Brown Sound from all Mahogany???

[MaxTorque]

I have an Agile AL-2500 with a Floyd Rose Tremolo, all mahogany body (no maple cap) rosewood fret-board, set neck. It's basically a Les Paul knockoff with a Floyd on it. http://www.rondomusic.com/al2500blkfloydrose.html

I would like to put a new pickup in the bridge. I really like E.V.H.'s tone and I like to easily get harmonics. Taking the all mahogany body and rosewood fret-board into consideration what would you recommend? I'm looking for Seymour Duncan and or Dimarzio recommendations as well.

Other than the lame pickups I really like this inexpensive guitar. If I can find a nice bridge pickup she will be a keeper.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Brown Sound from all Mahogany???

Gold or zebra. Custom 5/Jazz. Imagine a 59 set with a hotter bridge and more balanced neck pickup. That's the C5/Jazz.

 

[hanumanlangur]

Re: Brown Sound from all Mahogany???

I would think that the brown sound has more to do with saturating power tubes prematurely. You might have some decent luck with a good overdrive pedal and a compressor.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Brown Sound from all Mahogany???

Duncan Custom? Do you like Michael Schenker's tone?

 

[Aceman]

Re: Brown Sound from all Mahogany???

I would typically recommend the CC for this - but NOT in this case if the guitar is dark...BUT, with the floyd, might be fairly bright?

And +1 to brown is mostly the amp.

 

[Sirion]

Re: Brown Sound from all Mahogany???

Before buying ANYTHING, read this:

http://www.jfrocks3.com/jfrocks/brownsound.html

 

[disturb]

Re: Brown Sound from all Mahogany???

Before buying ANYTHING, read this:

http://www.jfrocks3.com/jfrocks/brownsound.html

I wouldn't listen to anything that guy says. Telling people to turn the treble to almost max and the mids down to 2 or 3. That's a recipe for s*** tone. I do like lower bass settings, but that's way too much treble and major scooped mids. That's Metallica, not brown. And he's using a Crate? I don't know what kind of player he is, maybe incredible; but I wouldn't take any tone tips from him.

 

[jerryjg]

Re: Brown Sound from all Mahogany???

I think your barking up the wrong tree. Basswood is more like waht youre looking for, but yea, like the other dude said, its laregely an amp thing.

 

[Sirion]

Re: Brown Sound from all Mahogany???

I wouldn't listen to anything that guy says. Telling people to turn the treble to almost max and the mids down to 2 or 3. That's a recipe for s*** tone. I do like lower bass settings, but that's way too much treble and major scooped mids. That's Metallica, not brown. And he's using a Crate? I don't know what kind of player he is, maybe incredible; but I wouldn't take any tone tips from him.

I've never heard a guitarist come closer to VHs tone than he does... and that is with yard sale equipment. Here is a guitar tone he got using that very equipment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGj3drtp_Fo

Pretty close, eye? Certainly so close that no one hearing you live would complain about it? This proves that getting into Eddie territory is not nearly as hard as people claim it is.

 

[MaxTorque]

Re: Brown Sound from all Mahogany???

Yea I have read multiple posts here recommending the 78 Model or Custom Custom but that is based on an Alder/Ash body and maple neck etc. With darker sounding mahogany body and rosewood I am at a loss.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Brown Sound from all Mahogany???

Yea I have read multiple posts here recommending the 78 Model or Custom Custom but that is based on an Alder/Ash body and maple neck etc. With darker sounding mahogany body and rosewood I am at a loss.

Just stay away from Alnico 2. That's why I suggested the C5/Jazz. It's one of the best combos for a mahogany LP type guitar. Tight, ballsy, and articulate.

 

[Mephis]

Re: Brown Sound from all Mahogany???

I would agree with gear joneser.

You're already barking up kind of an odd tree here. If you're not already able to get close, as it is with your current amp, a pickup change won't help at all.

Now if you're almost there, but not quite, a pickup change will do the trick.

 

[revolution]

Re: Brown Sound from all Mahogany???

SD's Custom Shop '78 model. Nuff said.

 

[MaxTorque]

Re: Brown Sound from all Mahogany???

SD's Custom Shop '78 model. Nuff said.

:bsflag: Yea '78 Model is the typical boiler plate answer to brown sound but not even close with a mahogany body, rosewood fret-board, and set neck. Most likely would be too dark.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Brown Sound from all Mahogany???

By the way...weren't some of the VH1 tunes recorded on a Les Paul?

 

[revolution]

Re: Brown Sound from all Mahogany???

:bsflag: Yea '78 Model is the typical boiler plate answer to brown sound but not even close with a mahogany body, rosewood fret-board, and set neck. Most likely would be too dark.

I don't think the 78 would be too dark for that guitar. It isn't a dark pickup at all. I had it in a Les Paul and I thought it was too bright. It also depends on which brown sound you are referring to. You Really Got me? Running with the Devil? Dance the Night Away? Then your on the right road. EVH used an Ibanez Destroyer on all of those and he and Chris Holmes claim that both of their Destroyers were Korina which is a type of Mahogany.Ed used Chris's Destroyer on WCF after he sawed his up...supposedly because he couldn't find another Korina one because they were all made of ash. He and Chris happened to buy rare first issue ones that may have been Korina. In this case I would have SD place an Alnico 8 magnet in a Seth Lover bridge. The Super 70s were covered and unpotted with AL8 mags. I know...I have two of them. If you're referring to the Fair Warning brown sound I'd still go with a 78 , or Lindy Fralin's "Unbucker". Ed's Brown Sound is suspected to be all coming from one coil or very little power coming from the "quiet/broken" coil. Thus giving his guitar the pounding treble of a single coil and because of the field of the bar magnet creates a different field...he gets all the balls of a humbucker with killer unique spackled mids. Quite an unusual accident/experiment. Lindy's Unbucker winds up one coil hot and then another one at like 1k sort of a "dummy coil" for hum cancellation. Another important thing is that he drills the pickup into the body of the Frankenstien which helps with adding some more low end...DO NOT do that with a mahogany body. It WILL be too dark. "woof woof woof woof".Dangle the 78 like normal from a mounting ring and you'll get nice and close.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Brown Sound from all Mahogany???

I EVH used an Ibanez Destroyer on all of those and he and Chris Holmes claim that both of their Destroyers were Korina which is a type of Mahogany.

But it's closer to Alder than to many other types of mahogany.

In general, mahogany can be all over the place if you consider junky enough kinds not normally used for guitars outside Epiphone.

 

[JohnnyGuitar]

Re: Brown Sound from all Mahogany???

A. if those are the same specs as in the link it's a maple neck guitar which makes this guitar a lot brighter then a Les Paul (and don't forget about the Floyd). It should be closer to the category of Strats in terms of brightness, not Les Pauls. Only the owner can really tell though...

B. The sound samples of most of the humbuckers SD offers are played on a Les Paul (pretty good for the comparison you're trying to make), through a Marshall (very good for EVH tone), and if if I remember correctly they are played with the bass cranked up - that's what EVH used to do on many tracks.
So get into the sound samples page, listen to the pickups - see if something has the qualities that you're searching for... and good luck... let us know if found something.

 

[hamerfan]

Re: Brown Sound from all Mahogany???

I currently have a CC/59 hybrid in all mahogany Hamer Special. Warm and clear at the same time. With an alnico 8 it has a bit more power and brings out the harmonics a little better. A Custom with a Alnico is all about harmonics like the later VH.
My .02