What pickups have knocked your socks off?

Never play without your socks.
I got shocked really bad in my basement doing that

 

Bare Knuckles are my favorite by far.

 

Yes, that pickup is great! I have it in most of my guitars.

 

Having the right magnet in the dedicated position is equally as important.

In fact, that is what pickup manufactures do; by branding pickups that are identical in spec, that were given different names because of the magnet.
Also, it suggested by the manufacturer where it can or could be used.

 

AVRI Jazzmaster and Jaguar pickups
DeArmond hershey bar pickups
Gretsch Dynasonics
Great Lakes Pickups Firebird pickups
Q-Pickups Pbass pickup

 

This x100! Mark has unlocked the secret to a great sounding Pre CBS pickup. I’ve got two sets of the 60’s that turned my Strats into tone monsters and now I’m gassing for a set of the 50’s to go into a maple necked build I want to do. Just outstanding.

 

bkp mules
mojotone pafs
sd seth lovers

 

Rio Grande Muy Macho Strat pickups. Cures the weak single coil pickup syndrome while keeping the strat voicing in tact.

 

I struggle to believe anyone could make better pickups than the hand-wound fender custom shop "mischief maker" mixed set in my CS 63 strat
The 69 neck pickup is so good it is likely wound with the mane of a unicorn that lives in a rainbow !! LOL

 

Going back and forth between an overwound single coil and a humbucker in the bridge of my strat...
I decided to get a Chopper the other day. 'Tis exactly what I wanted. The right amount of mids, bottom and snap. Lean and mean.

 

The original Gibson T-Tops in my '79 Silverburst. These have destroyed every other pickup I've owned (Bare Knuckles, Duncans, Wizz, WCR, other Gibson Models, Suhr etc etc.) So musical and clear while being raunchy all at the same time.

 

The old classic: Seymour Duncan JB. The most consistent bridge pickup ever made.

 

Definitely agree with a lot of the Lollar and Suhr fans. Particularly any of the Lollar Tele pickups as well as the Imperials. I haven't personally played a lot of Suhr pickups, but the SSVs are amazing.

Haven't seen Lambertones or McNelly's mentioned yet. The Lambertones Crema's and the Ristretto's are my current favorite pickups.

 

I built a partscaster with Bare Knuckle Slow Hands and I don't know if my socks were knocked off but they're definitely cool enough that I'm surprised I don't see more people talking about them, or even BK Strat pickups in general. Super cool vintage Strat tones with warmer mids and slightly higher output, but on this site they're never mentioned. Weird!

 

i dunno about that, i stuck a super distortion in a squier that cost almost half as much and it enhanced the tone exponentially

 

I play thrash heavy metal. The BW's do a good job, not too hot, awesome cleans. I found myself having to dial back some knobs on my 6505+ head when I first started using these pickups.

 

T-Tops are why I will never get rid of my 78 The Paul (aka The Walnut Wonder).

My goto bridge pup. It just has THE SOUND.

Yeah, I'd phrase it more "A guitar is only as good as the pickups you put into it."

 

Digging Throbaks in my Collings I35 and CL and JG BM and BM Semi. Throbaks replaced the Lollars in the Collings, to me more responsive and more of the instrument's wood/acoustic qualities are present.

Also dig the OX4s in the Bartlett Retrospec; Tom tries out a few pickups in each finished Retrospec to select the best match between wood and pick ups.

Have 6 Gibsons with vintage PAFs as reference points.

 

Harmonic Design Vintage + Tele in an Esquire.
NEVER sounds like an ice-pick.

Railhammers...just about all of them.
I like CLEAR, and these have it in spades.

 

Seymour Duncan Joe Bonamassa pups. Best I’ve had, ever. Full. Open. No mud (I find CustomBuckers somewhat muddy). No ice pick.
I have these in a 2012 ‘57 RI LP Goldtop. Stellar.