Pickup advice for a new custom?

ztevie

ztevie

New member
Hi!
So I'm having a custom guitar on order. Basically a superstrat with 24 3/4" scale and 24 frets.
Maple neck and board, set neck, mahogany or alder body with burl maple top. H-H config...

Music style: Instrumental progressive rock/metal. Palm muting rhythm with power chords. Towards Dream Theater style but also some flavor of Paul Gilbert and Yngwie occasionally. For lead work I like sustainrich creamy bends with a lot of fast runs in between. Think Sfogli with some Timmons and Gilbert on top.

Bridge pup: Need to be tight, articulate and fast responding for rhytm but have enough cream on unwound strings for the solo work i mention above. I normally seem to be drawn towards pickups in the range of 11-14 kOhm resistance. Absolutely no mud or boominess allowed, naturally shrill and icepicky is not wanted either. Decent amount of mids. A balanced and tight pickup wanted really...

Neck pup: This is the one I always struggle with. Used almost only for solo work. Naturally due to the position itself I found the majority of neck pickups to be muddy when doing fast runs on the wound strings. Paf Pro is really nice higher up on the fretboard on the higher strings but is too mushy on the low strings. Need something tight and bright that will still keep some cream.

I have a few pickups available in my scrap box at home. A Full Shred set, Paf Pro, Evo2 for example.
At the moment I'm considering Evo2 in the bridge and FSn in the neck. I've also been thinking Alt8 in the bridge and Screaming Demon in the neck, but i never played either though I've read many like the Demon in the neck?
Super 2 is very bright for the neck but I'm not sure it'll be creamy enough? And the output seems a bit intimidating...
Appreciate all help, and feel free to give other suggestions, but a short motivation is always nice so I can consider pups i never tried myself... :)
 
Re: Pickup advice for a new custom?

Thanks!

Oh, tone zone? Doesn't it have insane amounts of bass? Looking at the tone chart it seems it would be the opposite of what I'm looking for which is tightness foremost...?
And about jazz, i don't remember where i read it but someone compared it to a full shred neck, just looser and might be too loose for fast runs on lower strings..?
 
Re: Pickup advice for a new custom?

I've been eyeing those aswell.
But they seem rather bass heavy? Afraid the neck might, just as paf pro, turn to mush when playing faster stuff on the lower strings...
Is super 2 an alternative? With a Titan in the bridge the super 2 might not be overpowering?
 
Re: Pickup advice for a new custom?

IME they weren't, but that was a 22 fret 25.5" guitar. I don't have much experience with 24 fret 24.75" scale guitars. Alot is going to depend on the amp and settings, but what you want requires walking a fine line that is really easy to cross either becoming too muddy on the lows or too sharp on the highs. And what works in one guitar could very easily not work in yours. I wish you luck on your search.
 
Re: Pickup advice for a new custom?

Sounds like you have some nice choices in your drawer and some great suggestions here as well.

Your description of a bridge pup pretty much describes the Evo2, IMHO it kept all the good qualities of the Evo, warmed it up a bit, and got rid of the ice pick that they can have. If you think the PAF is too woolly, the PAF Joe would probably match well with it and tighten up the lows.

The FS set you have might also work well with the shorter scale length, I definitely wouldn't rule it out either.

I also forgot about the Perpetual Burn, might pair well with the FS neck also.
 
Re: Pickup advice for a new custom?

Thanks for all the input!
I have plenty of time to consider things, but I might just send him the Evo2 and the Full Shred neck to start with. Can always experiment with others later on. I'm getting very curious for the Screamin Demon in the neck though, have to try that one of these days!
 
Re: Pickup advice for a new custom?

I'd go with the Pegasus/Sentient set. The Sentient is amazing for solos, the Pegasus is nice and tight, and both are great clean and distorted without being really compressed.
 
Re: Pickup advice for a new custom?

I have an ESP MII with a DiMarzio Super Distortion in the bridge and a Gravity Storm in the neck. From what you say it could be just the ticket.

Otherwise, I'm a massive fan of the Antiquity JB and the Pearly Gates in the neck. Not as focused and tight as the above DiMarzio setup but I really like my guitars to have a good dollop of midrange. I have this set in a Jackson KV2 and it's amazing.
 
Re: Pickup advice for a new custom?

ztevie said:
Hi!
So I'm having a custom guitar on order. Basically a superstrat with 24 3/4" scale and 24 frets.
Maple neck and board, set neck, mahogany or alder body with burl maple top. H-H config...
Click to expand...
Hejsan!

Full Shred set, fine-tuning done with mag swaps.

HTH,
 
Re: Pickup advice for a new custom?

LtKojak said:
Hejsan!

Full Shred set, fine-tuning done with mag swaps.

HTH,
Click to expand...

Gokväll!

Yes, well I do have a Full Shred set available... But the bridge is not trem-spaced unfortunately. But it's just a cosmetic thing I suppose..
 
Re: Pickup advice for a new custom?

EVO2 in the bridge, Full Shred in the neck wired in parallel.
 
Re: Pickup advice for a new custom?

You might also consider one of the Railhammer neck pickups- they have oversized poles under the plain strings for nice vintagey smooth highs, and rails under the wound strings to stay tight and focused. A brilliant idea and very good pickups. Joe Naylor knows his stuff.
 
Re: Pickup advice for a new custom?

Dean's (DMT) Michael Angelo Batio Hands Without Shadows (Neck) is pretty awesome.......probably my favorite neck pup for shred if you can find one. Nice and meaty with tons of sensitivity, insane note definition & a really sweet tone. I've got one in the neck of my mahogany neck-through and it really sings..

 
Re: Pickup advice for a new custom?

ztevie said:
it's just a cosmetic thing I suppose..
Click to expand...
You suppose well. ;)

However, ff you need magnets to fine-tune the p'ups to the instrument in question, or other p'ups (I have a couple of Trembuckers I don't use anymore), modded or not, just PM me.

HTH,
 
Re: Pickup advice for a new custom?

LtKojak said:
You suppose well. ;)

However, ff you need magnets to fine-tune the p'ups to the instrument in question, or other p'ups (I have a couple of Trembuckers I don't use anymore), modded or not, just PM me.

HTH,
Click to expand...
Thanks for the offer. I won't have this guitar in my hands until around December, so I just have to decide in theory what will be best. Later i might finetune with magnet swaps etc. What trembuckers in the medium-hi gain category do you have available?
 
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