Just got a Alternative 8

[UberMetalDood]

It's going into my strat tonight. I will fill you in on the details later. I've never used one, so right now I'm predicting that it's going to be very hot, very thick and bassy, and a little more sterile than my JB. We'll see I guess.

 

[marvelous_seven]

Re: Just got a Alternative 8

That's cool man,can't wait to see/hear your review on it.

 

[metalmachine]

Re: Just got a Alternative 8

it will probally suprise u.

 

[UberMetalDood]

Re: Just got a Alternative 8

it will probally suprise u.

Yes it did. It's a great pickup. I think I was expecting it to sound like a ceramic pickup. It doesn't, but it's very hot. I had a JB Jr. in the neck and it was far too loud to use with the JB Jr. neck. It's louder than a JB. I ended up pulling it and going with a Pearly Gates Plus.

The Alternative 8 is a killer pickup but far too hot to use with a single size humbucker neck. My strat is routed for HSS, so even though the Alt 8 might work with a hot neck humbucker, I can't install one. I lowered the Alt 8 almost to where it was just above the pickguard and raised the JB Jr as close as I could get to the strings and the volume difference was still too much.

But yeah, it's an awesome pickup. It has a lot of mids. I thought it would be too bassy and maybe a little shrill but it's not at all. It has a thick midrange and the treble is very smooth.

It's too bad that I can't install a hot neck pickup to go with it. I thought about trying a Hot Rails but I'm having a lot of success with my PG+.

 

[marvelous_seven]

Re: Just got a Alternative 8

This thread need more details man!
I wanna know how compressed it is,tightness,clarity,crunch/chug and overall tones compared to SD pickups you've tried (particularly JB and Full Shred),and what kind of guitars/setup you'd recommend this pickup to go with?

 

[frankfalbo]

Re: Just got a Alternative 8

You have a neck JB jr? A bridge JB jr or bridge Hot Rails would sure compete...

 

[CountFunkula]

Re: Just got a Alternative 8

This thread need more details man!
I wanna know how compressed it is,tightness,clarity,crunch/chug and overall tones compared to SD pickups you've tried (particularly JB and Full Shred),and what kind of guitars/setup you'd recommend this pickup to go with?

I've had experience with the Alt 8, Custom 8, and Nailbomb in this particular guitar, and it definitely beats the others out as far as tightness/chug goes. It is very compressed and does not have much particular clarity. You may want to disconnect it from the tone pot. TONS of low mids and a lot of bass, too. Definitely a wall-shaker.

 

[metalmachine]

Re: Just got a Alternative 8

i always found it to be very clear. and also i though the distortion was quite a bit hotter.
oh i found the trick to this pup is dail it down a little low

 

[cheameup]

Re: Just got a Alternative 8

+1 to no tone pot. I didnt like it that much till I removed it from the tone

also found it never got on with any neck so I just use it as a bridge only guitar . roll back the volume a bit and the clean is nice enough to use . Not for sturmming chords but fine for arpish stuff

 

[UberMetalDood]

Re: Just got a Alternative 8

This thread need more details man!
I wanna know how compressed it is,tightness,clarity,crunch/chug and overall tones compared to SD pickups you've tried (particularly JB and Full Shred),and what kind of guitars/setup you'd recommend this pickup to go with?

Ok I'll give it to you. First of all, I expected the Alt 8 to be very hot, sterile and bassy. It's not at all. It sounds a lot like a JB actually. It's very fat, round, warm, tight and articulate. It's not as aggressive as a JB or Pearly Gates, and definitely not in the same ballpark as a Duncan Distortion.

It is very hot though. It's not hot in the way that a Duncan Distortion is hot, like where it makes your clean amp sound like it's being pushed too much. It's just really loud. It does not balance well with other vintage or moderate output pickups. That's my only problem with it.

I lowered tha pickup way down to the pickguard and it was still twice as loud as my JB Jr. The JB Jr is not a weak pickup. It's actually a moderate output humbucker, and it pairs great with a pickup like a Full Shred or Pearly Gates.

If you like hot pickups but with alnico flavor, it's definitely worth buying.

 

[Ed Hunter]

Re: Just got a Alternative 8

I have been wanting to try this one and the C8 as well:naughty:

 

[cheameup]

Re: Just got a Alternative 8

I've had experience with the Alt 8, Custom 8, and Nailbomb in this particular guitar, and it definitely beats the others out as far as tightness/chug goes. It is very compressed and does not have much particular clarity. You may want to disconnect it from the tone pot. TONS of low mids and a lot of bass, too. Definitely a wall-shaker.

so you'd consider the alt 8 tighter than the nailbomb ?

I've been eyeing off a nailbomb set but thought they would be tighter than the Alt 8

 

[CountFunkula]

Re: Just got a Alternative 8

Yes, I found it to be quite a bit tighter. For more tightness, you'd probably have to go the ceramic route (nailbomb or otherwise).

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Just got a Alternative 8

I have been wanting to try this one and the C8 as well:naughty:

Both are Groovy!! But the C8 trips my trigger more..

 

[gvis]

Re: Just got a Alternative 8

I can't wait to try mine...comes this weekend. I don't know how I overlooked this pickup when setting up my 3 humbucker parker. Oh well.

I'm just not liking the full shred it'll replace. The full shred has no character and is not hot enough to keep up with the invaders. All that seems to make it past it's medium yet lifeless thickness is it's articulation. Without character (mids?), that's not enough for me. Never had the high end issue others have had though, and it actually wasn't too bad clean, either series or parallel; useless split.

Since I love the invaders (series, parallel, & split), the alt 8 seems like a good match, and hopefully it's leads are little more biting than the invaders, which are ok for leads but are one dimensional and not exactly biting; more like a thick wall of everything.

As I've plunged more and more into pickup world, I'm learning more but also finding it to be an obsessive hunt for the holy grail..lol. Guess that's no news to anyone here.

 

[metalmachine]

Re: Just got a Alternative 8

alt 8 is simular to a jb. but it has a fatter and tighter bottom.

 

[gvis]

Re: Just got a Alternative 8

Hhhm...didn't know that. I had considered the JB at the time I got the full shred, and I know a lot of people here like it, but a lot also said it's got a dramatic upper mid range spike and responds differently to different guitars (more so than other pickups).

I'll have the alt 8 in by Sunday, so I guess I'll find out soon enough how it works in my setup. If it's an improvement over the full shred and closer to a JB sound, but with the fatter/tighter bottom end you mentioned, I think I'd be happy with that.

 

[UberMetalDood]

Re: Just got a Alternative 8

Hhhm...didn't know that. I had considered the JB at the time I got the full shred, and I know a lot of people here like it, but a lot also said it's got a dramatic upper mid range spike and responds differently to different guitars (more so than other pickups).

I'll have the alt 8 in by Sunday, so I guess I'll find out soon enough how it works in my setup. If it's an improvement over the full shred and closer to a JB sound, but with the fatter/tighter bottom end you mentioned, I think I'd be happy with that.

I think you'll be satisfied. The Alt 8 is a fat, hot, awesome pickup.

 

[gvis]

Re: Just got a Alternative 8

Excellent, I can't wait.