Best allround 80's pickups?

[MrFlexx]

I've just got my hands om a Charvel So-cal and it's going to get some 80's upgrades. Today it's equipped with SD JB and a 59. I don't like the 59 at all. To my ears it's a really dull sounding neck pickup. I always loved the DiMarzio Air Norton in the neck and would like to know if SD has an equal one?. I've always liked the JB in the bridge position but would like to know if this is the ultimate humbucker for 89's hard rock like Warren DeMartini, Lynch, Vai "Eat Em and Smile" and Gilbert?
Been looking at other brands too like the Bareknuckle Nailbomb's. What's your 5 cents about what bridge and neck pickups do these sounds the best?

The body is made of alder, neck and fretboard is maple and of course it has a floating Floyd Rose.

[ICTGoober]

Re: Best allround 80's pickups?

Bill Lawrence.

[GuitarStv]

Re: Best allround 80's pickups?

Gilbert was a Tone Zone user in the 80's wasn't he? Vai has been using Dimarzios for a while too. Demartini was a JB I thought. Lynch was a Distortion and later the Screamin' Demon.

You've got to pick one to focus on I think.

[Mincer]

Re: Best allround 80's pickups?

Just get a Jazz in the neck and you have one of the best 80s setups, ever.

[ErikH]

Re: Best allround 80's pickups?

Gilbert was a Tone Zone user in the 80's wasn't he? Vai has been using Dimarzios for a while too. Demartini was a JB I thought. Lynch was a Distortion and later the Screamin' Demon.

You've got to pick one to focus on I think.

TZ didn't come out until the 1991. In the 80's Paul used a SuperD in parallel at times and also the PAF Pro.
Lynch was Distortion, JB at certain points and the Screamin' Demon in the early 90's.
Warren has always been a JB guy.

That's a lot of variation there just between them.

The PAF Pro is a great pickup in the neck and bridge for 80's stuff and can sit well with Duncans.

My 80's setup, though the pickup came out in the early 90's, is a Screamin' Demon in the neck and bridge.

Pick your flavor and go with it. "Sounding" like them is really more about catching the vibe. Any of those will do the job if you can play the style.

[Masta' C]

Re: Best allround 80's pickups?

I always loved the DiMarzio Air Norton in the neck and would like to know if SD has an equal one?

Screamin' Demon in the neck is similar in terms of power and smoothness. There is no exact equivalent to the AN in the SD line.

I've always liked the JB in the bridge position but would like to know if this is the ultimate humbucker for 89's hard rock like Warren DeMartini, Lynch, Vai "Eat Em and Smile" and Gilbert?

Yes, the JB is *the* quintessential '80s hard rock pickup and was used on more albums than probably any other pickup in the '80s. Your other (almost as popular) options are: Super Distortion (Roth-era Steve Vai and early Paul Gilbert) or Duncan Distortion (Lynch)

[Aceman]

Re: Best allround 80's pickups?

You think those guys used the neck pickup?

If they did, you think they used Humbuckers?

First of all, don't use the neck, and you don't need to worry about it. If you do, the 59 is fine. Want "more" 80's than that? Great - get a Demon and call it a day. Or the Jazz. Whichever.

I'd take a Hot Rails neck with a tap over any of them though. Not that I'd use it anyway. I play in an 80's Hair Metal tribute band and I use my neck pickup on exactly two songs. One is Sweet Child.

[ErikH]

Re: Best allround 80's pickups?

Gilbert and Vai both used their neck pickups extensively in the 80's and both used humbuckers. Not everybody stuck to just using the bridge pickup.

[Mr. B]

Re: Best allround 80's pickups?

You find the Duncan 59n dull, but you like the Air Norton? That sounds completely backwards from my experience with those two neck pickups. There are a lot of good "80's" type bridge pickups. Paf Pro (Vai), JB (Jake E Lee), Duncan Distortion (Lynch), Super Distortion (Kiss), Tone Zone (Gilbert), Evo 2 (Vai), Custom Custom (VH), but if it is an alder body Charvel, I might go with the Breed set. I bet you would like the neck too, since you like the Air Norton.

[Mincer]

Re: Best allround 80's pickups?

Yngwie certainly used neck pickups, and so did the king of that tone: Dave Murray.

[bigcupholder]

Re: Best allround 80's pickups?

Since you already have the JB, the jazz is a pretty easy answer for the neck. Or you could go with a Dimarzio Evolution and PAF Pro - still very 80's but more shred.

Sent from my SM-G970W using Tapatalk

[Masta' C]

Re: Best allround 80's pickups?

JB in the bridge with a PAF Pro in the neck..business in the front, party in the rear!

[Ascension]

Re: Best allround 80's pickups?

Want a modern updated set up for ultimate 80's/90's metal tones? Try a Alt 8 Bridge Sentient neck. Played that stuff from the late 80's and all through the 90's wish I had the rigs I have today with that pickup set then!!

[Ascension]

Re: Best allround 80's pickups?

You find the Duncan 59n dull, but you like the Air Norton? That sounds completely backwards from my experience with those two neck pickups.

Yep thinking the same thing. Ran a Tone Zone in the bridge with the Air Norton neck a couple times and never really cared for the Air Norton in the neck to hot and dark. Liked the Air Norton in the bridge though with the right amp and guitar.

[Chistopher]

Re: Best allround 80's pickups?

You want an all around 80s sound? Get something that sounds like a JCM800 (cut the bass, dime the mids, and boost the treble), a 412 cab, and a decent chorus pedal.

Then you can plug just about any guitar with any pickups and it will have that 80s sound.