Shred, Neck Pickups, and Dashed Hopes...

[Mr. B]

I am having the most frustrating time finding a neck humbucker that I really like for shred. (I'm talking mostly classic 80's shred here; Gilbert, Becker, Vai, Satriani, with a little Timmons thrown in) Using and Ibanez RG655, PRS Tim Mahoney SE, and Jackson DK2M into a Marshall JVM 410c, Fender Supersonic, and Vox Valvetronix pro with various pedals.

I've tried several guitars and a dozen neck pickups and none of them are scratching the itch just right.

PAF PRO - Has a great top end and bite, but the bass gets mushy/muddy. I kinda like the 'aw' voicing

PAF JOE - Is a little too open and fuzzy/gritty. Highs are a little ?squeally?

Screaming Demon - Is a little too strong/firm/big in the bass end, but the highs are solid and fat. Could use more mids.

59n - Bass is a little boomy and the highs can get a little thin on up the fretboard. Could use more mids

Air Norton - A mud pie in a mud puddle

JB - Too powerful, and also a bit muddy

Air Zone - HUGE bottom, way too much. Pretty good highs.

Jazz - Pretty nice, maybe a little too vintage? Just kind of bores me. The EQ is pretty balanced.

Whole Lotta - a little too round/bubbly

Full Shred Neck - Is ALMOST perfect. It is plenty warm, but articulate. It has a balanced EQ. The note separation is a little too neat sometimes and it is a little too round/soft. It needs more bite. If I could combine the full shred's EQ and a little of its warmth with the PAF PRO's aggression and bite, that might be where I want to be.

Any ideas??

[idsnowdog]

Re: Shred, Neck Pickups, and Dashed Hopes...

Lower the neck side poles and raise the bridge side poles with the FS neck. That will change the relative amount of bass treble. You could also swap the magnet to an A3 for the neck. It wouldn't make it any more aggressive or higher output, but it would focus the tone on a narrower range of treble frequencies which might be what your looking for.

[Progbusters]

Re: Shred, Neck Pickups, and Dashed Hopes...

nice review, I just got a Dimarzio Gravity storm and its not working in my finicky basswood RG - too flubby with high gain - pretty good for moderate gain and riffs

I have a Dean Michael Schenker Lights out - its the opposite - it kinda sucks for moderate gain but comes alive with high gain and starts to sing all flutey like Schenker does, its also good with low gain - round sounding.

Dimarzio Titan - seems similar to your description of full shred. I need to try full shred.

[Mr. B]

Re: Shred, Neck Pickups, and Dashed Hopes...

Yeah, I didn't mention it but I've done an enormous amount of magnet swapping too. I rarely like any of them more than the stock configuration.

[Top-L]

Re: Shred, Neck Pickups, and Dashed Hopes...

Evolution neck is the answer. I have tried a bunch of those on your list and the Evolution neck was the best balanced, not too hot or dark, and could still shred. Or try a stock INF1 from an Ibanez. I just put one in an s540 and its a very shreddy, round, and not too bassy. The excess bass and presence is what kills a neck pickups for lead duty. Another one you might try is the Dean Batio "hands without shadows" neck pickup. Listen to the demo and see if thats what you want. Very shreddy.

It may be that you are looking for a stacked single sound though.

This thread proves the point I made in another thread. You have gone through a ton of pickups and none of them do it for you. They are absolutely not "better".

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?276787-What-separates-SD-DMZ-pickups-from-stock-ones

[Mr. B]

Re: Shred, Neck Pickups, and Dashed Hopes...

From what I've heard in clips, the Evolutions seem really hot and a bit bass heavy...

[dominus]

Re: Shred, Neck Pickups, and Dashed Hopes...

Take the JB and wire it in parallel.

[Top-L]

Re: Shred, Neck Pickups, and Dashed Hopes...

From what I've heard in clips, the Evolutions seem really hot and a bit bass heavy...

Not the neck. The bridge is not one of Dimarzios bassiest pickups either, but compared to your average duncan, who knows.

[IMENATOR]

Re: Shred, Neck Pickups, and Dashed Hopes...

You should call the custom shop

[Mr. B]

Re: Shred, Neck Pickups, and Dashed Hopes...

What does the JB sound like wired parallel in the neck?

[LatsMcGee]

Re: Shred, Neck Pickups, and Dashed Hopes...

Have you tried the regular Norton or a Liquifire???

[Monsta-Tone]

Re: Shred, Neck Pickups, and Dashed Hopes...

I have been having the same problem with my JS1000. I really like the PAF Pro in the neck, but it tends to mush out with high gain.
Last week, I installed a Gravity Storm in the bridge and moved the Fred (original bridge pickup), into the neck position.
I have to say, I tried the Fred in the neck of a couple of Carvins and absolutely hated it. I think that was due to the Carvins being abnormally bright and brittle sounding (maple neck through, ebony fretboard).

The Fred in the basswood JS1000 is pure magic though! It's just a tiny bit hotter than the PAF Pro, but incredibly more focused. It sounds almost exactly like the PAF Pro, but does not get muddy and the harmonics are freaking insane!

[Mr. B]

Re: Shred, Neck Pickups, and Dashed Hopes...

I've thought about trying the liquifire. It sounds like it might not have the attack and bite I want though. I've never really thought about the Fred as a neck pickup. I will look into that. I just need to sell off about a dozen pickups and buy some new ones to try out.

[Petie]

Re: Shred, Neck Pickups, and Dashed Hopes...

Sounds to me like you'd dig the Sentient.

[Top-L]

Re: Shred, Neck Pickups, and Dashed Hopes...

Norton in neck is really cool, very hot so it has a good shred tone. Ime the evos are very similar to full shred. I haven't played the fs neck, but the evo neck is great. The fs has a touch more bass than the evo in bridge. In genaral the evo has a more agressive top than the fs which is more open.