pickup set recommendation for a ultra low tuned baritone

F

_FR0D0

New member
Hi folks, I have an Ibanez mmm1 Baritone (Mahogany body, String-thru and neck-thru construction, 28" scale mahogany/purplewood neck).

And had recently strung it like an 8 string guitar minus the two higher string, and tuned it in Drop E <- 41.204 Hz -> (E B E A C# F#) and I'm loving it a lot ....

But the problem is that the Ibanez Super 58 Custom Pickups (nice pickups for what the are BTW) don't deliver the sound I want for a so low tuned guitar.

I'm totally open to suggestions but where I live I can only buy DiMarzios, Seymour Duncans or EMG pickups.

What I'm looking for? even balanced tone, from clean to mean, clarity, articulation, note separation.

I play prog rock metal fussion ....

Thanks
 
Re: pickup set recommendation for a ultra low tuned baritone

Duncan Distortion (TB-6) in the bridge, Full Shred (SH-10n) or Distortion (SH-6n) in the neck...killer combos for downtuned metal in a Mahogany neck-thru guitar!
 
Re: pickup set recommendation for a ultra low tuned baritone

Custom8. It's made when someone takes a SD sh-5 custom, and swaps the magnet for an alnico 8 magnet. You could get it as a shop floor custom from Seymour Duncan, or buy it from someone on the trading post here. It has the tight low end of a ceramic equipped pickup but the warmth of an alnico equipped pickup. The results being: excellent cleans when you need them, but output and clarity needed for metal.
 
Re: pickup set recommendation for a ultra low tuned baritone

Try either the Full Shred or the Distortion in the bridge position. The Full Shred is more articulated and has a tighter low end. The Distortion has more mids, more aggression, more output and more oomph. For tunings THAT low, I'd go with the Full Shred or the DiMarzio Crunch Lab (some see it as a better version of the Full Shred but I have no experience with it).

The DiMarzio Liquifire is one of the best neck pickups out there, especially for downtuned stuff. Its clear, very articulated, exceptional string to string definition (when you hit a chord, even with distortion, you hear every single string loud and clear), stong mids, rounded yet present treble and tight bass. It's THE pickup for shredding. Waaay better than the Full Shred (neck).
 
Re: pickup set recommendation for a ultra low tuned baritone

_FR0D0 said:
What I'm looking for? even balanced tone, from clean to mean, clarity, articulation, note separation.
Click to expand...
That's the Jazz Model. Don't let the name fool you. It also handles downtuned guitars great.
 
Re: pickup set recommendation for a ultra low tuned baritone

TB-5 Duncan Custom in the bridge. Great in mahogany, and I've tuned down to open A (Standard 25.5" scale) and no loss of clarity.
 
Re: pickup set recommendation for a ultra low tuned baritone

another vote for the Full Shred SH10 or TB10 in the bridge position.

It's crazy how crystal clear and super tight that pickup is, even with low tunings
 
Re: pickup set recommendation for a ultra low tuned baritone

It is tuned to one octave lower than your standard E guys so probably fat pickup like Custom 8 might not sound that defined.
IMO the DD will sound too saturated considered how much output and gain it has (IME very low tuned guitars already push huge amount of drive to your amp).
So maybe Jazz,Screamin' Demon and Full Shred are better choice. You can also try DDn in the bridge if you prefer "distortion" class pickup.
Amp will play a huge part as well,maybe with 15" speakers..hmm :scratchch
 
Re: pickup set recommendation for a ultra low tuned baritone

Definitely recommend Full Shred over Custom 8 in the bridge if it's clarity you want in a downtuned Mahogany baritone.

A distortion Neck in the bridge isn't a bad idea, either!

Here's my final recommendation: Get a Distortion set and a Full Shred set and start swapping! You're bound to find what you're looking for ;)
 
Re: pickup set recommendation for a ultra low tuned baritone

Thanks for all the answer so far.

The guitar is almost an octave (10 semitones) below standard Drop D, basically is my poor man 8 Stringer :D. But I'm not in djent, I like meshugga but I don't play anything like that (may be in the future).

The things I'm experimenting right now are arpeggios (in all king of ways picked, figerpicked, swaped, tapped), chordal tapping, complex chord work, and space atmospheres, also some lead guitar work but I don´t shred mutch.

My rig used to be a Fender Twin Reverb and Dual Rectifier through a custom made 2x12 Hellatone 60L (thats a Celestion Vintage 30 with a 55hz dust cup). But more and more am playing directly through an emulation based rig with an Eleven Rack and a GSP1101.

Back to the topic based on my internet research the number one pickup that came to my attention was the Bareknucle Aftermath ... But having a Miracleman in one of my guitars I think BKs are great pickups, but not worth the extra cash, IMHO...

I'm very brand agnostic but I happen to have more DiMarzios than any other pickups but mainly cos the are cheaper and sound good. But I have EMGs, Seymour Duncans and BK also and I like them all in different ways (I like having a few "colors" to choose from).
 
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Re: pickup set recommendation for a ultra low tuned baritone

Evolution or Evo 2 might work as well.
 
Re: pickup set recommendation for a ultra low tuned baritone

This is one case where I think a Screamin' Demon could be very useful.

That's an insane tuning btw, maybe try a bass.
 
Re: pickup set recommendation for a ultra low tuned baritone

King IzzO))) said:
That's an insane tuning btw, maybe try a bass.
Click to expand...

Who needs a bass?

60077537.jpg
 
Re: pickup set recommendation for a ultra low tuned baritone

If you like Dimarzios try the Crunchlab and liquifire set - both are very clear under low tunings
 
Re: pickup set recommendation for a ultra low tuned baritone

I use an alt 8 with a full shred neck. but I only tune to drop A usually on my baritone.
 
Re: pickup set recommendation for a ultra low tuned baritone

This forum is great thanks for the help. But been in a third world county with foreign money exchange restrictions makes my choices more difficult... I research my local and national online stores and couldn't find Full Shred, Screamin' Demon, Crunch Lab or Liquid Fire. I'm trying to avoid going the active way with this project. But I found a D-Activator set at a good price, also a SD Distortion set... so I'm between those two options...

What do you think between D-Activator set vs SD Distortion set in this particular case?
 
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