Hot Filtertrons for shred

[Hot Octopus]

Lately my tone quest has led me to Filtertron style pickups. I really like their “happy quack and almost single coil vibe” for lack of better terms. The two pickups I’m most interested in are the SD Psyclone Hot and the TV Jones Classic Plus. The Psyclone is the highest output Tron’ style pickup I’ve found. My worry is that it might be too hot for that quack and twang Filtertrons are known for. A step down as far as output goes, is the TV Jones Classic Plus. I know the sound well as it’s all over The Living End’s albums. I know it’ll get me most of the way there.

I grew up playing Van Halen and Dokken type music and that’s my comfort zone. I’m now looking to shred on a ‘Tron style pickup and these two pickups have me interested the most. Has anyone ever played or compared these two pickups? Got any other recomendations for a shred-style filtertron? The Living End meets Van Halen is the vibe I’m going for.

thanks in advance for any help. Peace~

 

[JohnnyGuitarCA]

Your best bet to get what you're looking for is to call MJ at the Custom Shop. Yes, the pickups will be more expensive, but MJ knows the art of making pickups with the sounds you want like few other people on this planet.

 

[Mincer]

Your best bet to get what you're looking for is to call MJ at the Custom Shop. Yes, the pickups will be more expensive, but MJ knows the art of making pickups with the sounds you want like few other people on this planet.

Well, this would be my advice. Filtertrons are not really shreddy pickups, but the Psyclones are hot- they don't sound like hot humbuckers, they sound like hot 'Trons. You'd have to really like the FT sound to wind them hotter.

 

[Artie]

I have Psyclones. I wouldn't call them "hot." They're clear and precise. Very hi-fi. In a good way. Kinda like the Jazz's. (Again, in a good way.)

 

[Securb]

I use a TV Jones Classic Plus bridge in the neck of my Tele. As others have said, I would not call it a shred pickup. I have found the hotter they get and the more gain you throw at them Trons while they still sound good, they lose a lot of the characteristics that they are known for. I use mine mostly for a Malcolm Young type of vibe or classic punk stuff.

 

[Hot Octopus]

thanks for the replies. Much appreciated!

I should probably buy the Psyclone Hot and give it a whirl before going for a full custom pickup, right? In my minds eye- I want the pyrotechnics of an eddie-style pickup (medium-high output, screaming harmonics, aged A2 magnet, trem spaced) but in filtertron form (thicker magnet than humbuckers, coils that are closer together, an almost-single-coil vibe, that retains the "Happy Quack" and clarity of a filtertron). I'm also curious about trying hex pole pieces.

I'm also slightly curious what a blackout preamp could do in combination with a lower output filtertron? I wonder if that will do the trick as well? I had heard a long time ago the blackout preamp worked wonders with the Demon and I'm curious if iy would help or hurt a lower-output tron style pickup?

FWIW, the pickup will be going into the bridge position of my Caparison Dillinger.

 

[ToneFiddler]

For high gain, the amp/speaker combo is the most important factor.
I can fatten up my supertron with my high gain amp just fine and you will never be able to tell it's a filtertron.
So yes, try the psyclone Hot or the hot TV-Jones ones first before you go custom.

The blackout preamp idea sounds interesting.
To make you're own preamp shouldn't be that hard either. just an Operational Amplifier (OP-Amp) with some additional components.
But i bet there are quit a few options out there already, if you don't mind your control cavity looking like a mess...