Neck pickup to fit well with an Alternative 8

McDube

McDube

New member
Hello there.
When I bought my JEM I got hooked on DiMarzio. Until I bought the Black Winters, and got free advice from SD.

Now, I'm building a frankenmaster out of a Ibanez JTK30 body with RGR321 hardware, except pots and toggle.

In the bridge I'm going to want a SD Alternative 8. I only can't figure out what neck pup would go well with it.
I've been thinking Jazz Neck, Custom, CustomCustom, Custom 5, 59/Custom, Invader Neck, nut except from the Jazz and Invader Neck they all are puppies mostly used in bridge position. And that's where the Alt8 goes.

Or just some sets, like Distortion Mayhem, A2Pro Slash set, or Hot Rodded set.
My experience with the Black Winters in my mahogany/quilted maple S570 make that set an option too.
That would leave the Alt8 out, though.

The guitar is a mahogany only slab of wood (almost as thick as a Les Paul), with a maple neck with rosewood fingerboard (Ibby Wizard neck).
It's got two 500k pots, a 3-way toggle, and I'm gonna put two minitoggles on it for separate coil splitting options per pup, just like on my Ibby JTK2.
This is the wood:

New-1.jpg

(don't mind the sloppy handwork please... :15:

The reason I chose the Alt8 is because it's about as tight as the Evolution bridge pup in my JEM, but is slightly different (as far as I can judge from the online pickup selector video on YouTube).
My S570 is loaded with Winters and a rp/rw Quarter Pound. Badass combination, by the way :headbang:
The JTK2 has stock Super58's which sound divine to me, and my RG270 has SM-1's with a rp/rw lipstick in between.

So I got all sorts of sound available, and I want this project to be identifyable different, without becoming completely alienated from the others.

Any advice please ? :1:
 
Re: Neck pickup to fit well with an Alternative 8

A2P Slash neck, Full Shred neck, Screamin' Demon or '59/Custom. These pickups have fine clarity like Alt8. But then what do you want from neck pickup? Want mid like Alt8? Go with A2P Slash. Want fluidness like Alt8? Go with Full Shred. Want articulation like Alt8? Go with Screamin' Demon. Want power like Alt8? Go with '59/Custom. Your call.
 
Re: Neck pickup to fit well with an Alternative 8

Good point on the tone part. I'm looking for a darker tone than the Alt8. A sound like a PAF on steroids without getting muddy.
 
Re: Neck pickup to fit well with an Alternative 8

I've got a Jazz in with mine, but that probably isn't quite what you're looking for based on the requirement for a darker tone.
 
Re: Neck pickup to fit well with an Alternative 8

McDube said:
Good point on the tone part. I'm looking for a darker tone than the Alt8. A sound like a PAF on steroids without getting muddy.
Click to expand...

Pearly gates in the neck or A2P in the neck. Also look at the PATB-3 blues model.
 
Re: Neck pickup to fit well with an Alternative 8

After a lot more of soulsearching. listening to audiosamples and such, I've decided I'll go for a Custom 5 to accompany the Alternative 8 in my project frankenmaster. Or 'King RGR' as I designated it... :14:
 
Re: Neck pickup to fit well with an Alternative 8

McDube said:
After a lot more of soulsearching. listening to audiosamples and such, I've decided I'll go for a Custom 5 to accompany the Alternative 8 in my project frankenmaster. Or 'King RGR' as I designated it... :14:
Click to expand...

I think you'll be much better off with a "lowly" '59n modded with an A4 magnet.

That's a tonal match made in heaven, if you ask me,.

HTH,
 
Re: Neck pickup to fit well with an Alternative 8

I don't generally like the idea of using bridge pickups in the neck, unless they're like the Screamin' Demon.
 
Re: Neck pickup to fit well with an Alternative 8

Eh, I don't think you'll like the C5 in the neck, too scooped and too bassy (I know from experience).

I'd suggest Screamin' Demon, fo really.

Really cool build BTW.
 
Re: Neck pickup to fit well with an Alternative 8

Well, maybe in that case I'll have to reconsider the Screamin' Demon for the neck position... :)
It's mentioned the most, and I'm sure that happened for a reason...
 
Re: Neck pickup to fit well with an Alternative 8

Or get the APH-1N or SH-1N and save 25 bucks :)
 
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Re: Neck pickup to fit well with an Alternative 8

LtKojak said:
I think you'll be much better off with a "lowly" '59n modded with an A4 magnet.

That's a tonal match made in heaven, if you ask me,.

HTH,
Click to expand...
Or a Distortion neck model with an A4. I just did that with my RG-120 and I love the pairing.
 
Re: Neck pickup to fit well with an Alternative 8

Demanic said:
Or a Distortion neck model with an A4. I just did that with my RG-120 and I love the pairing.
Click to expand...
Got a chance to play it last night through my "big" setup. Even with an obscene amount of gain, the thing didn't mud out. I actually found myself hearing harmonic overtones that I'd never heard before out of that axe and amp combo. I can only think that they had been getting stepped on by the different eq of the double thick ceramic and were now coming through much more clearly with the A4.
 
Re: Neck pickup to fit well with an Alternative 8

I swore I commented on this previously, but it appears I didn't

I'd suggest the Jazz neck for what the OP is talking about.


Sent from my armored space station via iPad using Tapatalk
 
Re: Neck pickup to fit well with an Alternative 8

I'm not yet to the point I'm confident enough to start modding pickups. I'm inclined to go with the Demon to accompany the Alt8.

One thing troubles me a bit.
Will they perform well in a D standard tuning ?
 
Re: Neck pickup to fit well with an Alternative 8

By the way, I do thank you all for thinking along with me :)
 
Re: Neck pickup to fit well with an Alternative 8

McDube said:
I'm not yet to the point I'm confident enough to start modding pickups. I'm inclined to go with the Demon to accompany the Alt8.

One thing troubles me a bit.
Will they perform well in a D standard tuning ?
Click to expand...

Yes. I used to play them in Drop C and Drop A.
 
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