Pickups for Thrash

[super rad stuff]

Re: Pickups for Thrash

hughsJB4 and godrex, i think he already has the basswood guitar sorted out and needs reccomendations for his epi SG special

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Pickups for Thrash

If it was a standard contruction, I'd say C5 or Custom, but with all that maple I don't know?

 

[super rad stuff]

Re: Pickups for Thrash

If it was a standard contruction, I'd say C5 or Custom, but with all that maple I don't know?

epi SG specials aren't all that bright, though i'unno if you'd want to put duncans in one unless they were used, maybe GFS. they're alright guitars, but won't get very far. that said, what tones do you like specifically and what kind of characteristics do you want in your SG? if just a standard hard rock kind of sound, then i'd also say C5 or custom in the bridge, with either a '59 or jazz in the neck.

 

[everdrone]

Re: Pickups for Thrash

I use emg81/85 in my epi sg for all my recordings, but there are other pups that would sound similar fo sho

 

[Alpha Blade]

Re: Pickups for Thrash

Regarding my SG, I was thinking of putting Dimarzios in it; If i don't use them, then maybe Duncans. Give me some suggestions for Dimarzios.

 

[Brown Note]

Re: Pickups for Thrash

BTW, thrash tones hardly are(were?) mid scooped. That's the trend metallica started and ruled. Most of the thrash was done with heavily boosted lower mids ála Slayer or upper mids like Megadeth or early Anthrax. The Invader rules the midrange grind, but needs an additional channel from the amp to get into solos, for which i'd get distortion instead.

It's not like you cannot solo with invader but distortion just does it better. If you're the band's lead player, go for distortion, if not then I'd get my hands on the invader since it just rules rhythm playing and not just limited to -genre- metal rhythms. Everything with moderate distortion sounds ass kicking with invader IMHO.

I've never had a guitar/ pickup combination that could do rhythm and solo sound perfectly. Nowadays I don't even try, guitar is a one trick pony if the trick needs to be done perfectly. This mostly applies to heavy distortion sounds, since for everything else jb rules the world XD(joke!).

 

[Thurisaz]

Re: Pickups for Thrash

Slayer has heavily boosted lower mids? O.O Then why do the tones sound so upper mid/treble based?

 

[Jackson Distortion]

Re: Pickups for Thrash

DiMarzio D Activator X or X2N.

 

[Alpha Blade]

Re: Pickups for Thrash

Thanks for all the help guys. I've upgraded amps now. For those who didn't read my setup in the Amps section, I've got a Marshall MG50FX (the most recent), a BOSS SD-1 SUPER OverDrive and a BOSS GE-7 Equalizer.

 

[King IzzO)))]

Re: Pickups for Thrash

Just get a Duncan Distortion duder, or if you're real cheap get a Duncan Performer Detonator.

 

[ExHorder]

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

alright dude this is i recon my first post, when your talkin distortion(sh6) do you mean in the bridge? if you what neck pickup rules with the distortion in bridge, as i was only aware of the normal configuration with the tb4 Bridge Sh6 neck, im still somewhat of a scumbag

 

[Despair]

Re: Pickups for Thrash

Dave Mustaine mostly used the JB, though he's flirted with other pickups occasionally (particularly the active JB variant in his signature active set).

Distortion is the same wind as the JB, but with a thick ceramic magnet. Close enough for a lot of people, but brighter & harsher, which not everyone can take on solos.

Also note the Invader is again the same wind (just a few more turns of wire), but with a pair of extra magnets and the mushroom polepieces.

If you want something like the Distortion, but a bit more solo-friendly, particularly in brighter/thinner toned guitars with a Fender/Floyd-spaced bridge (like even most modern Gibsons have), check out the PATB-2 Parallel Axis Distortion. Hotter and more compressed than the stock Distortion, but very articulate. Smoother for leads, gnarlier low mids for riffs. Terrific blend of the best points of the Distortion, Invader and JB.

Parallel Axis pickups are most commonly recommended for floating vibrato bridges in shredsticks, because they do wonders for evening string balance and beefing up a thin body that's lost bass to a floating vibrato to sound more like a beefy Les Paul. But they also have less string pull, improved sustain, great articulation and enhanced harmonics.

Most shredders wind up with a cooler, non-ceramic pickup in the neck, but tastes vary. I've seen dual JB guitars (Mustaine even had a V like that), Distortion bridge + JB neck...

If you mainly use the neck pickup for cleans or bluesier sounds, I'd look at a Jazz, '59, Pearly Gates neck or PATB-1n. For a 24 fretter, I'd particularly look at the PATB-1n, Screamin Demon or Full Shred neck.

 

[Barron1]

Re: Pickups for Thrash

try the custom