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A few months back I picked up a Jackson Pro Series Soloist with a set of Duncan Distortions in it. Really sweet guitar and after a bit of fiddling, I was able to dial in a killer tone. Fast forward to earlier this week and I got a great deal on an SLX DX Soloist with a set of Duncan Designed HB103s in it.
When considering if I would buy the SLX, I took into account having to swap out the HB103s, assuming they wouldn't sound as good as the DDs in my Pro, or the Elysian Trident IIs I have in my other 6-strings.
After playing the SLX and the Pro back and forth for hours, recording both, comparing the tracks side by side (one panned right, the other left) and back to back (one panned to both sides, followed by the same riffs on the other one panned the same) I can confidently say there's absolutely no noticeable difference in these pickups.
I played them through my AXE FX II XL+, then my Jet City JCA22h, then the JCA through 2 different cabs and recorded it every way - cannot tell the difference at all. (Obviously they sound different from the modeler to the tube amp, but when everything other than the guitar is apples-to-apples, no noticeable difference.)
In researching these, I've found a few places where people say they're the same, other folks say they're different, and some say the HB's are hit and miss due to quality control variances. While I can't speak to the hit & miss quality control, I can say there's no noticeable difference in the ones I have.
So, I thought I'd start this thread in case someone like me is out Googling the differences between the two sets of pickups. I'm not well versed enough to put out a polished YT video, or else I would have done that too.
When considering if I would buy the SLX, I took into account having to swap out the HB103s, assuming they wouldn't sound as good as the DDs in my Pro, or the Elysian Trident IIs I have in my other 6-strings.
After playing the SLX and the Pro back and forth for hours, recording both, comparing the tracks side by side (one panned right, the other left) and back to back (one panned to both sides, followed by the same riffs on the other one panned the same) I can confidently say there's absolutely no noticeable difference in these pickups.
I played them through my AXE FX II XL+, then my Jet City JCA22h, then the JCA through 2 different cabs and recorded it every way - cannot tell the difference at all. (Obviously they sound different from the modeler to the tube amp, but when everything other than the guitar is apples-to-apples, no noticeable difference.)
In researching these, I've found a few places where people say they're the same, other folks say they're different, and some say the HB's are hit and miss due to quality control variances. While I can't speak to the hit & miss quality control, I can say there's no noticeable difference in the ones I have.
So, I thought I'd start this thread in case someone like me is out Googling the differences between the two sets of pickups. I'm not well versed enough to put out a polished YT video, or else I would have done that too.
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