Replacement pickups for Pantera X390

Any suggestions for replacement pickups for my Pantera X390? Maple body and neck, ebony fretboard, so it's quite bright. When I first got it it only had the neck OFC pickup installed, no bridge pickup (some other parts missing too). Nowadays I have a pair of Seymour Duncan 59s, but I was wondering if anyone had good results with other pickups.

I've thought about the Duncan P-Rails for versatility, or Lindy Fralin Unbuckers. Or possibly Fralin single-coil-in-a-humbucker-housing like the Twangmaster or P92.

Any suggestions?

Sean

Hi,

do you still have that neck pickup and would you be willing to sell it to me? I'm looking for one of these.

I have to admitt that I've only little knowledge concerning pickups and replacements. However, there are very nice and experienced people in here

Cheers, Hans

Replacement pickups are in the ear of the beholder. I have an old set of passive EMGs in my 390 and they sound very good. They are not the shredder type like most EMG's. But they may not be what you like. The originals are hard to find. A lot of pickup sites have sound samples - a good place to get an idea of what you are looking for. And the good thing is, if you don't like, swap em again.

Not a lot wrong with the SDs, I reckon, but if you want to push the boat out, then have a look at the Bareknuckle range from the UK...

I've got a Nailbomb that gets shunted around my guitars a bit; big, big sound!

GFS may be another good one to source. By all accounts the pups they wind are top rate and usually quite reasonably priced as well.

I'll of course second the GFS products, I have both the Crunchy Pats and the Fat Pats.

Crunchy's are aggressive with a good range of tones including a clean bottom end. They have Isotropic ferrite ceramic magnets so are similar to our beloved MMK45's.They seem to work well in the Spectrums (Maple).

The Fat's I installed in my Parker Hornet (Mahogany). They too have a lot of output but the Alnico V magnets give it a warmer, vintage sound.

(see also this thread on pickup replacement suggestions)

Thanks for suggestions. Perhaps I'll try the GFS RedActive active system. Over at Seymour Duncan blog they're suggesting Alnico Pro II humbuckers, which might work.

Alnico Pro II would darken up that bright guitar and that's probably why the guys at SD recommend it.

I had a SD Screamin' Demon in an X300 for a while and it sounded really good. The X390 and X300 are not the same guitar of course, but both have maple bodies. And the Screamin' Demon was made for maple bodies. It's really a vintage output humbucker - not all that hot so the name is a bit of a misnomer.

I had a Dimarzio Tone Zone in one of my X390CB guitars (with BD, not Kahler) and it was totally killer in that guitar. I only removed it in order to return the guitar to stock in anticipation of selling the guitar.

ok, not sure if this fits the bill, but the seller insists its from a pantera, but cannot remember which model.
this is an active pickup and I asked the seller for a photo of the back, the photo came in the mail today and there is just a plain brass backplate, no mention of mmk... for the very little he's asking its surely worth the gamble?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MID-80S-JAPANESE-WESTONE-PANTERA-BRIDGE-HUMBUCKER-GREAT-LEAD-TONES-DCR-17k-/221200072274?pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&hash=item33808d3e52

Interesting. I definitely have an MMK75 from the neck. It's about 8K DC resistance. That one seems to have different "feet" where the screws thread through. I don't know if their refurbishment went as far as a new brass backplate. Seems unlikely.

Here's mine:

correction* this is NOT an active pickup as I said earlier, I misunderstood the seller's email.

Man... I dunno Sarge. A plain backplate is a no go for me. The numbers can and do wear away sometimes as they are stenciled on, but the MMK is stamped into the metal and cannot wear off.

I gotta say that pup being auctioned in ebay does not look right to me, and I have 4 of those MMK75's here to compare it to. Not to mention the resistance reading he is claiming is way off...

Sean's pics are the real deal Holyfield, however.

I've got a 45 where the ink stamping is visible but the MMK stamping is very faint; you have to turn it into the light to see the stamping.....

I'm suspicious foo, only 2 wires on this one, aren't all the "magnaflux"..... pickups coil tappable?

That has 3 wires, just no tail easily visible from the sheilding on sean's one.

Ther other one might have been in a Pantera but it looks like a later Korean Westone one.
At 17k definatly not a 350/390 pup.

Closed cover 350/390 pups look like this under the cover.



Both pups have cream bobbins on this 350

Sgt. Vimes wrote:I'm suspicious foo, only 2 wires on this one, aren't all the "magnaflux"..... pickups coil tappable?

The short answer to the latter part of your question is no, Sarge. But your question here most definitely begs the obvious question be posed in reply...

Who exactly is "Suspicious Foo"?

Or have you via Freudian slip inadvertently given away your superhero status?...




























…and now, ladies and gentlemen, arriving at the station once again on time, the oft-anticipated-yet-never-to-be-duplicated Iceman thread derailment express...

oops, Suspicious foo is my porn star name, god knows how I let that slip....

Puh-leeeze Sorry Sarge, deflection fail there...

More like a mild-mannered janitor (whose blood runs black 'n white incidentally, if ya' folla'me there) by day, and #1 Super-Guy by night...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKu-WmkpkIE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

He's faster than the human eye, you know.

could be...

You heard it confirmed here first folks!! The Sarge really IS a Magpie's Man in his heart of hearts...

I am now in your debt to the tune of one pint of black and tan...

bugger off! I'm a Toffee and my blood runs royal blue!
magpie my arse!

but I cannot deny a man a pint of

the black stuff

Let us not forget that Ice's porn star name is Ron Jeremy.

Hoax

Nice try Sarge. I was referring of course to the following...

http://www.fineartbartending.ca/cocktail-recipe/black-tan/

But as long as you are not fretting about your caloric intake...

http://www.notmike.com/2006/03/beer-ice-cream.html

You will immediately recognize the good taste and wise discretion with which I have chosen to respond to Graham's usual contribution... that being a lack of direct response. The nearest I might come to it would be should I be so inclined, which I am not at the moment.

A true Magpie indeed, closeted or no...

Yeah steve I'm familiar with a black and tan, I just couldnt bring myself to order you a girls drink, however deserving it is

Sgt. Vimes wrote:Yeah steve I'm familiar with a black and tan, I just couldnt bring myself to order you a girls drink, however deserving it is

...ouch

Sgt. Vimes wrote:Yeah steve I'm familiar with a black and tan, I just couldnt bring myself to order you a girls drink, however deserving it is

...ouch

Barry wrote:I'll of course second the GFS products, I have both the Crunchy Pats and the Fat Pats.

Crunchy's are aggressive with a good range of tones including a clean bottom end. They have Isotropic ferrite ceramic magnets so are similar to our beloved MMK45's.They seem to work well in the Spectrums (Maple).

The Fat's I installed in my Parker Hornet (Mahogany). They too have a lot of output but the Alnico V magnets give it a warmer, vintage sound.

(see also this thread on pickup replacement suggestions)

I know you don't own an x390, I'm just quoting this for specificity.

Were both x390 humbuckers split coil or coil tapped or was it only the bridge?

Obviously passive, I wonder if there are others that have done quite a bit of experimentation that would recommend a set of quality pups other that are closest to the original x390 pups, other than GFS products?

ar8284 wrote:

Barry wrote:I'll of course second the GFS products, I have both the Crunchy Pats and the Fat Pats.

Crunchy's are aggressive with a good range of tones including a clean bottom end. They have Isotropic ferrite ceramic magnets so are similar to our beloved MMK45's.They seem to work well in the Spectrums (Maple).

The Fat's I installed in my Parker Hornet (Mahogany). They too have a lot of output but the Alnico V magnets give it a warmer, vintage sound.

(see also this thread on pickup replacement suggestions)

I know you don't own an x390, I'm just quoting this for specificity.

Were both x390 humbuckers split coil or coil tapped or was it only the bridge?

Obviously passive, I wonder if there are others that have done quite a bit of experimentation that would recommend a set of quality pups other that are closest to the original x390 pups, other than GFS products?

It's all there you just have to search on the website.

http://www.westoneguitars.net/guitars/pantera-series/pantera-deluxe-x390/

Both coil tap. The phase reversal only works with both pups on.

This is also a very old thread.
Better to start a new one than tag on to the end of this eh?

I went reading through threads to find the information and forgot about looking at the specs page.

I just wondered if others could recommend similar pickups by other brands but I think I have enough information. At the end of the day I can use any pickups I think suit.

I'd love to have a chat with an x390 owner.