lscottk
Experienced
I recently bought a used Knaggs Severn H-S-H with wiring that was modified by someone who didn't know what they were doing. The 5-way switch wiring was reversed (bridge position activated neck pickup) and the pickups in some positions seemed to cancel out portions of the tonal spectrum. The original humbuckers were removed and replaced by unbranded pickups. I did some research and, based upon numbers stamped on the back, I believe that the replacement humbucker pickups are an old set (vintage?) of Maxon pickups. But I'm not 100% on this. Regardless, I don't like how they sound and they only have two conductor wires. According to Peter Wolf at Knaggs customer support, the original pickups were David Allen P51 humbuckers. I'm considering replacement options. David Allen pickups would be a first choice, but their website doesn't specify whether the P51 pickups have two or four conductor wires, and no one from this company has responded to multiple email inquiries about how the P51s are configured. I want 4 conductor wires because I intend to replace the installed 5-way switch with a Seymour Duncan hyperswitch. I have a Knaggs Kenai that also has a factory installed set of DAllen P51 pickups. I like the P51s a lot. They are low output, have an open, chimey top end, and break up really nicely, with lots of harmonics. According to the Knaggs website, the Knaggs Severn currently ships with Bare Knuckle pickups. But man, Bare Knuckle pickups are expensive. A set would run roughly $400, about twice as much as a set of Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates, which is on my short list. I'm not sold that the Pearly Gates are a best choice. I've been down the replacement pickup rabbit hole many times over the years. I figured that I'd ask whether any one here has any thoughts on other pickup options that are similar to the tone profile of how I described the P51s. I also want to replace the center single coil. This is my first guitar with a H-S-H pickup configuration and I'm not sure if RWRP is the best option. The Hyperswitch allows pole reversal, so maybe it doesn't matter . . ? I'd like to buy the pickup that would be best with a standard 5-way switch, just in case I don't want to use the Hyperswitch long term on the guitar.
Any thoughts or suggestions?
Any thoughts or suggestions?