Alternative to an Alternative 8

[ratiug]

I recently picked up a 2013 Kramer Assault Plus. An LP style guitar but with a 25.5" scale.
It came stock with Duncan pups. A '59 neck and an Alternative 8 in the bridge. These pups are wildly mismatched. The A8 being very loud that no amount of adjusting can balance it with the '59.
I do have a spare Dimarzio Fred that I could install. Any thoughts?

 

[jeremy]

if you are looking for a better output balance, i think the fred is a fine choice. i had one in the bridge of an ibanez rg550 for years with the stock v1 neck and loved it

 

[ehdwuld]

You could swap magnets in the alternative 8
i believe its the same wind as a JB
In which case, an A5 mag will make it a JB

I may be wrong

 

[Ascension]

Have a Sentient neck with an Alt 8 bridge in my old Solid KOA Carving DC 127 and that combo sounds killer.
Most of this is pretty raw and with both pickups together through my little Mesa Subway Rocket.
https://youtu.be/wmn5MsaWWW4?si=Ng1QqJSfn7DE-YQo

 

[Ascension]

You could swap magnets in the alternative 8
i believe its the same wind as a JB
In which case, an A5 mag will make it a JB

I may be wrong

Alt 8 is not the same wind as a JB have had Alt 8's and also JB 8's they are much different.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Yeah, Alt 8 is not the same as JB...I love the Alt 8, hate the JB with any magnet in it.

 

[GuitarDoc]

I recently picked up a 2013 Kramer Assault Plus. An LP style guitar but with a 25.5" scale.
It came stock with Duncan pups. A '59 neck and an Alternative 8 in the bridge. These pups are wildly mismatched. The A8 being very loud that no amount of adjusting can balance it with the '59.
I do have a spare Dimarzio Fred that I could install. Any thoughts?

You should be able to balance it with the 59 in the neck. I've done it very easily by lowering the Alt 8 and raising the 59.
But if you've already tried that then rather than replacing the Alt 8, consider replacing the 59 with a Jazz bridge model.

 

[jeremy]

id start with, which pups tone do you like more? if its the neck, then swap the bridge. bridge, then swap the neck. i try and find the pups that work best together in a particular instrument to get the balance and blend of tones im looking for. if you love the 59 neck, then try the fred and see what ya think and we can go from there

 

[Rex_Rocker]

You should be able to balance it with the 59 in the neck. I've done it very easily by lowering the Alt 8 and raising the 59.

Each to his own, but I've never gotten PAF-types in the 7 or low 8K range to work (Jazz, '59, or otherwise) with high output bridge pickups.

The only way I've ever accomplished volume balance is lowering the bridge pickup lower than the neck pickup, but at that point, I feel like I'm compromising the tone of the bridge pickup just to make an underpowered neck pickup sorta work. Not worth it, IMO.

IME, there are much better alternatives to the Duncan '59 to match with high output bridge pickups. A neck pickup doesn't have to be low output and chripy bright to sound clear/good in the neck position.

IMO, of course.

 

[Clint 55]

If you want to try to stay with the Alt 8, stick an A3 in it and it will drop the output.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Or you could try a C5 which pairs very well with the 59.

 

[ehdwuld]

Each to his own, but I've never gotten PAF-types in the 7 or low 8K range to work (Jazz, '59, or otherwise) with high output bridge pickups.

The only way I've ever accomplished volume balance is lowering the bridge pickup lower than the neck pickup, but at that point, I feel like I'm compromising the tone of the bridge pickup just to make an underpowered neck pickup sorta work. Not worth it, IMO.

IME, there are much better alternatives to the Duncan '59 to match with high output bridge pickups. A neck pickup doesn't have to be low output and chripy bright to sound clear/good in the neck position.

IMO, of course.

hmm

does this refer to the JB/Jazz combination that a large group of people use with no issue?

 

[Mincer]

I've never had those kinds of balance issues.

 

[GuitarDoc]

I've never had balance issues, even with the Alt8 in the bridge and 59 in the neck. But then I usually have a Jazz or Demon in the neck (I don't particularly care for the 59).

 

[ehdwuld]

I've never had balance issues, even with the Alt8 in the bridge and 59 in the neck. But then I usually have a Jazz or Demon in the neck (I don't particularly care for the 59).

as do I

generally set the hotter bridge first
as it doesnt have much range (JB is particular about where is sits under the strings)
then up and down with the neck to balance

if that doesnt work then I have something wired wrong

but I guess other people have differing expectations and results

go figure

 

[GuitarDoc]

I seriously doubt that the OP really has the balance problem that he has suggested which he hasn't been able to correct with some minor height adjustments. :33:
But then, he hasn't even responded to any of our suggestions. :banghead:
I hate when noobies do that. :firing:

 

[ehdwuld]

possible that his definition of "balance" differs from ours

maybe he just doesn't like the A8

maybe he will chime in and clarify

 

[Rex_Rocker]

hmm

does this refer to the JB/Jazz combination that a large group of people use with no issue?

Yes. I've had trouble balancing the Jazz and the JB in the past. I've expressed several times that I don't think that combo works well. Partly because of the vastly different EQ profile, but mostly because of the output difference. Especially since in order to get any juice from the Jazz, you have to crank it up, which further exaggerates what I don't like about the Jazz, and even then, I feel like it's never quite "there". Maybe it's just me, though. I mean, that combo sells A LOT.

And then the Alternative 8 is even hotter than the JB.

I remember once the only pickups I had lying around for a guitar were a Black Winter and a PAF 36th Anniversary. No matter how much I cranked up the PAF 36th Anni, it seemed like the wiring was broken inside the guitar when switching between pickups (it wasn't, BTW, I checked with the multimeterm, and back then, I had someone professional do all my pickup swaps). I HATE that, personally.

 

[ehdwuld]

Yeah that may be something else

Mine are fine

I have several JB/JAZZ sets in a variety of guitars
And have not experienced that at all

May be my old ears dont hear what yours do

Or like you said ,
it may be just you.

Everyone can be right

 

[ToneFiddler]

i totally get what rex_rocker says.

They are very differnt EQ wise (Real highs vs high mids; scooped vs middy).
That combo is great for clean in the neck and lead and dirty rhythm in the bridge, or if you want a drastic differnce from each position.

you definitley loose a bit of juice when switching from the JB to the neck, although you can minimize this with the high adjustment.

There are better matches if you want more of a match and minimal change.
I bet a pearly gates bridge in the neck will be a better match​