Should I upgrade for more output? Need help serious help deciding.

[Korvanjund]

So I have a beautiful Washburn Solar 170c which has the best playability and looks of any guitar I've ever owned. The one problem is that it's tone is just not quite there. I have Schecter demon 7fr with a killer tone and it has Duncan designed blackouts which sound amazing but it's not as easy to play due to the awkward position of the bolt on for playing up high. My washburn has Duncan solar pickups which I believe are Duncan designed versions of the 59' neck and custom 5 bridge but they just aren't as hot as I would like. I was looking for an extremly distorted tone like Jeff loomis has so I was looking at some of the highest output passives. Is it worth upgrading, if so, would you recommend a black winter set or Nazgul/sentient/Pegasus combo of sorts. As these have peaked my interest the most. The guitar is alder body with a maple neck and ebony fretboard. Thanks. The guitar is a seven string and I play death metal, progressive metal and thrash metal mainly.

 

[daenius]

Re: Should I upgrade for more output? Need help serious help deciding.

The Custom 5 (or the Duncan Designed version of it) is a medium output pickup, so if you feel that the output is lacking: not driving your amp hard enough, not providing enough compression and sustain, not enough sustain, too buzzy or trebly under high gain, or high notes sound thin, then you definitely want more output.

Personally, I've never tried the sets you mentioned but I HIGHLY recommend the JB and the Custom

If you play anything rock or heavier, you won't be disappointed with the JB. If you play classic rock it gives plenty of clarity and fatness with its incredible output. If you play hard rock it's the staple pickup of all hard rock alongside the Dimarzio Super Distortion. If you play metal, you'll appreciate its output and strong upper mids for powerful riffing sounds that also work beautifully for solos. Dave Mustaine even forced Marty Friedman to install JBs in his guitars, lol

The Custom is a bit more geared towards the heavier crunchy sounds. Plenty of output, plenty of upper end chunk, and plenty of low end girth. If you play lower tunings it's damn good.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Should I upgrade for more output? Need help serious help deciding.

If you like the tone but just want more output, why not try a clean boost like the SD pickup booster or the Keeley Katana? They don't color your sound like an overdrive.

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[stratguy23]

Re: Should I upgrade for more output? Need help serious help deciding.

OP, what amp do you have?

I ask because your guitar is designed by a metal guitarist and purpose-built for metal. I've briefly played the 6 string version of your guitar and didn't feel like the pickups were lacking in any oomph.

For "hotness", can you not get that by turning up the gain on your amp? If you have a metal-oriented amp like a 5150/6505/etc., it likely has more gain than one ever needs, and even a low-output PAF would sound beastly through it.

The Custom 5 and 59 are mid-scooped pickups, so you may just need more mids, not more output. Try sticking a Tube Screamer in front of your amp to see if that fills in the mids and gets you the hotness you seek.

 

[Korvanjund]

Re: Should I upgrade for more output? Need help serious help deciding.

I have a blackstar HT-5 which is not really a metal amp but was within my budget as I only paid £100 for it. I use a tube screamer like distortion pedal already and it really does liven up the tone. I guess this is would imply that the amp is what's lacking in oomph. It is just curious as to why my schecter sounds so much clearer and more aggressive under the amps distortion. But these are the Duncan designed rather than seymour Duncans, I'm not sure how different a sound they would produce in the same situation.

 

[stratguy23]

Re: Should I upgrade for more output? Need help serious help deciding.

Ah, I used to have the HT-5, so I know what you are talking about. It kind of has high gain but isn't a full-on metal amp.

I have not used the Duncan Designed Blackouts, but I have used the regular Duncan Blackouts, and if the Duncan Designed ones are anything like the regular ones, your Schecter pickups are really hot, and that's just what you're used to. Active pickups can often indeed have more clarity than passives, so, yeah, I think you're just used to your Schecter pickups.

Demanic has a good suggestion of trying a clean boost pedal in front of the amp (or maybe even stack it with your TS-style pedal). The clean boost would keep your Solar's tone and just make it louder. I would wager that a simple clean boost with your Solar would put it on a similar footing as your Schecter (or even better, as you will likely have more dynamics available with the Solar's passives).

 

[SJ318]

Re: Should I upgrade for more output? Need help serious help deciding.

As for pedals,
The JRockett Archer (Klon similar) is a beast for getting BIG sound, and gain also if needed. Also, JRockett has a great pedal called "The Dude" for HUGE sound, mid push if needed, and plenty of gain if desired. I have both of these pedals, and I've been trying out pedals since I was 13 or so. Had the first germanium (I believe) Dallas/Arbiter Fuzz Face. I was very young, I am 64 now and these pedals stopped my search a few years ago. I still play live, just not often.
They can do low output Peter Green, Mike Bloomfield, OR: ANY kind of metal you can think of. They are Monsters or can be
Sweet tone enhancers. They retired at least 3 pedals I thought I would never replace.
Steve Buffington

 

[dave74]

Re: Should I upgrade for more output? Need help serious help deciding.

There are also these JL-sigs now if you're just wanting to try some new pickups. (never really a bad idea is it?!)
Clean or "almost-clean" boost might indeed get you about the same place for cheaper though.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/jeff-loomis-blackouts-set-7-strg-passive-mount

 

[mjsmanahan35]

Re: Should I upgrade for more output? Need help serious help deciding.

Ibanez Prestige RG1527 7 strings
Seymour Duncan Blackouts AHB-1 bridge Active pickups

https://youtu.be/2vCFKwrcq8E
https://youtu.be/DcgEbAOacm4
https://youtu.be/yk5QDUnf1mo
https://youtu.be/2xHQFz-Oc6M
https://youtu.be/HOtuRA4CEwc

www.facebook.com/maschalismos

Jackson DK2 Pro Series 6 strings
Seymour Duncan JB Bridge Passive pickups

https://youtu.be/1ve4t_PxWrA
https://youtu.be/Oruf42vYWrM

www.facebook.com/maschalismos



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[Mincer]

Re: Should I upgrade for more output? Need help serious help deciding.

If you play extremely distorted nearly all the time, and don't want active pickups, go for the Nazgul & Sentient set. This is the set I would go to for the heaviest stuff- it sounds great with all sorts of tunings, and remains percussive & tight no matter what you throw at it. A set should be slightly cheaper than each pickup individually, and it will solve any sonic problems you have with output.

 

[Wolfshead]

Re: Should I upgrade for more output? Need help serious help deciding.

The HT-5 is crap for metal. So many people say it's high gain but it's really not. So I'd look at getting something else as an amp - if you only play at bedroom volumes try a CODE 50 or 25. I went from an HT5 to a Marshall DSL5C to settle at last on a CODE 50 and I couldn't be happier.

As for the pickups, the fact your Shecter does what you want suggests your Washburn IS needing something hotter in it. I have no experience with the newest Duncan pups but even something like the regular Custom, JB or Invader will give you hotter tones than a Custom 5 equivalent.