Too much compression!!! Help me decide on pick-ups

[Mahly]

OK. this might get a touch long but bare with me.
A little background. I started playing about 4 months ago and started buying equipment before doing huge amounts of research on pick-up and such.
End result: I have a guitar with the "Duncan Designed" version of the blackouts (at least the spec sheets are IDENTICAL) (Schecter C-1 Mahogany body Maple/Rosewood bolt on neck string through body)
My BIGGEST problem is that I have WAY too much compression. I can barely turn these pups any higher than 30%-50% on the volume.
I am not running a tube amp(nor do I intend to spend the $$$ on a quality tube amp) I have had this issue with EVERY solid state amp I have tried AND on my computer. (Current Amp is a Behringer V'Ampire 210...No, not the greatest sound in the world, but not bad...and saves a BUNDLE not needing pedals)
Doing some research, seems that EVERYONE that complains about too much compression are running active pick-ups.
SO...I start looking into dropping some passives in....which means new pots for sure, running a ground wire to the bridge (no biggy but this is adding up quick)
NOW I am reading that the Duncan Designed are comparatively junk compared to REAL blackouts:doh:oed: So much for just matching spec sheets.
Now the REAL questions:
1) Am I DOOMED to have too much compression with ANY active pick up (I am only considering Seymore Duncans)?
2) Would getting some REAL Seymour Duncans help? Just listening to the sound files on the SD webpage, I would be interested in the Dave Mustain pick-ups as a first try
3) Are the Duncan Designed THAT much worse?
4) being that I would have to re-wire the guitar from scratch, including needing new pots, grounding etc. Is it worth the effort to switch to passives (MOST likely would get the Duncan Distortions)
5) being that a new SD Active pick up would basically "snap" in...am I smarter to just try new GENUINE SD pickups?

Being that what I have are SUPPOSED to be blackout copies...I would be more inclined to try something OTHER than the Blackouts (would $100 be worth it if they DID sound the same? No!). Would there be a BETTER choice for me other than the Mustains? (Solid state amp/modeling)
NOTE: I play 99% rhythm guitar and play metal (Metallica, Scorpions, Nickleback, and Megadeth (maybe I'm just biased toward the Mustains?)
I have NO interest in lead playing or "shredding"!
Think rhythm guitar for songs like Seek and Destroy, For whom the bell tolls, Animals, Symphony of destruction etc etc etc.
Thanx 1,000,000!!!!

P.S. unless you work for Seymour Duncan, lay off the noob bits!:nana: LOL

 

[Mahly]

Re: Too much compression!!! Help me decide on pick-ups

UGH!!!! NOW I find that even though they are both Duncan active pick-ups, it looks like I can't just plug the Mustain Live Wires into my guitar oed::angryfire:headache::cussing:
WHY make the quick release clip if you can't use it with all the other SD actives???

There's no wiring instructions for the Blackout Metals...I'm HOPING they would clip in....hoping...

 

[Mahly]

Re: Too much compression!!! Help me decide on pick-ups

Looking for any help at all here...

 

[Mahly]

Re: Too much compression!!! Help me decide on pick-ups

Any help at all....throw me a bone!

 

[Boy_Narf]

Re: Too much compression!!! Help me decide on pick-ups

um, i know that only emg's have quick clips that work on their entire product line, plus its only about 80bucks from a tech to get it wired correctly... um about the compression, as far as i know actives have built in eq's in the pickup to boost the sound (also the volume, of each string). Usually when i have tried out actives they have compression, since it is being boosted by the built in EQ, so there is a chance that these "lower" end DD pickups are just at max boost and that was not accentuation was not a factor the company took into consideration (they just wanted maximum output and grind). The best thing to do it you wanna get rid of the compression would be to go with a passive... Try out a JB, i know of several of the schector models that have a JB/59 set in them, and they sound good for tons of genres... So if you want to avoid compression completely avoid actives... just my 2 cents...

Best thing you can do is go to your local guitar shop, and try out some similar guitars with different passives and different types of actives in them... only your ear can be the judge...

 

[veryhungrycaterpilla]

Re: Too much compression!!! Help me decide on pick-ups

I have some experience with EMGs, the SAs. I didn't get compression, but they seemed to lack "sag". Maybe I didn't have them set up right. Experiment with pup height.

Also the JB is very, very compressed. If you want dynamics, use true single coils or even go low output PAF-type pups. Just my 2 cents.

 

[disturb]

Re: Too much compression!!! Help me decide on pick-ups

I have a JB/59 set in my Schecter. It's like the guitar was designed for these pickups.

 

[prophetofthor]

Re: Too much compression!!! Help me decide on pick-ups

i would be tempted to go passive and get a set of invader's.

 

[Imp]

Re: Too much compression!!! Help me decide on pick-ups

invaders are one of the most compressed sounding passives

adding a second 9v battery in series with the original is known as the 18 volt mod - it works wonders on EMGs for opening the pickup up, but i dont know much about duncan actives!

 

[uOpt]

Re: Too much compression!!! Help me decide on pick-ups

I am not sure that you have correctly diagnosed your sound problem as too much compression from the pickups. It sounds to me like you might have just too much output from the guitar.

Anyway, in case that you actually have too much compression from the pickups, then what you want to do is get Alnico pickups. Doesn't really matter whether it's active or passive. Ceramic magnets compress. The Duncan Distortion and Invader most likely compress even more than the one you have.

If you want hot pickups suitable for metal and the like your most likely candidates are the Custom 5 and the new Alternative 8. The Jeff Beck is also a not-so-compressing Alnico armed pickup, but it can sound wired for many uses.

 

[hanumanlangur]

Re: Too much compression!!! Help me decide on pick-ups

You don't want such a compressed tone, so you are thinking of getting a Distortion instead, or the Dave Mustaine actives? And others are recommending the Invader, or adding more voltage to your current pups?

A high output pickup is almost compressed by definition. That's just the way they are. FWIW, Jazz sets work well for hard rock and heavy metal, if you have an amp/pedal with plenty of gain.

 

[Mahly]

Re: Too much compression!!! Help me decide on pick-ups

THANX for all the replies!!! I'm thinking that those that mentioned the JB/59 might be steering me best.
being that I am using solid state stuff, I'm thinking that the high output pups are being wasted on my stuff.
I WAS looking at the Dave Mustains for 2 reasons
1) I THOUGHT that the quick disconnects I have now would mean a quick and simple change. I was wrong. I'll need to install new pots and rewire it all
2) The sound clips of the Mustains sounded best to me (probably run on a tube amp)
They were supposed to be "voice matched" to the JB/59 combo...so if they worked for Dave for THAT long..they should be fine for me now

Now my biggest problem:
Spend $150 on pick-ups, and $30 to install them, or trade my C-1 For a C-1 XXX (it costs $100 more than my C-1 did, but I THINK it may also have the set neck vs. my bolt on) MAYBE I could get $100 for my active set with the pots?
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Schecter-C1XXX-Electric-Guitar-102042397-i1170761.gc

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Too much compression!!! Help me decide on pick-ups

I would just sit with my amp on a lazy saturday and tweak all my patches to my ear's content. You'll most likely get some cool tones and it'll be free.

 

[Mahly]

Re: Too much compression!!! Help me decide on pick-ups

Oddly enough, That's what I have been doing. I have my "kill 'em all" sounds down pretty dang good!
To clarify, the TONE I get is fine, it's just the compression that is the issue.
Turning down the gain on the amp, and turning up the volume on the guitar to get the same distortion does make it worse. Turning the gain all the way up, and using low volume settings on the guitar seems to help somewhat.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Too much compression!!! Help me decide on pick-ups

Oddly enough, That's what I have been doing. I have my "kill 'em all" sounds down pretty dang good!
To clarify, the TONE I get is fine, it's just the compression that is the issue.
Turning down the gain on the amp, and turning up the volume on the guitar to get the same distortion does make it worse. Turning the gain all the way up, and using low volume settings on the guitar seems to help somewhat.

I am still not convinced that you correctly diagnosed your problem to be compression in the sense that we here use the word to describe what e.g. ceramic magnets do.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Too much compression!!! Help me decide on pick-ups

I agree with Uopt. Compression is when all notes are the same volume regardless of attack. I think your pickups are too hot for the settings you like on your amp.

 

[Mahly]

Re: Too much compression!!! Help me decide on pick-ups

Yeah. the notes are the same volume regardless of attack..or whether or not you even pick the strings. Take that one more step...the movement of your fingers on the strings ALSO producing notes as loud as the ones your hitting hard with the pick...or close to it. Which is great for tapping (not to give the impression I have the skill to actually USE tapping in a solo...I just play around with it) but not so great for trying to move from one power chord to the next without making any noise.
As I said, this happens less when the gain is maxed out and I use very low volume settings on the guitar...turning DOWN the gain and up the guitar (to get the same distortion) makes the compression worse.
THAT leads me to think it is rooted in the pick-ups.
For now, I am living with more string noise than I would LIKE...but I have it down to inconvenient but no longer unbearable.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Too much compression!!! Help me decide on pick-ups

I think you just have too much gain.

Rolling down the guitar instead of the amp's first control dampens the resonance peak and tames things a little, but that is not a solution.

What you need an overall better crunch sounds, it sounds like you currently use a lead tone for crunch. A pickup like the DD which is less muddy on crunch also helps. Going to a low-compression pickup like C5 will probably make it worse.