Help me decide what to build around these pickups...

C

Chocklit_Thunda

New member
Hi there... I'm currently in the middle of planning some future builds but this particular combination has me a bit stumped... (Not sure if this is the right place or if it belongs in the guitar shop but it does centre around the pickups)

I have me a set of Duncan designed pickups that I want to use together (took a long while to get em all...)
They are a DD HB108 detonator, a DD SC101m and a DD SC101n (all white) so I'm thinking an HSS setup, superstrat shape (basically trace my Cort X-1 shape), 3+3 angled headstock, telecaster humbucker hard tail bridge with steel saddles, string through body, bolt on neck.

I'm not a fan of ceramic high output pickups so I'm thinking of switching the 108's magnet for an A2, A4 or A5 to tame it a bit (that should give me something close to a "JB" with one of those magnets and invader polepieces.)

So the questions:
1) body wood combinations... Which will go best

- all mahogany body and neck (possibly sapele for figuring), bubinga FB
- deodar body (related to cedar), maple neck, bubinga/imbuia FB
- heavy northern ash body (thin), maple/walnut neck, ? FB
- any other suggestions or possible combinations of the above?

2) scale

- 25.5" standard, 24 fret
- 27.5" baritone, 24 fret (I really do want to try the baritone but I'm unsure of how the ultra invader "JB" clone of doom will react with the scale and tuning.)

3) any other suggestions?

I'm kinda intent on using these pickups in a single build as I have them and I'm not really looking to buy any others.

Thanks in advance
Sashien
 
Re: Help me decide what to build around these pickups...

1) Never go with a heavy northern ash body IME. If it's ash it needs to be lite weight ash. So consider mahogony with maybe an ash top if you cant get lite weight ash.

2) 25.5" scale for sure.

3) 24 frets may make the neck pickup not sound its best.
 
Re: Help me decide what to build around these pickups...

I had the chance to fondle an older Jackson Phil Collen model awhile back. Since it was an import version, it had Duncan Designed pups in it, and it sounded great. So if I were in your situation, I'd probably just use the wood combo they have going on with that guitar. A mahogany body, maple top, bolt on maple neck, & a maple fretboard.
 
Re: Help me decide what to build around these pickups...

Lake Placid Blues said:
1) Never go with a heavy northern ash body IME. If it's ash it needs to be lite weight ash. So consider mahogony with maybe an ash top if you cant get lite weight ash.

2) 25.5" scale for sure.

3) 24 frets may make the neck pickup not sound its best.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the replies guys :)

Can I ask why not a northern ash body? Do they sound different from the lightweight stuff? Because it's hard to get the light stuff in my country...

Why will the neck pickup not sound good with a 24 fret? My 24 fret sounds ok in the neck or is it the single coil?


@Gone_Shootin thanks I will look it up. I'm leaning toward mahogany but I want to match colours as well for aesthetic reasons... Would a walnut neck do the job? In my experience, walnut is very similar to maple in tone.
 
Re: Help me decide what to build around these pickups...

The neck pickup goes more towards the bridge side that there is less vibration going on. I don;t know if it's that much of a difference but it's there.

An all maple build would be really cool for a pickup close to JB. I don't know the other pickups though.
 
Re: Help me decide what to build around these pickups...

Chocklit_Thunda said:
Thanks for the replies guys :)

Can I ask why not a northern ash body? Do they sound different from the lightweight stuff? Because it's hard to get the light stuff in my country...

Why will the neck pickup not sound good with a 24 fret? My 24 fret sounds ok in the neck or is it the single coil? .
Click to expand...

In my experience heavy ash has always sounded sterile.

In addition to the neck pickup being closer to the bridge it is also not under one of the points of the natural harmonics of the string says one theory. It can still sound good but it won't sound as good as the neck position single coil does on a vintage strat.
 
Re: Help me decide what to build around these pickups...

Ah thanks. Is the northern ash just too heavy/dense? I've noticed that lighter woods are often far more resonant. The pine and cedar that I have ring out for days.

I suppose that I could do it a normal 21/22 fret neck then? I don't really shred so the extra frets aren't a necessity
 
Re: Help me decide what to build around these pickups...

Metalblaze said:
The neck pickup goes more towards the bridge side that there is less vibration going on. I don;t know if it's that much of a difference but it's there.

An all maple build would be really cool for a pickup close to JB. I don't know the other pickups though.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the reply. Don't you thing an all maple build would be a bit too heavy and bright? Especially with a JB-esque pickup.
 
Re: Help me decide what to build around these pickups...

Chocklit_Thunda said:
Thank you for the reply. Don't you thing an all maple build would be a bit too heavy and bright? Especially with a JB-esque pickup.
Click to expand...

I've listened to all maple Kramer Baretta with JB and it sounded amazing. Great snarly rock sound. It could be heavy though yeah, depending on the shape ans size of the guitar.
 
Re: Help me decide what to build around these pickups...

Metalblaze said:
The neck pickup goes more towards the bridge side that there is less vibration going on. I don;t know if it's that much of a difference but it's there.

An all maple build would be really cool for a pickup close to JB. I don't know the other pickups though.
Click to expand...


An all maple guitar has worked quite well for Jerry Cantrell, and he runs a JB in them too.

http://www.glguitars.com/instruments/USA/guitars/rampage/index.asp OP, take note that the body is soft maple, while the neck is hard maple.
 
Re: Help me decide what to build around these pickups...

Ah so that's out of the question.... We usually just get hard maple down here, if I'm not mistaken. I may need to find an alternative...
 
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