Stingray RS guitar - Replacement bridge pickup for heavy music?

[joshriggs2]

Hi friends. I just picked up this new-to-me 2024 Stingray RS, and I'm looking for suggestions for a higher output bridge pickup.

So, overall it's a great guitar, but I don't love the stock PAF-y pickup in the bridge position. I play heavier music in drop C with an emphasis on big chuggy riffs, but I also play lots of clean and edge of breakup tones. I like passive pickups with a nice midrange bite, and moderately high output in the 13k-18k range. My other guitars include a Stingray HT with the bridge pickup from the BFR Baritone Stingray HT (lucky Reverb find), a Dunable Yeti with Slugwolfs, An Albert Lee HH with stock Dimarzio custom B1, and a couple of Japanese LP copies, each with Duncan JB/Jazz combo. All of these sound fantastic in their own way, and are great for heavy riffs. The Dimarzio B1 and Dunable Slugwolf are both firmly in the JB territory.

Hope you've read this far, here's the challenge. I've already tried several sets of different pickups that I know sound great in other guitars, but didn't sound great in this one. Here's what I've tried so far (I have a shit ton of spare pickups on hand):

• Duncan JB trembucker uncovered: sounded very dark, and nothing like my other 2 guitars with JBs.
• Dimarzio Custom B1: (from an Albert Lee I sold a long time ago): also sounded dark and much less aggressive than my Albert Lee with the same pickup.
• Stingray HT bridge pickup: sounded the best of everything. Had the output and compression I like, but was lacking in upper mids.
• Arcana Voluge: Boutique high gain pickup. Had a nice dirtyness to it, but was also pretty dark sounding.

Honestly, I'm a little stumped. Up until now, I've always been able to put a JB or something similar in any guitar and it sounds great. My guess is the combination of okoume body, maple fretboard, and super light body makes it naturally dark? Seems weird, but that's how it is. So if you've swapped out your Stingray bridge pickup for something you love for high gain riffs, please lmk.

 

[Wasuff]

Hi friends. I just picked up this new-to-me 2024 Stingray RS, and I'm looking for suggestions for a higher output bridge pickup.

So, overall it's a great guitar, but I don't love the stock PAF-y pickup in the bridge position. I play heavier music in drop C with an emphasis on big chuggy riffs, but I also play lots of clean and edge of breakup tones. I like passive pickups with a nice midrange bite, and moderately high output in the 13k-18k range. My other guitars include a Stingray HT with the bridge pickup from the BFR Baritone Stingray HT (lucky Reverb find), a Dunable Yeti with Slugwolfs, An Albert Lee HH with stock Dimarzio custom B1, and a couple of Japanese LP copies, each with Duncan JB/Jazz combo. All of these sound fantastic in their own way, and are great for heavy riffs. The Dimarzio B1 and Dunable Slugwolf are both firmly in the JB territory.

Hope you've read this far, here's the challenge. I've already tried several sets of different pickups that I know sound great in other guitars, but didn't sound great in this one. Here's what I've tried so far (I have a shit ton of spare pickups on hand):

• Duncan JB trembucker uncovered: sounded very dark, and nothing like my other 2 guitars with JBs.
• Dimarzio Custom B1: (from an Albert Lee I sold a long time ago): also sounded dark and much less aggressive than my Albert Lee with the same pickup.
• Stingray HT bridge pickup: sounded the best of everything. Had the output and compression I like, but was lacking in upper mids.
• Arcana Voluge: Boutique high gain pickup. Had a nice dirtyness to it, but was also pretty dark sounding.

Honestly, I'm a little stumped. Up until now, I've always been able to put a JB or something similar in any guitar and it sounds great. My guess is the combination of okoume body, maple fretboard, and super light body makes it naturally dark? Seems weird, but that's how it is. So if you've swapped out your Stingray bridge pickup for something you love for high gain riffs, please lmk.

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I’ve had a similar experience with okoume-bodied guitars – they can sound darker than expected, even with brighter pickups. You might want to try something in the Bare Knuckle line like the Rebel Yell or Holy Diver. Both keep the aggression and tight low end for heavy riffs but open up the mids/highs a lot better than a JB. Also worth checking out Suhr Aldrich – it has that cut and clarity without getting harsh.

 

[joshriggs2]

Thanks! That's interesting because I've had multiple Albert Lee HH guitars with different pickup sets including the stock Dimarzio B1, Duncan JB, Custom, and Custom 5, and Suhr Aldrich. They all sounded great in their own way, and not at all dark. AL HH also has an okoume body, but maybe the smaller size and rosewood neck factor into it?

I also had a hard time finding a good pickup fit for my other Stingray HT, which has an alder body and ebony fretboard. I tried a bunch of options in that one as well, including an Aldrich set. Again, that Aldrich set sounded great in an Albert Lee, but very scooped and dull in the Stingray HT.

Good call on the Holy Diver. That's their take on the 80s hot rodded pickup, so in theory it should work well.

I just ordered a new pickguard cut for covered humbuckers, and my plan is to drop in a set of Bare Knuckle Black Hawks I have on hand (I'm a mild pickup hoarder), and see how that sounds. If it's still not great, then I'll probably just sell the guitar with the Black Hawks and original pickups, and cut my losses. Maybe this one stingray just wants to fight me.

 

[skelt101]

Are you able to try a ceramic magnet in your JB? Perhaps a Duncan Distortion or Black Winter...? Also, the new Fluff V2 has a Duncan Custom Shop "FLF" (mashup of JB and Black Winter). I don't know if that will be available as a stand-alone, but I would imagine so.