Dimebucker or Blackouts?

[vermillion_blood89]

well the topic says it all.. im just confused to choose between a pair of dimebuckers (for the bridge n neck).. and the blackouts (bridge n neck)..

please tell me something.. whether the lead tone of the blackouts sound like an EMG 81 or 85 pu or not.. COZ I HATE THAT TONE... honestly i hate the EMGs tone... n i heard that since both (EMG 81/85 n Blackouts) are active pus they sound quite similar... plz if thats the case then buying a pair of blackouts would be the last thing on my mind... i would choose any other pu so that i can reject that EMG like tone...

anyway.. i play death metal n power metal.. i like stuff like pantera, children of bodom, arch enemy, lamb of god.. of course i listen to others stuffs too but if i was asked to present my music taste/style i would only mention those 5 bands...

yeah i play both heavy chunky riffs.. those aggressive moshpit power chords for the riffs/rhythms.. n fast.. melodious.. solos..too

so i want that sharp like tone for the solos.. n high gain raw distortion tone....

by the way i dont luv dream theatre/symphony x.. i mean not into progressive stuff.. wanna jus stick to heavy death..metal.. n just needed to choose pus for my LTD EX 260..

thanks guys..

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Dimebucker or Blackouts?

uh um okay

what's wrong with the guitar as it is now? what do you want it to do, that it's not already doing? there really isn't a 'best' pickup...just the one that fits into your rig and style the best...What kind of amp, pedals, etc are you using?

i think the Dimebucker sounds terrible, in every guitar i've ever tried it in...and it's definitely not designed to go in the neck spot, ever.

i haven't tried the Blackouts yet so i can't really comment on them, but i hear they are like an 'improved' version of the EMG 81 / 85 set...

With most modern amps and pedals you don't really need super duper high output METAL IN YOUR FACE ****ER pickups...i can get a really good metal tone with my Fender Strat which has a P90 in it...

 

[SlowGroove]

Re: Dimebucker or Blackouts?

i haven't tried the Blackouts yet so i can't really comment on them, but i hear they are like an 'improved' version of the EMG 81 / 85 set...

With most modern amps and pedals you don't really need super duper high output METAL IN YOUR FACE ****ER pickups...i can get a really good metal tone with my Fender Strat which has a P90 in it...

I have to agree w this guy today



James

 

[vermillion_blood89]

Re: Dimebucker or Blackouts?

u
what's wrong with the guitar as it is now? what do you want it to do, that it's not already doing? .What kind of amp, pedals, etc are you using?

i haven't tried the Blackouts yet so i can't really comment on them, but i hear they are like an 'improved' version of the EMG 81 / 85 set...

the guitar is allright.. i mean thats the problem its just allright not great... hence i wanna change the pickups... i play a local amp (it reads STRANGER on the amp grill cover)... just some random amp...

HOLY ****... they sound like EMGs??? NOW WAY.... im grounded.. i mean im left with no choice.. arggh

 

[SlowGroove]

Re: Dimebucker or Blackouts?

Just to add something in the mix . . .


. . . i see that EMG has their Black Out contenders on the market now, called the "X-series" !

i wondered how long they would take to get somethint to rival the supperior Black Outs !
Utoob has a very good EMG vs. Black Out test ! Very well recorded too.


James

 

[SlowGroove]

Re: Dimebucker or Blackouts?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoSvdirNK2o


James

 

[mustaine-who?]

Re: Dimebucker or Blackouts?

The BO's do not sound like EMGs. Very different animals in comparison. Get the BO set and have someone install them unless you feel comfortable gutting your guitar and doing it yourself.

I have played most of the actives, and my fav's in order are:

BO neck in the bridge
EMG 85
BO bridge
EMG 81
Mustaine Livewires

I play aggressive thrash and some prog.

 

[vermillion_blood89]

Re: Dimebucker or Blackouts?

thanks for the link... hmm i watched n listened the clip carefully for a couple of times....

i (in my opinion) in a asummary... conclude that i liked the blackouts tone better than the emgs..

by the way "Empty Pocktes" was saying that a modern amps/pedals also play an important role for the tone of the guitar... did he mean that instead of upgrading to blackouts/(any pus) i should change the amp and my distortion pdeal?

 

[anewdefguitarist]

Re: Dimebucker or Blackouts?

thanks for the link... hmm i watched n listened the clip carefully for a couple of times....

i (in my opinion) in a asummary... conclude that i liked the blackouts tone better than the emgs..

by the way "Empty Pocktes" was saying that a modern amps/pedals also play an important role for the tone of the guitar... did he mean that instead of upgrading to blackouts/(any pus) i should change the amp and my distortion pdeal?

pickups will only take you so far. a good tube amp will take you miles and miles ahead of a decent amp -> decent guitar -> awesome pickups setup. the pickups are only part of the equation. yeah you can make a guitar sound better with awesome pickups, but in the long run, its like a band aid on a broken arm, ya know? not saying your amp/pedal is junk, cause i dont know im just saying...

 

[Diocletian]

Re: Dimebucker or Blackouts?

Get a decent amp first, stranger.

Welcome to the forum BTW!

 

[SlowGroove]

Re: Dimebucker or Blackouts?

The BO's do not sound like EMGs. Very different animals in comparison. Get the BO set and have someone install them unless you feel comfortable gutting your guitar and doing it yourself.

I have played most of the actives, and my fav's in order are:

BO neck in the bridge
EMG 85
BO bridge
EMG 81
Mustaine Livewires

I play aggressive thrash and some prog.

Neck BO in the bridge ?
Why so ?
Do you pay with two Neck units then ?


James

 

[mustaine-who?]

Re: Dimebucker or Blackouts?

Neck BO in the bridge ?
Why so ?
Do you pay with two Neck units then ?


James

I actually had it in a HSS superstrat, so I had a BO single coil in the neck. The BO neck uses a A5 magnet, so its organic, and thick, and chewy. Still tight, and has good presence. Much like how people prefer the EMG 85 to the 81 in the bridge.

If I was going to run a BO neck in the bridge of an HH guitar, I'd try either a BO neck, EMG 81, or EMG 60 in the neck.

 

[SlowGroove]

Re: Dimebucker or Blackouts?

thanks for the link... hmm i watched n listened the clip carefully for a couple of times....

i (in my opinion) in a asummary... conclude that i liked the blackouts tone better than the emgs..

by the way "Empty Pocktes" was saying that a modern amps/pedals also play an important role for the tone of the guitar... did he mean that instead of upgrading to blackouts/(any pus) i should change the amp and my distortion pdeal?

Glad we can help !

And yes, WELCOME TO THE FORUMS MATE !!!!


Yes, an amp will get you sooo much more into that tone in your head than any pick up ever will !
Pointless if you want a Krankenstein type tone, but you sit with a Marshall JTM45, for example !


James

 

[SlowGroove]

Re: Dimebucker or Blackouts?

I actually had it in a HSS superstrat, so I had a BO single coil in the neck. The BO neck uses a A5 magnet, so its organic, and thick, and chewy. Still tight, and has good presence. Much like how people prefer the EMG 85 to the 81 in the bridge.

If I was going to run a BO neck in the bridge of an HH guitar, I'd try either a BO neck, EMG 81, or EMG 60 in the neck.

Thanks for the info !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq-vB_Z7QWU

Sounds good ! BO set in here !




James

 

[Perry D]

Re: Dimebucker or Blackouts?

i would not put a Dimebucker in the neck if your going to go that route. i would go either 59 or Jazz. i played the Dimebucker in one of the signature Dimebag guitars and it was cool. although i think i would go with the Blackouts though.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Dimebucker or Blackouts?

Just to clarify what i said earlier...yes, amps and pedals have WAY MORE impact on your tone than your pickups ever will.

What i tell the majority of the people who come into my shop asking for pickups is to make sure everything else is 'right' first. You wanna be like 70% of the way to your tone as far as amp and pedals are concerned because the pickups and guitar itself aren't gonna have nearly as much impact.

For example...i can use the Strat i mentioned before which has nothing but single coils and a P90 for metal tones...i have to use a Big Muff fuzz AND an overdrive pedal into a cranked half stack to get there, but I can get there.

Contrarily, you could have 666 Blackout Metal pickups in a BC Rich Warbeast carved from Satan's bones and it will still sound clean and sparkly if you plug it straight into a Twin.

You change your pickups to 'fine tune' your sound, i guess is what i'm trying to say.

 

[vermillion_blood89]

Re: Dimebucker or Blackouts?

Get a decent amp first, stranger.

Welcome to the forum BTW!

thanks lol.. yeah thats (STRANGER) what my amp grill cover has engraved with..

Glad we can help !

And yes, WELCOME TO THE FORUMS MATE !!!!

Yes, an amp will get you sooo much more into that tone in your head than any pick up ever will !
Pointless if you want a Krankenstein type tone, but you sit with a Marshall JTM45, for example !
James

i dont think i can afford an expensive marshall at the moment (othrewise i would have bought an expensiv guitar rather than the ex260..)

Just to clarify what i said earlier...yes, amps and pedals have WAY MORE impact on your tone than your pickups ever will.

OK.. so i guess i should save money for a decent amp like a Marshall JVM.. or Randall something.... n ive decided not to change me pus now.. first save for a great amp..

by the way .. should i get a famous/well reputed distortion pedal or an overdrive pedal? right now i have a boss ds1 distortion pedal..

(i dont know much about distortion pedals.. i cant afford a multieffect processor right now)..

someone mentioned somethign about overdrive pdeal...

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Dimebucker or Blackouts?

i like my DS-1 a lot through my 68 Fender Bassman dude. I dunno if it's capable of the kinda metal tones you're after but it's a solid stomp.

I think for like 'immediate gratification' i would take your amp to a shop and test a few distortion pedals and see which one gets you closest to the sound in your head. Then use that pedal and save up for a decent amp...doesn't have to be a brand new $1800 JVM to sound good y'know?

 

[vermillion_blood89]

Re: Dimebucker or Blackouts?

OK... so ill keep my boss ds1 .. n get a great used amp if i can..

ive searched in ebay, different shops too.. u generally dont get the stuff u look for...

as in if i want a used jackson king v guitar from ebay.. u dont find any price difference between the new ones n the used nes in ebay..

ive also looked in "B stock" of some shops .. there u get things cheap.. but then again u dont find the thing ur looking for...

how about an average MG100 amp? my point is they are less than 500$ new .. so if a look for a used one may b ill find cheaper.. point is dont have enough for those JVMs.. (the JVMS may b awesome but hello money talks)..

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Dimebucker or Blackouts?

...does it HAVE to say Marshall on the front? I mean those MG's aren't bad but i'd look at some other older used tube combos and stuff...there's a lot more gear out there than what you see on Musician's Friend.

For metal, look at some old Peavey's (VTMs and stuff) and I mean...anything. Unless you're gigging then 50-100 watts is gonna be more than you need. A Vox Valvetronix VT15 or 30 is a great all-around at-home practice amp with SICK metal tones. I mean...lots of choices bro!