Best HB for 80's hard rock/hair metal?

Re: Best HB for 80's hard rock/hair metal?

Of the pickups I've tried, I'd suggest the JB. It can do Def Leppard to Megadeth and pretty much anything in between.
 
Re: Best HB for 80's hard rock/hair metal?

Duncans:
Screamin Demon
Full Shred
Custom Custom for a more Van Halen type tone
PATB-1
Custom - I don't know if the guys in Iron Maiden were using them, but the sound sure reminds me of the guitar tones on some of their early albums.
JB, maybe with 250k ohm pot. Otherwise, no.


Dimarzios:
PAF Pro
Tone Zone for a fatter, later 80's, Mr Big kind of sound
Evolution - Hey, Vai was in Whitesnake for a while, and in David Lee Roth's band.
Mega-Drive - used by Tony Mc Alpine in the 80's, now replaced by the Steve's Special
Double Whammy - lots of mids, tighter bass, no longer in production.
 
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Re: Best HB for 80's hard rock/hair metal?

Duncans:
Screamin Demon
Full Shred
Custom Custom for a more Van Halen type tone
PATB-1
Custom - I don't know if the guys in Iron Maiden were using them, but the sound sure reminds me of the guitar tones on some of their early albums.
JB, maybe with 250k ohm pot. Otherwise, no.


Dimarzios:
PAF Pro
Tone Zone for a fatter, later 80's, Mr Big kind of sound
Evolution - Hey, Vai was in Whitesnake for a while, and in David Lee Roth's band.
Mega-Drive - used by Tony Mc Alpine in the 80's, now replaced by the Steve's Special
Double Whammy - lots of mids, tighter bass, no longer in production.

The guys from Maiden used Super Distortions, which are similar in spec to a Custom.
 
Re: Best HB for 80's hard rock/hair metal?

ok let me just say this, i like hair bands like skid row, warrant, winger, ratt, motley crue (love motley!)

what bucker should I use for that kind of sound?
 
Re: Best HB for 80's hard rock/hair metal?

found this in the off topic room of all places...
In general, that is a sound (IMO) very much like Mick Mars sound.... Its 85% amp. Not that that is bad at all :)

In general I would go for something along the lines of:

Bright Superstrat with Floyd (Alder, Maple or Basswood)
DiMarzio Super III
Boss OD-1 for basscut
JCM800 2203

That should surely get you in the ballpark.
 
Re: Best HB for 80's hard rock/hair metal?

found this in the off topic room of all places...

do u know what pup they said to use for mick mars sound?

or the sound i really like is that first Distorted chord on skid row's "18 and life." That very first chord where the gain kicks on after that little short clean part at the begining. That first chord just hits you right in the gut!
 
Re: Best HB for 80's hard rock/hair metal?

do u know what pup they said to use for mick mars sound?

Depends on which tune. For a while Mick had went with 59s.

or the sound i really like is that first Distorted chord on skid row's "18 and life." That very first chord where the gain kicks on after that little short clean part at the begining. That first chord just hits you right in the gut!

I'd say Super D. Judging form the video it looks like he used Duncans and Dimarzios.

Luke
 
Re: Best HB for 80's hard rock/hair metal?

well I have a SD distortion laying around. would that do it?

Oh yeah! He used a one of them at one point too. Somewhere I've got an old Vintage Guitar where he talks gear. Don't forget an 800 or tricked out plexi is an integral part of an 80s guitar tone.

Luke
 
Re: Best HB for 80's hard rock/hair metal?

Oh yeah! He used a one of them at one point too. Somewhere I've got an old Vintage Guitar where he talks gear. Don't forget an 800 or tricked out plexi is an integral part of an 80s guitar tone.

Luke

ya unfortunatly being a college student, I only have a Peavey VK. but at home i have an old 70's acoustic control corp. half stack, its got a volume and a master volum, so it can get some nasty gain
 
Re: Best HB for 80's hard rock/hair metal?

but like said before how i was considering the '78 because I like humbuckers that have tone to them, and I can back off the volume and get i nice clean tone. I might just throw a Duncan distortion in my baretta for now, and buy the '78 and just hold on to it if I end up not liking the distortion i can always take it out and put the '78 in there
 
Re: Best HB for 80's hard rock/hair metal?

ya unfortunatly being a college student, I only have a Peavey VK. but at home i have an old 70's acoustic control corp. half stack, its got a volume and a master volum, so it can get some nasty gain

a hard hitting overdrive would get'cha a decent 80s tone on the clean channel imo:smokin:
 
Re: Best HB for 80's hard rock/hair metal?

a hard hitting overdrive would get'cha a decent 80s tone on the clean channel imo:smokin:

ya my acoustic control half stack is a one cannel amp, so all I do is set the master volume at 2 and crank the volume to 8 or 9, and the sound the sound clean sup really well by rolling off volume on my guitar. for being called "acoustic" that thing gets some NASTY gain! I love it
 
Re: Best HB for 80's hard rock/hair metal?

The first Skid Row album was recorded entirely with an ADA MP-1, which IS the quintessential 80's rock tone IMO. Nothing is more 80's than an ADA MP-1.

Gilbert, Lynch, Bettencourt and many more used the MP-1.

Also, Skid Row used Dimarzio's back in the day, check out the X2N, I think that's one of the DiMarzio they used.
 
Re: Best HB for 80's hard rock/hair metal?

I think honestly the DD can roll back clean ok... but I use the neck bucker for that most of the time. However... I would also suggest looking at the WILDE pickups L500XL (Bill Lawrence). That pickup can do anything!
 
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