Back into the loving arms of the Super Distortion

[Dave Locher]

Ah, I tried so hard to love another: JB, M22SD, Tone Zone, Super 3, L90, L500XL...but after two years of trying to find something "better" I just fell back into the arms of my first love, the Super Distortion.
I only strayed in the first place because the #@%& internet made me think there was something out there that suited me better. Then I realized just how many songs I like or love were recorded with a DP100 and came to my senses.
Never again, my sweet. Never again.

 

[Hank-]

Re: Back into the loving arms of the Super Distortion

Nice. Did you try the SH5 or SH11 too? Those swayed me away from the SuperD in most guitars :alcoholic

 

[Adieu]

Re: Back into the loving arms of the Super Distortion

Ah, I tried so hard to love another: JB, M22SD, Tone Zone, Super 3, L90, L500XL...but after two years of trying to find something "better" I just fell back into the arms of my first love, the Super Distortion.
I only strayed in the first place because the #@%& internet made me think there was something out there that suited me better. Then I realized just how many songs I like or love were recorded with a DP100 and came to my senses.
Never again, my sweet. Never again.

Feel free to donate those poor unwanted babies my way

 

[Gtrjunior]

Re: Back into the loving arms of the Super Distortion

I too have a Super D in my LP, which I absolutely love. I have swapped a couple of neck pickups in/out and for now have settled on a Bluesbucker. Very round and sweet sounding.

 

[AZ Picker]

Re: Back into the loving arms of the Super Distortion

Worry not, it's so much fun to play that pickup, and it "sounds right" on so many songs that it's hard not to love it.

 

[Nagisa]

Re: Back into the loving arms of the Super Distortion

Nice. Did you try the SH5 or SH11 too? Those swayed me away from the SuperD in most guitars :alcoholic

Enabler!

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Back into the loving arms of the Super Distortion

Enabler!

I actually bought a Custom but never installed it! Descriptions all used the word "bright" and that was just enough to make me impulse sell it rather than tear into my guitar one more time. Maybe in another guitar.
Good news is, I bought them all used except the Lawrence/Wilde pickups so I broke even or made a couple bucks on every one when I resold them.

The SD just does everything I want to do and does it well.

 

[Open lane]

Re: Back into the loving arms of the Super Distortion

The super distortion is a great pup. I have an air norton 7 and a super distortion 7 in my saber. Tempted to pop one in my next guitar.

Idk, i’m kinda on the fence, as the guitar i want already comes with a tone-zone. Imo the super distortion cuts through more than the TZ (especially for mean rythm tones and double stops) but the smoother response of the TZ makes it easier for shred. It’s apples and oranges really but can’t decide which i’d prefer

 

[Aceman]

Re: Back into the loving arms of the Super Distortion

Nothing but love for the Super D in all it's tonal glory. I currently have Two Super D bridge guitars and a Tone Zone. Surprised that the TZ didn't work for you if you love SuperD. I don't find them that different....

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Back into the loving arms of the Super Distortion

Nothing but love for the Super D in all it's tonal glory. I currently have Two Super D bridge guitars and a Tone Zone. Surprised that the TZ didn't work for you if you love SuperD. I don't find them that different....

It probably would have worked ok for me with my current speakers but at the time the ones I had flubbed out badly when I palm muted an E major with the TZ. I forgot to mention this in your "bad pickup/amp combos" thread but a bass-heavy pickup (TZ) and a bass-heavy speaker (Eminence Tonker) do NOT mix well!

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Back into the loving arms of the Super Distortion

The Super D is an awesome beast. It's amazing to think that DiMarzio got such a pickup "right" so early on in the aftermarket game.

I, too, have come to realize that I have spent far too long "tone chasing" through pickups.

I have seriously dialed it back and, honestly, I could have saved thousands had I not fallen for all the "this is like _____, but better" hype that keeps us pandering for the next big tweak on core formulas that actually worked fine in the first place.

Congrats on finding and returning to your tonal center!

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Back into the loving arms of the Super Distortion

The biggest disappointment was the Carvin M22SD. I had wanted one since I saw a magazine ad for it in the very early 1980s when I was first learning to play. Finally bought one, and it just KILLED the sustain on my guitar. Notes that ring for days with the SD just faded into oblivion no matter how much vibrato voodoo I threw at it. Great for crunchy rhythm, but lousy for leads with my amp. Kind of broke my heart a little, like finding out the girl you lusted after in 8th grade is a horrible b*tch.

 

[dave74]

Re: Back into the loving arms of the Super Distortion

The biggest disappointment was the Carvin M22SD. I had wanted one since I saw a magazine ad for it in the very early 1980s when I was first learning to play. Finally bought one, and it just KILLED the sustain on my guitar. Notes that ring for days with the SD just faded into oblivion no matter how much vibrato voodoo I threw at it. Great for crunchy rhythm, but lousy for leads with my amp. Kind of broke my heart a little, like finding out the girl you lusted after in 8th grade is a horrible b*tch.

Pickups don't kill sustain unless you have them too close, or the poles up too high.

 

[67Mopar]

Re: Back into the loving arms of the Super Distortion

I have a 7O's era double cream Super Distortion that I pulled out of a LPC. I haven't put it into anything, but I may give it a go. It's been sitting in a box for the last 12 years.

 

[Joey Voltage]

Re: Back into the loving arms of the Super Distortion

I have a 7O's era double cream Super Distortion that I pulled out of a LPC. I haven't put it into anything, but I may give it a go. It's been sitting in a box for the last 12 years.

Those are the good ones. I have one from the 70's I picked up of ebay a while back. No potting but it doesn't squeal, and its a massive sounding pickup, I was really surprised by it. Initially I was worried it would be too cocked wah sounding in the lower mids, but it doesn't sound that way at all, It's not overly ceramic sounding either. I just have to build a guitar to put it in.

 

[blooze96]

Re: Back into the loving arms of the Super Distortion

Ah, I tried so hard to love another: JB, M22SD, Tone Zone, Super 3, L90, L500XL...but after two years of trying to find something "better" I just fell back into the arms of my first love, the Super Distortion.
I only strayed in the first place because the #@%& internet made me think there was something out there that suited me better. Then I realized just how many songs I like or love were recorded with a DP100 and came to my senses.
Never again, my sweet. Never again.

Interesting. I'm trying out an L90XL in place of the Super Distortion currently in my Dean. The SD has a sort of harsh-ness on the E and A strings, at least through my Fender Bluesbreaker 007. Was there any particular reason you've left the L90 to go back to the Dimarzio?

 

[67Mopar]

Re: Back into the loving arms of the Super Distortion

Those are the good ones. I have one from the 70's I picked up of ebay a while back. No potting but it doesn't squeal, and its a massive sounding pickup, I was really surprised by it. Initially I was worried it would be too cocked wah sounding in the lower mids, but it doesn't sound that way at all, It's not overly ceramic sounding either. I just have to build a guitar to put it in.

The newer Duncan Distortion doesn't sound the same as the older ones. I had one from the mids 8O's that I recently let go of, and I'm still kicking myself over it. The pickup didn't create distortion per se, but man did it it sound fabulous when used in with a MV amp! Actually, it sounded great no matter what amp I plugged into.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Back into the loving arms of the Super Distortion

The biggest disappointment was the Carvin M22SD...it just KILLED the sustain on my guitar.

Odd. Are you sure you had it adjusted properly? Sounds like it might have been too close to the strings, as Dave74 mentioned.

I've only played the M22SD in two guitars (an old '80s Carvin and a newer one shortly before the Keisel change), but I remember that pickup screaming both times and sustain definitely wasn't an issue!

It's a fairly bright and biting pickup, but also has a strong magnetic field, so if you adjust it too close trying to warm it up, I could see it killing the sustain.

 

[LLL]

Re: Back into the loving arms of the Super Distortion

Now try an SH-5 Custom :naughty:

 

[Securb]

Re: Back into the loving arms of the Super Distortion

Love my Super Distortion it just makes my Tele scream. Seriously considering putting one in my LP Custom to mix up the flavors a bit.