Duncan SH-6 Distortion

[L.W. Badger]

What's the general consensus on these pick ups? I don't see them mentioned too much on these forums, rather they're glossed over by the Invader and Full Shred....then there's the Custom/'59/JB fans.....

Now I don't know a whole lot about every SD pickup design, and quite a few of them sound so similar, I couldn't tell the difference unless I'm playing through it, and was told what it was I was playing through.

I'm just relearning all of this again, so bear with my noob-ness please.......is the DD just a specific choice for metal-like playing? Cause it lends a bite to some blues-type soloing that I like.....it and the APII neck seems to "break" into a slight raunchiness when on either clean or distorted channels on my amp.

Now I have these PUs in an Epi LP right now, but I'm wondering if I should get a DD for my new-to-me Schecter, or try a mag-swap on the JB and '59 the Schecter has already?

 

[dr. ad]

Re: Duncan SH-6 Distortion

the DD is good.
as you most likely already know, you can swap a regular-sized ceramic mag into a JB and make what's known as a "distortion lite" or "JB+"; an oversized (about double-thickness) ceramic mag makes it a DD. you're not alone in finding the DD to be quite versatile for a high-output humbucker either. the invader is a DD with 12 thick pole screws with big heads and extra half-width ceramic magnets on the outside of each coil, where a spacer might go; i believe the dimebucker to have similar coils but with blades/rails instead of pole pieces.

like you, i really like the A2P in the neck of an LP; i've also swapped an A5 mag into one and found it very interesting as well, but i swapped an A2 mag into a 59 neck at the same time and liked it more at first, so the A5P didn't get as much playing time.

it's rumored that the jazz neck and A2P neck have the same coils, but i doubt this; i've not tried a jazz neck in an LP but the A5P sounded 'rounder' than when i've heard others playing jazz necks in LPs. that could be 'in the fingers' though.

i'd love to recommend pickups, mag swaps, mod etc at this point but all i know about schecters is that i'd like to try one heh heh... if you like the DD, don't let the name put you off - i had one in a tele FFS.
and it isn't like the A2P can't handle dirt, diocletian and jolly have both recorded great clips of dirty A2Ps (bridge model)

so enjoy, whatever you end up doing

 

[L.W. Badger]

Re: Duncan SH-6 Distortion

the DD is good.

And there was much rejoicing.....yeaaaahhhh! I'm thinking I should put one of these in the Schecter......but the same shop I bought it from has a Seth Lover bridge PU for $60 on the shelf........tempting.......but I want a heavier sound from this one since it's my "super strat", and I want it to sound like the voice of god like the LP when I crank the amp up too/to/two........eleven!

 

[dr. ad]

Re: Duncan SH-6 Distortion

if you've got the 60 bucks, get the seth too

 

[L.W. Badger]

Re: Duncan SH-6 Distortion

Money's not a problem.......what I'd like to know is the mystique of the Seth Lover model......Is it Hot, Mellow, Smooth, Dirty.......what does it sound like in real-world application (sorry, but tone-wizard programs don't show you much).

I guess I'm that guy who want's hot passives VS Actives.....I deal with an active EMG in my bass......I want a solar powered 9v system now! LOL! So no more batteries and no bone movies. Sorry, got off onna tangent there......

 

[hamerfan]

Re: Duncan SH-6 Distortion

I did a lot of swapping around with ceramic and alnico magnets. For me it was the Alnico 8 always supirior to the ceramics. The A8 has nearly the same amount of mids, a little less bass (but the ceramics had too much in some pups) and rounder highs without lacking definition. There for i like the JB A8 more than the JB ceramic (there were only little differences - mostly in the highs) and my all time fav the Custom8. BTW i recently purchased an Alt8 which was very dissapointing to me.

 

[dr. ad]

Re: Duncan SH-6 Distortion

LWB, if you got it and didn't like it, you wouldn't have any trouble selling it for $60US

I did a lot of swapping around with ceramic and alnico magnets. For me it was the Alnico 8 always supirior to the ceramics. The A8 has nearly the same amount of mids, a little less bass (but the ceramics had too much in some pups) and rounder highs without lacking definition. There for i like the JB A8 more than the JB ceramic (there were only little differences - mostly in the highs) and my all time fav the Custom8. BTW i recently purchased an Alt8 which was very dissapointing to me.

completely agree on the bass overload ceramic can bring; we tend to like similar things in pickups.
what's your opinion on the mid-range heard in the A8, is it more A5 than A5?
:reporter:

 

[jimlp]

Re: Duncan SH-6 Distortion

LWB, if you got it and didn't like it, you wouldn't have any trouble selling it for $60US



completely agree on the bass overload ceramic can bring; we tend to like similar things in pickups.
what's your opinion on the mid-range heard in the A8, is it more A5 than A5?
:reporter:

In my experiences with the A8 in the Custom it seems to push the low mids and rolls off the highs a bit, to me it sounded kind of close to a Dimarzio Air Zone.