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Hey folks. I have a Guild StarFire IV with the original guild pick-ups. I'm looking to give it a little more 'fire' and take away some of its jazzy side (I don't want it totally removed but definitely subdued). Are there any pick-ups you can recommend that I could drop into this puppy to give a little more of an edge?

Peace.
TS

I've never played one. If the Guild pickup is the same size as a humbucker, try a Seth Lover or '59. Those will give you the sound you want.

TS, Although the guild pups are probably some of the better production pups for jazz I can see what you mean, not my cup of tea either. If it was me I'd go with some A2Ps, PGs, or Seths. I like the A2 magnets and in a maple semi-solid they round off the highs and add some mids to your tone.

The A2P's are very smooth and have great string to string response. Very smooth highs and nice nows with fairly good mids as well.

The PG's have a top end sizzle (in the presence knob bandwidth) and are slightly hotter. Think Billy Gibbons and you have an idea of what this pup sounds like.

The Seth's are very very vintage and brighter than the others but still fairly warm. They are like a 55 model humbucker brought forward to the present.

In the bridge if you want a PAF type tone with more oomph look into the Custom Custom, it has a large mid spike that helps out maple bodied guitars by taming highs and giving a bit mor punch.

Hope that helps!

Luke

Thanks for the input... BTW, what is a PAF tone?

Thanks,
TS

PAF = Patent Applied For

It's the sought after tone of the original Gibson humbuckers. Exactly what the ideal PAF tone is will be forever debated.

PAF is vintage in a word. What we hear in old recordings and what we see and hear in old humbucker equipped axes from the late 50s early 60s.

There are many different takes on the PAF tone. This is partially because Gibson wan't very specific on these pups and they greatly varied. I'll list the SD PAF style pups and describe what they are for you.

The 59---the quintessential Alnico 5 magnet PAF humbucker. 1959 was is considered the year of the LP and the pups from this year are thought to be slightly brighter. The 59 is supposed to sound as close to the original 59's as possible, like a pup made n 59 and brought forward in a time machine. The 59 has a scooped mids and a large fat low end and lots of highs. Lots of people like it for the neck, it also sounds great in the bridge. The best comparison to a record would be Jimmy Page's LP sound.

The Seth Lover---This is the earliest incarnation of the humbucker. Originally put into Jazz boxes in 55. It comes standard with a nickel, or gold cover and is unpotted just like the originals. Imagine a pup made in 55 brought forward to today in a time machine. The Seths have a warm sound but is still quacky and plucky like a single coil with good mids due to the Alnico 2 magnet.

Alnico 2 Pro---A modern day version of the PAF tone and design with a few variations. This pup was specially wound to provide a very warm sound with great string to string definition and more mids. It has a sweet top and smooth bottom thanks to the Alnico 2 magnet like in the Seth Lover. It is very even sounding as well and has nice natural compression. The most famous user of the Alnico 2 Pro is Slash of Guns n Roses and Velvet Revolver.

Pearly Gates---Orginally created for Billy Gibbons to mimic the tone of his Les Paul quot;Pearly Gatesquot; they have slightly more output than the aforementioned pups as well as more mids, once again due to the alnico 2 pup, and a bit of the high end sizzle (the presence or cut knob frequencies) Lots of guys like the Pearly Gates because of the bit of snarl in its character. It has mismatched coils which also add to the pups character.

The Jazz---Don't let the name fool you! These pups are very articulate and can get nasty with the best of them. It has an EQ shift up and is brighter with more mids than the 59. It has an Alnico 5 magnet and is considered more of a modern pup but it has a PAF or vintage vibe and output.

All PAF style pups will have a brighter character than their high output counterparts, and usually have a bit of a mid scoop due to the winding.

The Custom series is a group of 3 pups constructed exactly the same with one difference, the magnet.

The Custom ---has a ceramic magnet and has great crunch and grind with good lows and great mids and highs. It can brighten a dark guitar and keep the low end articulate

The Custom Custom---has an Alnico 2 magnet. It has a large mid spike with smooth lows and highs. It is a great High Output pup to tame a bright guitar.

The C5---The C5 iss like a 59 but overwound with more oomph. It has great bass and treble and scooped mids. Not my cup of tea but lots of folks like it. Gearjoneser being its biggest fan.

In addition to these pups there is the Antiquity series, which is like buying a pup made in the 50's which has been used....ALOT! It is aged and has a decreased power magnet. These pups are made by Seymour and MJ and are considered to be the best by many.

Hope that helps man!

Luke

Thanks, Luke. That's huge!

TS

Second thought- you seem to be suggesting I'd be well off getting two different kinds pups?
TS

Thanks Duke, the range rundown is great, and places everything in the soundscape...


Originally Posted by TS AndersonSecond thought- you seem to be suggesting I'd be well off getting two different kinds pups?
TS

TS, I am merely trying to give you info, if I sound like I'm double talking I'm very sorry!!

If you mean that I sound like I'm telling you neck vintage and bridge High Output, then my response is just that it's been done, with good results. For the most quot;firequot; in your sound with a vintage nod the custom series is the way to go. However in my opinion any SD pup will give you more fire than the Guild pups.

In the end YOUR ears must be the judge. You have to live with your tone too. If you think I'm really off base with some pup then hey, that's fine go with what your ears tell you. I'm more than happy to answer your questions though.

By the way TS what color is you your starfire and does it have white trim? I played a red one with white trim that I thought would look killer with white pups...just my 2 cents!

Tommy, I'm glad you found the rundown useful, shoot me any questions you might have and I'll do my best to help you out!

Luke

Luke-

I definitely appreciate your input - a thoughtful lengthy (ie juicy) response is exactly what I was hoping for!

My guild is natural color with white trim. The natural looks a helluva lot better to the naked eye than it does in pictures. It's a great git... I'm just hoping I can tame it in my direction.

Best,
TS

TS, I'm glad you found my rambling useful!!! One thing you haven't said is what style music you play, and what you want your end result to be, maybe then I can hone in further on what you're look for??

Luke

My style of music? Well, I've only been playing for about 1 1/2 years so I don't have my on flavor yet. But I really dig artists like Billy Bragg, Phish... old Stone Roses... Black Crows... Dave Matthews... some of the newer singer-song writer stuff like Jack Johnson... heck, I even have a few Blink 182 cds milling about in my collection.

I bought the Guild because (after a few visits to Philly area music stores) it just felt right in my hands - probably because I only played my Martin acoustic for the first 10 months of learning. Also its tone drew me in. But it can't really lend itself to some of the harder edge / dirtier music that I like. I really don't want to give up on it. That's why I was looking to give it some fire (I really am NOT looking to go death metal crazy with it) while keeping some hints of its purpose as a blues oriented guitar. Does that make sense?

I'm assuming most of the pups you mentioned are ones that would drop into my guild with out major modifications?

Hope that answers your question about my goals of this venture.

TS

TS,

You answered everything I needed to know except what amp you are using but that's not much of an issue. Don't sell out your Semi-solid yet, they are amazing guitars. Ted Nugent pulls off some pretty crazy stuff on his fully hollow Byrdland, so keep that in mind. Also nowadays Tom Delonge of Blink 182 plays a 335 with a Gibson high output pup (dirty fingers). New pups will breathe some fire into your guitar don't worry. Your amp will have to help out too your pups can't do it all.

I think you would be best served going with A2 pups. A2P's would be a nice choice, but if you want the high end sizzle the PG is the way to go. For more power in the bridge with the most mids go with the CC.

Above all listen to those soundclips till your ears bleed.

Luke

Again, thanks for the awesome contribution to this thread... Luke!

TS

Actually, you bring up a good point... my amp. I ended up buying a Tech 21 Trademark 60 amp as my first, simply because I wasn't sure which tube was going to end up being what I want once finally get quot;therequot; with my playing ability. It seemed like the Tech 21 would give me a little bit of everything.I cringe as I write this... but does that change anything in terms of my PuPs and your suggestions in your opinion?

TS

TS, I love helping folks out so don't mention it! It's all about the tone.

I have never personally tried a Tech 21 but have heard many good things about them. I wouldn't change my pup selection based on my amp unless it has some strange quirk.....say like it has no highs, ever. You should still be fine. When you get a tube amp your pups will then sound that much better to you as well.

Luke

P.S. our playing abilities NEVER get there, we only want new toys!

Phew!

Once I get around to listen to and purchasing, I'll post my results.

Cross your fingers.

Best,
TS

Good luck TS, don't be a stranger, there's a plethora of knowledge here.

Luke

Oh... one other thing. Will I be getting in over my head if I do the installation of new PuPs myself? It seems like the wiring diagram for the guild SF-4 humbuckers is pretty straight forward... one wire goes to ground and one wire heads down the the volume. Is replacing that simple? Will I encounter issues with string-to-string spacing, ect?