Re: Pickups for Thrash
These are what I would choose as a starting points.. remember also that with the 21 day real world policy you can exchange the PU if it´s not quite what you wanted
Bridge humbucker (obviously the most important slot in almost all guitars destined to play metal):
Duncan Distortion for classic 80s/early 90s thrash tones (think Megadeth, Slayer, early metallica, Exodus, Destruction, early Sepultura). Also works well for speed metal a la annihilator or Overkill, as well as pulling of very convincing death metal tones if you don´t want /need the somewhat excessive bass of more modern DM acts...
Very raw, aggressive and yet still defined and chunky, with lots of harmonics
For a bit more 80s hair metal flair a JB.
Not as raw, not quite as defined either, bass is a bit looser. But the uppper mid spike makes leads just cut through any mix.
For a bit more of a vintage tone and more all around flexibility while staying firmly on hard rock and metal ground nothing beats the Duncan Custom IMO, my personal favorite.
Even tonality with an inherent aggression rivaling the Distortion, thicker and fuller sound with not quite as much bite.
For the singles I´d personally recommend using a true Single coil such as the SSL-1 in teh Middle position so as to get nicht semi authentic (and hum free) Strat tones in the notch positions. SSL-3 and 5 are also popular if you want something a bit hotter.
Neck is a bit of a tossup... a good single coil will get you in ideal realm for neck cleans with a nice "cold" tone that so many of us thrashheads like, but if you prefer soloing in the neck position then I´d consider a Lil JB or Lil 59 as a starting point, I personally prefer the cool rails but it´s a bit of a unique pickup tonally...
Side notes: The Dimebucker sounds great in basswood, but it´s not really that much of a classic Thrash tone per se. Depending on fingers and amp it could very well be your ticket to ride, though.
The PATB-2 (Distortion Trembucker) is also an excellent choice, especially if the instrument has a bit of a midrange deficiency.
An important thing to note is that one of the hallmarks of most thrash metal tones is heavily scooped mids. Also the huge bass that only a 4x12 (or multiple 4x12s) can provide, meaning that the amp also is an important part of the equation. Ideal would be a JCM800 with a Boost /Od Pedal, a Mesa Mark 4, or a Soldano Pre /VHT poweramp setup.
There are other amps that can cut it easily (Most current heads from Mesa, Peavey, Marshall, Randall, Krank, Soldano and VHT for example) but those 3 are what you´ll hear on most thrash recordings starting with Kill em all straight through Reign in Blood all the way through to current bands like Occult
