Learn the secret to choosing the right pickups for your guitar

[@deltafit]

Nice vid Tony. Just a heads up...the JB actually stands for 'Jazz/Blues' not 'Jeff Beck'. Jeff never had any deals with Seymour 😉 great pickup I have one in my Charvel

[@tonymckenzieofficial]

I did go digging and you're right! Blow me down.... BUT! It was created for Jeff Beck by Seymour. You are right it's not a 'Jeff Beck' pickup - at least as I described it and the Jazz Blues badge is right... but surely that's a draw :) Jeff did have something to do with it :) Oh OK you win... :) - and thanks for correcting my ways - see I CAN get stuff wrong (all the time) but at least I tried. Thanks for that informative post and for watching of course.

[@rayprevailer8454]

I recently built a strat from a kit. I got a tip from a fellow in your country. Dave Simpson. I purchased a set of ToneRider "S2SET" made in England. They are perfect for me. Bridge 8.9K Middle 6.1K Neck 6.0K Great video Tony!

[@tonymckenzieofficial]

Thanks for the info about Tone Rider... as success is great whatever you choose. Man the number of times I 'got it wrong' is hard to count :) but not just pickups... I try stuff all the time and some of it is not as great as some say. Yes I have heard of Dave Simpson. Thanks for the info and for watching.

[@mikebarnard2689]

+1 for Tonerider … amazing build and value. Some American lad rebrands them as his own boutique pickups … naughty .. and triples the price.

[@rickycompton2610]

Great video Tony, excellent choices of pickups for your strat build , I recently pulled the pickups out of my Gibson R8 and installed a set of Seymour Duncan Slash 2.0 Humbuckers, I’m sure people will say I was crazy pulling the stock Custom Buckers out but I play High Gain amps I could take the squeal of the unpotted stock pickups,Your Strat build will be so versatile I think with the pickups you chose!!

[@tonymckenzieofficial]

Yes I think so too. And squealing pickups can be a real pain... reminds me very much of the 'old days' when that was far more common. Interesting on the HB that they used wax (I think) sort of vacuum induced somehow in to the pickup. That was a new one. So how do you like the Slash HB's?

[@Gearslayer92]

I took out a set of Gibson Burstbucker Pro's out of my 2004 Gibson Les Paul Standard and replaced them with the Seymour Duncan Mayhem Set (Seymour Duncan Distortions). Now I have even more fun with my Les Paul as it sounds amazing now!

[@tonymckenzieofficial]

It can be VERY transformational when you get it right, but get it wrong and you would wish you had not done anything! I have even done that over the years and it's one of the reasons I thought about it a little and made this video. My points are simple enough, but it is surprising just how many guys get it wrong and end up with a pickup(s) that were the wrong choice. Thanks for watching.

[@dykeneuk]

I keep coming back to EMG’s. Seeing my guitar has a battery compartment, it makes sense. Very low noise and you can all sorts of extra preamps and boosts and things. Forever a tinkerer……..love your reviews and depth of detail. 😊

[@tonymckenzieofficial]

Well that's the thing with active pickups you can do so much. I have not spent too much time on EMG's (there's no reason) but I have watched their players showing the EMG's off and no doubt very interesting. Thanks for the info and for watching...

[@RByrne]

Nice video! I've built a couple of parts casters, but I just built my first guitar from raw wood. I just have the electronics left to do. I've bought everything but the pickups. It's a Tele with standard SS configuration. Just trying to decide on the pickups. Lindy Fralin are nice, as are Texas Specials from Fender. It's almost tough to go wrong these days, though, if you go with a well-known brand. Thanks!

[@tonymckenzieofficial]

That's an important point. There are so many 'new' brands out there and they all claim brilliance... but I doubt those intentions yield the result of 'brilliance'. And maybe even a 'wet lettuice' :) could result. The brand DOES matter and as you see I stuck on this guitar with a world famous brand even though the choices seem weird I think they w are probably right for this guitar. We shall see. and thanks for watching.

[@lukesteverything627]

Tony thank you for so much knowledge, so freely shared. I doubt I have 1% of your vast expertise but I did change the pickups in my US Strat recently. I'm sure I could have chosen better (Bare Knuckle Slow Hand set) but importantly I am happy with them. Thanks for all you do it really helps and entertains this confused 69 year old. Be well and happy!

[@tonymckenzieofficial]

Well I am just me, and I'm sure that there are many guys better credited with pickup recommendations. But I thought while building this next guitar about pickups, and there really are so many types and brands - its really saturated the market these days and with brands no one heard of and tones they all say are wonderful. So making a choice can be hard. I decided to just say what I did and as you see the choice is really not 'standard' by any means. It should all come out OK :) we shall see. Importantly, thanks for watching.

[@lukesteverything627]

I wouldn't know where to start or why to start there. This is why your videos are so helpful and I really appreciate it. I've copied a few of your ideas and I always credit you. I might just pinch this one if I try to build a Strat but I'm in a LP phase at the moment (Heritage). Thanks Tony.

[@humblegeorge]

I love the Seymour Duncan pick ups in my Maple Burl Strat two baby 59's neck and middle and a Duck bucker in the bridge powered by a Alembic strat-o-blaster should I need 30% louder yet very same tone .Great video Tony they are ten out of ten. Cheers Mate :>)

[@tonymckenzieofficial]

Hey HG how you doing. I bought some of that juice you talked about and will be showing that in a later video on the neck for this guitar :). Watch for it and warm regards. Thanks for watching.

[@eddiejr540]

Well done Tony…I’m looking for a neck single coil p/u for a Warmoth build…an HS guitar…ala Warren Demartini…but like you said, there are hundreds to choose from😩

[@tonymckenzieofficial]

There is no doubt it IS difficult and like a minefield if you're not sure what to go for. It's one reason I made the video to at least 'hopefully' offer some insight in to how I choose. Thanks for the post and for watching.

[@TheForce_Productions]

I think David chose SSL-5 for helping the classic thin sound from strats bridge pickup. I have this same pickup in the bridge prosition in my own black strat and it sound pretty fat, it is about 13K RC, (there´s even some huumbuckers that has less resistance than that), even though it´s not the only way to judge a pickuo sound of course. Personally I wouldn't use it for middle or neck since keeping in ming it's position in guitar's body I imagine it could get quite dark, so i'm very looking forward to see and hear how it works for you. Cheers Tony.

[@tonymckenzieofficial]

Yes me too. It should be interesting really overall with that mix. Almost strat gibbo :) we shall see. Thanks for the post and for watching.

[@Barbarapape]

You could spend a fortune and a lifetime trying to find the perfect combination that works well in your guitar. I like a smooth warm mellow sound but not a muddy or muffled one that some humbuckers are infamous for. So i stick with the ones that i have heard and perform well, mainly alnico ones The only guitars that i have not changed the pickups in are my Japan made Ibanez Jem 7V, Custom made Gilmour and Hank Marvin Strats they have the same as the artists used. I hope you are happy with your choice Tony. The proof of the pudding will be in the final video of this guitars journey.

[@tonymckenzieofficial]

Yes we have all done that - and the costs continue :) My way of thinking re the choices I don't really hear others doing that... and one of the most difficult aspects really is the pickups... just really as you say. The theory on this guitar is that |I know the JB, the YJM I also have in a guitar and the middle - if good enough for Gilmour... (hopefully) might work for me. The 7VWH I have has really powerful pickups, but through the right amp... oh how those sing... quite incredible. I found mine can be 'too powerful' for some stuff though. Ha I am hopeful that this combination will be good for a more flexible sounding guitar than 'just' a Strat (why I chose the JB) and with that YJM neck tone that somehow to me is rather like a definitive rock tone for a strat through the neck pickup. But we shall see... Thanks for the post and for watching too.

[@mikebarnard2689]

Tony… why did you not get the trembucker width JB ? These are specifically designed to work with the wider Fender string spacing at the bridge. With the standard JB. ( unless you are using a very narrow 52mm spaced bridge) you are going to have both E strings sitting outside of the JB pole pieces… will it affect the sound ? .. don’t know , but it looks a bit… odd. That’s why SD made the F-spacing option .

[@tonymckenzieofficial]

Ill look at that further and thanks...

[@musicalcompanion5890]

Seymour Duncan has the pedigree of actually being "there" Dimarzio isnt a pickup maker his company is. I think Dan Armstrong and Bill Lawrence are the reason for DiMarzio. That being said i agree that you should have an idea of what you want before you buy A B or C brand. I dont think Seymour doesnt wind anymore, but the custom shop is ran by his son and MJ is still a Master windsmen. I dont think any other big brand offers a menu custom shop other than small winders. You can never go wrong with a JB in the bridge.

[@tonymckenzieofficial]

Yes I like the quality of the SD brand. There are now so many brands (that many guys have never heard of) of pickups that it's actually hard to choose when they are pickups with unknown pedigree/quality/tone and some of those are hundreds... In this case I stuck really with what pickups I think will work best. Thanks for the post - good stuff... I have used BL (Gatton) pickups also and those are interesting. Also DiMarzio etc. Thanks for watching.

[@maidenman74]

Please tell me as im not sure but wonder. If a humbucker is used in the bridge position then the coil closest to the neck is already RWRP so in my head the middle pick up should be a standard wound standard polarity and the neck pick up should be RWRP to counter act the middle pick up?? Genuine query as building a Partscaster myself.

[@tonymckenzieofficial]

You could use the rwrp I guess as it won't really have any effect - but if I do change the neck pickup (which might happen for a more 'standard pickup') then I guess I'm covered. In any case we shall see what happens with the build when I complete it... should be interesting... and thanks for watching.

[@paulmint1775]

My pickups are better than anyone else's :) 🤣 I even wound them myself with non human metallurgic alien wire !!

[@tonymckenzieofficial]

Ha but are they :) Have you been listening to the makers :) thanks for watching.

[@paulmint1775]

@@tonymckenzieofficial 👍 great vid Tony, thanks m8

[@user-dy1bb4oc9k]

Hi, I like your movies but do you have to always include this introduction upfront? Just to be like everybody else? It doesn’t do anything absolutely nothing is just annoying. Otherwise thank you for the info.

[@tonymckenzieofficial]

Noted! and I'll make amends :)