Hey now! I recently bought a guitar with two humbucker‘s (thanks Vic!!!), and I’m looking at possibly replacing pickups to get a good Jerry tone without adding a middle pick up. In reviewing some posts on this site many years ago folks had described the Lollar low-wind imperials as being good for that purpose, as well as Seth Lover pick ups. I’m checking to see if anyone has any experience more recently with this and if you might have an opinion as to a good humbucker to choose for a two pick up guitar. Thanks!
If you want the tones Jerry got out of his Gibsons, look for patent number or T top clones. If you want to be as accurate as possible, get both pickups with neck winds in the vicinity of 7.5K as Gibson switched to mechanical winding around 65 and the pickups Jerry had were likely from this more consistent era. Magnets would have been short A5’s. Seth Lovers are 7.4K and A2 magnets but you can order a set from SD with A5’s or swap the magnets yourself. The T top wire was poly instead of enamel so if super serious, custome order a set wound to 7.5k with poly wire and a short A5 magnet. Or look for used or rewound T tops.
If you want to get the tone from the single coil middle pickup on a Strat or D Irwin custom, I would strongly recommend not trying to get there with a 2 humbucker guitar. The two biggest factors in guitar tone, by far, are pickup and pickup location. A second guitar for 70’s through 90’s tones will end up costing you less and get you where you want to be faster and with less headaches than going down the other path.
The 60’s Gibson into overdriven Twin Reverb, no pedals, no McIntosh, no Dimarzio pickups tones were some of JG’s best IMHO and they don’t take a lot of special gear or customizations to copy. Focus on those with that guitar.
