Single Coil-Sized Humbucker for Mid Position for Metal

[Damian5643]

I've got a Duncan Invader in the bridge and a DiMarzio Cruiser in the neck of my Ibanez SA260 (H-S-S). The Invader kicks ass and the Cruiser is great for bluesy stuff, but I never use the mid single coil because the Cruiser sounds better. The Cruiser doesn't sound so great for metal leads and sweeps, so I want to find a good humbucker to cover it. I was thinking a DiMarzio Tone Zone S, but I've never played one. Any suggestions would be appreciated, thanks!

 

[Guston7]

Re: Single Coil-Sized Humbucker for Mid Position for Metal

Long ago, I tried exactly what you are talking about. My advice would be to scrap that plan entirely. Instead, move the Cruiser to the middle and get something like a Pro Track, Air Norton S, Chopper, Hot Rails, or any number of good single-sized HB's for the neck position. I would be interested to hear from others that make it work for metal/distortion lead, but the middle position (for me) only gets used for clean, blues, and mostly cool notch positions (2/4) combined with coils from the neck or bridge pickup. The middle p'up is in a spot that doesn't get the thump of the bridge, the roundness of the neck, and is less harmonically active than both...it sits in a spot where nodes often fall.

 

[Damian5643]

Re: Single Coil-Sized Humbucker for Mid Position for Metal

Basically, I'm looking to get the advantages of both a neck humbucker and a neck single coil. For the most part, I like the Cruiser where it is; it's great for blues, but gets a bit muddy with high gain. A lot of humbuckers in the neck sound too round sometimes, so I figured putting it in the mid position might help even it out, and give me a good lead sound when I don't want the harshness of the Invader. I really want to get more tonal diversity. It bugs me that I have a pickup in my guitar that I will never have any use for.
Do you think the Cruiser would still sound as good (or better) in the mid position as it does in the neck? If so, I could switch them, but I still need a good single coil-sized humbucker (with a humbucker sound, not single coil sound).

 

[darthphineas]

Re: Single Coil-Sized Humbucker for Mid Position for Metal

for that app, look at the Duncan Hot Rail (in bridge or neck/mid models) and DiMarzio Fast Track 2, Tone Zone S, or Super Distortion S. I have bridge model pups in the middle position on a few guitars and I think it might be good for what you are talking about.

but also consider what Guston7 is saying about the middle position being a good spot for a single coil.

or you can do both and put a hum in the middle and the neck spots and put them in split or parallel for the single/clean tones while still getting hard-hitting hum action for dirty tones. for an Invader in the bridge, the Duncan Hot Rail might be the best choice, as Duncan Cust Serv has said it is what the HR was designed to be like.