The Exiter with a Custom 3 is actually a killer setup. Here's My Thoughs.

Bo-Hawk

New member
I am surprised this combo works.

I put this in my Jackson Rhoads guitar I had for 20 years. Alder body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard. A little personal history on this guitar. It always played great with some minor modifications to the trem and the nut and sounds great when unplugged. But when plugged in to my JCM 800 from the early 80s, it never sounded great.

I tried so many pickup combinations and ended up putting them in other guitars with great results.
I tried Dimarzio Super Distortion with a PAF Pro and it didn’t sound good.
I tried a JB/Jazz and ended up selling it.
I tried a Custom with SNS and it ended up going in my problematic SG with great results.
I also tried Custom Custom with better results.
Custom 5 and the Custom Hybrid didn’t work out. Screamin Demon was also in there for a little bit.
EMG 81 was just awful sounding and sold it. The EMG 58 was ok. EMG 85 was better, EMG 60 was good but not great.
Pretty much almost every pickup I tried and didn’t like in this guitar ended up in a different guitar with way better results.

When I first heard of Exciter, I immediately thought of the album Unleashed in the East. I impulse bought it and tried and I finally found what I was looking for and was not disappointed. I was surprised how great it sounded considering I never really liked ceramic loaded humbuckers (except for the Custom and the Dimarzio Super Distortion).

I didn’t have any idea what to do for a neck pickup considering the history of other pickups i had in this guitar. About 10 years ago, I inadvertently got a standard spacing Custom model instead of a trembucker and had it in a box to resell on eBay. I ended up putting an A3 magnet in there and putting that in the neck and I can’t believe how well it works.

The A3 in a Custom wind in the neck position is so clear. It doesn’t get muddy at higher volumes. It reminds of a Jazz model but not glassy. Like a good clear PAF but louder. Chords are deep and single notes sing with an ever so slight aww sound to it, like a hint of wah and sounds pleasant.

With the switch in the middle, it takes some of the best qualities of both pickups and meshes them together so well. Both clean and dirty signals.

The of course the Exciter on full blast through a Tube Screamer and a JCM 800 sounds like the opening track to Unleashed in the East.


 
Last edited:
Back
Top