need pickup recomendation for oldschool metal

O

oldschool thrasher

New member
i have a 2010 les paul trad pro. it currently has a sh-4 in the bridge but it doesnt sound much better than the bb3 that came in it.i was expecting greatness since scott ian and dave mustain used this pickup, but t me it is just ho-hum. the bb3 sounded ok but was way too microphonic(not potted). im trying to get a really strong attack like metallicas whiplash, but the open, articulate sound of stuck mojos southern pride. i know rich ward uses patb-1. some chunk (ala dirty roten imbeciles-four of a kind) without too much warmth would be nice too since the jb just dont do it. my tone has been described as having alot of glowl but lacking cruch. i am playing through an 1984 jcm800 2204 with an ibanez tube screamer. i used to use a sd-1 but it didnt kill enough bass and i still run my bass around 2-4 with the mids around 6-7 and treble and pres on 10. i run the gain of the amp on 8 to kill some bass also. this amp is not bright at all with this guitar, not like my homemade strat with emg81 in the bridge. i also installed a metroamps zero loss fx loop and run an mxr 10 band eq with the last two bands set at 6db boost to get some attack. this helps alot with the sound imo. so can anyone recomend a pickup? some of the bands tones i like are d.r.i., s.o.d., antrax, suicidal tendecies, CELTIC FROST. not looking for uber distortion, but i als like the sounds of some metalcore bands. any advise would be apreciated. thanks in advance.---tom
 
Re: need pickup recomendation for oldschool metal

I know this is SD.... but ... DiMarzio Super Distortion... If SD had something comparable than that......
 
Re: need pickup recomendation for oldschool metal

You may hear the word "Custom", thrown around alot in this thread.
 
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Re: need pickup recomendation for oldschool metal

Through a ceramic mag in your JB or swap it for a Distortion, with your rig that will get you the tones you want.....
 
Re: need pickup recomendation for oldschool metal

Have you looked through the existing Seymour lineup, if so which ones do you find interesting?
 
Re: need pickup recomendation for oldschool metal

Scott Ian and Dave Mustaine played thin bodied Alder guitars.

You want the TB-5 Duncan Custom.

Then you can March with Sgt. D.
 
Re: need pickup recomendation for oldschool metal

oldschool thrasher said:
im trying to get a really strong attack like metallicas whiplash, but the open, articulate sound of stuck mojos southern pride... some chunk (ala dirty roten imbeciles-four of a kind) without too much warmth would be nice too
Click to expand...

Dimebucker? Heavy and yet will cut through in a warm, bassy setup.
 
Re: need pickup recomendation for oldschool metal

When did Scott use a JB?

You cant go wrong with a Custom IMO. Just taken one out my own LP (not because I didnt like it, I just needed it for another guitar and had a spare Super D to fit in the LP).
 
Re: need pickup recomendation for oldschool metal

If I were you, I'd get a late 70's early 80's Gibson Dirty Fingers. I recommend getting one of the older ones instead of reissue because I've heard that the reissues don't sound the same. The Dirty Fingers is becoming legendary, and for good reason!
Here's a link on Haromny Central with reviews of this pickup:

http://www.harmonycentral.com/products/9931
 
Re: need pickup recomendation for oldschool metal

JohnnyGuitarCA said:
If I were you, I'd get a late 70's early 80's Gibson Dirty Fingers. I recommend getting one of the older ones instead of reissue because I've heard that the reissues don't sound the same. The Dirty Fingers is becoming legendary, and for good reason!
Here's a link on Haromny Central with reviews of this pickup:

http://www.harmonycentral.com/products/9931
Click to expand...

And to think people used to just throw those things away...
 
Re: need pickup recomendation for oldschool metal

I'd be tempted to try a 500T.
 
Re: need pickup recomendation for oldschool metal

SD custom (sh-5). Simple, yet effective. Works every time. Or there is always the SD el diablo (scott ian signature pup) I've heard good things about it, and you are an anthrax guy.
 
Re: need pickup recomendation for oldschool metal

From experience, I would highly recommend the sh6 Distortion. i had the same experience as you,the jb had flimsy bass, so i stepped up to the Distortion which, as someone said, is a JB with a thick ceramic magnet instead of alnico 5. this magnet makes it drive harder with tighter bass and strong but scoopable mids. It wont be a spongy and sweet as the JB, but its Metal... THRAsh metal fer sure.
i was surprised Gary Holt of Exodus used a Custom sh5,.... however my friend is taking his out cuz its too round, not crisp. off the top of my head, Flying High Again features the sh6 Distprtion pickup (see 50 Greatest Tones magazine) in Randy Rhoads Jackson. Early Dokken, Meliah Rage,StaticX... If I was going to get Megadeth tone on Rust, id use the JB, but for the tone on Youthanasia and Symphony, def the sh6 Seymour Dunc Distortion. Try it~ Im sure it will put you on the green close to the flag. Youll love it, and later, if u want something more like the sound in yr head, there will be very few characteristics missing.
But dont just do a magnet swap without looking into the magnet size cuz i think the size are different, not just the material.
The Dimarzio SuprDist is also a great metal p up for tone and smooth growl, but the attack is not as tight as sh6, tho it is chunky. the sh6 isnt just tight but the chordsare violent like slabs of sheer menace- def UNsmooth. and like the JB, it compresses so u can go from chunky riffs to singing leads w out using a boost, and you can execute fast leads picking lightly or hit a wailing note and it will cut thru the mix but it wont jump out too loud or get too soft. Make sure the pickup height isnt too close to the strings, that makes it too honky. Also, if you palm mute and like easy pinch harmonics, the sh6 is like an EMG81 , but passive and not sterile & the pinch harmonics have more character than Emgs. Its not the ONLY way to go, but from what u wrote, i think sh6 Dist has your name on it!
 
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Re: need pickup recomendation for oldschool metal

Khriss Bliss said:
i was surprised Gary Holt of Exodus used a Custom sh5,.... however my friend is taking his out cuz its too round, not crisp.
Click to expand...

Jeff Waters had the Custom in his Ran signature guitars, I would call his tone crisp rather than round.
Jeff has also used the old Dirty Fingers, so they are a good shout.
And of course, the 500T is what Hetfield used for a while in the early days.

So I would say ANY of those would be a good starting point.
 
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