Distortion or 59 in the neck for liquid sustain?

[massy]

Hi everybody,
After several pickup swaps in my PRS CE22 (CC, Custom, EVO2, AirNorton,59)
I'm settled to the Duncan Custom and Duncan '59 combo...great thick rythm sounds, screaming leads, sound beautiful when they are splitted, but I'm missing the fattness and liquid feel of the AirNorton in the neck position...I want to stay with SD and I have the chance to get for a good price a Duncan Distortion Neck, wich has a a DC res. of about 12k, very similar to the AirNorton, but the DD is ceramic and the AN is AlnicoV...any chance to get the same liquid and sustaining sound from the DD neck? Having a '59, a magnet swap between the DD and the '59 sounds like a bad idea?

 

[Robert S.]

Re: Distortion or 59 in the neck for liquid sustain?

The DDn is a killer pickup. I have a DD set in a Les Paul and for fat, liquid tones the DDn is hard to beat.

 

[Artie]

Re: Distortion or 59 in the neck for liquid sustain?

Both good choices, but I gotta agree with Robert. The DDn is one of my favorite neck pups.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Distortion or 59 in the neck for liquid sustain?

How can a 13 Kohm neck pickup be any good? I assume this is awg44 but seriously?

I would use a Sceamin' Demon in the neck. That's a fatty but articulate A5 for the neck. But as indicated, I haven't tested the DD neck.

 

[massy]

Re: Distortion or 59 in the neck for liquid sustain?

I know its an high DC for a neck pickup, but as a matter of fact, the AirNorton, that has a DC res of 12k, is one of the most beautiful neck pickup ever made, under heavy loads of gain remains clear and articulated, splitted is beautiful and snappy...
Today I think that I will get the DDn from my buddy and I'll give it a try...

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Distortion or 59 in the neck for liquid sustain?

The Demon gets my vote for this application, but I got to say, the DDn is intriguing.

 

[massy]

Re: Distortion or 59 in the neck for liquid sustain?

ok,
swap done...
the DDneck is almost "Nortonish", liquid sustain and great definition on fast runs or slow melodic solos.
highly suggested if you're looking for a modern sounding neck pickup, powerful and defined.

 

[A-Ro]

Re: Distortion or 59 in the neck for liquid sustain?

ok,
swap done...
the DDneck is almost "Nortonish", liquid sustain and great definition on fast runs or slow melodic solos.
highly suggested if you're looking for a modern sounding neck pickup, powerful and defined.

How is it clean?

 

[sick1982]

Re: Distortion or 59 in the neck for liquid sustain?

I'm putting in DDs too

Just desoldered everything

Probably tomorrow I'm going to cut my strings, take the old pickups out, and TRY to get the DDs in first .. I think I might need to vile the corners of the metal plate a bit.

 

[metlking]

Re: Distortion or 59 in the neck for liquid sustain?

How is it clean?

I had a DD set in a Les Paul for awhile and for high gain neck pickup leads the DDn ruled! But, in my opinion it did not do clean so well. If you want clean go with the 59, if you want screaming neck leads, go with the DD. :yeah:

I'm sticking with the DD in the bridge and a 59 in the neck..........

 

[SAVAGE DISTORTION]

Re: Distortion or 59 in the neck for liquid sustain?

the DDn is a killer neck pup too many guys worry about resistance readings and not just the tone of the pup:smash:
I like it for too reasons first off it is fat but clear and second it splits great
a have a distortion set with a coil tap and it gets a lot of cool, sweet tones
for a so called "distortion" set
that name is very wrong for these pups
sure they can get mean and roar but there is more to these than that
will be putting a set in my new charvel san dimas as well

 

[sick1982]

Re: Distortion or 59 in the neck for liquid sustain?

I was wondering, will I be able to replace the mounting plate of the pickups with my current (Ibanez) pickups without damaging something? The rounding of the neck pickup's mounting plate looks like it's not going to fit into my guitar.

 

[massy]

Re: Distortion or 59 in the neck for liquid sustain?

How is it clean?

FullHb is a bit boomy, but I rarely use the full pickup on cleans, I use it always splitted, and is very good, not so snappy and bright like a splitted '59.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Distortion or 59 in the neck for liquid sustain?

I was wondering, will I be able to replace the mounting plate of the pickups with my current (Ibanez) pickups without damaging something? The rounding of the neck pickup's mounting plate looks like it's not going to fit into my guitar.

Photo?

 

[sick1982]

Re: Distortion or 59 in the neck for liquid sustain?

Photo?

I just had to sand the mounting plate a tiny bit, so it's ok now, thanks anyway .. everything is now ready to start soldering

What do you guys use for pickup height measured when the last fret is fretted?

I hope I'm going to get my neck pickup low enough, these pickups are higher than the stock ones, and my guitar uses a glued-on foam under the pickups instead of a normal spring system :34:

 

[sick1982]

Re: Distortion or 59 in the neck for liquid sustain?

They are in!!!! My findings compared to the IBZ V7/V8:

Bridge: Finaly a lovely palmmuting sound! And those harmonics are INSANE! With the IBZ's they were not really screaming, en they quickly faded away if I began bending, but with these pickups they are really LOUD and go even higher and higher if I bend and without fading away! *drool*

Neck: I only messed with it for a few minutes, it looks like they sound very dark, is this expected? Not that's it's bad, but if it's something with my wiring, I'd like to know It's just that it is a HUGE difference to the IBZ

Tomorrow without headphone!

 

[uOpt]

Re: Distortion or 59 in the neck for liquid sustain?

Errr, that's a pair of DDs? Yeah the neck will be very dark, that's what I said.

 

[sick1982]

Re: Distortion or 59 in the neck for liquid sustain?

Yeah, no, I had to get a trembucker and a humbucker separately (I have no trem, but I do have a trem spaced bridge). I wouldn't say it's bad, since I didn't yet had the time to test it enough, but its just something that was SO noticeable, I thought I did something wrong

 

[hamerfan]

Re: Distortion or 59 in the neck for liquid sustain?

500k pot in the neck, I assume? I recently had to swap a 500k pot in the dark neck spot, it measured 390k!

 

[sick1982]

Re: Distortion or 59 in the neck for liquid sustain?

500k pot in the neck, I assume? I recently had to swap a 500k pot in the dark neck spot, it measured 390k!

I only have 1 pot, and it's 500k but measures something around 650k :31:

Today I had some more time to play with it, and actually, I love it

It's the first pickup I really like to play the higher notes with because they sound a lot softer when using a lot of gain, which goes very easy on the ears

The neck is probably not a general purpose pickup, but it really makes this guitar more special to me