1st thread..Need opinions

[krall]

Hi..This is my first thread on this board..I just purchased a "made in Japan" Tokai "Love Rock" guitar (high quality Les Paul copy). Typical LP woods (mahogany body w/maple top, 1-piece mahogany setneck w/rosewood fingerboard). I've decided to swap the stock pickups with something more aggressive and full sounding.

I play in a Black Metal band and we are currently recording our second album. The gear that this guitar will play through are: 1987 Marshall JCM 800 (model 2210 100 watts) w/ 4x12 Marshall cab (loaded with 75 watt Celestions), a Randall VMAX 300 watt head and 4x12 Warhead cab. I also practice through a Crate G-40C w/ two 8" speakers. I occasionally use a Vox Bulldog distortion pedal too.

I'm also in a second band which plays old-school '77 punk' styled music, along with some raunchy rock 'n roll, which, soundwise is quite different from the black metal stuff but still "full and loud sounding".

After doing some intensive research on the net, listening to sample clips and reading many reviews on Harmony Central, i've decided on getting a SH-10 Full Shred in the bridge position..Do you guys think this is a good choice considering the guitar, the gear used and both music styles I play? The second question is this: Would a Full Shred (neck) be complimentary to the bridge Full Shred? If not, what about the SH-2n Jazz for the neck PU?

The main reasoning for a Full Shred in both positions is asthetics..I noticed that the FS has double rows of Allen screw pole pieces..It would look better IMO to have two similar looking PU's....Opinions??

 

[krall]

Re: 1st thread..Need opinions

:feedback:

:banana:

 

[Binnerscot]

Re: 1st thread..Need opinions

I love Full Shreds, but I have never been a Marshall guy. That being said, I would not like to hear the upper mids of the Full Shreds screaming out at me through an upper mid heavey amp like the Marshall - just a personal opinion (I know that great sounds can come from that combo).

There is thread just a few down on this same page addressing a very similar subject. The Full Shred neck is one of Duncans greats, as is the Jazz. They are very similar in sound, with the FS being just a bit more modern sounding and the Jazz having just a touch of vintage vibe to it with a little more low end. Both are great neck pups.

 

[krall]

Re: 1st thread..Need opinions

I love Full Shreds, but I have never been a Marshall guy. That being said, I would not like to hear the upper mids of the Full Shreds screaming out at me through an upper mid heavey amp like the Marshall - just a personal opinion.

Cool..What would you suggest in the bridge position?

 

[Binnerscot]

Re: 1st thread..Need opinions

If you post a thread specifying the amps and guitar you are using and the tone you trying to attain, you will get lots of suggestions, there are some sharp guys here who have had a lot pups (I have, and have had, quite few myself). I can't really make a suggestion without knowing what sound you looking for.

 

[jeremy]

Re: 1st thread..Need opinions

welcome to the forum!!

the full shred is a tight focused pup with decent output. its fairly bright but people that use it tend to be fanatical about it. unless you have an abnormally thin or bright sounding guitar its a good option. the neck version is a perfect match for the bridge.

i think a jazz neck would be a cool choice too, but the full shreds are very cool pups that are frequently overlooked.



be patient and when someone who has insight on your question sees it, they will answer. two and a half hours isnt all that long to wait

 

[JacksonMIA]

Re: 1st thread..Need opinions

If you want to go with something other than the FS neck contact the Duncan Custom shop and tell them what you're looking for. I know they could do another pup with the allen screws, but I'm not sure if it would be a shop floor custom or a full custom job. If it's shop floor it won't cost any extra.

If you go that way the Jazz would be a killer neck pickup. I don't have any experience and don't know much about the Full Shred, so I can't really advise you there. A Custom or Custom 5 might do the trick, though. I'll let someone chime in that has a little more experience with those in an LP.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[RW James]

Re: 1st thread..Need opinions

If you post a thread specifying the amps and guitar you are using and the tone you trying to attain, you will get lots of suggestions, there are some sharp guys here who have had a lot pups (I have, and have had, quite few myself). I can't really make a suggestion without knowing what sound you looking for.

He pretty much did ALL THAT in the first post... :reporter:


btw, krall, I don't have any experience with your issues - but I'm interested in the answers you get.

Also, this is one of the busiest forums I've found on the net, but it can still take a while to get the responses you need.

Oh, and welcome!

 

[krall]

Re: 1st thread..Need opinions

If you post a thread specifying the amps and guitar you are using and the tone you trying to attain, you will get lots of suggestions

I believe I did in my first post! lol (and if you click on the Myspace link, you'll hear samples from our first album)

I might add that the guitar/pickup that I used on our first album was a 1979 Ibanez Iceman fitted with a DiMarzio PAF DP103 in the bridge...In fact, I was only made aware that it was a PAF yesterday when I pulled it out to take a look...I was shocked! I thought all these years (10 years) I've had it that it had a Tone Zone in the bridge..It's full powered and sounded very full through the Marshall, but I thought the low end was flubby..I just sold the Ibanez (yesterday) and now the Tokai LP is my main axe. I want a pickup that is great for power/bar chords and tight on the bottom when doing palm mutes..I do not play leads (well, maybe a few, but i'm mainly a rhythm player)

 

[Binnerscot]

Re: 1st thread..Need opinions

Well, I wasn't trying to be rude, all saw was "full and loud sounding" in the first post - that would be a lot of pups. I would suggest the Distortion for the bridge and a Jazz in the neck. Lots of versatilty, tight, and "full and loud sounding".

 

[krall]

Re: 1st thread..Need opinions

Well, I wasn't trying to be rude, all saw was "full and loud sounding" in the first post - that would be a lot of pups. I would suggest the Distortion for the bridge and a Jazz in the neck. Lots of versatilty, tight, and "full and loud sounding".

Is the "distortion" a little less bright than the FS?

 

[Binnerscot]

Re: 1st thread..Need opinions

It is about the same for being bright so it retains a decent amount of clarity, but it has more low end and more mids so its a bit more balanced. Its a pretty nice pup for a lot of things even with a name like "Distortion". It is more aggressive sounding than the Full Shred.

 

[krall]

Re: 1st thread..Need opinions

It is about the same for being bright so it retains a decent amount of clarity, but it has more low end and more mids so its a bit more balanced. Its a pretty nice pup for a lot of things even with a name like "Distortion". It is more aggressive sounding than the Full Shred.

Um..Interesting..Thanks for your input!

In case I seem rushed..I am..We are resuming recordings in two-three weeks..The faster I can make a decision, the faster I can get the pickups installed..Hopefully in time for the recording sessions...I had hoped the stock pickups in the Tokai would have been good enough, but once I plugged her in my amps it was obvious that the pickups were too thin and hollow for my purposes..

Keep your opinions coming!

 

[JacksonMIA]

Re: 1st thread..Need opinions

You probably don't want to do a custom pickup, then. :laugh2:

 

[krall]

Re: 1st thread..Need opinions

You probably don't want to do a custom pickup, then. :laugh2:

Not at this point!

With all the PU choices available..I'm sure i'll find the right ones I need...Any other Les Paul owners on this board who play with full out raunch? What do you you guys use?

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: 1st thread..Need opinions

Welcome to the forum!

I haven't had any experience with the Full Shred (to my knowledge), but for what you are describing I think it would be great. It can be bright in some rigs, but it is very tight according to Riggs of Rob Zombie, and the SD soundclips.

Also another pup to look at, the C5. It will have a big, tight low end and aggressive treble with scooped-neutral mids depending on the guitar.

If you want something that really screams then you should get a Distortion bridge with either a distortion or Jazz neck.

Luke

 

[Rowan]

Re: 1st thread..Need opinions

My distortion sh-6 is coming here in the mail any minute :arms:


I'll let you know how it is but I've only heard good things about it. I too, play a heavier style but love to jam classic rock, funk and blues type. You might want to check out a JB. Its a really versitile pickup. It does nicely for heavy riffing and has a good crunch about it.

 

[krall]

Re: 1st thread..Need opinions

You might want to check out a JB. Its a really versatile pickup. It does nicely for heavy riffing and has a good crunch about it.

Just read up some reviews about the JB..I'm a little "iffy" about this one though..A lot of the reviews about it had negative points that seems similar to the DiMarzio PAF issues I had...

I'm worried that if the PU has too much gain that it turns to mush...Not enough than it becomes twangy and not full enough...I need something in between! It's hard to explain a tone you have in your head into writing..Haha!

Things i'm looking for in a bridge PU:Thick..Crunchy..Tight low end (with no muddyness when palm muting)..definition in the strings when doing power chords,will have sufficient mids to cut through live, with enough power to push my high gain/ cranked Marshall over the top! Which one comes closest to my needs?

 

[Rowan]

Re: 1st thread..Need opinions

Things i'm looking for in a bridge PU:Thick..Crunchy..Tight low end (with no muddyness when palm muting)..definition in the strings when doing power chords,will have sufficient mids to cut through live, with enough power to push my high gain/ cranked Marshall over the top! Which one comes closest to my needs?

Sounds like you're describing the jb, it has all of those qualities but some complain of thinness in certain instruments. So I'm thinking you'll want to research the SH-5 Custom or the Distortion. They both are high output PUs that have ceramic magnets, instead of a Alnico 2 or 5 bar like PAF style or the JB. And many on this board would describe them as thick.

 

[I_M_Ken]

Re: 1st thread..Need opinions

Things i'm looking for in a bridge PU:Thick..Crunchy..Tight low end (with no muddyness when palm muting)..definition in the strings when doing power chords,will have sufficient mids to cut through live, with enough power to push my high gain/ cranked Marshall over the top! Which one comes closest to my needs?

well from what u just described, most fitting, IMO, is the JB or Duncan Distortion.

as the rest have said as well, the Jazz neck is a pretty cool pickup with the ability to handle high gain quite well. it gives you very nice cleans as well. so the versatility is there.

so my recommendation DD/Jazz or JB/Jazz :smokin: