ics1974 Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 I am thinking of replacing the pups in my Explorer but not sure with what. I really like the 496R/500T when overdriven but I find them not so tonefull when playing clean. Any recommendation to get a nice tonefull clean sound but still have a really ballsy explorer when you turn up the gain? BTW I like playing blues, rock, hard rock and metal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piro Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 Duncan Custom's are very sweet sounding pups in the bridge position, clean or distorted. A JB in the neck would sound great. Also DiMarzio Tone Zone's sound great in the bridge position. Just stick with passive and you'll be alright. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dem00n Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 X2N!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MojoRedFoot Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 Red/blue Lace sensor w/ split capability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BentonC Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Gibson 490R and 498T are designed for that very purpose. Check out a SG Standard next time you're in a guitar shop. Though it won't replicate the exact sound of an Explorer, it will still give you some indication of what a solid mahogany guitar with 490R/498T pickups will sound like... maybe you'll like it, maybe you won't, but it's always a good idea to try some out if you have the opportunity! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoda Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 I put a pair of 490's from my SG Special in my Explorer, and I love them!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hydra26 Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 I went for a 57/57+ set in one of my pro's (after hearing it in a gotw model Ihave). I think it sounds fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ics1974 Posted June 10, 2010 Author Share Posted June 10, 2010 Thanks guys. Would the 57 and 57 plus have enough output for Hard Rock and a little Metal like Metallica? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laaz Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 I put a pair of 57's in my Explorer and couldn't be happier. 57's are pretty much PAF's, if you like the sound of PAf's you'll love them. Very warm sounding pups but with a OCD or TS9 you can get a nice bite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hydra26 Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Thanks guys. Would the 57 and 57 plus have enough output for Hard Rock and a little Metal like Metallica? In my personal opinion, yeah. Theyr'e going to have a little noise (hum, feedback) in some situations but to me they have a bit more character to their sound than the stock 496/500t set. They're going to sound more articulate, a lot punchier, but the trade off is, they don't have that uh... electronic kind of a sound that you can get with really hot pups if you do lead work up in the high registers particularly with tapping, hammering, etc. To me, that's not necessarily a bad thing, just different and the wider dynamics make the sound a lot more interesting. They become more touch sensitive or something. I'm probably not conveying myself very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Explorer Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 57's are the way to go if you go the Gibson pickup route. Classic PAF tone. This is what is in my personal Explorer. Seymour Duncan's are another great alternative if you want to go the versatile route, I know several local guys who swear by a Custom Custom in the bridge and Jazz in the neck. Either or is an improvement in my opinion over the stock Gibson Explorer pup's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renegade87 Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 Hi Guys, I'm new here. But I just bought a used Epiphone 1958 Korina Explorer and had wondered about the same thing. Although, I was thinking about the Duncan AH METAL FATIGUE pickups for this beautiful axe. If I want warm and clean, I'll buy a Strat (which is on the list...). Already I have a Epiphone Limited Edition Tony Iommi Signature SG Custom and a B.C. Rich Pro X Custom Special X3 Mockingbird Tobacco Burst with Gold Hardware that practically plays itself. So, having an Explorer that is a weapon of mass hearing destruction is my goal here. Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
american cheez Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 if you want bad-***, then there is only one choice of pick up http://www.musiciansfriend.com/humbucker-pickups/evh-frankenstein-humbucker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 As I am one who avoids SD pickups; I'd have a look at something from Bare Knuckle or someone like that. Although I might not be the best judge; I'm not a heavy player, and prefer vintage voiced pickups over ceramics and high output, etc. But they seem to have some heavy stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versatile Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 No one is mentioning P90's for some reason.... There are myriad choices from 'everybody' including Bare Knuckle, SD et al... IMO they sound good clean and spanky when driven It's all personal of course V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKPPERR Posted January 23, 2016 Share Posted January 23, 2016 I went for a 57/57+ set in one of my pro's (after hearing it in a gotw model Ihave). I think it sounds fantastic. I agree. Go with the classic 57s. You'll get all the tone you want. I loaded them with the nickel humbucker covers on my 2nd Blackout Explorer and it sounds amazing (looks great too). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewR Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 I'm a big Bare Knuckle Pickups fan and I've tried the following in my Explorer: BKP Riff Raffs. A5 humbuckers, kinda like late 60s Patent Received. BKP Mississippi Queens. Humbucker-sized P90s. Both worked real nice - I preferred the Riff Raffs, but I wanted them for a Faded SG (and a "Les Paul"-type guitar has the MQs now and sounds heavenly). So I've ended up with a pair of 57 Classics in there. It was temporary at first, but it's my favourite so far. I also have a 57/57+ set spare at the moment, I intend to give those a go next time I restring - I think that for me personally, the Explorer could do with a bit more push from the bridge pickup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar God Posted February 22, 2016 Share Posted February 22, 2016 Give the Gibson 498T/490R set a try. I think you'll really like them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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