Help finding good pickups?

[zippy]

Ok, soon I'll be getting some money to upgrade the pickups in my guitar, or at the very least a new bridge p'up.. but I'm not quite sure what to get. I play a Jackson Warrior XT (alder body, 24 frets) straight into a Crate 120w 2x12 Combo. The stock duncan designed detonators aren't bad... but I can't help thinking that I can get a MUCH better sound. Most of what I play is Megadeth or Metallica type metal. All suggestions welcome.. thanks! :headbang:

 

[dd12939]

Re: Help finding good pickups?

Megadeth is best suited by a JB, or so I've heard. Old Metallica was covered by Invaders in the neck and Distortions in the bridge, IIRC. You might do a DD in the bridge and a JB in the neck... someone else with more experience with those pickups should be along shortly...

By the way, I'd like to offer you a warm welcome to the Forum! :arms:

 

[I_M_Ken]

Re: Help finding good pickups?

i've been a long time Megadeth fan and i too have a jackson that has basically the same specifications as yours. Personally i curently use a JB in bridge and paf pro in the neck.
as dd12939 said, the JB would do a good job on megadeth stuff. It can cover metallica as well but maybe u just gotta tweak the EQ abit to get a mroe metallica tone outta it.
As for the DD, its generally a good pup for metal which could probably help u get more variety of metal tones from it.

 

[theodie]

Re: Help finding good pickups?

Bill Lawrence xl-500 in the bridge and a Bill lawrence L-500c in the neck.

 

[zippy]

Re: Help finding good pickups?

Hey, thanks for the suggestions guys. I'm really starting to like the Duncan Distortion, but how does it compare to..let's say.. a Dimarzio X2N?

 

[joelap]

Re: Help finding good pickups?

Hey, thanks for the suggestions guys. I'm really starting to like the Duncan Distortion, but how does it compare to..let's say.. a Dimarzio X2N?

For every 1 DiMarzio user... I always seem to find 10 Seymour Duncan players. When I go to the DiMarzio webpage, they have countless variations of pickups. Almost triple or quadruple the number of SD pickups. However, whats the major tonal variations among them?

Most of the DiMarzio pickups don't even have sound clips available. And the sound clips they do have are direct from records, so the processing and differing amp types always get in the way.

Dude, I have a Duncan Distortion... I can speak very well for it. Let me tell you bro, the quality and straightforwardness (is that a word?) of the seymour duncan line of pickups is unbeatable. What you hear in the sound clips is what your going to get. Not like the DiMarzio's where what you hear is the pickup, plus an amp, plus effects, plus double-tracking, plus etc. etc. etc.

You cannot go wrong with Duncans.

 

[I_M_Ken]

Re: Help finding good pickups?

Hey, thanks for the suggestions guys. I'm really starting to like the Duncan Distortion, but how does it compare to..let's say.. a Dimarzio X2N?

i have an x2n in my king v and its a really bright pup. but that king V is purely for metal only and nothing else.
DD has more bottom end and mids compared to the x2n. DD sounds fuller and more 'pleasing'
as for the x2n u can really only use it for metal and probably nothing much else.
Maybe with the right amp the x2n might sound better than a DD but i havent found that amp yet

 

[7th Hell]

Re: Help finding good pickups?

JB or DD- stay away from the X2N... It, like all DiMarzios, are JUNK. True Tallica Tones can be had with EMG 81/85 combo. Check your control route to see if there's enough room for a 9v battery, though.

 

[zippy]

Re: Help finding good pickups?

JB or DD- stay away from the X2N... It, like all DiMarzios, are JUNK. True Tallica Tones can be had with EMG 81/85 combo. Check your control route to see if there's enough room for a 9v battery, though.

Yeah, I was thinking about EMG's. But I heard that they sounded kinda sterile or bland in a solid state amp.

 

[ranalli]

Re: Help finding good pickups?

JB or DD- stay away from the X2N... It, like all DiMarzios, are JUNK. True Tallica Tones can be had with EMG 81/85 combo. Check your control route to see if there's enough room for a 9v battery, though.

Junk?? ARe you serious?? THey sound great....like any company you gotta pick which ones work for you.

I'm calling BS on this one....

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Help finding good pickups?

X2N is not a bad pickup. You gotta know how to use a graphic eq with it tho. Otherwise it would sound too bright, too bassy. That's quite normal considering that it is a very loud beast.

I always felt that through my rig DiMarzio MegaDrive is GREAT for heavier stuff. But that's just me. JB is more versatile, and DD and Custom (I think) are good but not the best. And I gotta add that Gibson 500T is my favorite among the high output buckers.

All that said, I'd say the amp is the bigger part of the equation. Now with a CC and the right settings on my Blues JR. with Mesa Boogie V-Twin I can get really heavy, Enter-Sandman-kinda tones. And the overall result sounds way better to my ears. I don't see the point of high output pickups (especially being a player who has used them for more than 8 years :banghead: ). But hey, that's just me!

B

 

[zippy]

Re: Help finding good pickups?

Ok, I'm just about 90% decided on the Duncan Distortion now.. which brings me to a question. I have a licensed floyd rose, so would it be better to get it in tremnucker spacing? And, if so, what is the difference between the trem-spaced DD (TB-6) and the "Distortion Trembucker" (PA-TB2)?

 

[dd12939]

Re: Help finding good pickups?

the TB-6 is the same as the SH-6, except with wider string spacing... the PA-TB2 is a completely different pickup altogether.
TB-6:

PA-TB2:

And yes, with a Floyd, you'll want the TB-6

 

[guitarshredder]

Re: Help finding good pickups?

bump