Dave Mustaine's Pickups - Over the years

[Yash]

Hey guys! I rarely post here (sadly) but I'll try to be around more as I love discussing guitars and related stuff

I am a big Dave Mustaine fan (kinda obsessive about little details right now) and recently bought a 1999 Jackson KV1 (with LSR tuners) which is currently in transit.
So, while I was researching about Dave's guitars, watching a few interviews (new ones), I kinda compiled what he has used over the years, but there are also some things that I don't know about and would like more information on. So, here goes nothing.

Dave began with Megadeth in 1983, played his BC Rich Bich which had a DiMarzio Super Distortion in the bridge (I assume, correct me if I'm wrong) and a Bill Lawrence pickup in the neck, which I assume is an L500XL which later appeared in his KV Pro signature models.

Then he switched to Jackson guitars after Peace Sells came out in 1986. I saw the Jackson Guitar Palace Mastermind tribute site to Dave Mustaine which has a ton of information on his guitars. So, lots of information is from there.

http://www.jacksonguitarpalace.com/davemustaine/guitars.htm

So, he apparently used some stock Jackson pickups around 88-90, and the work order for his Black King V with a Megadeth logo King V says that he ordered it with J-80 in the bridge, and a J-50N in the neck. Does anyone have more information on these pickups? And, I wonder how did the 5 way in such guitars work?

However, he switched to Seymour Duncans before Rust in Peace, and the guitar currently (I assume) has a JB-4 in the bridge (which will remain constant until he switches to the signature Livewire set), and again, a Bill Lawrence L500XL in the neck. What's the best replacement for such an L500XL pickup in the modern age?

Next, we move on to his Pro series models which were made between 1993-1995, and they came with a Jackson J-92C in the bridge and an L500XL in the neck. What's the J-92C?

Next, in 1996, Jackson came out with the KV1. It came with (according to the catalogs) a Seymour Duncan TB-5 in the bridge and an SH-4 in the neck. However, the KVs did have the TB-4 in the bridge instead, since mine is stock and I had the previous owner look into what is in there.

In 1999, Jackson and Dave came out with the Y2KV which again had the same Dual JB combination.

Later, in 2004, when Dave switched to ESP guitars, his DV8s came with a JB-4 and Jazz set. Which became the basis of his signature Livewire set in 2006, which has been on all of his Deans ever since.

Now, as many of us know, Seymour Duncan and Dave Mustaine came out with the Thrash Factor set last year, which is Dave's JB-4 bridge pickup and a '59 in the neck!? Since when did Dave start favouring a '59 in the neck? And, what's the difference between a usual JB-4 and the Thrash Factor?

Fun fact - Dave's Number 1 Jackson, still currently in his position has the infamous Seymour Duncan in the bridge, and a Livewire in the neck!? Now how does that work? And, why?

And, for the final question, with all the different pickups he has used in the neck position over the years, an L500XL, SH-4, Jazz, Livewire (and now '59, apparently), and the JB being constantly there in the bridge throughout, does he even use the neck pickup, ever? :jester: I've tried to find live videos of songs I suspect he might be, but he uses his bridge pickup for all the clean parts that he rarely plays (Trust, In My Darkest Hour, recently, My Last Words), and every time I see him solo, the switch is in the bridge position. So, why confuse/troll us Dave?

What are your opinions? Any Megadeth fans in the house?

 

[metalchurch79]

Re: Dave Mustaine's Pickups - Over the years

Im fairly certain he used an L500R in the neck which is 7.10k with an A5 mag, which I assume he used to replace an SH-1 '59 (7.43k/A5)
There really is no modern replacemnt for a Bill Lawrence L500C,R, or an L, but the L500XL's modern counter part would be a Dimebucker, but that wouldnt pair well with a JB in the bridge.

You have so many questions so I only touched base on a few of them.

In my opinion the tones Dave had that I prefer are the Super D and the JB, because after Youthanasia I kind of quit listening to their stuff so intently.

One major key to his sound in the era I prefer is a Roctron Prophecy preamp and a Marshall EL-34 100/100 poweramp, and a King V with a Poplar body.

As far as to why his new Thrash factor pickup set consists of a JB (custom wind patterened after his fav JB pickup) and a 59N is because it was easy to make a set to market and secondly $$$.

Im sorry I know i still didnt answer them all, I simply gave an overview with my opinon.
As far as copying his tone, I can get really close with an EMG-81 and my Engl preamp with my Marshall 9200 poweramp so its doable without buying the entire Dave Mustaine starter pack.

Theres a few guys who are into Daves tone and dug into it far more intensely than I have so Im sure if you hang tight they will be along to help you out further.

Recap:
BCRich Bich with a Super D
Jackson King V with a JB
into a Marhall with EL-34's
Crank it up!

 

[Nagisa]

Re: Dave Mustaine's Pickups - Over the years

Honestly I can’t remember him ever using the neck pup.

I’m a huge Megadeth fan myself and had his DV-8 guitar before. I have to say I prefer his plain old JB tones. If ya can’t play Megadeth with a JB and a hot Marshall, it’s not the gear’s fault, ya know

 

[Yash]

Re: Dave Mustaine's Pickups - Over the years

Honestly I can’t remember him ever using the neck pup.

I’m a huge Megadeth fan myself and had his DV-8 guitar before. I have to say I prefer his plain old JB tones. If ya can’t play Megadeth with a JB and a hot Marshall, it’s not the gear’s fault, ya know

Did you have the ESP DV8 or an LTD? How do they compare to the Jackson KV1? I too prefer his old JB tones!

 

[Toejam]

Re: Dave Mustaine's Pickups - Over the years

He used the rails of the BL like extra high frets at times. Not sure he ever actually had it engaged.

 

[Yash]

Re: Dave Mustaine's Pickups - Over the years

He used the rails of the BL like extra high frets at times. Not sure he ever actually had it engaged.

Maybe that's why he doesn't play Last Rites... Loved To Death anymore :biglaugh:

 

[Toejam]

Re: Dave Mustaine's Pickups - Over the years

Maybe. He did The Conjuring recently, though.

 

[dystrust]

Re: Dave Mustaine's Pickups - Over the years

Im fairly certain he used an L500R in the neck which is 7.10k with an A5 mag, which I assume he used to replace an SH-1 '59 (7.43k/A5)
There really is no modern replacemnt for a Bill Lawrence L500C,R, or an L, but the L500XL's modern counter part would be a Dimebucker, but that wouldnt pair well with a JB in the bridge.

Agreed regarding the Bill Lawrences; I find it extremely unlikely that he was using an L500XL in the neck.

In my opinion the tones Dave had that I prefer are the Super D and the JB, because after Youthanasia I kind of quit listening to their stuff so intently.

One major key to his sound in the era I prefer is a Roctron Prophecy preamp and a Marshall EL-34 100/100 poweramp, and a King V with a Poplar body.

Recap:
BCRich Bich with a Super D
Jackson King V with a JB
into a Marhall with EL-34's
Crank it up!

No offense intended, but you seem to have the timeline a bit muddied as far as which gear he was using when.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think KIMB was a stock JMP or JCM800 with EL-34 tubes based on the thinner midrange-heavy tone. Peace Sells was probably the same amp, but I'm thinking he switched to 6550s because the tone is a lot thicker with a lower frequency focus. Both of these albums would've been BC Rich with a Super D.

SFSGSW was primarily recorded with the Megadeth logo'd King V (J2713) and the 'Thrash Factor' JB into a JMP. I've heard that it was modified and I have seen a few photos of the amp, but nothing stood out as definitely not stock.

Rust in Peace was J2713 again, but he abandoned the JMP in favor of a Bogner Triple Giant preamp. AFAIK this was Reinhold Bogner's first rack preamp design which he later sold to Hafler. I've never played either, but I've heard that Hafler cut several corners with their Triple Giant resulting in it not sounding as good as Bogner's. I've also heard that the Triple Giant was a predecessor to the Bogner Fish and that the two sound somewhat similar. Dave's power amp was a VHT 2150.

Dave may have used J2713 on Countdown, or possibly the newer Silver Sparkle V; he used the latter almost exclusively on the Countdown tour. Dave kept the VHT 2150, but swapped out the Triple Giant in favor of a CAE 3+ preamp. He upgraded to a 3+SE for Youthanasia.

Cryptic Writings saw Dave switch to a Marshall JMP-1 & EL-34 100/100, though he was still using the Poplar King Vs. He then switched to the Prophesy for Risk and to Y2KVs for TWNAH.

I've been able to get very close to Dave's Cryptic Writings tone with either a JB or Custom into a Marshall JMP-1 and (original) Mesa 50/50. Like Nagisa, I've never seen Dave use a neck pickup, though I suppose he may have done so in the studio. I've also heard that his live guitars were wired JB -> Volume knob -> output jack.

TL;DR:
KIMB: BC Rich w/ Super D into Marshall 2203 w/ EL-34s
Peace Sells: BC Rich w/ Super D into Marshall 2203 w/ 6550s
SFSGSW: Poplar King V w/ JB into Marshall 2203 (possibly modded)
Rust: Poplar King V w/ JB into Bogner Triple Giant / VHT 2150
Countdown: Poplar King V w/ JB into CAE 3+ / VHT 2150
Youth: Poplar King V w/ JB into CAE 3+SE / VHT 2150
Cryptic: Poplar King V w/ JB into Marshall JMP-1 / EL-34 100/100
Risk: Poplar King V w/ JB into Rocktron Prophesy / Marshall EL-34 100/100
TWNAH: Y2KV w/ JB into Rocktron Prophesy / Marshall EL-34 100/100

 

[Yash]

Re: Dave Mustaine's Pickups - Over the years

Agreed regarding the Bill Lawrences; I find it extremely unlikely that he was using an L500XL in the neck.
I'm not 100% sure, but I think KIMB was a stock JMP or JCM800 with EL-34 tubes based on the thinner midrange-heavy tone. Peace Sells was probably the same amp, but I'm thinking he switched to 6550s because the tone is a lot thicker with a lower frequency focus. Both of these albums would've been BC Rich with a Super D.

SFSGSW was primarily recorded with the Megadeth logo'd King V (J2713) and the 'Thrash Factor' JB into a JMP. I've heard that it was modified and I have seen a few photos of the amp, but nothing stood out as definitely not stock.

Rust in Peace was J2713 again, but he abandoned the JMP in favor of a Bogner Triple Giant preamp. AFAIK this was Reinhold Bogner's first rack preamp design which he later sold to Hafler. I've never played either, but I've heard that Hafler cut several corners with their Triple Giant resulting in it not sounding as good as Bogner's. I've also heard that the Triple Giant was a predecessor to the Bogner Fish and that the two sound somewhat similar. Dave's power amp was a VHT 2150.

Dave may have used J2713 on Countdown, or possibly the newer Silver Sparkle V; he used the latter almost exclusively on the Countdown tour. Dave kept the VHT 2150, but swapped out the Triple Giant in favor of a CAE 3+ preamp. He upgraded to a 3+SE for Youthanasia.

Cryptic Writings saw Dave switch to a Marshall JMP-1 & EL-34 100/100, though he was still using the Poplar King Vs. He then switched to the Prophesy for Risk and to Y2KVs for TWNAH.

I've been able to get very close to Dave's Cryptic Writings tone with either a JB or Custom into a Marshall JMP-1 and (original) Mesa 50/50. Like Nagisa, I've never seen Dave use a neck pickup, though I suppose he may have done so in the studio. I've also heard that his live guitars were wired JB -> Volume knob -> output jack.

TL;DR:
KIMB: BC Rich w/ Super D into Marshall 2203 w/ EL-34s
Peace Sells: BC Rich w/ Super D into Marshall 2203 w/ 6550s
SFSGSW: Poplar King V w/ JB into Marshall 2203 (possibly modded)
Rust: Poplar King V w/ JB into Bogner Triple Giant / VHT 2150
Countdown: Poplar King V w/ JB into CAE 3+ / VHT 2150
Youth: Poplar King V w/ JB into CAE 3+SE / VHT 2150
Cryptic: Poplar King V w/ JB into Marshall JMP-1 / EL-34 100/100
Risk: Poplar King V w/ JB into Rocktron Prophesy / Marshall EL-34 100/100
TWNAH: Y2KV w/ JB into Rocktron Prophesy / Marshall EL-34 100/100

Wow! Thanks for the amazing information! But, couldn't SFSGSW be the Jackson pickup, not the JB? Anyway, couldn't imagine that RIP, CTE, and Youthanasia weren't recorded with Marshalls.. Dave always goes with the story that the Holy Wars solo came up because the Marshall JCM 800 was feedbacking so much and he just began ripping.

Also, I suspect he did record some Risk with the Y2KV prototypes that he got made? And, damn, TWNAH sounds amazing for an album recorded with the Rocktron Prophecy, I always thought it was Marshalls.

What about The System Has Failed, and United Abominations? Did he use the ESPs on TSHF or did he just recorded with the old Jacksons and played the ESPs live?

And, I bet he still uses the Jackson in the studio, one of his silver KVs were spotted in the background while Dystopia was being recorded.

 

[dystrust]

Re: Dave Mustaine's Pickups - Over the years

Wow! Thanks for the amazing information! But, couldn't SFSGSW be the Jackson pickup, not the JB? Anyway, couldn't imagine that RIP, CTE, and Youthanasia weren't recorded with Marshalls.. Dave always goes with the story that the Holy Wars solo came up because the Marshall JCM 800 was feedbacking so much and he just began ripping.

Also, I suspect he did record some Risk with the Y2KV prototypes that he got made? And, damn, TWNAH sounds amazing for an album recorded with the Rocktron Prophecy, I always thought it was Marshalls.

What about The System Has Failed, and United Abominations? Did he use the ESPs on TSHF or did he just recorded with the old Jacksons and played the ESPs live?

And, I bet he still uses the Jackson in the studio, one of his silver KVs were spotted in the background while Dystopia was being recorded.

I suppose it's possible that SFSGSW was a J80 instead of a JB. J2713 had the stock pickups in all of the '87 photos I was able to find, while it definitely had the JB and Bill Lawrence in '88. I've never heard that story about Holy Wars, so I can't comment on that.

He could've used just about anything on Risk; when Jackson still had the Custom Shop archive online, they had a ton of stuff from '97/'98 where Dave was obviously experimenting and working toward what became the Y2KV. He was also playing one of the original Y2KVs at Woodstock '99, so you're probably right about that.

 

[Joey Voltage]

Re: Dave Mustaine's Pickups - Over the years

Here you go, straight from a Jackson catalogue. I used to have one of these sheets in the 90’s
http://jacksonguitars.info/jackson/electronics/pg4&5.jpg
Looks similar to a custom 5. The 80C a regular custom.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Dave Mustaine's Pickups - Over the years

Im fairly certain he used an L500R in the neck which is 7.10k with an A5 mag, which I assume he used to replace an SH-1 '59 (7.43k/A5)
There really is no modern replacemnt for a Bill Lawrence L500C,R, or an L, but the L500XL's modern counter part would be a Dimebucker, but that wouldnt pair well with a JB in the bridge.

First off, this is a bit nitpicky, but your comparison of the 59 and L500R based off of DCR and magnets is completely invalid due to the wealth of construction and wind differences between the two. Like I said, this is nitpicky so no need to feel like you need to justify your comment or anything like that.

But the real intention of this comment is asking why do you think there is no modern replacement for the L500R? Wilde, Bill and Becky, and Bill Lawrence USA all make authentic, non-reissue L500s whereas the Dimebucker is merely an SD interpretation that costs three times the price.

 

[Van Noord]

Re: Dave Mustaine's Pickups - Over the years

Hmmmmm... MegaDave's tone is not one that you see player's actively chase very often, if at all.....

 

[Zheddar]

Re: Dave Mustaine's Pickups - Over the years

But the real intention of this comment is asking why do you think there is no modern replacement for the L500R? Wilde, Bill and Becky, and Bill Lawrence USA all make authentic, non-reissue L500s whereas the Dimebucker is merely an SD interpretation that costs three times the price.

Where are you picking those up for $35? The Duncan Dimebag is $105, and the cheapest I usually see the other L500's for is $50 or more.

 

[metalchurch79]

Re: Dave Mustaine's Pickups - Over the years

The Rocktron/EL-34 setup he did use later and I actually meant his live setup. While I didnt listen to much after Youthanasia I much preferred his live tone for those older songs at that point.
I also said he most likely used an L500R in the neck not an L500XL.

No matter cause the guitar tones on the albums in a full band setting with all the studio polishing and over dubs and extra tracking are night and day compared to his isolated tracks, which arent too far removed from what anyone can accomplish with decent gear. Now replicating the studio tone in a live setting, impossible. Replicating his studio tone in the studio, not impossible, but almost impossible.

Lots of really really good info was posted and I knew someone would deliver the goods on this.

 

[metalchurch79]

Re: Dave Mustaine's Pickups - Over the years

First off, this is a bit nitpicky, but your comparison of the 59 and L500R based off of DCR and magnets is completely invalid due to the wealth of construction and wind differences between the two. Like I said, this is nitpicky so no need to feel like you need to justify your comment or anything like that.

But the real intention of this comment is asking why do you think there is no modern replacement for the L500R? Wilde, Bill and Becky, and Bill Lawrence USA all make authentic, non-reissue L500s whereas the Dimebucker is merely an SD interpretation that costs three times the price.

I wasnt comparing them based on number on paper, I included that info to further the point that he most likely used an L500R in the neck because he did use an SH-1.

Wilde is Bill and Becky, and the Bill Lawrence USA are ok, but they arent the same thing, so aside from those two and the Dimebucker, which are all blade style, there really isnt another pickup in that category, hence my statement about a modern replacement.
I think you read too far into what I posted, I know its nitpicky, so no need to justify your comment or anything.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Dave Mustaine's Pickups - Over the years

Where are you picking those up for $35? The Duncan Dimebag is $105, and the cheapest I usually see the other L500's for is $50 or more.

The cheapest I have seen them on Reverb is $80 for a set. They show up around that range every now and then.

I wasnt comparing them based on number on paper, I included that info to further the point that he most likely used an L500R in the neck because he did use an SH-1.

I know you were, but this is one of those cases where numbers can be really decieving. The L500 series is a lot more transparent and balanced, as well as has quite a bit more output. I'd say they are apples and oranges really.

 

[metalchurch79]

Re: Dave Mustaine's Pickups - Over the years

I absolutely agree my friend! Fwiw, I own a Bill/Becky (aka Wilde Pickups) L500R,L500L,L500XL,Dimebucker, and a 59 so im familiar with these and what they do. Theyre also all for sale if anyone wants them.

 

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: Dave Mustaine's Pickups - Over the years

This is to your "any info on these Jackson pickups?'

http://www.charvelusa.com/images/big-jackson-pickups.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v664/Chucksplatter/CJ Catalogs Ads etc/SDCJCPC.jpg
http://www.charvelusa.com/images/jackson-pickups-chart.jpg

The J80 is one of the harder one's to come by.

 

[Joey Voltage]

Re: Dave Mustaine's Pickups - Over the years

This is to your "any info on these Jackson pickups?'

http://www.charvelusa.com/images/big-jackson-pickups.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v664/Chucksplatter/CJ Catalogs Ads etc/SDCJCPC.jpg
http://www.charvelusa.com/images/jackson-pickups-chart.jpg

The J80 is one of the harder one's to come by.

I also posted that second sheet a few responses above. One thing to note is that there is a difference between the Jackson pickups manufactured in the the USA, and the ones made in Japan after production moved there. As to which Dave had, I don’t know.