neck Pickup: This is a high output pickup that was pretty woolly and borderline muddy depending on the rig. It sounded pretty good when lowered down even with the pickup ring but was only usable for dark jazz-chording or mellow "lush" playing. It actually worked pretty well with fuzz pedals for a gnarly stoner rock fuzz lead sound too. Overall not articulate enough for my style and a little dull sounding.

Stock Gibson (2007) ceramic Bridge Pickup: High output again. If you can dial out the harsh factor with your amp or by leaving the tone knob on your guitar between 8 and 9, this pickup actually sounds great. It's very articulate and responsive. No "blanket over amp" at all. Very clear and drives an amp nicely. It's got a bit of that "hollow / filter / electric slide" kind of thing happening and you can yell into it which is cool. Even still, it is actually stable enough to play high-gain metal without feeding back uncontrollably. I'd like just a pinch more fatness or lowend but it is a bridge pup. Once you add some gain it's not too spikey either. I wouldn't use it for super clean tones but it's nice to have a pickup that can slice through the mix like a telecaster, do high gain pinch-harmonics, but also work well enough in a classic / psych rock setting. Not vintage correct by any means but a great pickup nonetheless. I like this pickup as close to the strings as possible.

Jason Lollar Firebird neck pickup: Well the old saying that a good firebird pickup should have all the best qualities of a single coil AND a humbucker is totally accurate here. Theres so much snap and sparkle in this pickup! If I am playing super clean the high strings are as bright (though way way thicker) as my bridge pickup when I snap them using a hard up-strum. This pickup is all about body and clarity. I was initially a little underwhelmed until I realized I had it way too low. Once I raised it very close to the strings it came to life. This is a great blues / rock / general playing pickup. It is very stable with high volumes an gain and has a very full range sound. This is definitely the one of the best neck humbuckers I've ever heard in any size.

Seymour Duncan SM-3 Seymourized mini-humbucker: This is a slightly hotter but accurately built version of a firebird pickup. It sounded killer and reminded me of the Neil Young bridge tone. It was a little too conservative sounding for me if that makes sense so I went back to the stock bridge with its massive output. Overall a very strong pickup that would be great for blues / slide / rock / traditional firebird tones.
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Re: Firebird Pickup Comparrison Thread

Postby Sleepingtiger on Wed Aug 12, 2009 8:04 pm

Kent Armstrong(in middle & neck position) - Clear & balanced, but maybe a little weak in the low end. It's just too polite for my tastes. Not a bad pickup, by any means.It just seems to lack personality. If you're looking for a clearer Firebird pickup for clean or jazzy tones, this might be for you & many love them, but not for me. To me they just sound kind of bland.

Seymour Duncan SM-1 - I like this pickup...a lot! It has the "honk"& "Kerrang" that I like in a FB pickup. It sounds much like the pickups in my older Birds with just a touch more oomph. It has a pronounced upper mid peak that really cuts like a FB should. It's not a really high output pickup, but prefer to get my tone from the pickup/guitar & my gain elsewhere in the chain. My main amp is a Mesa Road King II, so I can get all the gain I need there. The SM-1 had no problem getting the "Recto Thump"! It sound wonderful clean & truly excels at gainier to distorted tones. I think this pickup, in all 3 positions, would satisfy anyone looking for a traditional Firebird tone with just a little more balls. I think Seymour nailed it on this one except for the cover! Why he insists on putting that HUGE embossed logo on them is beyond me! He doesn't deface his other pickups in such an obnoxious manner.

Current Gibson Model - I really can't figure out why they did this. To me, it just sounds like a very bright, generic high output humbucker. It sounds NOTHING like a Firebird pickup at all, TO ME. Putting them in "Historic" Reissues is a travesty, but makes as much sense as a 500T in a "1960" Les Paul Classic, I guess :roll: . For MY use...useless.

My thanks to Analog for starting this long overdue thread. I'm looking forward to info on more FB pickups & other opinions on the pickups already reviewed.
Let's just remember these ARE opinions & opinions are like........well...you know ;)

Tony
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