Looking for pickup suggestions

mattgreenrocks

mattgreenrocks

Inspired
I have a Schecter Blackjack 6 string guitar with a mahogany body, and a 59/JB combo in it. I'd like to try something a bit different in the pickup department. The JBs can be a bit honky at times, and I've never actually tried other pickups. I like a lot of modern prog rock and metal: Muse, Periphery, Tesseract, Devin Townsend Project, Metallica, etc.

A few contenders I've found:
  • SD Alpha/Omega
  • SD Distortion
  • Fishman Keith Merrow Signature
Picking between the Fishman and the SDs is difficult, EMGs don't do much for me but I'm impressed with clips of Fishman pickups I've heard online. Unsure how much work would be needed to get them in my guitar.

Any recommendations here? I'm sure I'm missing a bunch of other quality pickups by other vendors I don't know as well.
 
SD Custom (SH-5)
I also really like their dissimilar coil pickups. I feel they give a really balanced sound. The Custom/59 Hybrid (SH-16) and P-Rails Hot are ones I have experience with and like them both. The P-Rails Hot is particularly versatile. Love its P-90 Tones when split and with both coils going it sounds really good.
 
For metal I definitely decided to go down the Fishman Fluence route. If that's not what you're into and you're looking for more potential clarity in the position, I would recommend any hot SD with a ceramic magnet, so the Alpha/Omega or Distortion is something I'd go with.
 
I had a set of Dimarzio's in a PRS mahogany body CE24- Mo' Joe in the bridge, PAF Pro in the neck. Swapped for pickups more suited to what I normally play. Still have the pickups, not getting rid of them. It's a pairing that's just money for high gain tones IMO. The Mo' Joe has something pleasing in the midrange that just cuts without being obnoxious and the PAF Pro is the perfect higher gain neck tone for me. Just need another guitar to put them in.
 
I’m a big fan of the Duncan P rails. Have a pair on my PRS and one on my Hss Strat. The series humbucker is fairly hot. The P90s are great. Might not be your thing gainwise but a double humbucker setup with these makes a very versatile guitar.
 
Basically, guitar, wood, ... as well as amp, effects, ... play a big role for the sound,
so that you should not overestimate Youtube videos of others and
the difference between Pickups is usually less than you expect especially in the mix... :tearsofjoy:

For your musical taste, however, the following playlist provides a few clues about the difference between the pickups and
shows possible alternatives




I myself like the Fishman Fluence Modern in a mahogany Ibanez RG,
the SD Pegasus/Sentient in a mahogany LP and the EMGs 60/81/JH set.
If you have a favorite artist, you'll get closer to this sound with their pickups (for Metallica, for example, EMGs are essential).

And as has already been said,
pickups with a very high output for overdriving the preamp are not necessary here and
lead to that the input level at the modeler must be significantly reduced, which reduces nuances in the sound.


However, it also helps with the Axe FX to experiment with an input EQ and level to change pickup sounds.
The possibilities are very extensive and this saves disappointments about bad investments... :tonguewink:


EDIT: Pasting the link didn't work as expected.... (it shows only the first video out of the list)
Open the video in youtube and select Playlist "Guitar Pickup Comparisons" or
copy www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-LgCIP-L_4hux9ge6S0J_M_GRfCaJ3PE in a different tab.
 
Last edited:
I play thrash, but I love just about every low to mid to high gain tone, so I always look for something that sounds great no matter what you throw at it. For me, the Duncan Saturday Night Specials are unbelievable with a ton of gain; they're also unbelievable with a Plexi type tone, or with a JTM 45 type tone, or a cranked Fender type tone, or any other thing haha. I had a JB and hated it; I felt like it just had nothing to offer other than one tone, and even that I felt was a little harsh. The Saturday Night Specials have a pretty low output, but you can add all the gain you want with the AF3; I just increase the Input Trim. I just moved my Saturday Night Specials from my Washburn Trevor Rabin to my Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder today, and I'm just blown away by how wonderful they sound in every position. Again they're very low output compared to pickups marketing toward metalheads, but although I'm a metalhead, I prefer versatility over output. The Saturday Night Specials with a ton of gain just sound the most refined; I don't know the best words to describe them with high gain...it's like you had just spent hours crafting and EQing a high gain tone.

YMMV, but best of luck in your search!
 
Glad to hear of your stellar outcome on the PU swap. I know---based on what you have posted---that
you were struggling to make that JB work in your new guitar. At least you exhausted every path, eh?? :)
 
State of Epicicity said:
I had a JB and hated it; I felt like it just had nothing to offer other than one tone, and even that I felt was a little harsh.

YMMV, but best of luck in your search!
Click to expand...

I had the JB/Jazz set in a cheap Ibanez for awhile. Never really liked the JB or the Jazz. Too much output and like you say just one tone. I pulled them out one day and put them in my PRS. They lasted 10 minutes haha. Now they’re sitting in a box. I put the Duncan Blues set, the 59’s in my cheap guitar. I like those but the bridge is pretty bright. Don’t know about the Saturday Night Specials. I’ll keep those in mind. In my experience lower output equals better tone overall. But there are so many factors involved with what makes a pickup sound good with a guitar. Could lead one into a very expensive rabbit hole.
 
@la noise Thanks! I realize now they did not remove this harsh pick attack in my Sun Valley Super Shredder, but they did give me fantastic tone and versatility otherwise. They did completely and totally remove the harness in my Trevor Rabin though. I think now the harshness in my Schecter is stemming from the cheap Floyd 1500, so this is furthering my resolve to get a Gotoh 1996t. But otherwise, in every way the Saturday Night Specials are adding unbelievable dimension, depth, and maturity to the tone. To me they just sound like the most refined version of anything I care about! I never put the JB in my Sun Valley Super Shredder; after having it in the Trevor Rabin, I was ready to set it on fire.

@skolacki I’m with you all the way. I was almost going to try a ‘59 bridge, because I had a ‘59n/JBb setup in the Trevor Rabin, but I really wanted a matched set that I felt for sure would have a kind of magic to it. I did get lucky with the Saturday Night Specials, because they are counterintuitive to use if you’rea metalhead, but really I can’t imagine anything more awesome. Maybe the Custom/‘59 Hybrid with the asymmetric coils would be cool, but to me it would just be another flavor of awesome, I’m guessing. :)
 
The cheap Floyd isn't harsh sounding quite the opposite . Zinc is warm and sometimes dull if a sintered casting technique is used.
This is not to suggest the 1996 won't be a considerable upgrade in tone and performance.
 
State of Epicicity said:
@la noise Thanks! I realize now they did not remove this harsh pick attack in my Sun Valley Super Shredder, but they did give me fantastic tone and versatility otherwise. They did completely and totally remove the harness in my Trevor Rabin though. I think now the harshness in my Schecter is stemming from the cheap Floyd 1500, so this is furthering my resolve to get a Gotoh 1996t. But otherwise, in every way the Saturday Night Specials are adding unbelievable dimension, depth, and maturity to the tone. To me they just sound like the most refined version of anything I care about! I never put the JB in my Sun Valley Super Shredder; after having it in the Trevor Rabin, I was ready to set it on fire.

@skolacki I’m with you all the way. I was almost going to try a ‘59 bridge, because I had a ‘59n/JBb setup in the Trevor Rabin, but I really wanted a matched set that I felt for sure would have a kind of magic to it. I did get lucky with the Saturday Night Specials, because they are counterintuitive to use if you’rea metalhead, but really I can’t imagine anything more awesome. Maybe the Custom/‘59 Hybrid with the asymmetric coils would be cool, but to me it would just be another flavor of awesome, I’m guessing. :)
Click to expand...

That's awesome! I am with you on counterintuitive pickups working where you wouldn't think they would.
One of my fave sets is the unpotted Seth Lovers from Duncan. They just sound good no matter what you
do with them. I mean, unless you stand too close to your amp/cab/monitor and don't know how to control
the imminent tsunami of feedback coming. :)
 
Give Stocktone pickups a look. Sherm has a small shop outside of Indianapolis. He spent a while on the phone with me getting feedback on what I liked in a pickup. I was so happy with the first set I bought a second and plan on adding a third.
 
BKP Ragnaroks / Juggernauts
SD Alpha / Omega

(basically the Periphery pickups lol... can't go wrong)

I myself love the JB, but for more metal stuff I'd go with a Nazgul. But my favorite pickup these days has gotta be the Fluence Open Core Classics (not sure whether the KM set sounds like those or more like the Moderns - which are also awesome). The SD-6 Distortion is essentially a JB with a ceramic magnet.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom