Is the Alternative 8 my solution ?

[guitarspaz]

I have 2 identical VERY bright sounding Ibanez Blazers. H-s-H strat Alder bodies, Wilkinson VSV vintage trem (A very bright bridge), rosewood board (but it feels and sounds very "ebony" to my ears). I've tried LOTs of pickups in these, and on one of them, I settled with an Alnico II Pro in the neck, and a CC in the bridge. Even the CC has a tad of harshness "wah" tone on the unwound strings in the lower to middle of the neck, but it's manageable.

I'd like a different bridge PU in the second guitar. I thought of going more vintage with it, but the APII bridge is a little thin in it for my tastes, as was the Pearly Gates. The Duncan Distortion wasn't all bad actually, but it it didn't blend as well as I'd like when split and used in the quack position with the Alnico SC in the middle. All of the Dimarzio's I've tried in it sound too "edgy", although the Air Zone and the Norton were closest to tolerable.

I'm thinking about trying an Alt 8 backed away from the strings a bit. I'll be playing Eb tuned rock with it mostly. I like the idea of the bigger bass and rounder high end, but the high output concerns me a bit. I generally use a medium gained tone that I back off volume to clean up a bit, and kick with an OD pedal to thicken up a bit as needed.

Do you think an Alt 8 is my ticket ?

 

[Mark Cearlock]

Re: Is the Alternative 8 my solution ?

Either alt 8 or invader sounds like the ticket.

 

[CaughtLikeFire]

Re: Is the Alternative 8 my solution ?

I have 2 identical VERY bright sounding Ibanez Blazers. H-s-H strat Alder bodies, Wilkinson VSV vintage trem (A very bright bridge), rosewood board (but it feels and sounds very "ebony" to my ears). I've tried LOTs of pickups in these, and on one of them, I settled with an Alnico II Pro in the neck, and a CC in the bridge. Even the CC has a tad of harshness "wah" tone on the unwound strings in the lower to middle of the neck, but it's manageable.

I'd like a different bridge PU in the second guitar. I thought of going more vintage with it, but the APII bridge is a little thin in it for my tastes, as was the Pearly Gates. The Duncan Distortion wasn't all bad actually, but it it didn't blend as well as I'd like when split and used in the quack position with the Alnico SC in the middle. All of the Dimarzio's I've tried in it sound too "edgy", although the Air Zone and the Norton were closest to tolerable.

I'm thinking about trying an Alt 8 backed away from the strings a bit. I'll be playing Eb tuned rock with it mostly. I like the idea of the bigger bass and rounder high end, but the high output concerns me a bit. I generally use a medium gained tone that I back off volume to clean up a bit, and kick with an OD pedal to thicken up a bit as needed.

Do you think an Alt 8 is my ticket ?

the Alt 8 doesn't "act" like a hi-output pup. response to picking is very good, pick attack is not as sharp or metallic as a JB or Distortion (palm mutes have a nice tight thump), and clarity under gain is the best of any Duncan I've tried. it pushes my amp a little harder than my JB but it's not in any way harsh and or overbearing. I use my Alt 8 in a Mahogany Strat (actually a bright guitar) for the heavier side of punk/indie rock. I play primarily though a Mesa Stiletto Ace.

the potential downsides:

1)this could be good or bad, but it has a more modern tone. it doesn't have the "hot-rodded vintage" tone that the Custom Custom does for example. I prefer my PAF 36th bridge or even alnico 2 JB for a more vintage vibe.

2)it takes more work to get a good clean tone than a low output A2 or A5 bridge pup. it thrives on medium to high gain and is pretty forgiving of amp settings in this environment. for cleans, you'll need to be able to use your guitar volume knob and amp EQ knobs effectively. if your amp has a single EQ for clean and dirty channels and you plan to run the Alt 8 clean, you might have some issues. since you regularly use your guitar volume knob, I think you'll be just fine.