Hybrid/ Sentient into a Carvin DC 400 with the Active Passive module and WOW!!

[Ascension]

Man oh man was this combo in this guitar a HOME RUN!!
Mahogany body and neck Quilt top and head stock Ebony board with a Floyd 95 to 97 DC 400 with the Carvin Passive active module. Pickups were a Hybrid trembucker and a Sentient in the neck.
Tones are jaw dropping!! Fat clear articulate and man are their some options here!! Thick Les Paul like tones abound in full humbucking and a spot on Peter green out of phase tone like Gary Moore got with his Greeny is here also. Just a mean mother now across the board.
Split it's also fantastic and in the middle Split in particular has a GREAT country twang and solo voice clean!!
Thought it would be a big improvement over the stock C22's but did not expect this as this may well now be the best sounding guitar I own!! Just WOW!!
Here is a quick photo as I am doing the final tweaks through the PRS MT 15. Please excuse the mess going through a bunch of my library and rearranging my bookcases among other things so this room right now is a disaster!

 

[Ascension]

Re: Hybrid/ Sentient into a Carvin DC 400 with the Active Passive module and WOW!!

This is the same System used in the Carvin JB 200 Jason Becker model and is featured in this video demo for the Perpetual Burn. I had planned to put a Burn in the guitar but at the last moment decided on a Hybrid instead. With that Active passive module the set up is stunning. Pull the volume pot up and it is a normal 500K pot master volume mater tone set up with the 2 Splits and a Phase switch. Snap the pot down and it's the active side with a boost cut on bass /treble with a detent for flat in the middle and also there is an internal trim pot for output. You can run lower on the actives same as the passives or dial in a gain boost when the module is engaged. have mine set for a slight gain boost to fatten the tone just a little. This set up is flat stunning with this pickup combo!!

 

[SAguitar]

Re: Hybrid/ Sentient into a Carvin DC 400 with the Active Passive module and WOW!!

Hah! Now you've got my attention. I have been raving over my DC400 (with a Pearly Gates/JB combo) for about a month now, but who is ever done on this Tone Quest? I might have to get two more Duncans and get to melting solder again. Although I did strip out all of the active stuff from mine years ago, so all I have left are 4 knobs and 3 switches to mess with. You go, brother!

 

[Ascension]

Re: Hybrid/ Sentient into a Carvin DC 400 with the Active Passive module and WOW!!

Wound up Sunday with most of the band out so it was just me with the DC 400 and he Hybrid /Sentient the back up acoustic player drummer and our Singers.
Check out thee cleans buckers split in active mode Boss CS-3 in front Digitec Supernatural verb in the loop with my old carvin X50B head. Had my strat but this sounded better so--.

 

[Ascension]

Re: Hybrid/ Sentient into a Carvin DC 400 with the Active Passive module and WOW!!

This is running nothing but the Supernatural in he loop on the crunch side of the old carvin head and going through the pickup combos lighting my touch and rolling back the volume to get different tones. Was still eq'ed pretty top end and high mid heavy to cut through in the full band but---.
LOVE this set up!!!

 

[Condemned soul]

Re: Hybrid/ Sentient into a Carvin DC 400 with the Active Passive module and WOW!!

"Thought it would be a big improvement over the stock C22's but did not expect this as this may well now be the best sounding guitar I own!! Just WOW!!"

Nice work with the praise band. Thanks. And on to the pickup, as I had a similar experience.



Have a 59/Custom that started off in one of my SG's, after a a long while, I was just underwhelmed by it and the pickup migrated to a LP Custom. Again was completely underwhelmed with the pickup. There is one more guitar in the corner with a so-so bridge pickup. And here is the pickup's last chance to prove itself, so it migrated to my PRS SE Santana.

Considering that this pickup was lackluster at best, I was not expecting much. H.S. Batman!!!!!!!! The 59/Custom came to life - firm bass -- articulate --- slight mid scoop --- and the highs -- glorious and bright but not sharp or brittle.

Like you, I figured that moving the 59/Custom might be a wake up call for the Santana. And I was shocked by the pickup's change in the Santana. Also, it turned out to be an effective compliment for the neck pickup.