Pickup Advice for ESP MH1000FR

[Monsta-Tone]

I've been battling with my Ibanez JS guitars for quite a while. I love the playability and contours of the body, but hate the tone of basswood.
I sold both of them and bought an ESP MH1000FR. I couldn't afford a real Horizon, not yet anyway.....

I am not really a fan of EMG pickups and would like to change them out.
Tones I am looking for:
Neck tone - I play heavy music and have become a huge fan of neck pickup tone
- Creamy crunchy warm distorted tones with no mud (that's why I sold the JS's)
- Warm clear highs with plenty of sparkle
- Lots of harmonics and sustain

Bridge tone
- FAT, WARM, crunchy tone with lots of sparkle and harmonics
- Huge sustain
- I hate bright bridge humbucker tones

Guitar:
ESP MH1000FR
Set-Thru maple neck w/ebony fretboard and way too much fake abalone
Mahogany body w/maple laminate (not sure if it has a real maple top with pretty maple laminate)
Floyd Rose 1000 with huge Floyd Upgrades L shaped block and titanium lock blocks

Amp:
Rivera S-120 stereo tube combo w/G-Major II in the Loop

Music I play is all original and sort of a combination of Rush, Incubus, Jimmie's Chicken Shack, SRV, Santana & Iron Maiden.
Lots of cleans and lots of distortion.

I have a Full Shred bridge humbucker that I was thinking about trying in the neck. I also have a Dimebucker that I might try in the bridge, but it still might be a little too bright and harsh for me. I'm looking for high output, versatile, warm sounding tones. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[LatsMcGee]

Re: Pickup Advice for ESP MH1000FR

I'm guessing the dime may be too bright for your tastes....I would look at the Custom, the Custom/59 hybrid area for the bridge pup.....A full shred bridge in the neck won't offer you alot of slack with your playing....very tight pup.....I think you may want to try a Dimarzio neck pup looking at what you want out of the neck...

 

[Ashurbanipal]

Re: Pickup Advice for ESP MH1000FR

Too bad about the JSs, they're lovely players. You should check out the new JS2410, which has an alder body .

For your MH1000, I'd also say 59/C for the bridge, with your magnet of choice, maybe A8, so it doesn't sound cold on clean like a ceramic pu, and more beef. Might sound too bright with the stock polished A5 in your guitar.

Neck, maybe Jazz - very articulate pu but not lacking warmth; or Jazz/59 hybrid for extra pixie dust in harmonic shimmer (you'd have to make it yourself though).

 

[Monsta-Tone]

Re: Pickup Advice for ESP MH1000FR

Damn that is sweet!!!
I got to where I really hated the tiny frets too though. I'll have to wait until one of these is used and pick it up for cheap, then refret with gigantic frets.

I forgot that I have a set of PATB1's in my McCarty. I will try those 1st. They were too bright in the JS, so maybe just right in the ESP.


Hey Ashur, not to derail my own thread, but....
You still have the original pups in your PL1770? I gave mine to my son, and I kept the neck through of course, we were just wondering if you had changed yours.
I am putting a set of Duncans in the 1770 today. JB in the bridge, Hot or Cool Rails in the middle (can't tell which one it is, measures 9.8 k ohms), and a Lil 59 in the neck.
For the 2550, I might have to go with EMG or Lace Hot Gold just to keep the routing the same.


Anyway....
Thanks for the suggestions guys, keep them coming.

 

[Ashurbanipal]

Re: Pickup Advice for ESP MH1000FR

Nice to see you on Mr. Duncy's forum . Yes, I have changed them. To be honest, they were ok to me, but I wanted a Strat tone in the neck/middle, and a milder humbucker to match them, so I put in SSL2/SSL2 and 59/Custom. Very happy with the result. I use a treble booster in my rig, which gives me a fatter sound, so the pups don't sound too bright, even with 500k pots, which everyone says is a no-no with single coils. My Roadstar also has IBZ humbuckers and I kept the bridge one - it's kinda like Custom/SuperD type thing. The neck is a 59/Jazz, which is lovely. I tried a PAF Pro and it didn't work, which was disappointing, but every guitar/rig is different.

Hmm, forgot about the PATBs - those might be the ticket as well. They're quite gutsy sounding from what people on here have said (never had them in a guitar personally).

Some people here like the Screamin' Demon in the neck, but you'd have to have a slightly hotter bridge to compensate for the output.

 

[Monsta-Tone]

Re: Pickup Advice for ESP MH1000FR

I'm guessing the dime may be too bright for your tastes....I would look at the Custom, the Custom/59 hybrid area for the bridge pup.....A full shred bridge in the neck won't offer you alot of slack with your playing....very tight pup.....I think you may want to try a Dimarzio neck pup looking at what you want out of the neck...

Which DiMarzio would you recommend for the neck?
My experience with DMZ is pretty limited. I liked the PAF PRO a lot, the Air Norton not so much.

I don't like the EMG's. I got the guitar yesterday and it just sounds so sterile on clean tones. Distorted tones are great, but maybe too tight.
Guess I'm just a passive guy. When it comes to pickups anyway.


And that orange IBZ is freakin awesome!

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Pickup Advice for ESP MH1000FR

Which DiMarzio would you recommend for the neck?

Try the Breed Neck. Sounds like it might be pretty much what you're looking for. After that, I'd say the Liquifire. Although it's somewhat similar to the Air Norton, the Liquifire has a bit more output and warmer mids/highs.

 

[Monsta-Tone]

Re: Pickup Advice for ESP MH1000FR

Right on, thanks! I was just looking at the Liquifire.

I have a Duncan set just laying around that I'll try 1st.
Full Shred bridge for the neck
PATB-1 for the bridge (I just ordered an alnico 8 magnet for the PATB to make it a little hotter and darker)

Gotta figure out if I like the guitar 1st. The Edwards Kiko L. signature model I had was 100 times the guitar this one is. I'll do a good setup on it and see. I'm using it with the band tonight in stock form, gonna hate the cleans......

 

[darthphineas]

Re: Pickup Advice for ESP MH1000FR

I have an old Kramer Stagemaster, which is pretty much the same as the ESP Horizon (neck-thru maple, ebony board, etc). I'd always like the JB in there, but I tried the Custom Custom last year on a whim and it's been working out great. you might like the PATB-1 set, although the PATB-1 bridge is a lot like the JB is many respects. personally, I'd like it, but you said something about staying away from bright humbucker tones which is why I mentioned the CC.

for your neck, I'd start with the PATB-1n or FSn for stock models. otherwise I'd suggest a polished A4 in a Jazz or a '59. I've been using a DMZ Liquifire in the neck of one of my ESPs for a little bit now. it's groovy. I also like the HFH in the neck, but it'd be in there with the FSn for something that might not be very forgiving. a 3rd brand that deserves attention is the Dean DMT brand and their Nostalgia neck model...it's a lot like the Jazz and '59, but a little tighter in the lows (addressing the muddy issue) and a little more sparkle on the top... and while they are not dirt cheap, they are affordable.

 

[rumblebox]

Re: Pickup Advice for ESP MH1000FR

I've been battling with my Ibanez JS guitars for quite a while. I love the playability and contours of the body, but hate the tone of basswood.
I sold both of them and bought an ESP MH1000FR. I couldn't afford a real Horizon, not yet anyway.....

just because it's made in korea, indonesia, or china instead of japan doesnt make it a fake horizon. i'd take my personally-modded LTD's over any stock ESP any day of the week. the 200 series are hit-or-miss these days, but 300+ are fairly consistent.

I am not really a fan of EMG pickups and would like to change them out.
Tones I am looking for:
Neck tone - I play heavy music and have become a huge fan of neck pickup tone
- Creamy crunchy warm distorted tones with no mud (that's why I sold the JS's)
- Warm clear highs with plenty of sparkle
- Lots of harmonics and sustain

use a pearly gates+ or demon in the neck.

Bridge tone
- FAT, WARM, crunchy tone with lots of sparkle and harmonics
- Huge sustain
- I hate bright bridge humbucker tones

use a custom or full-shred with an alnico 8 magnet

Guitar:
ESP MH1000FR
Set-Thru maple neck w/ebony fretboard and way too much fake abalone
Mahogany body w/maple laminate (not sure if it has a real maple top with pretty maple laminate)
Floyd Rose 1000 with huge Floyd Upgrades L shaped block and titanium lock blocks

my MH-350NT and H-401FM have a true maple tops, so your 1000 definitely does...and yes... way too much goddamn abalone.

Amp:
Rivera S-120 stereo tube combo w/G-Major II in the Loop

Music I play is all original and sort of a combination of Rush, Incubus, Jimmie's Chicken Shack, SRV, Santana & Iron Maiden.
Lots of cleans and lots of distortion.

I have a Full Shred bridge humbucker that I was thinking about trying in the neck. I also have a Dimebucker that I might try in the bridge, but it still might be a little too bright and harsh for me. I'm looking for high output, versatile, warm sounding tones. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

the full shred bridge is way too hot to use as a neck pickup. but if you put an alnico 8 in it, you'll probably like it as a bridge pickup.... since it's basically a custom wind with hex screws.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Pickup Advice for ESP MH1000FR

Have you considered changing to less sterile active pickups? Duncan Blackouts and Live Wire Classic IIs are far more soulful than the ubiquitous EMG-81, -85, -60 permutations. Having said that, some of EMG's most recent pickups are vastly improved.

 

[Monsta-Tone]

Re: Pickup Advice for ESP MH1000FR

Thanks guys!
I used it at practice last night for 1 song. Couldn't stand the sound, so I switched to my beat up old McCarty which has a set of PATB1's.

I'm not sure the guitar is a keeper, but won't know until I swap pickups. I think I need to play it some more. The strings are just too stiff and it doesn't seem to resonate very well.
Of course, I'm comparing it to my McCarty and my old JS, both of which play like butter.
The fret ends are fairly sharp as well. I would definitely have to fix that!
My buddy has a Torero (it was mine for a week). The fret ends are much nicer, but the frets are not seated as well as the MH. They are very glued in on the MH, I can still see the edges of the super glue. Probably never have a problem with them once they are leveled and dressed.

I'll play it again tonight and do a little better setup on it. I really like it, but it reminds me of my old Soloist, which was neck heavy. If I have to hold the neck up while I'm playing, what's the point of having a fast neck?

Anyway, I'll decide tonight if I want to keep it or send it back to American Musical (45 day return policy, great if you live on an island). Problem is, it's so shiny. I don't think I could ever make it look new again.......
Then, it's all about new pickups! I bought some A-8 magnets yesterday. Last time I ordered them, I got unoriented A5's instead.

 

[Monsta-Tone]

Re: Pickup Advice for ESP MH1000FR

So......
Last night, I finally found the time to swap the EMG's out. I was getting some pretty cool cleans out of the middle position, but just too sterile sounding on the distortion settings for me.

I put the Full Shred bridge in the neck and the PATB-1b (with alnico 8 magnet) in the bridge.
I couldn't play very loud because the kids were sleeping, but what a dramatic difference!

I think the FS is going to be too much, as expected by everyone but me.....I really love the tones and attack, but it's just hot as hell compared to the PATB. The volume of each pickup is pretty similar on distorted tones, but the FS is way louder clean than the bridge pup is.
The FS is just a little too dark for me too I think. I'll probably try to trade it for a Demon.
I really like the touch sensitivity and clarity though!

The PATB-1(8) though is magnificent! Not as bright as the PATB in my McCarty, more apparent bass, and BALLS!!!
I've been looking for a bridge pickup that I like for a long time. I think I might have found it! I'll know after band practice this Tuesday, but so far it sounds like exactly what I was looking for.

 

[rumblebox]

Re: Pickup Advice for ESP MH1000FR

Wire the FS in parallel and see how you like it.