[johnboy59]

Hi, I'm brand new here. But my question is: What pickup is a little hotter than the air classic bridge?  I love the air classic!  But I'd like to try something a little hotter with a similar EQ.  Thank you in advance!

[mmmguitar]

Blucher once recommended I try the 36 over the Air Classic, on the basis of the 36 being “a bit hotter, a bit warmer” for my needs. I never followed through on trying the 36; so hopefully someone else will chime in. Could you go into more detail as to what it is about the AC’s voice you prefer and seek to preserve?

[johnboy59]

Thanks for your reply. My main guitar is a strat style body made of walnut. Its very finicky about the pickups that are in it.  I really liked the Eric Johnson and the Air Classic the best in this guitar.  I have tried probably a dozen different pickups in this guitar (mostly for fun), and I have settled on the air classic as my favorite.  (I have tried the 36 and liked the air classic better).  The AC has beautiful cleans and dirty sounds with this guitar. So when the pickups EQ gets a little more midrangy, the guitar doesn't like it (or I don't).  So I was just looking for something a little hotter (not a lot) with similar EQ.  Trying to maintain the AC's beauty (for lack of a better term) with a little more heat.

[darkbluemurder]

I have no idea what the Air Classic sounds like since I never played one. But if you are looking for a hotter pickup that has a somewhat recessed midrange, that would be the Steve's Special (never played that one either, though).

What I did play that was going in that direction were the Seymour Duncan Custom 5 (SH-14) and the Bare Knuckle True Grit Bridge. Still broadly in PAF territory but more output. Of those two the Custom 5 appears to have more low midrange but I never had them back to back in the same guitar, and the guitars they are in are very different.

Cheers Stephan

[Mark]

Another option is a clean boost or EQ pedal. I generally try this first if I love the pickup but just want a little more of everything pushing the amp.

[mmmguitar]

Another option is a clean boost or EQ pedal. I generally try this first if I love the pickup but just want a little more of everything pushing the amp.

If that’s a route the OP is willing to go, I can endorse running the Air Classic through an Echoplex preamp or even an MXR DynaComp for an “always on” solution.

[darkbluemurder]

@mmmguitar, I guess with "Echoplex preamp" you meant a pedal solution emulating that preamp. A real Echoplex (the tape echo machine) is a quite substantial investment nowadays, is bulky and needs considerable maintenance. I think Xotic has an Echoplex preamp pedal, and Catalinbread has the Belle Epoque which they market as a delay patterned after the Echoplex, including a similar sounding preamp. There may be more (maybe MXR?).

To OP: Keep in mind that the preamp in the Echoplex is said to color the sound, which may or may not desirable.

When I started playing bass and guitar I had an Ibanez graphic EQ which I abused as overdrive (all faders including volume as high as they would go). That did color the sound as well but yes, that would work.

Cheers Stephan

[johnboy59]

Thanks guys for all the great ideas!  I think I'm going to start with a clean boost!  Thanks again.