Pickup for Lead Guitars

S

Siresinner

New member
Hey guys I need suggestions for pick ups to install on my guitar. I have a ESP Ltd DV8-r and it doesn't have the stock pickups. I really like the neck pickup. Its Seymour Duncan but I don't know which one it is. I really like the neck pick up. It sounds amazing on cleans and I don't need to change them.

The problem is the bridge pickups. I have the Seymour Duncan Full shred pick up in the bridge and I don't like it. It sounds to harsh and shrill and I can't good tone out of these pickups.

I primarily play lead guitars and I am after sounds like Van Halen, Steve Vai, Satriani, Jason Becker, Yngwie Malmsteen. Also bands like Iron Maiden, Late 80s Judas Priest and Black Sabbath, early Megadeth and Metallica. I would not mind a high output pickup but my experience with the Full shred has not been good and the guitar seems overly harsh using them.

I am thinking about replacing bridge pick up and need some suggestions based on the type of music I play. The guitar originally came with a JB pick on the bridge position so I am thinking about buying one of those. I have heard good things about the JB and it is used a lot for lead guitars.

Apart from the JB I was thinking about a Di marzio Evolution pick ups because I like Via's lead tone. I also love classic rock and the SD 59 pickups sounded really good in the youtube demo video so I am also considering those. I am also using a Marshall YJM-100 which is basically a super plexi so it is primarily a classic rock amp.

My guitar is made in Korea, has 24 extra jumbo frets, mahogany body and neck and a rosewood fingerboard. So keeping that in mind what would you guys recommend? Money is tight so I won't be able to buy more than one and test them out. Appreciate the help and suggestions.
 
Re: Pickup for Lead Guitars

I agree with you the full shred does tend to be a bit harsh in the bridge. I would check out the perpetual burn maybe, but no idea how it would sound in your guitar.
 
Re: Pickup for Lead Guitars

The Evolution is quite high output! I had one and it was very good for leads. Well, it was made for Steve Vai after all!!
 
Re: Pickup for Lead Guitars

You could try swapping out one of the rows of hex screws for regular Fillister screws. That might take a bit of the harshness out.
 
Re: Pickup for Lead Guitars

I love the JB for lead tones; however, I believe that LTD has a Mahogany body and some people do not like how the JB reacts in Mahogany.

I love the Gibson 500T in the my Mahogany Strat; however, some may consider it harsh at times (oddly enough, I replaced the screw poles with hex screws and got a more focused sound.)

The Dimebucker is my new favorite bridge pickup–is extremely versatile and not just for high gain metal. Some consider it to be bright; however, it is an awesome pickup.

Best of luck!
 
Re: Pickup for Lead Guitars

Evolution is going to be just as bright as the Full Shred, if not more so.

TB-5 Duncan Custom is what you're looking for.
 
Re: Pickup for Lead Guitars

treyhaislip said:
I love the JB for lead tones; however, I believe that LTD has a Mahogany body and some people do not like how the JB reacts in Mahogany.

I love the Gibson 500T in the my Mahogany Strat; however, some may consider it harsh at times (oddly enough, I replaced the screw poles with hex screws and got a more focused sound.)

The Dimebucker is my new favorite bridge pickup–is extremely versatile and not just for high gain metal. Some consider it to be bright; however, it is an awesome pickup.

Best of luck!
Click to expand...

I think the Dime would work very well in Mahogany!
 
Re: Pickup for Lead Guitars

If it's harsh, try moving the bridge pickup a bit further away from the string. Keep rehearsing as you turn the screws turn by turn. Then there are 12 hex polepieces, which allow a high degree of configuration and string balance.

Sure, it won't help much if the pickup just doesn't click with the guitar's natural tonal contour but it doesn't cost a cent and it is basic set up (e.g. the start and end of all tweakage ever).

Other than that, I wouldn't be surprised if the JB worked just fine.
 
Re: Pickup for Lead Guitars

The pup recommendations so far actually have a pretty bright high end and some are harsh, brittle sounding . Not exactly what the OP is after since it appears that his guitar is probably a bright guitar. Putting an A8 mag in the Custom helps a lot, and using a 250k vol pot with the JB also helps a lot (but may not be the best choice for an all mahogany guitar), but you might as well just start with an Alt8 pup. Nice even EQ, strong mids, present high-end without being harsh or brittle, articulate, great for rhythm or lead, clean or with distortion.
 
Re: Pickup for Lead Guitars

The JB is a legend but it is also a bright pickup. Like Doc said, you can tame it with a 250k vol pot.

I have never used an Alt8 myself but I have heard good things.

At the end of the day a good lead tone should have some sparkle on the top end but it should have enough mids to cut through the mix too IMO. The mids can come from the natural tonal balance of the guitar as much as they can come from the pickup and amp combo though. A good compressor and the right amount of gain are really useful towards good lean tones as well. There may be ways to get this out of what you already have too.
 
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