Pick-up dilemma

[Guybrush]

Hi everybody,
It's long time I follow this forum and this time I need your direct help. I own 4 guitars with different pups now I've ordered my fifth, it will be a six string black machine replica with maple fretboard and mahogany neck. My liuthier suggested me to mount bare knuckles pickups but I own a Duncan distortion and I'd like to test a pearly gates on neck. I've already tested the Duncan distortion in mahogany bridge and I swapped it for a super distortion because it was too loud for my hears. My question is what would you suggest? Should I keep and try again the Duncan on bridge and buying a pearly gates for neck, or I should give up and try bare knuckles? In this case which set? I also own a DiMarzio Fred and a tone zone but my liuthier will take them and apply a discount for the bare knuckles if I will buy them from him. So please give me a suggestion! I use to play heavy metal (iron maiden,metallica,megadeth),satriani,and also rock and hard rock. It's not a big deal to choose a specific genre because my other guitars are equipped with jb bridge/59 neck mahogany/ebony, EMG 81/85 alder/rosewood, super distortion/59 mahogany/rosewood, so I have some alternatives!please help me decide the guitar will be finished at the end of this week! Thanks!

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Pick-up dilemma

You could put an A5 or an A2 in the Distortion to drop the output and make it match better with the PG.

 

[Guybrush]

Re: Pick-up dilemma

You could put an A5 or an A2 in the Distortion to drop the output and make it match better with the PG.

Hi thanks for your reply, just one question, what do you mean with A5 and A2? Sorry for my ignorance...

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Pick-up dilemma

Oh I mean the magnet. The Distortion comes with a double thick ceramic magnet which is the strongest and harshest kind. So if you replace it with an alnico 2 magnet, like the Pearly Gates has, it will drop the output noticeably and tame the tone as well. This will help your problem of the Distortion being too hot, and also improve the tone in my opinion.

 

[Guybrush]

Re: Pick-up dilemma

Oh I mean the magnet. The Distortion comes with a double thick ceramic magnet which is the strongest and harshest kind. So if you replace it with an alnico 2 magnet, like the Pearly Gates has, it will drop the output noticeably and tame the tone as well. This will help your problem of the Distortion being too hot, and also improve the tone in my opinion.

Well, yes it could be an option but I don't really like to make something like that...I think I'll try it again an maybe because of the maple top and the thinner body it will sound less strong...Anyway what do you think about the bare knuckle compared to this set?

 

[Mincer]

Re: Pick-up dilemma

I always suggest to start with what you have. Let us know how those Duncans work out. They might be great, but if they aren't, we might have an idea of what direction to go in.

 

[Zheddar]

Re: Pick-up dilemma

The Distortion isn't usually colored a ton by tonewoods and stays as loud as it does unless you lower it a bunch, which also seems to increase treble and upper mid response. That maple cap will also encourage upper mid content and tighten bass IMO. If you don't mind paying install fees a couple of times you can try it. I learned to solder so I could try multiple pickups quickly without waiting, traveling to a store, or having to pay those install fees. Usually the Duncan Distortion isn't picky about woods, but it is for sure a fireball in most any guitar. What kind of sound are you wanting out of that guitar?

 

[Guybrush]

Re: Pick-up dilemma

I always suggest to start with what you have. Let us know how those Duncans work out. They might be great, but if they aren't, we might have an idea of what direction to go in.

Thanks! For sure I'll give them a try...

 

[Guybrush]

Re: Pick-up dilemma

The Distortion isn't usually colored a ton by tonewoods and stays as loud as it does unless you lower it a bunch, which also seems to increase treble and upper mid response. That maple cap will also encourage upper mid content and tighten bass IMO. If you don't mind paying install fees a couple of times you can try it. I learned to solder so I could try multiple pickups quickly without waiting, traveling to a store, or having to pay those install fees. Usually the Duncan Distortion isn't picky about woods, but it is for sure a fireball in most any guitar. What kind of sound are you wanting out of that guitar?

Thanks! I can solder too...what do you mean with "colored a ton"? I put it in mahogany and it's too loud, I will try it in alder and I will see how it responds...I use to play heavy metal so I'll try to get and eighties heavy metal tone...