CU24 pickup thoughts?

[Luke Duke]

So, I've been listening to a lot of Dream Theater over the last few months and am just REALLY liking Petrucci's latest tone from Black Clouds and Silver Linings. I have half a mind to try the crunchlab/liquifire set....I'm just not quite sure how that would sound in a CU24. Different body/neck wood, different neck attachment, and a much thicker maple cap.

For me this guitar has always been tricky (tonally). The bridge slot has held a few different pups, and I think the 78 was in there the longest of all. Currently the bridge has an MJ wound Custom/Dist. hybrid with a a dist mag. I've tried the A2 and A5 mags as well, but ended up back with the ceramic mag. I like this pup in the bridge slot alright. Lots of grind and thickness, but there's still something not quite right to it. A little more presence would be nice I'm thinking.

The neck slot.....geez, It's never made me 100% happy. The thing that aggravates me is the sounds other folks get from their neck slots on 24 fretters that I don't get....fact is, they mostly seem to be Dmz pups. I've tried the stock pup, Jazz, Jazz with A2, 59, and 59 with A2. the 59 with A2 was probably the happiest I had been with a pup in that position. The regular 59's bass is too woofy, and sounds indistinct to me, and of course there is very little actual midrange content. The A2 fixed those problems, but the extended high end was still annoying. I'm not looking for a LP neck pup tone, just something creamier with more sustain.

I was half thinking of a JB in the neck and a straight up Distortion in the bridge. Oh, and it would also help you to know I have a 250K superpot for my volume and a 250K (I think) for the tone. I went with the 250Ks because I was trying to roll off some treble, particularly in the neck slot.

Now for examples....

Count of Tuscany is a good example. The solo tones at 30 seconds, 10:16, and 16:59....and the crunch on 16:02

I also like the solo tone at 21:28 on Octavarium

Solo at 15:38 on Change of Seasons

Neck solo tone at 2:43 on Home Part 2 and the Crunch at 2:53.

So obviously I'm talking about multiple guitars, multiple pups, and multiple guitar manufacturers.....because I like to make things easy of course. :banghead:

As a last point of vanity, whatever pups I put in there I've GOT to be able to get in white to keep my aesthetic intact.

Luke

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: CU24 pickup thoughts?

Guitar tonewoods and pickups are only part of the sound that you produce. Another element is amplification. Then, factor in the fact that JP employs a vast rack system.

Even if you possess the exact same equipment as the internationally famous artiste of your choosing, this is no guarantee of having the exact same sound as that artiste.

Every so often, guitar magazines provide video interviews with the equipment techs of famous bands. Sometimes, the tech will even plug in the gear and play something using one of the artiste's guitars. This playing, no matter how good, never sounds exactly like the artiste in question.

Point #1) Be yourself.

Point #2) Do the best that you can with the resources at your disposal.

Getting on to the pickups.

If a '59/A2 was your best neck PU so far, you are heading towards the APH-1 and Slash signature models. Of the DiMarzio range, I would like to make the leftfield suggestion of the Bluesbucker (with the screw coil nearer the fingerboard and the stud coil nearer the bridge).

Meanwhile, if a bespoke Custom Shop bridge PU isn't doing it for you then you must be even fussier than I am sometimes. I was tempted to suggest the SD Allan Holdsworth model HB but then another idea occurred to me. Try different polepieces in your hybrid HB. If you used to dig the '78, you might like the Pearly Gates Plus. This is available from Fender in white, white or white.

If all else fails, go Brobucker. :naughty:

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: CU24 pickup thoughts?

:smash::smash::smash::smash::smash::smash:

 

[Despair]

Re: CU24 pickup thoughts?

I'd suggest nabbing 0.5" hex head polepiece screws from Addiction-FX. Can get them in a finish matching your other screws for cosmetics, too.

If your bridge pickup mainly needs more bite on the low strings, and you'd like it tighter, try 3 under the wound strings. If you need more bite on the high strings as well, looks like you're swapping out all the screws.

And especially if you try a JB in the neck, try 3 under the wound strings on that as well.

JB with A3 and hexed lows is pretty nice for neck leads. And tight enough to manage some fat chords without being a total mess. So an A3 magnet might be handy as well. I've used it in a 24 fret basswood Ibanez RG570 for a while, and it's interesting for high gain neck leads. Unoriented A5 might also be worth a try, but I haven't tried that, yet.

The SD Allan Holdsworth would have less bass problems, and probably work even better as a neck pickup. Can still do the hexed lows mod on it to tighten it further, and swap out to A3 if it needs to be a bit brighter.

An Air Norton or LiquiFire is going to come a lot closer, even with the different woods, but if you are mainly looking for a creamy neck lead tone, there are a number of Seymour Duncans that are great for that if you want to stay with SD. Distortion neck with similar mods to what I suggested for the JB might be another good choice. A2 Pro, Slash or Pearly Gates (possibly bridge models for extra drive) might work as well.

But amps and effects are at least as important as the pickups. Petrucci is a long time Mesa/Boogie user, as well as recently enthusing about the Axe-Fx.

 

[uOpt]

Re: CU24 pickup thoughts?

Do you have a trem in there?

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: CU24 pickup thoughts?

Yes it has a trem.

I'm not looking specifically for JP's tone, but him and Synyster Gates have great neck slot tones in 24 fret guitars. That thickness is what I'm looking for. The hex heads might help tighten up the bass, hadn't thought about it.

The neck pup has to go eventually, it runs mr nuts. I don't think a paf style pup is going to give me the girth I need.

 

[uOpt]

Re: CU24 pickup thoughts?

I think you want the Full Shred neck.

I have an actual petrucchi on the way. If I like it I might dump the pickups.