For all your pick-up-related queries.

To kick off...

I have a Dano "The 64" - their Mosrite-y guitar - which has a P-90 in the neck and a double lipstick h/bucker in the bridge. It's great to play, and I'm loving it. The only wrinkle is the lipstick bucker.

It's my first real lipstick pick-up (Tele neck not included) and it's incredibly mid-strong, whether it's h/bucker or split. It's way more middy than any P-90 I've ever had, really nasal, even clean into a Fender amp. I'd love it to be janglier - I've never thought of Dano's or lipsticks being so middy - is that me just being wrong?

I've looked online for replacement lipstick buckers, and GFS and Artecs are all I can find. Tempted to take a punt. I think Kent Armstrong make a range of lipstick buckers, but I haven't found any.

Or would a single lipstick make more sense?

Am I wrong about lipstick jangle or just not looking in the right places?

Hate to be that guy, but every guitar gear forum has to have at least one response of "Have you tried lowering it?" I think the current Dano lipsticks are wound hotter than vintage, so that's probably the major contributing factor with regards mids, but dropping it one or two mm might help.

I don't remember if those guitars have angled cavities or if this would even fit but it's a cheap implementation if you have a strat-y pickup around. There's an angled pickup version too if it is a straight cavity.

the letter o wrote: Thu Nov 11, 2021 7:56 am Hate to be that guy, but every guitar gear forum has to have at least one response of "Have you tried lowering it?" I think the current Dano lipsticks are wound hotter than vintage, so that's probably the major contributing factor with regards mids, but dropping it one or two mm might help.

I hadn't, to be honest, but I have now, and yeah, but also no. A drop makes it less brash/ in your face, which mollifies it a little but after playing for a while, it's still very much there. It's more of a gain/vol adjustment than a tonal one.

In searching for replacement p/ups I found a review of the guitar that gave as its only con:

Cons: Humbucker sounds can be excessively mid-focused.

which is reassuring in a "it's not just me" way, but either I need to bust out a graphic EQ or switch the pick-up. Ironically, the neck P-90 is comparatively un-middy, and closer to a Strat neck p-up

I don't know if that pickup is 4-conductor or not, but changing it to parallel vs series wiring would do a lot to reduce mids (and output) and brighten it up.

tommy wrote: Thu Nov 11, 2021 10:07 am I don't know if that pickup is 4-conductor or not, but changing it to parallel vs series wiring would do a lot to reduce mids (and output) and brighten it up.

If he thinks the split coil feature is still too middy, then I don't think parallel wiring will do the trick either.

penningtron wrote: Thu Nov 11, 2021 10:17 am

tommy wrote: Thu Nov 11, 2021 10:07 am I don't know if that pickup is 4-conductor or not, but changing it to parallel vs series wiring would do a lot to reduce mids (and output) and brighten it up.

If he thinks the split coil feature is still too middy, then I don't think parallel wiring will do the trick either.

This true! I missed that tidbit. Will be slightly middier and more output than the single position.

Dudley wrote: Thu Nov 11, 2021 4:14 am For all your pick-up-related queries.

To kick off...

I have a Dano "The 64" - their Mosrite-y guitar - which has a P-90 in the neck and a double lipstick h/bucker in the bridge. It's great to play, and I'm loving it. The only wrinkle is the lipstick bucker.

It's my first real lipstick pick-up (Tele neck not included) and it's incredibly mid-strong, whether it's h/bucker or split. It's way more middy than any P-90 I've ever had, really nasal, even clean into a Fender amp. I'd love it to be janglier - I've never thought of Dano's or lipsticks being so middy - is that me just being wrong?

I've looked online for replacement lipstick buckers, and GFS and Artecs are all I can find. Tempted to take a punt. I think Kent Armstrong make a range of lipstick buckers, but I haven't found any.

Or would a single lipstick make more sense?

Am I wrong about lipstick jangle or just not looking in the right places?

https://www.curtisnovak.com/shop/lipstick-hmb/

Grab a 496T and you'll never have to hear mids again.

If you're not wedded to the lipstick, the right PAF or Filtertron-style HB will jangle up plenty at the bridge. Alegree here in the UK do a budget line (Far Eastern, wound to their specs) called Old Timers, and they have a dirt cheap vintage-style A5 PAF that's specifically marketed as "scoopy". For £25, might be worth a try...assuming the stock lipstick humbucker dimensions are standard HB-size.