H-S Pickup advice

W

Whammy

New member
Hi there, I'm new to the forum :)

I'd like some advice on some H-S pickups.

First off, the guitar with the current set-up:
Ibanez RGR465 (H-S pickup config) fitted with an Ibanez lo-pro edge.
Tuned to drop B with only 1 volume pot (no tone) and a 5-way super switch.

Here is a video of my playing style (guitar tone kinda sucks). I am using a Lundgren M6 in the guitar for this video.


I have a lot of experience with DiMarzio & BKP, but my experience with Seymour Duncan is relatively low. Hence why I'm looking for advice.

I'm looking to replace both the bridge & neck pickup.
Tone wise, I don't think I want full on brutality. It gets a bit tiring after a while and in a H-S setup it can be hard to find a suitable neck pickup to match an overly aggressive bridge. Not to mention making clean tones a bit of a pain. I do like pulling back and using a glassy clean tone.
But I still need it hot enough to allow for smooth tapping. I don't want to be punching the fretboard.

For the bridge pickup I've been really liking the sound of the Custom 5. Its voicing seems to have a lot of character. A little bit on the raw side and the chugs sound great from it. The 59/Custom also looks interesting but it may be too low in output for what I'm after. I don't know.
I'm not too keen on the Custom. Something about the tone seems less raw, and a bit polite. I can't quite put my finger on it. But of all the Customs, it is my least favorite.

The Black Winter and to a lesser extent the Distortion also look interesting.
I thought I would really like the Pegasus pickup from the write up and specs, but so far from all online examples, and even DI files running through my own setup have came across sounding less than ideal. I just don't like the way it handles the low end compared to all the other examples. The Nazgul feels and sounds like it is in the full on brutality category so I'm not interested in that one either.

As for the neck. The Little '59 Strat seems like the most sensible option. I've heard a lot of examples of the 59 (full humbucker version) in the neck and it sound very close to what I would like in a neck pickup. I'd imagine the Strat version should be close enough?
Maybe something hotter might be better, or maybe even the Little '59 Bridge in the neck position might work, depending on what is in the Bridge.

I also do like the idea of a single coil (ideally noiseless) in the neck, but I'm not sure what pickups would be able to match the bridge pickup. The Custom Stack Plus Strat looks like it might be close?

Anyway, these are just some of my opinions based primarily from online examples.

I'd greatly appreciate opinions from users that have first hand experience with any pickups that you may think would suit me :)
Thanks for reading.
 
Re: H-S Pickup advice

Welcome to the Forum!

You are on the right track. I would have recommended the Little 59/Black Winter combo (or Hot Rails, if the Little 59 would be too low output or clean/clear). I would thing you'd be able to tap effortlessly for days with that. Great for low tunings (remains tight) and actually pretty versatile for all gain ranges.
 
Re: H-S Pickup advice

Mincer said:
Welcome to the Forum!

You are on the right track. I would have recommended the Little 59/Black Winter combo (or Hot Rails, if the Little 59 would be too low output or clean/clear). I would thing you'd be able to tap effortlessly for days with that. Great for low tunings (remains tight) and actually pretty versatile for all gain ranges.
Click to expand...

Hi, thanks for the welcome. I'll like the neck pickup to be bright enough. So I don't think the 59 would disappoint in that aspect. I only every tap with the bridge pickup so I don't mind the neck pickup having a little extra breathing space. The Hot Rails looks interesting if the '59 isn't hot enough. But it does look a little too dull for my liking. Can't help but feel that the bridge Little '59 would suit me better in the neck if I felt the neck version was too weak. Don't think that would happen unless I pair it up with a very hot bridge.

I've heard a lot of good things about the Black Winter. Is it really as versatile as some people claim? How hot is it compared to the others?


elelpe said:
Welcome. Yes, Custom Stack Plus pairs well with Custom 5.
Click to expand...

Thank you. That's good to know :)
 
Re: H-S Pickup advice

The HSS Charvel Trad pro (alder) I just bought has a Custom 5 in the bridge & I really love it :)

The low end has depth and resonance but stays pretty tight/crisp & never gets muddy. Very musical for soloing (and tapping!) with lots of awesome overtones in the mids & sweet present highs. Such a killer open & fat tone..lots of growl & it swirls/sustains for ever :bigthumb:

Still need to play around with the Hotrails in the neck (height adjustment) but that sounds pretty cool too & pairs nicely with the Custom 5.
 
Re: H-S Pickup advice

The Black Winter is pretty hot, and mid-focused (slightly). It is actually a lot more versatile than it sounds in the description. It is a good pickup for lots of things, but just excels with heavy stuff. But notes just flow out of that thing. For the neck, and your further description, try the Little 59 first. I think that should work for you.
 
Re: H-S Pickup advice

Thanks guys for the input.

Yeah the Little '59 is going to be my first option for the neck, so I'll be buying that for sure. I'm certain I will like the pickup.

Still unsure about the bridge slot. Well I'm an fairly sure that a Custom 5 or Black Winter would be fine. It's just a question of picking one. Both are different but both sound like great options.
As it stands the Custom 5, Black Winter & 59/Custom Hybrid are high on my list.

The 59/Custom looks interesting because it seem to be around the same output as the Custom 5, but the more focus in the midrange.
I'm a little confused about the 59/Custom. What Custom is the Custom half of the pickup based off. Is it the tonal characteristics of the Ceramic Custom? Just wondering because the 59/Custom is an Alnico 5.
 
Re: H-S Pickup advice

The Custom 5 and Black Winter are sort of opposites, so it depends on how much you like mids. The C5 is great in mid-heavy guitars. It is pretty scooped, with big lows and highs, and tiny mids.
 
Re: H-S Pickup advice

Mincer said:
The Custom 5 and Black Winter are sort of opposites, so it depends on how much you like mids. The C5 is great in mid-heavy guitars. It is pretty scooped, with big lows and highs, and tiny mids.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I do like mids. Is it more scooped in the low or high mids? Or is it just one big fat mid scoop?


darthphineas said:
which models do you have experience with?

and what would you like more of or less of out of them to apply to your goals?
Click to expand...

Quite a few. The ones that jumped out to me the most from DiMarzio where the Evolution & Crunch Lab.
I liked the articulation from the Crunch Lab. A little dull for my tastes, but the feel from the pickup was very natural and pleasant to play. My main DiMarzio was an Evolution. A lot of harmonics which was nice for tapping but the pickup was not easy to play. At first I liked that because it made me focus more on my playing, but the scratchiness (sound of the pick against he strings) was always a bit prominent and took away some of the fullness from the chugs.
The full on vibe from the Evolution eventually became a bit tiring to me.

The main ones that stood out to me from BKP where the Aftermath & Blackhawk.
Both bright pickups which I like. The Aftermath was really nice but only on single notes. It's pick attack seemed to choke lower chords. Maybe it was my playing but I just remember whenever I did some low dissonant chords it would choke up and lose any aggression.
The Blackhawk was also good. Nice frequency balance. But the overall vibe felt compressed which I didn't like. Don't know if that was because of the dual blades.

I realise that all the the pickups that stand out to me are midrange heavy.
I don't have much experience with mid scooped pickups. The Blaze (7-string) and Mega Drive, both DiMarzio are the only ones that I currently remember. The Mega Drive was very bass heavy which wasn't nice. I sold it very quickly so I didn't become too accustomed to it. The Blaze was in my 7-string for years. At the time it served me well but that was before I started experimenting with different pickups. I haven't used that pickup in quite some time.

Typing this out kinda helped me visualize what goals I want.
I guess, tight low end. Strong midrange (enough to make the pickup growl). Highs that are still present, not dull or warm.
Output, medium to hot.
Harmonics are important.
I'd prefer if it didn't feel compressed, or always on. I don't want super dynamic, just not compressed. A happy medium would be nice.
And last but not least, the voicing of the pickup. I perfer character over clinical.

Why do I get the impression that I am describing the 59/Custom?
 
Re: H-S Pickup advice

A nice alternative to the Crunch Lab is the Illuminator, which I find to be similar in the good ways but more open-sounding.

does your Aftermath have the filister screws or the bolt screws. what you're describing sounds like what I was hearing when mine arrived with the 'standard' filister screws. huge disappointment, based on the brand's description. they wouldn't help in any way that didn't involve me paying to ship them back (and probably pay for the additional shipping back to me afterward). out of the several bolt screws I tried, I found that the DiMarzio bolts are the same size and swapped them around. the bolt screws made it sound like it is described. if that applies to you, maybe give that a shot.

I'm with you on the original DiMarzio Blaze 7-string. just bleh. trying the Blaze Custom really turned that around. more mids, firmer lows, about 10% less output and about 25% more resistance. once again, much more character.

the MegaDrive is one that I like. seemed to be a pretty balanced EQ. did you try it with the bar in both positions?


Whammy said:
Typing this out kinda helped me visualize what goals I want.
I guess, tight low end. Strong midrange (enough to make the pickup growl). Highs that are still present, not dull or warm.
Output, medium to hot.
Harmonics are important.
I'd prefer if it didn't feel compressed, or always on. I don't want super dynamic, just not compressed. A happy medium would be nice.
And last but not least, the voicing of the pickup. I perfer character over clinical.
Click to expand...

what you described there sounds an awful lot like my experience with the Illuminator
 
Re: H-S Pickup advice

darthphineas said:
A nice alternative to the Crunch Lab is the Illuminator, which I find to be similar in the good ways but more open-sounding.

does your Aftermath have the filister screws or the bolt screws. what you're describing sounds like what I was hearing when mine arrived with the 'standard' filister screws. huge disappointment, based on the brand's description. they wouldn't help in any way that didn't involve me paying to ship them back (and probably pay for the additional shipping back to me afterward). out of the several bolt screws I tried, I found that the DiMarzio bolts are the same size and swapped them around. the bolt screws made it sound like it is described. if that applies to you, maybe give that a shot.

I'm with you on the original DiMarzio Blaze 7-string. just bleh. trying the Blaze Custom really turned that around. more mids, firmer lows, about 10% less output and about 25% more resistance. once again, much more character.

the MegaDrive is one that I like. seemed to be a pretty balanced EQ. did you try it with the bar in both positions?




what you described there sounds an awful lot like my experience with the Illuminator
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input :)

As much as I liked the Crunch Lab, the one thing I couldn't look past was the smoother high end. I like bright pickups. I would imagine that the Illuminator would not provide enough high end for me.

My Aftermath had bolts. Are the DiMarzio bolts made of a different material compared to BKP's?
I know that the bolts from DiMarzio are longer than BKP's. Maybe that's what made the difference. I sold that pickup a long time ago so I can't try what you are suggesting.
I also had an issue with BKP where they wanted me to pay postage to return a product that shouldn't have passed quality control. I couldn't understand that logic at all. Expecting me to pay extra for their mistake.

I didn't flip the Mega Drive around. I normally always do with pickups like that. But I really disliked it so I just wanted to rip it out. I didn't think the flip would warrent a large enough change for me to change my opinion on it.
 
Re: H-S Pickup advice

I'm with you on the CL's smooth highs. The Illuminator is better.

Not sure on the alloys in the bolts. I did make sure to get the same length. Your BKP experience sounds almost identical. It cost them a customer that was also doing reviews. A builder I deal with became aware of the situation and has been going to other brands, so it's cost them more sales than if they would have been more oriented to better cust serv.
 
Re: H-S Pickup advice

darthphineas said:
I'm with you on the CL's smooth highs. The Illuminator is better.

Not sure on the alloys in the bolts. I did make sure to get the same length. Your BKP experience sounds almost identical. It cost them a customer that was also doing reviews. A builder I deal with became aware of the situation and has been going to other brands, so it's cost them more sales than if they would have been more oriented to better cust serv.
Click to expand...

Yeah since that experience I haven't bought anything from them. Still can't understand the logic of it. Especially considering how much money I spent on various pickups from them leading up to that point. I guess they are doing good enough business that they can afford to throw away customers.
 
Re: H-S Pickup advice

I just found a straight comparison between a Black Winter & Custom 5 (in the same guitar)..



They sound pretty different...but I can't say either sounds bad to my ears.

I personally prefer the natural open mids & loud, fat growl of the custom 5 to the flatter/compressed mids of the Black Winter (especially in the mix..it's clearer/louder/sits better to my ears...).

But everyone's different lol..
 
Re: H-S Pickup advice

Thanks for the video :)
Yeah you can tell they both are different beasts, but it's hard to hear what areas they excel in. Still it's good to see a direct comparison.

Actually does anyone know what Duncan pickup would be closest to the Lundgren M6?
 
Re: H-S Pickup advice

So after reflecting on this for a bit I release that a strong/focused midrange is the most important factor to me.

So the Custom 5 is crossed off the list.
The Custom, while it does have midrange, is still a little reserved in that area. So I'll also cross that off.

The Distortion. Now that pickup has what I need :) Same with the Black Winter.
Is there a difference in feel between the two? Does one feel more compressed than the other?
The audible difference in the two seems small. Are there any difference between the two other than number of magnets?
Aesthetically I don't like the Old English logo and the darkened poles on the Black Winter. I do prefer the subtle added finger sounds it seems to emphasis so if I went with the Black Winter I'd go custom shop to change the look.
But for convenience (and because the subtle audible differences can probably be countered with amp settings) I'll go with the Distortion.

On the Alnico 5 front, the 59/Custom Hybrid still has a hold of my curiosity.
It's voicing sounds marvellous. I love what it does to the high end.
But the feel of the pickup is quite important here. Obviously it's lower in output, but do you need to play harder to get it to hit hard, or would amp setting counter the need to do that? I don't play very hard with my right hand.

There is also the JB if I'm looking for an Alnico 5. I used to have a JB Jr in an old Strat. I really liked that pickup. I never really used it for lower tuned stuff though. It's not the same pickup as the JB, but I would assume that there are tonal similarities.
 
Re: H-S Pickup advice

The Distortion will be more compressed than the BW. If you're getting in to that territory, also consider a Gibson 500T, which I find to be a little more musical and cleans up very nicely.

I tried the 59/C and found it to lack the 'push' or 'drive' that I prefer out of something like a JB or other high output pickups, which was an issue for long sustained notes. A bit of a departure from the other models mentioned, but would be an option for rhythm parts.

The most common similarity between the JB and the JB Jr is the name. There is a reason you'll find more winders trying to clone the JB more than any other aftermarket big name brand/model.
 
Re: H-S Pickup advice

Whammy said:
There is also the JB if I'm looking for an Alnico 5. I used to have a JB Jr in an old Strat. I really liked that pickup. I never really used it for lower tuned stuff though. It's not the same pickup as the JB, but I would assume that there are tonal similarities.
Click to expand...

Abolutely different beasts, I had both, I've never completely liked the JB but is indeed a very good pickup, I can't say the same for the JB Jr, never found anything usable with it, I got rid of it pretty soon
 
Re: H-S Pickup advice

I am a very light player, and I love the 59/Custom Hybrid. However, it doesn't really compress, and doesn't have the 'feel' of a higher output pickup to me. I would go with the BW over the Distortion, too, as the Distortion isn't as balanced.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top