New Pickups for Metal on Yamaha Pacifica 012

[amithkallupalam]

Hey guys!
I currently own a Yamaha Pacifica 012 guitar (200$). It is an okay guitar but the problem is that the distortion isnt that great. So I planning on modding the bridge pickup. I play mainly heavy stuff. Hard Rock,Metal,Heavy metal etc. I also play clean stuff and rock. But mainly for Hi-Gain. My budget would be 70$-80$ bucks and I'm open to all companies(I know this is the SD forum but just saying.). My guitar has an agathis body, standard tremolo and a rosewood fretboard and sonokelling neck. I just want to swap the bridge pup and i dont want actives. And is a pickup change worth 80$ it? Will it really improve quality?

Thanks a Lot!

 

[Sodom616]

Re: New Pickups for Metal on Yamaha Pacifica 012

does your guitar sound bright or dark? clear or muddy? please describe the sound your getting a little more, and what you do and don't like about it

 

[dominus]

Re: New Pickups for Metal on Yamaha Pacifica 012

TB-5 Duncan Custom.

It WILL work for everything you mentioned (tones and wood), and sound much better than the stock pickup.

 

[droneblack]

Re: New Pickups for Metal on Yamaha Pacifica 012

i have an sh-6 distortion ,brige of a pacifica 112 i bought 13 years ago ...with agathis body ,reliable guitar ,comfortable ,versatile .
i like very much the pup and for me sounds great ,and it can also do very good clean, i am not sure about the budget,here in Greece it costs 100 euro .
it will improve your sound for sure,try also to change the pots,and capacitor with better quality.

 

[amithkallupalam]

Re: New Pickups for Metal on Yamaha Pacifica 012

My guitar is warm you could say because when i play it through my amp with my tone knob at 0, it sounds pretty dark and warm.. And it gets reallly muddy when i turn on the gain and also in drop tunings. And I will check out the TB-5. Thanks. Anything else? Do you guys know any other pickups that will work well with my guitar?

 

[amithkallupalam]

Re: New Pickups for Metal on Yamaha Pacifica 012

And my amp is a Peavey Vypyr Modelling amp.

 

[Sodom616]

Re: New Pickups for Metal on Yamaha Pacifica 012

if it's dark and warm try out the distortion(sh-6) bands such as: Mastodon, and Sepultura use them with great results The DD generally is very aggressive, and will give you crisp distortion (works best for drop tunings)

 

[Masta' C]

Re: New Pickups for Metal on Yamaha Pacifica 012

My first thought was the Duncan Distortion (SH-6/TB-6).

My second thought was also the Duncan Distortion.

However, seeing that you are playing through a Peavey VYPYR (as am I at the moment), my real recommendation would be the Duncan Distortion.

Good luck!

 

[amithkallupalam]

Re: New Pickups for Metal on Yamaha Pacifica 012

Ok guys thanks a lot! I want that crisp mudless distortion. Ok as I mentioned, will it work well with agathis? And some people say it wont make a big difference with modelling amps... Is this true?

 

[LatsMcGee]

Re: New Pickups for Metal on Yamaha Pacifica 012

With Agathis you want a high output bright pup, you can't go wrong with a distortion, a Super D, or an xl-500 in the bridge......if cash is a concern just go with a brighter high output pup that you can find used...they all will give you what you want.....

 

[amithkallupalam]

Re: New Pickups for Metal on Yamaha Pacifica 012

Ok so Theres a dimarzio d activator, super distortion and the sh-6/tb-6. Which one should i get? Over here in india, The d activator is 5500 rs, super d is 5300 rs and the duncan distortion is 4800 rs. Theres a considerable difference between each of em. Which one would work well with my amp and guitar! Im afraid if pickup swapping wont make a big difference! I really need it to make a good difference as my guitar right now has really poor pickups and alnico II magnets which, I dont think are made for playing High Gain. And i wont be able to get a new guitar or amp any time soon....

 

[Sodom616]

Re: New Pickups for Metal on Yamaha Pacifica 012

If you're gonna play classic metal then maybe the super distortion, if thrash Duncan distortion, Not sure about the D activators, but i heard that it sounds like a warmer emg 81

 

[amithkallupalam]

Re: New Pickups for Metal on Yamaha Pacifica 012

OK i wont be playing thrash but ill be playing things like metallica, bullet for my valentine, Iron Maiden, KillSwitch Engage etc. So i need a little bit of diversity. But its pretty okay if i dont get the exact same classic metal sound or heavy metal sound. I can tweak my amp settings to do so. Finally, SH-6 or a D-Activator? And will the new pickups make a really good difference? This is the first time im changing pickups so...

 

[amithkallupalam]

Re: New Pickups for Metal on Yamaha Pacifica 012

http://www.seymourduncan.com/suppor...Fretboard=Rosewood&BridgeType=Vintage+Tremolo

Tone Finder Results.

EDIT: I checked mahogany because agathis is a cheaper version of mahogany.

 

[Sodom616]

Re: New Pickups for Metal on Yamaha Pacifica 012

Definitely the DD, it will give you amazing clarity under high gain, and the crispest distortion you can ever imagine.

 

[P.A.Foholic]

Re: New Pickups for Metal on Yamaha Pacifica 012

DD was my first thought also.

 

[Austy009]

Re: New Pickups for Metal on Yamaha Pacifica 012

I have a DD in a guitar with Agathis. Sounds killer for Metal and all of the bands you listed. You can't go wrong with the Duncan Distortion.

 

[droneblack]

Re: New Pickups for Metal on Yamaha Pacifica 012

i understand your consideration about the sound and the difference ,what y want to do it is definitely an UPgrade .it is going to be like you bought a new guitar (better).thats how i felt when i changed my stock pup of the pac 112 with an sh-6 .(and it was my first pup swapping ).dont be afraid try to enjoy instead !

 

[Masta' C]

Re: New Pickups for Metal on Yamaha Pacifica 012

DUNCAN DISTORTION!!!!

That pickup downright slays through the VYPYR modeling amps...I know because I have one!

My main axe is also Mahogany with a Duncan Distortion in the bridge. Crisp, mudless distortion, soaring solos, excellent note definition under all types of gain and a decent clean sound with the Vypyr's many models.

Plus, you can get the Duncan for less than the DiMarzios where you live...go for it!

 

[amithkallupalam]

Re: New Pickups for Metal on Yamaha Pacifica 012

OK thanks for all the help guys! I'm going for the Duncan Distortion. TB-6.
And btw, Can you guys finally tell me how much difference it will make cuz im really tight in cash! Sorry I'm asking this again but howmuch! I'm really tensed and i dont know if it'll improve my sound.. I once bot a boss ds-1 and it really sucked. So I'm really scared. I hear a lot of people saying that new pickups wont work well with agathis because its a dead tone wood! Is it really true? If so, wouldn't a pickup change be useless?