Need some advice on pickups, please.

[gregsuarez]

I just purchased a Jackson DK2 Dinky, and I would like to replace the Duncan Designed pups with something better quality. I was originally shopping for DiMarzios, but it seems that Seymour Duncan offers much better guidance (and this forum) in order to find the sound I'm looking for. So I am asking for advice from anyone out there willing to help who probably knows a lot more than I about which particular models I should consider...I'm overwhelmed by the options.

Like I said, I have a Jackson DK2 Dinky. It has a solid alder body, bolt-on maple neck, rosewood fretboard, 24 frets, a double-locking trem, and a humbucker in the bridge with single-coils in the middle and neck. I'm looking to replace all three pups.

For the bridge humbucker, I'm looking for something that will give me a good degree of sparkle on the top end, and nice warmth and presence on the low end, but not an overly dark or severe "black metal" or "thrash metal" tone. I play a lot of Def Leppard and other '80s-'90s glam rock, along with classic rock. I do not play speed metal or stuff that "shreds." If there's one type of tone I am striving for, it is like Def Leppard's sound over the last 10 years or so.

The middle and neck single-coils are much easier to explain. What I am striving for here is that classic single-coil tone of David Gilmour in the '70s. Since Gilmour pretty much used basic Fender single-coils in the '70s, someone had recommended I go with Fender Tex-Mex single-coils in these positions since they have a higher output that would better match that of a bridge humbucker. However, I have been reading that if you use plain unwound G strings (which I do as the gauge I use has always been 9-42 strings) the Tex-Mex pickups sound pretty bad. So, I'm looking for neck and middle pups with that traditional single-coil tone, but are balanced for my type of strings, and have a closer output to a humbucker.

I would appreciate suggestions of which pickups I should consider. It would really help give me a starting point so that I can evaluate my options. I have been playing for 15 years, and I have never replaced stock pickups until now, and I am sort of overwhelmed by all of the options.

Thanks

 

[heymcz]

Re: Need some advice on pickups, please.

Hey! Welcome to the forum.

Since nobody else has chimed in yet, let me address the bridge humbucker for you. (I don't use single coils.) The starting place to get the '80s "hair metal" sound is the JB. It does have some drawbacks to it, specifically that unless you change out the pots, it will pierce right through your ears at room volume. It was designed to be used at stage volumes, and cut through a band. It's very "live" and responds to every movement of your hand.

I actually prefer the Full Shred in the bridge; it has much mellower top end, and is slightly less nasal sounding than the JB. It does have its downfalls: it doesn't have a lot of bottom end compared to the JB, and it doesn't "scream", it's more vocal and precise (good pickup for Virgos, I guess.) It does hair metal quite well in my book. It's not for everyone, but you don't need to "shred" to use one; the guy from the Allman Bros. has one. But whatever you do, don't get the "Screamin' Demon". It isn't, and it doesn't. Nuff said.

I think that you might do well with the Duncan Distortion. The only problem is that the cleans suck, and it's a little "fuzzy" and indistinct when you record with it. It "screams" better than anything, in my book, and it does have enough bass. The high-end can be bright, but no one will look twice if you start rocking out the spandex with it...George Lynch used one back in the day.

Others will recommend that you use a low-output 'bucker like the '59 and crank up the amp distortion, so a lot depends on your amp in that case. That can get you closer to the VH kind of sound, more open and less compressed. The '59 doesn't have a lot of mids, though, and when you mix guitars, the mids are all you get; but a tubescreamer can fix that in a jiffy. Judging from what you said--and bearing in mind that I don't have a Leppard album in my collection--the '59 might get you close to what you want.

Take these suggestions with a grain of salt: a lot depends on your guitar wood and amp style (you DO have something Marshall-like, right? Otherwise all of this is pointless....) And there are others who can probably tell you what exact pickups the Leps used...use the search tool on the menu bar above, and you'll get something, I'm sure.

Oh, and measure across the strings at the bridge...chances are you'll need a "trembucker" spaced pickup (for Floyd Rose style tremelos); the magic number is "greater than two inches".

Good luck! And as the saying goes around here, "welcome to your new obsession."
Michael

 

[gregsuarez]

Re: Need some advice on pickups, please.

Thanks for the response! Like I said, all of the choices of pickups and the configuration I'm trying to put together has been overwhelming, but I don't have the time to make it an obsession...

I listened to the audio samples of the pups you suggested, and I like the Duncan Distortion. What I really like is the Pearly Gates, but I don't know how much it will overpower single-coils...it sounds pretty hot to me. Do you think that since I have a double-locking trem I will only be limited to one of the PATB pickups? The only one I really like out of the three is the Blues Saraceno version.

I think the big question for me right now is about the single-coils. What can I find that has that vintage tone, yet still remain sonically competitive enough with a humbucker not to be overpowered? I did a little digging, and it looks like during the '70s Gilmour used a '70 or '71 Strat with '69 pickups. Fender sells a set of '69 pickups through their custom shop, but I have a feeling that they will be so low powered next to a decent humbucker that it would be a horrible combination.

 

[heymcz]

Re: Need some advice on pickups, please.

You should be fine with any of the trembuckers, I really don't think you need to limit yourself to the parallel access models.

I had a Pearly Gates neck, and it was loud, but not compressed at all. I didn't like the neck, I found it to be a touch too rude for HM, which I think of as "smooth". But this is all personal, of course. You have to play what sounds good to you, what responds best under your hand. Sorry I can't help you with the single coils, but there are plenty of people here who can. KIf you don't get any other responses, just go and post the word "bump" into your own thread every now and then until someone chimes in.... Just making a guess based on sound samples, the Duncan SSL-1 is the most vintage sounding of them all, with the APS-1 being mellower and warmer. I have no idea about Fender singles.

On the power issue, I'm not sure, but remember that you can tweak the output somewhat by lowering or raising the pickups.

Keep in mind that if you buy a new Duncan from an authorized dealer, and you hate it, you can exchange it no questions asked for 21 days with Seymour Duncan. It's the greatest thing since CTRL+SHIFT+V (Sorry, I've been playing around in Macromedia Flash....)

 

[gregsuarez]

Re: Need some advice on pickups, please.

I didn't know about that exchange policy. That's pretty cool! I'm in no real rush to replace them. I just bought the guitar, so I need to save up some for the pickups. I do have time to consider my options.

Thanks again for your advice!

 

[TheArchitect]

Re: Need some advice on pickups, please.

I believe Phil Collen has used Dimarzio Super 3's in his jacksons. Jeck the jackson page to confirm that. The pyromania Ibanez appeared to have Super Distortions in it.

Clark on the other hand used a lot of les pauls that sppeared stock but no way to really tell.

**edit**
From the Jackson site on the Collen model
Bridge Pickup DiMarzio® Super 3™ Humbucking Pickup
Middle Pickup DiMarzio® HS2 Stacked Humbucking Pickup
Neck Pickup Jackson Sustainer/Driver

 

[gregsuarez]

Re: Need some advice on pickups, please.

Yes, Collen uses a Super 3, but stock I don't really care for them. His signature Jackson model (PC-1) has a mahagony body, so maybe that's why they sound better for him. Plus, the dude uses so many post-processing effects that the pickup almost becomes moot.

Clark used Gibson Les Pauls and Firebirds almost exclusively (although he did have a Fender Strat in the "Love Bites" video). I'm not too sure what pickups he used (they sounded stock), but I could probably dig a little on the 'net and find out if I were ever so inclined.

Campbell uses all sorts of different axes. A good deal of the time he's using Les Pauls, but I have seen him use G&Ls and others.