Pickup suggestions for project

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paz8473

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I am in the process of collecting parts to assemble a custom Jackson guitar, but I need a little input on what pickups to go with, the body configuration is one double humbucker at the bridge and two single coils, one in the center and one at the neck.
This guitar is being built for straight up metal, so I want a real good low end humbucker crunch that is clear and doesn't sound muddy for the bridge, the single coils are not as important as I will most likely not use them much but still would like something with a good clean sound with as little noise as possible.

I'm currently considering the Duncan Dimebucker or Screamin' Demon, if anyone has any input on these pickups I would like to hear it, also looking at Duncan Hot Rails for the singles, EMG's are certainly not out of the question.

I have never experimented with different pickups before, I have always just used whatever stock pickups come with the axes I buy, so I really have no clue other than some of the stuff I have read as to which pickups to choose for this project, it's my first custom built job and I just want it to be an awesome metal shredder.

Thanks,
Paz
 
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I use the DiMarzio (Tone Zone) which is a Humbucker in a Ibanez Roadster II Series, very punchy, warm and so fat when palm muting! :D :)
 
telling us what wood the guitar's body (and neck) will be will be a great idea...
 
I've got a custom USA Jackson that I had made out of the California Custom shop in 94'. I've been through quite a few pickups over the years and as with most things involved with getting that "perfect sound",....well no one can hear the sounds in your head. :)

The Bill lawrence XL500 is the hotter version of the two, and I had that for a while......not enough drive for me.

My personal favorite for a humbucker in the bridge is a Duncan Parallel Axis PA-tb2, which is basically a SH-6 with "F" spacing and double pole pieces - Or simply a Distortion Trembucker :) (I'm guessing you've got a Floyd on there?)

Single Coils - Again, this is subjective, but my person favorite is the Cool Rails, or the Duckbuckers.

If you go to Duncan's site you can hear samples of all of their pickups.....this is a very good tool to determine some of the different characteristics of each pickup you are interested.

They also have a program the "Tone Wizard" that lets you puch in the basics of your guitar and style you play, and then give you a good list of candidates for that guitar/sound.

I took the liberty of filling in some of the info for you (even though we don't have the details on your guitar ...wood, neck, and bridge..) ...but here's what it suggested:

Instrument: Guitar

Guitar Type:
Hum-Sing-Sing
Music Style:
Hard Rock Metal
Guitar body wood:
Poplar
Fretboard wood: Rosewood
Bridge Type: Locking Trem




The SD Tone Wizard Suggests:

Pickup Hear it! Read it! Specs
Bridge 1 SH-13 Dimebucker Not Available Description Tonechart
Bridge 2 PATB-2 Distortion Trembucker hummer.shtml#2 Description Tonechart
Neck 1 SSL-4 Quarter-Pound Flat strat.shtml#1 Description Tonechart
Neck 2 SJBJ-1 JB Jr. strat.shtml#2 Description Tonechart
Middle 1 SSL-4 Quarter-Pound Flat strat.shtml#1 Description Tonechart
Middle 2 SSL-1 Vintage Staggered strat.shtml#1 Description Tonechart



Good luck!

Rick
 
I'm trying to remember the make of the "motherbucker" double humbucker pickup and it's killing me. It is a british co. I have one of their pickups in one of my basses. They sound amazing, are not overly expencive and they do custom pickups, windings etc.

A bass teacher of mine had a replacement pickup made for a yamaha 5 string and bisically asced for a pickup that would sound most like a P bass. The bass was obviously not a p-bass copy.

Shit it's really bugging me



Ahhh... Kent Armstrong

They are top dog
 
My personal favorite pickup for Metal would be the "Full Shred" from Seymour Duncan. It gives excellent definition and is great for high-gain tones.
 
We could also help more if you told us what kind of amp you are using. Dime was using low gain pickups with a high gain solid state amp. The Bill Lawrence or the Dimebucker won't drive a tube head very well. The screaming demon is very midrangey. Great for '80s lead guitar.

The duncan hot rails doesn't sound like a single coil, it is meant to sound like a big humbucker. If you are trying to get the single coil sound in a stacked humbucker, get the ones that Yngwie uses (I for got the model)

We really need to know more about your rig and the style of music before you will get any solid advise.
 
That's why he should get the PA-Tb2 :D

Killer drive without the extreme mid boost.....real even and full spectrum.....not to mention the insane harmonics! :p
 
Hot Rails for singles and Customs or Distortions for the humbuckers, Seymour Duncans in any case, would be my choice. However, if you are looking for more of a Nu-Metal or Speed/Death metal sound, EMG's are pretty much the standard thing.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
I looked up the info on the body, it is alder, the neck will most likely be maple, as far as the rig goes, I won't be using it for anything but recording, I gave up bands years ago, it would either be going direct into a multi tracker or possibly through a little 15 watt Marshall I picked up recently.

Lot's of great suggestions, I will do research on the pickups you guys have mentioned so far.
 
A friend of mine has a Jackson, we recently replaced the dual at the bridge with two Duncan Hotrails wired together just like a dual. This thing screams! It's got a crisp clear sound with the volume turned down and a gutsy grind when it's turned up. Kinda made it sound like a Rickenbacker on steroids.
 
Farview said:
Dime was using low gain pickups with a high gain solid state amp.
Click to expand...

He was using a high gain ss amp, but since when are the Bill Lawrence 500-L and XL low-gain pickups?
 
Cndn_Gtr_Guy said:
He was using a high gain ss amp, but since when are the Bill Lawrence 500-L and XL low-gain pickups?
Click to expand...
They are thin screechy pickups that don't have enough lower mids to adiquately drive a classic tube amp. They might put out a good amount of voltage, but at a frequency that doesn't make it push a tube amp very well. (for the type of gain he was going for)
 
I'm using the stock singles in my Kramer, and replace the humbucker with an EMG-81. I have both the EMG and the middle single on at the same time. The EMG gives it the nice sustain and power, while the single provides more character. You can get a nice NuMetal or Dimebag sound thru a PSA-1 preamp.
 
id use an EMG 81 for the neck and an '85 for the bridge, great combo
 
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