metal PU advice for a friend

Oudy

Oudy

New member
my friend recently got an esp II eclipse (24.75 scale, maho body/neck rosewood fretboard. They come stock with emg (ether 81/81 or 81/60 he's not sure since there's apparently 2 of them that come with diff setups)

he wants a bridge pickup that's high output, kinda warm but clear, articulate, crisp and a nice attack. in a neck picku phe likes something a bit warm and bassy but without getting muddy, a kinda jazzy like sound that can sound good with some reverb or when it's clean without an overpowering output and someting that was described as an almost atmospheric like sound or for an eric johnson like thing .


my initial idea was a DD/59n(or bridge) or blackouts or a super disto 3/EJ neck but i believe the volume balance with the dimarzios would be very noticable if pickups switched

anyone wanna chime in and tell me what they think, any option will be relayed (including keeping the emg's) and thanks for your help
 
Re: metal PU advice for a friend

Sounds like you're talking about the Dimarzion Super Distortion for the bridge. I love mine. I've got it matched with a PAF Pro but that won't really get you the jazzing tones you're looking for like the SD Jazz pu.
 
Re: metal PU advice for a friend

why does he want to change the pickups? emgs will give him what he is looking for but...i recommend duncans of course. Distortion/Jazz is a badass combo. my personal favorite is the JB/Jazz. Livewires are good especially the Mustaine set. Blackouts are amazing too. there are so many different combos for what he is looking for.
 
Re: metal PU advice for a friend

Never tried an EMG 60, but used 81s and 89s for some time. They will do for metal, that's for sure, but I imagine an 81 in mahogany could be dark. I always loved the Duncan Distortion, too...as well as every DD/Jazz combo I've ever tried...

Anybody tried an Alt8/JazzN combo yet? :D
 
Re: metal PU advice for a friend

If he wants to stay with active pups but with a lot more versatility go with the dave mustaine livewires. Blackouts are also really nice. Or like a previous post the JB/Jazz is a good passive setup! Rock on!
 
Re: metal PU advice for a friend

Whats wrong with the EMG's ? They are a great metal pickup and tons of people actually upgrade new guitars to EMG's
 
Re: metal PU advice for a friend

I would recommend the '59n for the neck, and an A8 JB or even a Custom for the bridge.

jhale667 said:
Never tried an EMG 60, but used 81s and 89s for some time. They will do for metal, that's for sure, but I imagine an 81 in mahogany could be dark. I always loved the Duncan Distortion, too...as well as every DD/Jazz combo I've ever tried...

Anybody tried an Alt8/JazzN combo yet? :D
Click to expand...

I have it in a guitar right now, and I really like it. As much as I like the Jazz neck, the A8 JB steals the show on that setup, IMO. Tonally, they're a very natural match. The A8 JB is basically a very full, tight JB with smoother treble, and without the spike in the upper-mids.
 
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Re: metal PU advice for a friend

Well a LP style guitar with "Attack and definition" is a hard thing to get.Actives are the only way to do it right.The 60 is an amazing PU.The best EMG for shure.
The Blackouts get high marks everywhere i look at.so Trying those would be a good start!
 
Re: metal PU advice for a friend

I think you're on the right track with your initial idea of the DD/59n.......Thats what I've used in my #1 les paul for about 18+ years!
 
Re: metal PU advice for a friend

daemon barbeque said:
Well a LP style guitar with "Attack and definition" is a hard thing to get.Actives are the only way to do it right.The 60 is an amazing PU.The best EMG for shure.
The Blackouts get high marks everywhere i look at.so Trying those would be a good start!
Click to expand...



Seems like sort of a silly waste of time and money swaping one active pickup set for another. I've never played the blackouts but have had EMG's for years and I'd have to think they'd be far more the same than different.


Assuming you can do the install yourself saves money but if you can't have have to pay not only for a new set of pups, plus labor, then I just don't see spending what could be $250+ as really giving much bang for the buck
 
Re: metal PU advice for a friend

millsart said:
Assuming you can do the install yourself saves money but if you can't have have to pay not only for a new set of pups, plus labor, then I just don't see spending what could be $250+ as really giving much bang for the buck
Click to expand...


Can't speak to your Blackout vs. EMG question as I've yet to try Blackouts (thought about it, but my EMGs are so old they don't have quick-connects, and I'm trying passive humbuckers again anyway - but I imagine on a newer guitar the quick-connects would make a Blackout swap-out easy?), but I will agree with the monetary issue: No WAY would I be contemplating swapping pickups (in my case on four instruments somewhat simultaneously, or will be when I get two more pickups, lol) if I couldn't do the work myself...:lmao:

I mean, if you can't do it that's one thing -and everybody's gotta learn somewhere (or if you're independently wealthy perhaps not); but I have a hard time justifying bench-fees for stuff I can do myself, y'know?:earl:

Ever see the episode of South Park where Chef's dad was yelling "TWO-FIFTY??!! Woman, I told you not to give that monster two-fifty!" :D
 
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Re: metal PU advice for a friend

The DD/59 should be the perfect combo for the ESP. And it was tree-fiddy man, tree-fiddy. That got**** loch ness monster :laugh2:
 
Re: metal PU advice for a friend

Why swap one active for another? Well for starters all actives do not sound the same. Live Wires are a world apart from an emg 81. The cleans are 10 x more articulate and the overall feel is different such as rolling off the volume a tad here or there etc... Your bud might like to rock but tone it down for a ballad of sorts or something of that nature every now and then. Livewires can do that. If he likes blues.. again, Livewires. Thrash or death metal.. again livewires. Of course if metal or high gain distortion is all he wants then stay with the EMG's cause they can crunch with the best of them and save him some cash. It's just with my experience and several others I've talked to the LW-MUST set is way more versatile. Go to a local guitar shop that has a selection and play a few different setups, he'll find what he likes. Happy hunting.
 
Re: metal PU advice for a friend

Oudy said:
he wants a bridge pickup that's high output, kinda warm but clear, articulate, crisp and a nice attack. in a neck picku phe likes something a bit warm and bassy but without getting muddy, a kinda jazzy like sound that can sound good with some reverb or when it's clean without an overpowering output and someting that was described as an almost atmospheric like sound or for an eric johnson like thing .
Click to expand...

new guitar? im thinking stock emgs and a twist of the tone nobs and amp nobs would be the shiznit. :wall:
 
Re: metal PU advice for a friend

My personal reccomendaton to him was to try the emgs and if they didnt give him what he wanted to try a DD/59 or DD/Jazz. He hasn't really recieved his guitar yet since he ordered it off ebay but when he does I will probally bump the thread.

Personally, I don't care much for emg's (had an 81/85 set in my rhoads) and didn't really hit it for me. ill let everyone now how it goes for him though.
 
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