Help choosing pickups!!!

[Frankyouverymuch]

Hey everybody! Long time reader, first time poster.

I'm currently in the market for new pickups for my 6 string RG721RW. It's a basswood body, indian rosewood top, maple/walnut neck with a rosewood fretboard and an ibanez "tight end" bridge. It's currently equipped with a Duncan Distortion and the stock neck pickup and I was looking to change it up a little.

I'm after a modern metal tone with versatility for cleans, heavy rhythms in the chug department, clear tremelo picking riffs and good note seperation among chords. The only thing with my duncan that I'm not so happy with is it sounds great through a tube amp, but I am strictly a home studio digital amp user(mainly Neural DSP amp suites). I play in drop C and I find the low notes on heavy palm mutes to fizz out relatively.quickly(at least with the amp sims). I'm not a gain hungry type of player when dialing in an amp and generally use an overdrive to boost.

As far as the neck goes, damn near anything will be an improvement over the woll blanket of a neck pickup in there now.

I live in Germany and the prices for Bare Knuckles are stupid expensive. I have a Blackhawk bridge in my 7 string prestige and it slays but only slays. There's no dialing it back really for anything under a crunch tone. Here it seems that Duncans too have gone up.in price, and due to having a baby a few months back I'm not ready to drop 200 euros on pickups.

I'm mainly looking at Dimarzios and my top bridges are:
D Activator
D Sonic
Crunch Lab
and most likely a Liquifire in the neck(unless convinced otherwise)

I don't get along so well with emg's, yet have read that the D'activator doesn't respond like an active, despite trying to have similar qualities/functions.

I'm looking for something that has that feel to it in the right hand when riffing and chugging, even EQ response, no sharp highs, present but not overlydominating mids(cocked wah is a no no) and pronounced, audible responsive bass under gain in drop c tuning. Pinch harmonics have a lot with technique, but if the pickup lightens the load Im all for it. Clean bridge tones aren't a must, they'll be split anyways. Output

My favorite guitar tones are currently Architects, Periphery, White Chapel, Between the Buried and Me, Fit for an Autopsy, Everytime I Die, Intervals, Plini, and Black Dahlia Murder.

Sorry for the rant and any help would be appreciated!!

frankyou

 

[Fonzie]

Re: Help choosing pickups!!!

A lot of people will probably disagree with me, but I love my Seymour Duncan Invader in my frankenstrat. Not muddy at all like people say, thing is bright as hell and chugs man. Tight, hot, great tone.

 

[RevDoom73]

Re: Help choosing pickups!!!

As mentioned above, the Invader is a really killer pickup that I've used in a variety of applications from metal to blues rock, so that's a good one.

However, have you ever checked out the Black Winter set from SD? I play in a band where we're regularly playing in C standard to drop Ab, and the Black Winter has plenty of bottom end chug and the pick harmonics come with ease. The mids are definitely boosted but I don't get that cocked-wah sound from them, rather I get a nice clarity when playing full chords or more intricate kind of prog-metal riffing that requires good articulation and evenness. These pickups were initially marketed just towards extreme metal but don't let that fool you, they're quite versatile. I mostly use pedals and amps but my other guitarist uses the Black Winters as well and he plays through an Axe-FX, and gets great heavy but articulate tones with that setup. Obviously I can't vouche for these being perfect for you, it's so subjective, but maybe worth looking into. https://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/black-winter-bridge?__uuid_ref=5e0f1ee844264

Of course since you mention bands like Periphery I'd be remiss not to mention the Alpha/Omega set that Mark uses. I really dig those pickups too, though at times I'm not as fond of the overall brightness of the Omega compared to the Black Winter, and they're a bit more expensive too since you mentioned price being a concern for you.

Be curious to know what you wind up with, whatever pickup or brand you choose. Good luck!

 

[Frankyouverymuch]

Re: Help choosing pickups!!!

From what I've heard of the Invaders I'm not really liking their tone. Black winters are sadly pretty pricey here with installation. ��

 

[Synapsys]

Re: Help choosing pickups!!!

I own the RG870RWZ, a limited edition HSH version of the RG721RW, with an Edge Zero II double locking tremolo bridge with a removable ZPS tuning stabilizer.

Swapped the DiMarzios it came with with a PATB set. Screams with gain, and cleans up really well. Does the modern and the vintage distorted tones remarkably well.

 

[Frankyouverymuch]

Re: Help choosing pickups!!!

I seem to find the PATB's also somewhat shrill.

I'm kinda stuck between D Sonic and D'Activators, just wanted to ask here for some info if anyone had experience with them. Like I said, Duncans are pretty pricey here, sadly.

 

[Synapsys]

Re: Help choosing pickups!!!

I seem to find the PATB's also somewhat shrill.

I'm kinda stuck between D Sonic and D'Activators, just wanted to ask here for some info if anyone had experience with them. Like I said, Duncans are pretty pricey here, sadly.

Weel, we are in different spots of the sound spectrum, since I could never gel with DiMarzios, regardless of the model.

I live in Portugal and usually get my pickups from the Warwick shop, really good prices and some rare Duncan finishes here in Europe, like cream single coils, single sized humbuckers and rails...

 

[Mincer]

Re: Help choosing pickups!!!

I'd say to consider the Pegasus/Sentient set. They sound great for almost everything, and excel at metal tones.

 

[Ascension]

Re: Help choosing pickups!!!

In particular would not recommend the Liquifier in the neck. WAY to dark and undefined in the neck even in standard tuning but would make a nice bridge pickup for say classic rock or blues.
I'm a big fan of the Sentient in the neck for heavier stuff and my favorite bridge pickups with them so far have been the Hybrid and the Alt 8.
Do NOT discount the Hybrid thinking it is to weak in output as they will surprise you. In particular the harmonics are explosive and with a lower tuning should be really interesting the way they respond.

 

[Synapsys]

Re: Help choosing pickups!!!

I'd say to consider the Pegasus/Sentient set. They sound great for almost everything, and excel at metal tones.

Probably just me, but I'm swapping the Pegasus that came stock in my ESP LTD MH-1000HS for a Custom 5. For my needs it sounds too clinical, so the Custom 5 will probably get me nearer the classic Metal tones I usually play, either Heavy/Death/Gothic or Doom. At least the Custom does it really well, so I'm looking fora different organic twist on the Custom product line.

To tne OP, keep us posted on your choice, and good hunting!

 

[Frankyouverymuch]

Re: Help choosing pickups!!!

Hey everyone, sorry for not responding so quickly.

I'm still not so certain what to get. I'm interested in the Sentient neck and either of the above suggestions for a bridge pickup, it's just the pricing that's getting me. For a Dimarzio set with installation it'd be close to 100 euro(120 USD) cheaper than a duncan set. duncans here are almost as expensive as bare knuckles(with installation on top).

But before I buy a cheap dimarzio set and am not completely satisfied, and end up spending twice the money on installs, I can skip the run around and get a sure thing. At this point I'm just going to save and get a Black Winter bridge with either a BW Neck or a Sentient neck.

I just don't know if the Black Winters will be boomy in basswood or not. Anyone have experience in that sense?

Thanks again for the feedback!

 

[hamerfan]

Re: Help choosing pickups!!!

Frank, i see you are located on Germany. It rather hard to get the best pickup combo at first time, also musical tastes change. So get them used and look for some help for the installation. You will see, its fun to swap pickups and try new things. My advice is to look on Ebay or Ebay Kleinanzeigen or at the Trade section here.