Newbie & a Question

[Darkness75]

Hi All,

I'm from Italy and I'm a big fan of SD Pick-ups.

I need some advice about a pick-up choice for a Superstrat (Alder body + Maple neck + Maple Fretboard + Floyd Rose).

The guitar gonna have a humbucker (bridge) and a single-coil (neck) and will be plugged into a Bugera 333xl (so...whole lot of gain).

I play mostly Hard Rock/Hair Metal and I really like the tone and playing of Eddie Van Halen, Warren De Martini, John Norum, Adrian Vandenberg, John Sykes, George Lynch, Steve Stevens, Chriss Oliva and Nuno Bettencourt.

I'm very confused about the bridge humbucker, but at least I finally have this short List:
- Duncan '78;
- EVH Frankie;
- Duncan RTM.

Please consider that in my experience, I feel that the SD Pearly Gates is crunchy & in control (maybe too much control), the B&B L500XL is hyper-reactive & out of control, the SD Full Shred is OK, the JB4 (is harsh and have too medium-highs).

For the neck pick-up (that I use mainly for soloing) I wonder which single coil (noiseless) will match the volume output of the humbucker, so maybe:
- Duncan '78 + YJM fury:
- EVH Frankie + DiMarzio Heavy Blues 2;
- RTM + STK-S6 (even STK-S4).

I don't use tone pot, just volume (I presume 500k, right?).

The goal is:
- Rhytm tone of VH's in 5150 (the song);
- Lead tone of De Martini in Nobody's ride for free.

Thank you in advance.

 

[dr. ad]

Re: Newbie & a Question

if you're only using 1 volume control for both pickups, i would use a 500K.
if you have 1 volume control for each pickup, i would use 500K for the neck, but consider a 250K for the bridge, as you say you don't want too much treble.
i haven't tried any of the pickups you're considering, so can't comment on them.
a custom custom trembucker could be a good option for the bridge position, in my opinion.
good luck with the guitar!

 

[Mad-Max]

Re: Newbie & a Question

I'd say for the bridge, I recommend the Custom Custom. That pick-up is specifically made for bright instruments, and if I'm not mistaken is gonna sound a little less spongy on the bottom end than the 78.

As for the neck, you can never go wrong with a 59. If you can, maybe think about putting in a push-pull pot in your guitar for tonal versatility, and could possibly get you in the ball park for a lot of the tones you're after. That also goes without saying, your amp has a lot to do with it as well.

Speaking of that, what amp are you using?

 

[Darkness75]

Re: Newbie & a Question

Hi, my amp is a Half-Stack Bugera 333XL