pickup recommendation

[mrpingua]

Hi Guys,

I've run through the SD pickup recommendation tool - still have a question I'd like to run through the wonderful community here. Gear:
PRS SE with trem
Mesa Boogie Mark V
Mesa Boogie V30 cabs

I am shooting for a old school thrash/death metal high gain sound. Not going for a super modern high gain - but more old school high gain.

Other element is that I am also a big Rush/classic rock fan. So while this sound is not my primary focus - id like to be able to bring the volume pot down some to shoot for old school hard rock sounds (big open chords/arpegios)

With all that said - any advice? I was thinking Duncan Distortion/Jazz or Nazaghul set. Possibly Dimarzio D Sonic set as well. Anything else I should consider?

Thank you SD community!

 

[gearhead63]

Re: pickup recommendation

Are you getting all your distortion from the MESA? Or are you using pedals?

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: pickup recommendation

The Custom should fit that bill fairly well. It's a PAF on steroids. It will thrash very given it's a ceramic magnet; it's super tight. However, lower the gain a bit and it will do 80's classic rock, hard rock and metal very well. It wouldn't be my first choice for exclusively playing classic rock, but for your purpose it will be fine. Hard rock and old school metal is what made the Custom famous. With your setup, you have all the gain you should need.

A Distortion will work as well, but it has more difficulty coming all the way back to classic rock, but players like George Lynch and Warren DiMartini used the Distortion back in the 80's for that genre of metal, so perfectly acceptable there. The Jazz would match in the neck with either.

I've no experience with the Nazaghul.

 

[Mincer]

Re: pickup recommendation

You might check out a Custom & a Jazz. They are good for a wide range of tones, like you are going for. A more modern version would be a Pegasus & Sentient set.