Re: Need Advice on Pickups/Wiring
Hi, I've tried the Demon, and while it may have its uses, hard rock is NOT one of them. Weak, pathetic, all treble, no sustain, and the '59 I had in the neck smoked it. I would also stay away from the Full Shred. I used that for about 7 years as my main bridge pickup, and my guitar always sounded weak, even with mahogony and I fixed bridge. Still, the full shred is MUCH better than the Demon. It's good for solos, but you have to do all the work with your own fingers, it won't sustain for you.
I would suggest the Distortion (aka, the "DD"). It sustains forever, and yes, Lynch used it on every recording he made that didn't suck. (I love the man, but his tone on Lynch Mob S/T (#2, with Robert Mason on vocals) was WEAK...right when he switched to the Demon!) The DD has a lot of mids, but those can be tweaked on the amp. You might not like it clean, however. Many people hate the clean sound of a ceramic pickup. I actually think it's okay, but if you're really concerned, get an Alnico V pickup instead. You will need a decent tube amp to get the most out of a DD. It may suck in solid state.
I've tried a few of the high-gain Duncans, here's my take:
The Custom sounds good! But it sounds like just a thinner Distortion. The JB was way too "live"--every note you hit is there, but so is every stray finger movement. And cleans sounded like an icepick going through my head. (The Forum elders are shaking their heads, and going, yeah, that's what the tone knob is for. I quietly offer the following humble thought: riding the tone knob is more pain than it's worth...then retreat to my corner, where the dunce cap is placed on my head, as they mutter something about 250k pots.)
In the "I don't know but I've been told" dept., I've heard the Custom V is too bassy, but the Custom Custom will give you a decent EVH sound. Oh, yeah, and 'a big legged woman ain't got no soul,' whatever that means. Sorry. I digress.
Bear in mind that all my references related to MAHOGANY guitars...and your results may be BRIGHTER.
