Pickups for a drop tuned guitar , in Drop B?

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Pickups for a drop tuned guitar , in Drop B?

Check out the EMG 57/66 set. If I was gonna go to EMG, that's the set I'd use.

 

[chadd]

Re: Pickups for a drop tuned guitar , in Drop B?

Also, if you want to remain passive, don't sell the Duncan Jazz Model set short. those pickups are great for low tunings. They stay tight, have enough bottom, are all about clarity, and sound good for any style of music really. I've used them for about 16-17 years in Les Pauls, and I play pretty heavy rock.

Full Shred set.

I'll throw in a Demon/Jazz combo as well. All three options would work well for what you are looking to do.

 

[PhilDuggs]

Re: Pickups for a drop tuned guitar , in Drop B?

For those recomending EMG or any actives please stop. I am not replacing all of the electronics in my guitar for the sake of something im not really interested in. I prefer passives and bought a passive loaded guitar for passive pickups. If i wanted actives i would have the emg loaded variant.
Actives arent my thing so can we stick to passives.

 

[dominus]

Re: Pickups for a drop tuned guitar , in Drop B?

For those recomending EMG or any actives please stop. I am not replacing all of the electronics in my guitar for the sake of something im not really interested in. I prefer passives and bought a passive loaded guitar for passive pickups. If i wanted actives i would have the emg loaded variant.
Actives arent my thing so can we stick to passives.

We weren't recommending them, just saying that your perception of them was incorrect.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Pickups for a drop tuned guitar , in Drop B?

Lots of advice here from non metal players and metal players that play in standard tuning.

Downtuning for metal with pickups like the screamin demon or anything from the PAF output category usually goes pretty badly. It works ok for a standard tuning guitar but when down tuned they are way way way way too lose. You need compression and tightness to keep the low B focused. It doesnt have to be a super high output pickup but it needs some push to do this. Also it is best to choose a pickup that is NOT bass heavy. Combined with the Low B flopping around a bass heavy picup will create soup in your preamp. Parcticularly since you said you are playing a modeler. In general those amps dont like to have their inputs assaulted.

You will find your best tones from mid out put pickups. It will give you the best balance between tightness and not over loading your input.

Look at like the Full Shred Set. The pegasus and sentient, the dimarzio Titan (a new one that I just got to try last night and actually dig quite a bit) the reigning champion of down tuning for me is the Bare Knuckle aftermath. I love it for lows it keeps every tight and in place and tracks fast and hard. BUT it is VERY percussive so much so that many guys find it annoying. BKP Painkillers are more versatile and more amiable to hard rock players too. If i was going to do a BKP reco it would be those. Dont forget the Nazgul though IMO the Pegasus does down tuning better, in particular if you want more than just metal out of the guitar.

 

[Ptolemaeus]

Re: Pickups for a drop tuned guitar , in Drop B?

I agree with Edge...the Nazgul is really aggressive. I liked the Pegasus much better.

 

[El Supremo]

Re: Pickups for a drop tuned guitar , in Drop B?

I played death metal in B for years with a Screamin' Demon and Jazz combo. The Full Shred is excellent too (bit sharper and more agressive in the midrange). You have to have enough gain available on your amp (or add a pedal) though as they are basically medium output pickups.

The Steve's Special from Dimarzio is another good one if you want things really tight and clear (also splits very well). Although it's high output, you still need some amp gain to get nasty. Also sounds best on more mid heavy setups (Eq wise that is)

Last, but not least, the EMG81 as featured on countless downtuned extreme metal classics.

 

[dominus]

Re: Pickups for a drop tuned guitar , in Drop B?

Lots of advice here from non metal players and metal players that play in standard tuning.

I play metal and tune to open B

Look at like the Full Shred Set.

Which was my suggestion.

I'll also add the Evolution set if Dimarzios are an option.

I played death metal in B for years with a Screamin' Demon and Jazz combo. The Full Shred is excellent too (bit sharper and more agressive in the midrange). You have to have enough gain available on your amp (or add a pedal) though as they are basically medium output pickups.

You really need to push the Screamin Demon to get there. It can be done, but higher output is better.

The Steve's Special from Dimarzio is another good one if you want things really tight and clear (also splits very well). Although it's high output, you still need some amp gain to get nasty. Also sounds best on more mid heavy setups (Eq wise that is)

The Steve's Special and Steve Morse bridge are both overlooked way too often. They both do nice and clear death metal. As does the Transition.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Pickups for a drop tuned guitar , in Drop B?

I played death metal in B for years with a Screamin' Demon and Jazz combo. .

I can play death metal on an old teisco del ray just cause you can do it doesnt mean its the tone the guy is after. Hes already got axes for hard rock with other passives hes looking for a metal rig.

No matter what you do low output pickups dont sound the same as high output no matter how much gain you push with the amp.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Pickups for a drop tuned guitar , in Drop B?

I play metal and tune to open B

Then I wasnt referring to you now was I?

The Full Shred can do it but it would rate it towards the middle of the pack. It sure wouldnt be my first pick.

 

[El Supremo]

Re: Pickups for a drop tuned guitar , in Drop B?

No matter what you do low output pickups dont sound the same as high output no matter how much gain you push with the amp.

Agreed, but the Demon still kicks ass when going into a dimed amp. It still retains plenty of thump where others thin out when pushing with a Tubescreamer type pedal. But for a simple guitar, cable, amp setup where the pickups need to really push the amp, there are better choices (as I've said in my post).

 

[chadd]

Re: Pickups for a drop tuned guitar , in Drop B?

Lots of advice here from non metal players and metal players that play in standard tuning.

Downtuning for metal with pickups like the screamin demon or anything from the PAF output category usually goes pretty badly. It works ok for a standard tuning guitar but when down tuned they are way way way way too lose. You need compression and tightness to keep the low B focused. It doesnt have to be a super high output pickup but it needs some push to do this. Also it is best to choose a pickup that is NOT bass heavy. Combined with the Low B flopping around a bass heavy picup will create soup in your preamp. Parcticularly since you said you are playing a modeler. In general those amps dont like to have their inputs assaulted.

While I don't play in B, I do play in Drop C and C a lot lately and never had an issue with the Demon. It is unlike PAF style pickups in that regard. The Demon remains tight in the low end and articulate, though I do use significantly heavier strings than I would in standard tuning to help keep the definition. I can't see how any pickup would fare well with a typical 10 gauge set tuned that low.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Re: Pickups for a drop tuned guitar , in Drop B?

PAF pickups can do downtuned metal just fine IME. Even the '59. AFAIK, Bill Steer uses '59's in his Les Pauls.

Will they sound Slipknot-esque, though? Nope, probably not.

 

[Ptolemaeus]

Re: Pickups for a drop tuned guitar , in Drop B?

PAF pickups can do downtuned metal just fine IME.

"Can do" and "do well" are separate things. I can use a PAF for metal all I want, but it still won't sound as good as if I use a higher output pup.

The more gain you use on your amp, the more undefined and muddy the tone gets. Higher output pickups alleviate that when tuning down and when doing something like metal.

 

[VHTJay]

Re: Pickups for a drop tuned guitar , in Drop B?

When I am tuning that low, I PREFER to use a higher output pickup. Depends on the high out put pickup, but something like a Nazgul, Black Winter or an old standby like the DD or various bareknuckles I have tried will both stay tight and allow you to use less preamp gain.

That said, that is my preference. Lots of guys get great downtuned tone with moderate output pickups. My S-Deco will stay tight tuned down, as will a Demon. Even something purpose built like the Pegasus doesn't have much more out put than a PAF and it apparently works great tuned down.

Lots out there that works. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[Ptolemaeus]

Re: Pickups for a drop tuned guitar , in Drop B?

How are chapman guitars actually? Been considering getting the new Ghost Fret whenever it releases and wanted to know how the fit and finish/ playability of those guitars are. I mean they seem to be a pretty good deal but I am worried I'll buy one and recieve a crappy excuse for a guitar.

The build quality is on par with what PRS is putting out of Korea with their SE line. The only bad thing I can say about my ML7 is that the pickup cavity was too small and I had to widen it.

 

[allbutromeo]

Re: Pickups for a drop tuned guitar , in Drop B?

Kind of suprised nobody's suggested the Dimebucker/59b combo yet. Justification: Dimebag 'nuff said.

 

[RolanTHUNDER]

Re: Pickups for a drop tuned guitar , in Drop B?

Thread revival lol!

Check out the DiMarzio D Activator X. Get's my vote. Kicks Drop B's butt very convincingly! It doesn't have as much highs as the D Activator but you can get smoother, more pronounced lows that thunder along well for low tunings. I use that pickup in my RG470FM MIJ limited edition and I love it. If I were to go for a pickup with much the same sound but more high focused, I'd go X2N. A D Activator has more highs to it and would work well in drop B too but you may wanna roll the treble back your amp a bit. Here's a video I did which should give you an idea of the DAX in drop B https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLib8JkDF6w

Sorry about the sound quality, cell phone camera used in a guitar shop.

FWIW the JB actually performs quite well in drop B. I tried it on my ESP V which came standard with the JB/59 combo. Due to aggressive mid spike which doesn't work well in higher tunings, the JB cuts thru low tunings surprisingly well.