Re: Basswood Guitar Pickups Recommendations
The general consensus is that basswood is very balanced, or neutral as some say. I personally think that's mostly true except it has a slight low-mid concentration and combs away some of the upper frequencies. I'm talking quality basswood here. Cheap basswood is too inconsistent and often has a grainy, sterile tone to my ears. The general consensus is also that Dimarzio pickups are generally best in basswood. I tend to agree except that I think Dimarzios are equally as good in alder and mahogany.
The best Seymour Duncans for basswood tend to be the brighter ones like the JB, Jazz, Full Shred, Custom Custom (not necessarily bright), and Custom 5.
The first thing you have to do is get a good idea of what frequencies your guitar seems to resonate well. Play the strings without an amp, knock on the wood perhaps, play with the amp, and compare it to other guitars. Once you have an idea of how your wood sounds, then you simply find a pickup that suits your tonal palate and compliments the inherent sound of your guitar. If your guitar is bassy, you might want a pickup that tightens the bass a bit or it could be too boomy. If your guitar has a low midrange accent, then you might consider a pickup like a Steve's Special which has more concentration in the lower, upper mid and treble frequencies. If your guitar is bright or thin, consider a pickup like an Air Zone or Custom Custom.
There are some things to consider so at this point, any suggestion is not going to do you much good until you have a good idea of what your guitar naturally sounds like. If you use lots of distortion, then you probably don't need high output pickups and you probably don't need to worry about tone as much. In that case, you will just need a medium output pickup that's tight and articulate. If you're looking to improve your tone, then there are three important things to consider first. The first thing to consider is whether your technique is producing optimum tone or not. If you don't have enough technique to bring out the tones then you're going to sound the same with any setup. Then you have to consider whether your current gear is going to help you achieve better tone. If you're using solid state amps or modelers, or high-gain metal amps, then chances are your pickups aren't going to be of much consequence (in my opinion).
Probably the most versatile Dimarzio is the Norton which is very similar to a JB. The Tone Zone is surprisingly similar to a JB, and a poll I posted on this forum a while back testifies to that fact. I think a Seymour Duncan JB, Custom Custom, or Custom is probably your safest best for bridge position. If you choose Dimarzio, the Norton or Tone Zone or Super Distortion are the easiest choices.
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