More chug
- Thread starter solspirit
- Start date
That's cool. There are no hard 'n' fast rules to tone!
Masta' C
Well-known member
There really is no "best".
I had a Screamin' Demon in an Ibanez RG that was on the brighter side, but chugged for days in that guitar. The Dimebucker is a crunchy beast, just like the L500XL it's modeled after.
The dual-rail El Diablo is percussive and thick at the same time, really great for chunky, tight rhythms with good clarity from top to bottom.
Most of the PATB pickups hold up well to heavy palm mutes under gain.
The newer generation of Duncans (Black Winter, Nazgul, Omega) are pretty much born to chug handsomely. Just gotta figure out which flavor suits your tastebuds
El Dunco
Sock Supplier to RHCP
How you chug is definitely a factor. I'm going to use one of my band's songs as an example here because I know exactly what I did, what I used and I'm pretty sure you've heard this one. These are EMTY Blackouts, straight into a split between JVM and Dual Rec (mostly JVM) No boosts/overdrives
I have the guitar only stems if you want a closer listen to what I'm about to mention.
The main riff at 00:17 and throughout I tilted the pick slightly perpendicular to the strings and raked it hard, slowly against the strings for a "scrunchier" chug (you can even hear me loosen up gradually on each of those opening guitar jabs). Then at 1:00, the dirty version of the clean riff has incredible definition even with such an atonal riff. But listen to when I go into standard issue metal gallops at 2:11, it's plenty tight and the trem picked stuff before that doesn't run together.
That's a lot of timbre differences through the same guitar, pickups and amps. I'm probably not telling you much of what you don't already know but I don't think there's a pickup out there you can't get to do what you want. I would suggest ceramic mag for more clean tightness, a5 for more attitude. I haven't messed with A8s or Ceramic 8s yet but I hear great things about them. What are you running through these days?
I have the guitar only stems if you want a closer listen to what I'm about to mention.
The main riff at 00:17 and throughout I tilted the pick slightly perpendicular to the strings and raked it hard, slowly against the strings for a "scrunchier" chug (you can even hear me loosen up gradually on each of those opening guitar jabs). Then at 1:00, the dirty version of the clean riff has incredible definition even with such an atonal riff. But listen to when I go into standard issue metal gallops at 2:11, it's plenty tight and the trem picked stuff before that doesn't run together.
That's a lot of timbre differences through the same guitar, pickups and amps. I'm probably not telling you much of what you don't already know but I don't think there's a pickup out there you can't get to do what you want. I would suggest ceramic mag for more clean tightness, a5 for more attitude. I haven't messed with A8s or Ceramic 8s yet but I hear great things about them. What are you running through these days?
solspirit
Ultimate Post Liker
Thanks Beer$, I'm going to listen in a little while, I'm sure I've heard it but I don't know what you did where, dissected like is great.
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El Dunco
Sock Supplier to RHCP
You're welcome. I'm not suggesting at all that pickup choices don't make a difference as different pickups will all give different permutations of the "chug," but I felt it was important to demonstrate just how much of a difference you can make just by how you play and the importance of matching your hands to the strings, then the pickup to the guitar. I'm sure all of us have guitars that have had many, many pickup swaps before we found the right set that vibed.
The guitar I used in that song originally had EMG 707s and the first song I recorded with it, the sound wasn't there and I ran into the problem of brittle treble and hollow mids on a song which was based around a single note riff that has to be very big and full sounding. The EMTY Blackouts immediately gave me that juicy, searing sound I wanted. I had everything else in order, literally swapped the pickups out and recorded the song immediately and there it was. Nothing else was changed, the entire recording chain was exactly as I left it for all the other songs. That's why I reached for it again for the song above because it can do so much more with nothing more than a great amp, great speakers, great space and great mics.
With that in mind, how we can settle this is the question, what do you want that you're not getting from your current pickups in that guitar? Apologies if that's a redundant question.
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solspirit
Ultimate Post Liker
I'm looking for a dark and ominous, percussive, biting attack, that still retains clarity. Does this make sense? I have a real hard time describing sounds.
El Dunco
Sock Supplier to RHCP
Makes sense to me. How I would decide based on that, is to go by which of those criteria the pickup you currently have isn't doing. Is it too bright or is it too muddy? Is it heavy sounding but just not clear enough? Is it almost there but too soft and not percussive enough? That kind of thing. It's like an equation. The specs of the current pickup, factor in what you do like about it, minus what you don't like about it equals the most likely candidate you should drop in there instead.
Edgecrusher
New member
What is the rest of your rig? Good chug sounds are a combination of things and at least for me the pickup is fairly low importance. You can take the nastiest chug pickup but if you are plugging it into a BD2 and a pignose, well good luck. Yes thats an extreme example but its just to illustrate the points.
Never underestimate the value of a good boost pedal of some sort in your chug quest. I have a Rivera KR7 that i still use a SD1 with just cause it adds something to the chug that the amp doesnt get on its own.
Never underestimate the value of a good boost pedal of some sort in your chug quest. I have a Rivera KR7 that i still use a SD1 with just cause it adds something to the chug that the amp doesnt get on its own.
El Dunco
Sock Supplier to RHCP
Maaaaate! /drools
Edgecrusher
New member
LOL Thanks, Its a killer amp all the way around, Its the first amp that ive owned where I actually use the Rhythm channel for my Rhythm sound and not the lead channel. Funny enough I wasnt even looking to buy one, I had driven up to Vienna cause a shop up there had a Diezel Hagen and a Engl Powerball II i wanted to try out. While I was there the salesman kept hounding me to try the KR7. When I did I was sold. Its been so good I havent bought another amp in 8 years now. Which for me is some sort of record.
El Dunco
Sock Supplier to RHCP
Damn! I'd love to spend an hour or two in that place. You got any clips of the KR7?
We'll have to shotgun it then and look at pickups that will get along with any amp with decent gain you'll plug into in future or maybe one of those spiffy AMT or Mooer preamp pedals seeing as the Carvin is pretty pedal friendly from what I hear. What tunings are you planning on playing in and are you opposed to active pickups?
