The guitar is a Jackson Soloist Pro (one-piece design) with mahogany body and floyd trem. The JB SD I currently have in there is a really nice pu, great sustain, harmonic overtones, and bottom end but I find it's a bit too bright (harsh at times despite rolling off the treble on the EQ).
I love the original VH tone, and while I find the JB is close, it just doesn't quite cut it. From what I understand the 78' was the PU SD designed from Eddie's frankenstein, and the custom Custom is a hotter sounding PU geared more toward his tone from 1984 onward (which is primarily the "early" sound I am chasing after). The Frankie, to me seems like a hotter version of the 78' with a higher DC, while the Custom Custom seems to sit somewhere in between (not sure if this is a fair comparison), but closer to the Frankie. I did hear the youtube videos of a board member here demoing both the 78' and Frankie, and it seemed to me the Frankie was a bit hotter sounding but the 78' slightly clearer however the amp volume was set way too low making it hard to make a clear distinction between the two PUs; both have that mid-range punch I am looking for. The Custom Custom sounds like a kickass PU too.
Although I am an a bit of a EVH-head, I do understand that much of his sound is in his style of playing. I am currently playing through a Peavey 5150 combo, a boss gt-8, and a BBE Sonic Maximizer. I am getting a tone similar to the F.U.C.K. album now more than anything, and would like to move away a bit from that more compressed tone to the gritty sound he was noted for back in the day. Despite having the 5150 which is supposedly modeled off a SLO-100, I think I'd be more successful going for the older sound with a more raw setup given the type of guitar I am using and seeing as I don't have the money to invest in a Eventide harmonizer at this time.
LONG story short, 78', CC, or Frankie (if you can think of anything else to throw into the mix, go right ahead)? Also, what will be the key characteristic sound differences between the JB and any of the aforementioned PUs?
Thus far I'm leaning toward the CC, ever-so-slightly, as to me it seems somewhere in between the two (if that's a fair comparison because sonically it may be quite different). Ultimately at some point I'll just have to bite the bullet and find out by putting one of these PUs in my guitar and learn to live with that decision. However, any input as to which PU would be most suited for my guitar (e.g. being mahogany) and tonal needs would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers
I love the original VH tone, and while I find the JB is close, it just doesn't quite cut it. From what I understand the 78' was the PU SD designed from Eddie's frankenstein, and the custom Custom is a hotter sounding PU geared more toward his tone from 1984 onward (which is primarily the "early" sound I am chasing after). The Frankie, to me seems like a hotter version of the 78' with a higher DC, while the Custom Custom seems to sit somewhere in between (not sure if this is a fair comparison), but closer to the Frankie. I did hear the youtube videos of a board member here demoing both the 78' and Frankie, and it seemed to me the Frankie was a bit hotter sounding but the 78' slightly clearer however the amp volume was set way too low making it hard to make a clear distinction between the two PUs; both have that mid-range punch I am looking for. The Custom Custom sounds like a kickass PU too.
Although I am an a bit of a EVH-head, I do understand that much of his sound is in his style of playing. I am currently playing through a Peavey 5150 combo, a boss gt-8, and a BBE Sonic Maximizer. I am getting a tone similar to the F.U.C.K. album now more than anything, and would like to move away a bit from that more compressed tone to the gritty sound he was noted for back in the day. Despite having the 5150 which is supposedly modeled off a SLO-100, I think I'd be more successful going for the older sound with a more raw setup given the type of guitar I am using and seeing as I don't have the money to invest in a Eventide harmonizer at this time.
LONG story short, 78', CC, or Frankie (if you can think of anything else to throw into the mix, go right ahead)? Also, what will be the key characteristic sound differences between the JB and any of the aforementioned PUs?
Thus far I'm leaning toward the CC, ever-so-slightly, as to me it seems somewhere in between the two (if that's a fair comparison because sonically it may be quite different). Ultimately at some point I'll just have to bite the bullet and find out by putting one of these PUs in my guitar and learn to live with that decision. However, any input as to which PU would be most suited for my guitar (e.g. being mahogany) and tonal needs would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers
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