Need some pickup help/advice please

[TSE]

Looking for a low to medium output pickup for the bridge position in alder body DK2T. I currently have a DD and it's not getting along with my amp. Lots of squeals and dull, muddy, boomege tone happening here. I tried a lot of stuff including the ol' pup height adjustments, roll down the pot, de-mud mod, etc. Also, it's not my rig because I tried my other guitars with it, some of our other guitarist's guits and it sounds good. So I isolated the problem to the DD currently in there.

I'm guessing I'm going to need something lower in output. The DD has a lot of push and the amp has so much gain it's just stupid!(6505+) I usually play with gain at 3 with the DD.
I need really tight bass, very little of it, and bright with good harmonics and cutting mids. So I narrowed down to the Pearly Gates, Screamin' Demon, or Custom. What do you guys think?

 

[IanBallard]

Re: Need some pickup help/advice please

Since you're using a 6505, you might consider the Custom. It should keep its edge under high volume situations and is generally the cure for muddy Les Pauls. In alder, it may have more aggressive mids but still more balanced than the DD.

 

[TSE]

Re: Need some pickup help/advice please

In alder, it may have more aggressive mids but still more balanced than the DD.

Thanks, love lots of mids. How would it compare to a Demon with a ceramic?

 

[Fly_with_v]

Re: Need some pickup help/advice please

My favorite in that guitar is the Stock Set, JB/JaZZ. IMO very even sound. But it may not be what you are after. That guitar really got me hooked on pickup swaps in my other guitars becuase it sounded so good.

 

[TSE]

Re: Need some pickup help/advice please

I'm also thinking of the Full Shred. It's between the FS, DC, and SD right now.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Need some pickup help/advice please

The SD has a very even tonal range. I am really getting to love that pup. The PG is also a good choice, but it is a little brighter than the SD and a bit more mid-scooped.

I'm not a big fan of the Custom. It has a brittle sounding high end which really irritates my ears. It may also tend to do the squeal/boomy thing that you don't like about your DD.

My first choice for you would probably be the Demon.

 

[TSE]

Re: Need some pickup help/advice please

The SD has a very even tonal range. I am really getting to love that pup. The PG is also a good choice, but it is a little brighter than the SD and a bit more mid-scooped.

I'm not a big fan of the Custom. It has a brittle sounding high end which really irritates my ears. It may also tend to do the squeal/boomy thing that you don't like about your DD.

My first choice for you would probably be the Demon.

I was kind of thinking the same thing about the Custom doing the boom thing. I'm looking for really tight bass here. You recommend the Demon, but I am also thinking about the Full Shred, I'm in between those two right now. How do they compare in eq, output, and overall feel? Remember I play mostly with high gain. Thanks.

 

[TSE]

Re: Need some pickup help/advice please

Is the Demon over wound 42 AWG, or under wound 43 AWG?

I konw the FS is 43AWG and is the custom wind with hex poles.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Need some pickup help/advice please

I've got a Dinky which is the HSS version. It originally had a JB in in, but for my ears that sounded a little flat. I stuck a PATB1 in there, and it matched the sweetness of the jb but had better clarity. Its also amazing clean....usually superstrats require a lot of tone tweaking to get great cleans, but I run it on the same settings as my G&L and SG.

Another option if you want less output (and these do seem to have amazing crunch) is the PATB 3. That is like an overwound PAF, it sits at about 10k but cleans up like a low output pup and is good for high gain too.

 

[LatsMcGee]

Re: Need some pickup help/advice please

I have the same amp, I would just swap an A5 mag in there and make the pup a JB and go, my JB's all do well with that amp.....

 

[TSE]

Re: Need some pickup help/advice please

From the sound clips I like the Demon, FS, and the PATB3 sounds very nice too. I used to have a Demon, but I don't remember what it sounds like. And I wasn't quite as aware of attention to detail. I do remember compared to the custom it was tame. But, I may like that now, especially at high volume.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Need some pickup help/advice please

I think the Demon was the first aftermarket pup that I bought (many years ago). At that time I was looking for a very bright pup. Needless to say, I was very disappointed with the Demon and I returned it. I don't remember what I got to replace it.

I just picked up another Demon a few months ago, and I absolutely love everything about it. (Our tastes DO change with time). Nice full tone, even frequencies across the entire spectrum, rich lows, warm mids, bright highs, very articulate, no mud.

It worked great in the bridge (where I first put it. I paired it with a '59n which I didn't like at all in that position so I swapped positions...'59 in bridge and Demon in neck). I am amazed at how wonderful it is in the neck. It's very clear and articulate without being harsh or brittle and without scooping the mids. No tendency for mud, but under the right amount of gain, it gets that creamy smooth sustain that just works perfectly for some leads. It works for blues, rock, jazz, hard rock, and, yes, even some metal.

I used to think that the Pearly Gates was the best neck hummer made, but now I'm starting to think that I like the Demon better. I still love the PG though.