Bridge pickup suggestions

[CTG805]

Hey all,

I am planning on swapping out the bridge pickup on my '98 Washburn Culprit -- I believe it has a basswood body and maple neck. I've had Dimebuckers, JBs and an Invader in past axes. I think I've narrowed down my selection to:

1. Thrash Factor

2. Dimebucker

3. Omega

4. Slug

I'll be using a Boss SD1 into a Peavey XXX. I mainly play thrash, punk and rock n' roll -- What would you all recommend for my setup?

Much appreciated!

 

[Mincer]

Re: Bridge pickup suggestions

Welcome to the forum!

What don't you like about your current pickups?

 

[misterwhizzy]

Re: Bridge pickup suggestions

Hey all,

I am planning on swapping out the bridge pickup on my '98 Washburn Culprit -- I believe it has a basswood body and maple neck. I've had Dimebuckers, JBs and an Invader in past axes. I think I've narrowed down my selection to:

1. Thrash Factor

2. Dimebucker

3. Omega

4. Slug

I'll be using a Boss SD1 into a Peavey XXX. I mainly play thrash, punk and rock n' roll -- What would you all recommend for my setup?

Less output, if I'm being totally honest. I'd recommend the Custom, if you want something versatile that will definitely handle itself with quite a bit of gain.

 

[CTG805]

Re: Bridge pickup suggestions

Welcome to the forum!

What don't you like about your current pickups?

It's a little muddy and doesn't have as much sustain as my other guitars. It could be the nature of the guitar, but I figure that this would be the best variable to change first.

 

[EDX]

Re: Bridge pickup suggestions

if it's muddy yhen you need something tight n bright, it being a culprit i'm dure it has enough wood to handle a dimebucker without sounding anhemic, now the question, is really the dimebucker what you want?

i love dime's tone and my main tone is heavily inspired on his, but i play mostly thrash with the ocassional black sabbath, zz top and some candlemass and couple butchered up blues licks here and there.

i would say the thrash factor and dimebucker are sure bets, you can't go wrong with neither, the slug would be an option if you were going for stoner or your guitar was tight to begin with.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Bridge pickup suggestions

If you decide on the Dimebucker, consider looking into the Bill Lawrence L500XL, it's the pickup that the Dimebucker was based off of and in my opinion it is better. It also only cost ~$50 new as opposed to $100.

 

[Nagisa]

Re: Bridge pickup suggestions

Why not stock jb? Way cheaper and will probably sound as good as the thrash factor.

Custom is always good.

Could go the Dimarzio route too, Illuminator gets good reviews. If you do more rhythm stuff like Megadeth I would stick to jb or tf, if more leads maybe Dimarzio, but that's just me

 

[CTG805]

Re: Bridge pickup suggestions

if it's muddy yhen you need something tight n bright, it being a culprit i'm dure it has enough wood to handle a dimebucker without sounding anhemic, now the question, is really the dimebucker what you want?

i love dime's tone and my main tone is heavily inspired on his, but i play mostly thrash with the ocassional black sabbath, zz top and some candlemass and couple butchered up blues licks here and there.

i would say the thrash factor and dimebucker are sure bets, you can't go wrong with neither, the slug would be an option if you were going for stoner or your guitar was tight to begin with.

I've been a big fan of the dimebucker sound. From my past guitars (had two with this pickup) it's really tightened things up on the low end and my leads really scream. I know I can't go wrong with this option, but I'd like to see what else is out there. Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[CTG805]

Re: Bridge pickup suggestions

Why not stock jb? Way cheaper and will probably sound as good as the thrash factor.

Custom is always good.

Could go the Dimarzio route too, Illuminator gets good reviews. If you do more rhythm stuff like Megadeth I would stick to jb or tf, if more leads maybe Dimarzio, but that's just me

I've played through a few JBs and they seem to be hit or miss for me -- Some sound great, but others are just 'good.' If I'm going to take the time to order and install a pickup, I don't want to do it again in a few months if I'm not totally stoked on it. I don't mind spending that $50 for the peace of mind.

I have literally no experience with DiMarzio pickups :l I think I'll stick to SD since they've been good to me in the past I'm a lead guitar playing in my current band, so I need something that'll deliver but rhythm tone is more important to me. I'd just like to hear a demo of the TF.

 

[CTG805]

Re: Bridge pickup suggestions

If you decide on the Dimebucker, consider looking into the Bill Lawrence L500XL, it's the pickup that the Dimebucker was based off of and in my opinion it is better. It also only cost ~$50 new as opposed to $100.

Yep, although I was reading up on the authenticity of these pickups and it seemed a little sketchy from some outlets. Could you link me to a reputable seller?

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Bridge pickup suggestions

There are actually quite a lot of versions of "real" L500's out there (Wilde, Bill Lawrence USA, Bill And Becky) that each have their own unique, yet similar, sounds. Usually I order from the Wilde website as they have a large variety of non-L500 pickups as well, but you can't go wrong with ordering from Musician's Friend or Guitar Center.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Re: Bridge pickup suggestions

Honestly, I'd stay away from output monsters like the Dimebucker with the Peavey XXX. I used to have one. It was a great amp, but that amp had A LOT of gain on tap that can be hard to control. Too much at times.

I'd stick with something medium-high when it comes to output. The Custom family might be good choices. Perhaps Nazgul or Pegasus too.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Bridge pickup suggestions

I'd narrow this down to the Dimebucker or Omega. The Dimebucker is slightly louder, while the Omega seems slightly clearer due to less compression.

 

[CTG805]

Re: Bridge pickup suggestions

There are actually quite a lot of versions of "real" L500's out there (Wilde, Bill Lawrence USA, Bill And Becky) that each have their own unique, yet similar, sounds. Usually I order from the Wilde website as they have a large variety of non-L500 pickups as well, but you can't go wrong with ordering from Musician's Friend or Guitar Center.

I vaguely remember this when I was looking into these pickups some time ago.. I'll have to do my research and check 'em out.

 

[CTG805]

Re: Bridge pickup suggestions

Honestly, I'd stay away from output monsters like the Dimebucker with the Peavey XXX. I used to have one. It was a great amp, but that amp had A LOT of gain on tap that can be hard to control. Too much at times.

I'd stick with something medium-high when it comes to output. The Custom family might be good choices. Perhaps Nazgul or Pegasus too.

Absolutely, those things are beasts. I usually keep the gain around 10 o'clock on the mid channel with a fully boosted SD-1 and that's more than enough for me. I've liked the demos I've heard from the Nazgul, so I'll give it another listen.