2 Simple Questions - screamin demons

[ErikH]

Go with regular spacing for the bridge. I have a 2009 LP Traditional Pro and a standard spaced Duncan lines up fine with the strings.
I have a neck/bridge Screamin' Demon guitar, though not a Les Paul. I orient it in the neck the same way as the the bridge, with the allen poles towards the neck.
While the EQ of the Demon is very different from that of the PAF Pro, the warmness and body of a Les Paul will make up for the difference in the mids.

[GuitarDoc]

As far as sound goes, the pole spacing of the Demon will be fine in the bridge. The poles won't line up perfectly with the strings, but you will be the only one who notices it.

The Demon is one of my favorite neck pups. With an A8 mag in the bridge Demon you should have a really great sounding pair.

[JOLLY]

Demon = Bridge only.

You'll be fine with standard spacing. That's what I've always put in my Les Pauls, and I've never had any problems.

[Aceman]

Putting an A8 magnet in a bridge demon really helps it pair with another stock demon in the neck

oooh - I think that would be a GREAT idea. Up the heat a little, maybe cut the highs a touch. Interesting....

[Masta' C]

My second one is still up in the air with the spacing. I might have to simply buy 1 screaming demon standard spacing, see how it fits in the bridge and if I like it, then move it to the neck and buy a second one for the bridge unless I can receive a concrete answer on the seymour duncan forum.

You know, you come across like quite the cocky person despite being the one who is asking for help here!

I answered you before:

Most Gibsons have a trem-spaced bridge...on your guitar, just measure the E-to-E string spacing above where the pole pieces are

To be absolutely sure requires a whole 10 seconds of your time and a little effort lining the ruler marks up with the strings, but I guess you'd rather complicate things by buying and swapping pickups multiple times

[JamesPaul]

Masta' C is spot on here, as he always is. I missed his earlier post, when I added the link to the SD website - sorry!

He is also correct about pickup ring differences if you use a Trembucker. I swapped an SH-5 for a TB-5 in a Les Paul and had to modify the original pickup ring.

Whichever Demon you end up with, I hope you find your tone.

[Masta' C]

Thank you, JP!

Just to be clear, a regular-spaced humbucker should work just fine in the bridge of your LP, even if it has the typical wider bridge spacing.

Unlike other pickup manufacturers, Duncan uses bobbins that are a few mm longer than their "standard" humbucker bobbins to accommodate the wider pole spacing of "trem"-spaced pickups.

This is where the common concern over pickup ring clearance comes into play...most other "F"-spaced and "53mm" type pickups out there will replace a standard humbucker just fine. However, Duncan's wider bobbins on "Trembucker"/"TB" models can get in the way on some guitars.

[donaldr]

I read couple of years ago that John Norum has a Screamin Demon on its LP, but I cannot find it anymore.

[donaldr]

Some reviews said that Screamin Demon is better in a band context (cutting thru the mix) than in a bedroom context (sounding shrill). So if you play with a band you have a better chance to like it than if you play alone in your bedroom.

[ErikH]

It does sit well in a band context but I have no issue when practicing at home by myself. It still sounds good to me.

I’d like to add that it loves high gain amps. Think back at what Lynch was using when this pickup was in development; a modified Marshall and a Soldano SLO 100. The definition with high gain amps is there, articulation, cut.

I’ve not tried it in a Les Paul but I might have to. I have one not in a guitar at the moment. Hmmm.

[orpheo]

I have tried the Screaming Demon in the neck and it is a great pickup if you want that thick, syrupy lead tone. I kinda zoned out after a few years of hearing that tone to be honest. In the bridge, of an LP even, it can get a bit ice picky, thin and shrill but an A8 tightens it up nicely. Uhm... the EQ gets tighter I mean. The mids gets a bump, the low end stays tight and gets a bit less cold. The top end gets softer and works great all together.

Yet, the Screaming Demon is in nothing like the Paf Pro. At all.

I am a huge fan of the Pegasus in an LP. Pegasus + Alnico 2 Pro or a Jazz (bridge version for both, for a bit more oompf and a little less hollowness). I like its open tone, the broad, chewy mids that don't get in the way of anything and the fluid feel.

Alternatively, Dimarzio Air Norton in bridge and neck. Has the same thick, fluid feel of the SD in the neck but without the superthick EQ. In the bridge, the Air Norton crunches, howls and sings.

[GuitarDoc]

Some reviews said that Screamin Demon is better in a band context (cutting thru the mix) than in a bedroom context (sounding shrill). So if you play with a band you have a better chance to like it than if you play alone in your bedroom.

The Demon is great in a band context, but I've never heard it being "shrill" in any context.

I love it in the neck, but I have found that in the bridge an A8 really gives it what it needs.

[donaldr]

Taken from a review on Seymour Duncan website:
"By itself at home the Screamin’ Demon can seem a little lackluster. There’s not the biggest low end, and the treble is quite high. The lack of compression and sizzle makes it seem a little too clean to be great for heavy rockin’ tones. Bedroom players may very well be disappointed by it. The Screamin’ Demon isn’t really designed for this environment. But plug into a raging valve amplifier and play within a band context and the Screamin’ Demon starts to show what it’s capable of. Suddenly the clean, woody, percussive vibe of the Screamin’ Demon makes sense. The tonality of the pickup means that it cuts through the mix perfectly, and everything sounds nice and heavy."

[Masta' C]

The Demon is great in a band context, but I've never heard it being "shrill" in any context.

The Demon was my very first Duncan and I've had one in nearly all of my main guitars at some point.

In my own experience, the top end can get a bit sharp/piercing in some guitars. It's certainly manageable, but when comparing to pickups like the Custom 5, JB, etc, it's definitely on the brighter side and "more open" if that makes sense. Definitely a sparkly/glassy top end rather than a warm/thick top end.

I do agree with the review above that calls it "percussive" though. While the bottom end isn't booming by any means, there's a perfect amount of it and it's thumpy in a really great way.

[chadd]

I've never been a huge fan of most A5 pickups, due to the brightness, but never had an issue with the Demon.