I really like the sound samples of full shred. It has some 3D-like tonal features, different from all other duncan pickups, i.e. clear and punchy. what type of guitars work well with full shred? also, the tone chart shows its EQ as 4/4/8. But the sound samples sound much warmer and smoother than those numbers suggest. Any suggestion is welcome,
Full Shred Question
- Thread starter rguser
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RayBarbeeMusic
New member
Re: Full Shred Question
I think it depends on what you want. It is still a hot humbucker, it isn't a '59B or something like that and does not have the icepick effect that a PAF can have in the bridge, it is far warmer. It comes across as having more lows and mids than that tone chart would suggest (again with the 3 numbers trying to describe an entire frequency spectrum........). It is definitely not 'thin' sounding or 'icepick' sounding.
It is also tighter than most hot pickups, so if you:
1) Just want a tighter low end but still with significant mids and output, and also some high end clarity, go for it. It will tighten up any guitar that already has a high output pickup in it,
2) Have a guitar with too much low end and want to drop that back a bit.
3) Set up your amp for a lot of bass and don't want a pickup that will make your speakers fart out under those conditions, check it out.
I think the reason for the name and the frequency response is, most people who pick fast (aka shredders...sort of hate that monicker but it sticks) don't use a lot of thumpy lows because it makes fast picking too thuddy sounding and interferes with that technique, also high end clarity is required so you can hear the initial pick attack clearly and notes don't blur together too much. I find those things to be true personally, there is a fine line with how much low-lows you can have in your rig before fast picking becomes a wall of thuddy jackhammer tones underlying the notes.
There are other reasons why one might use that pickup or like that frequency response though.
I think it depends on what you want. It is still a hot humbucker, it isn't a '59B or something like that and does not have the icepick effect that a PAF can have in the bridge, it is far warmer. It comes across as having more lows and mids than that tone chart would suggest (again with the 3 numbers trying to describe an entire frequency spectrum........). It is definitely not 'thin' sounding or 'icepick' sounding.
It is also tighter than most hot pickups, so if you:
1) Just want a tighter low end but still with significant mids and output, and also some high end clarity, go for it. It will tighten up any guitar that already has a high output pickup in it,
2) Have a guitar with too much low end and want to drop that back a bit.
3) Set up your amp for a lot of bass and don't want a pickup that will make your speakers fart out under those conditions, check it out.
I think the reason for the name and the frequency response is, most people who pick fast (aka shredders...sort of hate that monicker but it sticks) don't use a lot of thumpy lows because it makes fast picking too thuddy sounding and interferes with that technique, also high end clarity is required so you can hear the initial pick attack clearly and notes don't blur together too much. I find those things to be true personally, there is a fine line with how much low-lows you can have in your rig before fast picking becomes a wall of thuddy jackhammer tones underlying the notes.
There are other reasons why one might use that pickup or like that frequency response though.
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G
grapeskeletons
Guest
Re: Full Shred Question
I had one for a long, long time. I'd put the E.Q. at B-4, M-5, T-8, which is how the old Duncan tone chart used to have it. I've had it in three different guitars and the result is always the same: thin and fairly percussive leads, but chainsaw rhythm tone that sustains, kind of a paradox. I love the rhythm but hated the lead, so I switched to JBs. Also sounded neat ("bell-like") on cleans--not to everyone's taste.
You need a great amp to use the Full Shred effectively. Good luck!
I had one for a long, long time. I'd put the E.Q. at B-4, M-5, T-8, which is how the old Duncan tone chart used to have it. I've had it in three different guitars and the result is always the same: thin and fairly percussive leads, but chainsaw rhythm tone that sustains, kind of a paradox. I love the rhythm but hated the lead, so I switched to JBs. Also sounded neat ("bell-like") on cleans--not to everyone's taste.
You need a great amp to use the Full Shred effectively. Good luck!
darthphineas
New member
Re: Full Shred Question
I've used the FSb in a mahogany body (w/ JB in the middle) and I've used the FSn in alder and in mahogany (both with JB in the bridge)... all w/ Floyds. it's a good pup.
I've used the FSb in a mahogany body (w/ JB in the middle) and I've used the FSn in alder and in mahogany (both with JB in the bridge)... all w/ Floyds. it's a good pup.
darthphineas
New member
Re: Full Shred Question
you might even have it Tuesday night, if you can install them that quickly. lol!
I should have guitar loaded with a Full Shred bridge and neck by the middle of the week. I'll let you know then.
you might even have it Tuesday night, if you can install them that quickly. lol!
RayBarbeeMusic
New member
Re: Full Shred Question
I had it in a Floyd equiped guitar. I didn't find the leads thin, but I don't use a scooped sound to start with, so if you do, that might be a concern.
I had it in a Floyd equiped guitar. I didn't find the leads thin, but I don't use a scooped sound to start with, so if you do, that might be a concern.
El Supremo
New member
Re: Full Shred Question
So far I've noticed it's not very picky about the guitar it's in. Very tight bass, clear and a bit rounded highs. Sometimes the highs remind me a bit of Di Marzio's awww vowl sound (possibly due to the hex poles?). The overall pickup doesn't sound like any DM stuff that I know of though as it sounds more open to me.
So far I've noticed it's not very picky about the guitar it's in. Very tight bass, clear and a bit rounded highs. Sometimes the highs remind me a bit of Di Marzio's awww vowl sound (possibly due to the hex poles?). The overall pickup doesn't sound like any DM stuff that I know of though as it sounds more open to me.
JOLLY
Super Simonologist
uOpt
Something Cool
Re: Full Shred Question
The better question is - what type of playing works well with the hex polepieces. I find that I need the regular screws'n'slugs to even things out a little.
The better question is - what type of playing works well with the hex polepieces. I find that I need the regular screws'n'slugs to even things out a little.
ex-250
Riffologist Extraordinaire
Re: Full Shred Question
I tend to prefer it in alder. The first time I tried one was in an alder-bodied Ibanez and I loved it. Bought one (the pickup, not the Ibanez) for myself, put it in mahogany, and wasn't impressed. Yes it was very tight, but it sounded more icepicky and lacked that vowel sound that I loved about it. After pulling it and sitting in the parts drawer for years I recently put it in an alder guitar, set up in B for death metal "brootz" and such. It has that sound I love again. And the tight percussiveness really lends nicely to low-tuned tremolo picking.
I tend to prefer it in alder. The first time I tried one was in an alder-bodied Ibanez and I loved it. Bought one (the pickup, not the Ibanez) for myself, put it in mahogany, and wasn't impressed. Yes it was very tight, but it sounded more icepicky and lacked that vowel sound that I loved about it. After pulling it and sitting in the parts drawer for years I recently put it in an alder guitar, set up in B for death metal "brootz" and such. It has that sound I love again. And the tight percussiveness really lends nicely to low-tuned tremolo picking.
cohibacris
New member
Re: Full Shred Question
Similar to Jolly, I have a build that a SH10 Full Shred is going in the neck; it was the tight, fat sound that I wanted there. My warmoth frankenstein guitar is a quilt maple on swamp ash and a Schaller locker, a Pau ferro board and maple neck. I listened to every &*() humbucker on the list and then out to YouTube for testing my patience with various levels of product test quality. I kept coming back to it over the Invader or the DD or PG. It's that X factor thing.
RayBarbeeMusic, your first reply in this post ought to be snipped and put in a new read only section or sticky thread called Pickup FAQ. Excellent descriptions and most helpful (if only for validation of my purchase). Personally had a thread like that existed, it may have saved many hours on my part of brain drain and that cat's voice on the clips (any voice that many reps will be enough to put one on edge :eyecrazy
Good luck and happy hunting rguser!
Similar to Jolly, I have a build that a SH10 Full Shred is going in the neck; it was the tight, fat sound that I wanted there. My warmoth frankenstein guitar is a quilt maple on swamp ash and a Schaller locker, a Pau ferro board and maple neck. I listened to every &*() humbucker on the list and then out to YouTube for testing my patience with various levels of product test quality. I kept coming back to it over the Invader or the DD or PG. It's that X factor thing.
RayBarbeeMusic, your first reply in this post ought to be snipped and put in a new read only section or sticky thread called Pickup FAQ. Excellent descriptions and most helpful (if only for validation of my purchase). Personally had a thread like that existed, it may have saved many hours on my part of brain drain and that cat's voice on the clips (any voice that many reps will be enough to put one on edge :eyecrazy
Good luck and happy hunting rguser!
Re: Full Shred Question
I like this description a lot. Actually, the hex screws and the ohm number of FS put it between a Breed bridge and a Breed neck, hehe
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RayBarbeeMusic
New member
Re: Full Shred Question
It doesn't sound anything like a Breed. Dimarzio uses the Dual Resonance thing on most of what they make now, which means that DCR and magnet type really don't tell you all that much. A lot of the sound comes from how they (mis)match the two coils to tune the pickup. If you were to browse their spec sheets, they have quite a few A5 pickups that fall within a small DCR range, but they sound nothing alike.
It doesn't sound anything like a Breed. Dimarzio uses the Dual Resonance thing on most of what they make now, which means that DCR and magnet type really don't tell you all that much. A lot of the sound comes from how they (mis)match the two coils to tune the pickup. If you were to browse their spec sheets, they have quite a few A5 pickups that fall within a small DCR range, but they sound nothing alike.
Re: Full Shred Question
Actually Breed bridge and neck are two of the few DiMarzio HB's that don't have the Dual Resonance feature, along with PAF pro. You can tell by looking at the US patent numbers at the end of a pickup description. The lower number refers to the dual resonance, ~4500. The higher numbers in 5000 refer to the "air" thing or virtual vintage things.
Actually Breed bridge and neck are two of the few DiMarzio HB's that don't have the Dual Resonance feature, along with PAF pro. You can tell by looking at the US patent numbers at the end of a pickup description. The lower number refers to the dual resonance, ~4500. The higher numbers in 5000 refer to the "air" thing or virtual vintage things.
RayBarbeeMusic
New member
Re: Full Shred Question
PAF pro is far too old to have that in it. I'm surprised the Breed doesn't. In any case, the Full Shred is no where near either Breed model. I'd put it closer to a PAF Pro.
PAF pro is far too old to have that in it. I'm surprised the Breed doesn't. In any case, the Full Shred is no where near either Breed model. I'd put it closer to a PAF Pro.
G
grapeskeletons
Guest
Re: Full Shred Question
Agreed. The Breed bridge is very nice in its own right, but it's like a warm sea of mids...like a JB but with emphasis on lowermids instead of uppermids. If you have a bright, untamable guitar, the Breed Bridge will fix it!
The FSb has a wider tonal spread to me, and it changes drastically when you roll the tone knob around. I think it's closest to a hot Screamin' Demon--bright (not piercing) and percussive, though with a lot more power. Your mileage may vary. I put it into a Les Paul and it was awful, but it was very nice in a few Ibbys.
Agreed. The Breed bridge is very nice in its own right, but it's like a warm sea of mids...like a JB but with emphasis on lowermids instead of uppermids. If you have a bright, untamable guitar, the Breed Bridge will fix it!
The FSb has a wider tonal spread to me, and it changes drastically when you roll the tone knob around. I think it's closest to a hot Screamin' Demon--bright (not piercing) and percussive, though with a lot more power. Your mileage may vary. I put it into a Les Paul and it was awful, but it was very nice in a few Ibbys.