Mustang Pickups

Shivelblah

I have a 1978 Mustang, with what I assume is the original factory pickups. Ignoring effects, I plug it into a Fender Ultra Chorus amp.

I think the sound sux. Very thin sounding when clean. When "dirty", there is no punch, no sustain, and at some switch settings, as thin as the clean channel. Add a Cry Baby and it sounds even thinner.

What could the problem be? I will provide more information if you need more to assess the problem.

I'm looking for a sound that will blow the head off an elephant, but when I need it to be, can be gentle enough to nurture a baby sparrow back to health. A good balance of heavy crunch and delicate clear tone. Is this possible? I'm am willing to change my amp, or pickups as the need may be. I don't want to rout the body to accomodate a true humbucker; I am fine with a stacked humbucker. But again, I don't want to lose tone. Some cobmo of single coil and humbucker?

Thanks folks.

Shiv

Aug

I will gladly take those pups off your hands. If you can't get the sound you want with those vintage single coils, then you have the wrong guitar. In fact, you probably should avoid Fenders altogether.

Shivelblah

Interesting. Well if the pups are as sought-after as you seem to indicate, maybe I WILL just get another guitar, and keep the mustang intact! And I won't be giving nuthin' to nobody.

So if I keep the guitar intact, what can I do on the amp/effect side of the equation?

Shiv.

Shivelblah

And also, how can I tell if they are the original coils. Like I said in my first post, I assume they are orig. If they are not original and have little value, then I'm pretty much free to modify as I choose.

Shiv

robertoriginal

if the wires look untouched and the pups look like they have been in the same spot for about 30 years then they are the opriginals.

Bob_the_godly_dude

The problem you are having is called "baught the wrong guitar". Going by what you say, you're a humbucker person no doubt. But seriously, if you have the loot to buy another guitar aswell, do so. Get an epi LP or something and swap out the pups if you need to, probably more up your street, but keep the stang intact. Or if you want to go Fender, try the '72 telecasters, delux, custom and thinline, each of which have humbuckers (although one of them, I think it's the delux) has a single coil in the bridge.

yoreel

Buy another guitar, take a hint from the others, You are never going to get your sound out of a single coil, try a guitar with humbuckers in it & use your volume & tone knobs !