Charvel Model 7 – swap the pickups or not?

[N1kk]

Hi to all Jackson/Charvel lovers.
I got my hands on a Charvel Model 7 – a cool-looking Telecaster version with aggressive reversed headstock, also without pickguard and in a beautiful tobacco sunburst color.
This is a cool machine for rock, funk, jazz or blues. But there was a feeling that stock pickups are not quite enough on hi-gain. The noise was annoying too. So, I swapped the Jacksons for Seymour Duncans that I had in store for almost two years – "Hot Rails for Tele" and "Classic Stack Plus".
So I decided to demo my Telly with stock pickups and with Seymour Duncans in one video:

Hope you enjoy. Also feel free to share your opinion on what pickups are better, why and so on.

[kamanda]

Arn't you selling this?

[rjd_72]

I went with the full metal conversion on my legend...

[Black Shadow]

Definitely Duncans! A fuller sound, but with plenty of high end.

Nice playing BTW! Very tasteful.

[BayRocker]

I"m going to go with the stock pickups. Maybe it's because I'm old and like the original pickups in my model series guitars. I'd stick with the original also because it just wasn't a big enough difference to warrant altering the guitar. I wouldn't change the pickups in my Model 4 for anything. Gets me that classic 80's metal sound easily. I've been hoping to stumble upon one of those M7s for my collection, just hasn't worked out just yet.

Great playing!

[toejam]

Both sound great, but I'm also going to have to go with the stock Jackson pickups; they just sound more like a Tele-style guitar should.

[xenophobe]

Stock pickups. Warmer and more what I would expect from a Model 7 I guess. Your SDs were nice and sparkly but a bit too hot. I generally tend to like the 85b and Super Distortion and for the rare times I would like a neck it would be a '59, but I'm a one hum guy from a different genre... fwiw.

[N1kk]

Holy bumps, how did I miss the new replies?? Thanks to you guys for the feedback and opinions!

In the guitar circles more opinions were for the stock pickups... and I will partly agree with them because the stock singles sound more warm and natural. "Hot rails" is not the best pickup to me in general, I'm more about the full-size humbuckers, and I like rjd_72's version as well!

Did you have to cut the slot to throw in a humbucker?

[Axewielder]

I play a Legend and kept the stock pups in there.

[N1kk]

I have another Model 7 these days and I'm more about keeping it with the stock pickups.
Two years ago I had a nice option for the hot output – Seymour Duncan STL-2. Unfortunately, it had gone with another tele I used to have. I think, "Hot for Tele" is more kind of "warm" sounding pickup, not so overpowered as "Hot Rails" and also has AlNiCo V magnets instead of ceramic. Really miss it today. The stock pickups seem to me not revealing guitars true form.

[N1kk]

Previously mentioned "another Model 7", now it's white pearl and I'm not going to swap the stock Jackson pickups for these Duncans.

[Number Of The Priest]

That is some great playing and nice spanky Tele tone!

[N1kk]

Thanks!!!