ibanez4life SZ!
New member
Hey guys,
I'm excited to be back in the pickup game after a long while away. I recently sold my Axe FX to come back to a tube amp with a Mesa Mark V. With the Axe FX, I was essentially leaving whatever pickups were in the guitar, as the versatility of that unit tended to mask the nuances of the pickups (IMO). However, with the Boogie, I am once again discovering the magic that a good guitar/pickup/amp combo can make.
I'm a modern high gain player, trading rhythm-ish and lead-ish licks frequently. Based on that, I tend to prefer an overall balanced response, with clarity throughout the range of the guitar. I have 5 PRS guitars I'd like to load up with Duncans:
- PRS Tremonti: Drop Db
- PRS Tremonti: Eb Standard
- PRS Tremonti: Open Db
- PRS CU24: Drop C
- PRS CU24: D standard
The guitars are standard PRS spec (mahogany body and neck, Maple top, rosewood board), and currently have stock PRS pickups (Tremonti and HFS/VB, respectively). With how clear and high gain the Boogie Mark V is, I'm finding these high output ceramic pickup sets are a little too much - they become a little abrasive, and tend to over compress the signal rather than let the amp do the work.
Overall, I'm looking to find some pickups that will lend themselves to my playing style, these guitars, and most importantly, the amp. With the Tremonti guitars, I'd prefer to embrace the Singlecut design a little more, and maintain a slightly more organic/versatile version of the modern high gain sound. With the Custom 24s, I'd like to, comparatively, go more aggressive, tight, etc. without going too over the top like the current sets.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, while I'd like these pickups bring out the natural characteristics of the two guitars models, I also need them to not be vastly different, so a single EQ of the amp will offer good iterations on the core sound. There are obviously many ways to succeed in this: Different pickups per guitar? The same set of pickups in them all? One set in the Tremontis and another in the CU24s? I'm curious to hear your input.
Duncan seems to have A LOT to offer since I was last on the pickup hunt. The Pegasus/Sentient set looks great for my application. There is the 59/Custom Hybrid, Perpetual Burn, etc. Older models like the Full Shred seem like they could work as well. My biggest dilemma is where to start. Assuming the Pegasus/Sentient is a good choice: should it be the 'more aggressive' set for me, and then I step back slightly to something like the 59/Custom Hybrid? Or should the Pegasus/Sentient be the 'more organic' set, and go a little hotter in the CU24s?
Please let me know your thoughts, and thank you in advance for taking the time!
Best,
Eric
I'm excited to be back in the pickup game after a long while away. I recently sold my Axe FX to come back to a tube amp with a Mesa Mark V. With the Axe FX, I was essentially leaving whatever pickups were in the guitar, as the versatility of that unit tended to mask the nuances of the pickups (IMO). However, with the Boogie, I am once again discovering the magic that a good guitar/pickup/amp combo can make.
I'm a modern high gain player, trading rhythm-ish and lead-ish licks frequently. Based on that, I tend to prefer an overall balanced response, with clarity throughout the range of the guitar. I have 5 PRS guitars I'd like to load up with Duncans:
- PRS Tremonti: Drop Db
- PRS Tremonti: Eb Standard
- PRS Tremonti: Open Db
- PRS CU24: Drop C
- PRS CU24: D standard
The guitars are standard PRS spec (mahogany body and neck, Maple top, rosewood board), and currently have stock PRS pickups (Tremonti and HFS/VB, respectively). With how clear and high gain the Boogie Mark V is, I'm finding these high output ceramic pickup sets are a little too much - they become a little abrasive, and tend to over compress the signal rather than let the amp do the work.
Overall, I'm looking to find some pickups that will lend themselves to my playing style, these guitars, and most importantly, the amp. With the Tremonti guitars, I'd prefer to embrace the Singlecut design a little more, and maintain a slightly more organic/versatile version of the modern high gain sound. With the Custom 24s, I'd like to, comparatively, go more aggressive, tight, etc. without going too over the top like the current sets.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, while I'd like these pickups bring out the natural characteristics of the two guitars models, I also need them to not be vastly different, so a single EQ of the amp will offer good iterations on the core sound. There are obviously many ways to succeed in this: Different pickups per guitar? The same set of pickups in them all? One set in the Tremontis and another in the CU24s? I'm curious to hear your input.
Duncan seems to have A LOT to offer since I was last on the pickup hunt. The Pegasus/Sentient set looks great for my application. There is the 59/Custom Hybrid, Perpetual Burn, etc. Older models like the Full Shred seem like they could work as well. My biggest dilemma is where to start. Assuming the Pegasus/Sentient is a good choice: should it be the 'more aggressive' set for me, and then I step back slightly to something like the 59/Custom Hybrid? Or should the Pegasus/Sentient be the 'more organic' set, and go a little hotter in the CU24s?
Please let me know your thoughts, and thank you in advance for taking the time!
Best,
Eric
