Bridge pickup for an ESP Jake E. Lee signature model

[Despised]

Hello again all!!

So I have one of these rare birds coming in, and I am having a tough choice trying to decide which pickup I really want in the bridge... And possibly rhe same for the middle single coil too, but primarily the bridge pickup is my main focus...

The guitar is Alder bodied with a maple fingerboard, hardtail fixed bridge. Metal, hard & classic rock are the main styles played, but always seeking extra versatility with the coil splits, etc. Its gonna have a Hot Rails in the neck & SSL-5 RWRP for the middle positionI was originally thinking the Distortion, but now I'm not so sure... I know it's gonna be a little bit brighter due to the maple fingerboard, so I don't want something that's gonna be really ice pick -ish in the highs...

I can't decide between the following:
* Distortion
*Alternative 8
*Custom
*Omega (IF I can get just the bridge pickup, won't need the set...)
*and possibly the Dimebucker

And if I switch the middle SC, I'm considering switching the Custom Staggered for either:
*SSL-6 Custom Flat,
*SSL-4 Quarter Pound Flat

what would you guys suggest??? Thanks in advanced!!

 

[Hsb]

Im always a fan of the Distortion. Custom isnt bad but not my fave. JB which isnt on your list is a love or hate, I hated it in my most guitars but screams in my LTD M-1000.

Are we talking 80s, 90s or more modern metal and hard rock?

 

[Despised]

Im always a fan of the Distortion. Custom isnt bad but not my fave. JB which isnt on your list is a love or hate, I hated it in my most guitars but screams in my LTD M-1000.

Are we talking 80s, 90s or more modern metal and hard rock?

The JB is definitely a love or hate pickup... its been forever since I tried a 6-string one, and the 7 I've never liked.

And as for style, everything rock and metal spanning from the 60's to today. Stuff like Toto, AC/DC, Motley Crue, Metallica, Megadeth, Faith No More, The Guess Who, and sooo much more...

Do you think the Distortion is closest to the Hot Rails in terms of tone and output? I have one in another LYD ST-213 w/maple fingerboard, and its shockingly amazing!!!

 

[Hsb]

Then in that case, Id def get the Distortion but thats just for my love of it. The JB would be a good choice but again, either that upper mid shines and becomes nasally or blends in amazing.

Ive never played the the Hot Rails but they would probably work together.

I had a Distortion in an old RG-570 and currently one in my Iceman, absolutely love it. The JB in the M-1000 is giving it a run for its money though.

 

[ErikH]

With that guitar, I'd go stock. JB w/ A2 or AH-1 (double-screw JB) w/ A2 in the bridge and DiMarzio SDS-1's in the neck and middle. That's me though.

 

[Artie]

Consider a Perpetual Burn also. Hot when you need it to be, but clean when called for too. Killer pup.

 

[Despised]

Consider a Perpetual Burn also. Hot when you need it to be, but clean when called for too. Killer pup.

Hmmm, hadn't thought of that one... I'll have to try and check out some good demos of it. Do you think it would pair well with the HR in the neck and the Custom Staggered in the middle??

 

[devastone]

Doesn't it come with a JB in the bridge?

 

[Artie]

Hmmm, hadn't thought of that one... I'll have to try and check out some good demos of it. Do you think it would pair well with the HR in the neck and the Custom Staggered in the middle??

I do. The PB has become one of my favorite Duncan pups, and I play mostly clean.

But keep in mind, I play exclusively in a home studio. Never live or loud.

 

[ErikH]

The PB is an excellent pickup. A big +1 from me on that one as an option, if you don't want the JB. It splits ridiculously well too.

Doesn't it come with a JB in the bridge?

Yes, it did come with a JB and 2 ESP single-coils.

 

[LLL]

When I think Jake E. Lee, I think JB.

 

[Despised]

Doesn't it come with a JB in the bridge?

ErikH also, I'm guessing it depends on which production year... Because in the '95 ESP catalog, they show it and the specs with ESP pickups in it stock... yet others I see have them stock...

The one I'm getting already has a JB/SSL-2/SSL-2 in it, but I think they were put in afterwards because the boxes the pickups came in are coming in the case... see attached pics...

Since I was gonna be putting a Blk/Wht/Blk pickguard on it, I figured I'd put something I want in the new one, leaving the original one alone, keeping the guitar's integrity and originality in tact... Hence why I am asking about what to put in the bridge to go with an RWRP SSL-5 & Hot Rails neck...

 

[superpete]

With that guitar, I'd go stock. JB w/ A2 or AH-1 (double-screw JB) w/ A2 in the bridge and DiMarzio SDS-1's in the neck and middle. That's me though.

agreed. i built a jake style partscaster (hardtail alder body) with sds1's and an ah-1 and it sounds really good. personally i wouldn't mess with the ESP, but hey, it's your guitar. go for it!
*edit* i just saw you're getting a whole new pickguard set up for the pickup swap. good idea!

 

[Despised]

agreed. i built a jake style partscaster (hardtail alder body) with sds1's and an ah-1 and it sounds really good. personally i wouldn't mess with the ESP, but hey, it's your guitar. go for it!
*edit* i just saw you're getting a whole new pickguard set up for the pickup swap. good idea!

Yes. If it was an LTD ST-213, I wouldn't care as much. But since these get harder and harder to find, and worth more and more as time passes, I didn't wanna mess with the original. So the one I have coming is the one in the first pic, but its gonna look like the one in the 2nd with the new pickguard...

 

[JOLLY]

With that guitar, I'd go stock. JB w/ A2 or AH-1 (double-screw JB) w/ A2 in the bridge and DiMarzio SDS-1's in the neck and middle. That's me though.

I was thinking the exact same thing.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

+1 on the Perpetual Burn. Where for me a JB was a little too loud, too peaky and too loose, the PB was just right.

You might also consider an AT-1. Quite JB-ish overall, just with tighter chunk in the lows and a bit less upper-mid spike.
Better cleanup too, at least in my case. Still cuts through a mix well and gives a similar singing quality to leads.

 

[AdrianSD]

Jake E. Lee sound in Badlands has JB all over it. If the JB sounds too shrill and loose try to lower the bass side and raise the filister screws to taste, then perhaps raise the treble side a notch and have the G, B and high E flush with the bobbin. Works for me, gives me a relatively even EQ with rounder highs and tighter bass, while the guitar still keeps that slightly honky, in your face '80 character.

 

[Despised]

+1 on the Perpetual Burn. Where for me a JB was a little too loud, too peaky and too loose, the PB was just right.

You might also consider an AT-1. Quite JB-ish overall, just with tighter chunk in the lows and a bit less upper-mid spike.
Better cleanup too, at least in my case. Still cuts through a mix well and gives a similar singing quality to leads.

Hmmm, interesting. This was why I was looking at something like the Omega and the Alternative 8, where it had tons of clarity yet not so harsh and spike-y in the high end... They are both a tad warmer than the Distortion and the Custom, which might be a little better between the slightly brighter tone of the maple fingerboard and how much high end can be dialed in on the 6505+ & the 6505MH...

I'm also considering now the Dimarzio Super 3 paired with the SDS-1's... I heard a really good demo of the SDS-1 and I really like the way it sounds, plus I'm really antsy to try the Super 3 finally in a maple fingerboard equipped guitar! A buddy of mine turned me on to the Super 3/Evo bridge combo in an Ibanez RG350MDX he had years ago, and I've been anxious to try at least the Super 3 since...

 

[Bogner]

You say the guitar is coming. Do you not have the guitar in hand yet? If not, are you absolutely certain you need to replace pickups? It may sound great as is.

 

[Despised]

Jake E. Lee sound in Badlands has JB all over it. If the JB sounds too shrill and loose try to lower the bass side and raise the filister screws to taste, then perhaps raise the treble side a notch and have the G, B and high E flush with the bobbin. Works for me, gives me a relatively even EQ with rounder highs and tighter bass, while the guitar still keeps that slightly honky, in your face '80 character.

This is equally as interesting to know as well regarding the JB! Thanks for this! I've normally been strictly an EMG user for the longest time, and am starting to experiment more with passives again recently. So now that I know this about the JB, I will keep that in mind while playing it and waiting for the new pickguard and deciding on which new pickups I'm gonna run it it...

I'm now torn between (so far for Duncan...) the Alternative 8 or Omega with the RWRP SSL-5 middle and the Hot Rails neck...

--OR--

Dimarzio Super 3 & SDS-1's...