Went back to my Demon bridge pickup.

[Diego]

In my #1 I'd had the JB8 as a bridge pup for a while.
Super ferocious and fat but compared to a friend's Les Paul it definitely lacked some high-end definition, while sounding way too bloated in the lows.

So I took a leap of faith and put my old trusty Screamin' Demon back in the bridge position.
Mine has a Unoriented Alnico 5 magnet, which adds some mids and takes a bit of high-end off, also changes the feel to a more "spongy" response so to speak. A bit more bloom.

Couldn't be happier with the change. The output is down by a lot, but the tone is waaay more balanced and neutral, more manageable. Split sounds are way better, too.

It still crunches like hell and leads don't sound as clangy/thin as I remember. Probably because I changed my drive pedals (bought a Jet City Afterburner) and because I'm setting up my guitars differently now as well.

Just wanted to share some love for the much maligned Screamin' Demon.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Went back to my Demon bridge pickup.

And the underated UOA5.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk

 

[misterwhizzy]

Re: Went back to my Demon bridge pickup.

I've gone through many iterations of bridge pickups in my Les Paul, and I finally settled on a Screamin' Demon. The Distortion was too tight in the bass, and after settling on an A8 after trying A5 for a while, eventually I realized the output was still just way too high, and I changed the wind. I went through a similar although much longer journey with the Custom wind, and eventually I started looking again. I really thought the Custom 8 was exactly what I wanted, but I found it less dynamic than I wanted. I still love the Crazy 8, and I may go back to it at some point, but right now I think the Demon is what I need.

Stock magnet is a little scooped, so I tried the A8. I wasn't thrilled with the A8 in it, so I put in an A2. I don't find it loose in the bass, and it's got the crunchy mid thing I've been looking for since I started playing. It may be the Green Berets helping with that too, but now that's undoubtedly the guitar I want to pick up.

tl;dr? A2 Demon in a Les Paul rocks.

 

[Diego]

Re: Went back to my Demon bridge pickup.

I had an A8 in this Demon a while back in this same guitar. I remember I didn't like it all that much, but the rest of my rig was totally different.
I have no interest in trying it out though, as I cannot find anything wrong with the UOA5 Demon through my current gear.
It gels so well with what I want out of this guitar, sounds very balanced with a killer note attack.

It kills my GAS for a Les Paul quickly!

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Went back to my Demon bridge pickup.

I love the Demon...It just does what you want it to do. And very receptive to magnet changes to make those specific tweaks to get the results you're looking for.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Went back to my Demon bridge pickup.

**** I love the Screamin Demon. It's probably going back in my Strat quite soon, along with a Strat Stack in the neck... Think that might be sort of ultimate

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Went back to my Demon bridge pickup.

Yep, the Demon is one of my all-time favorites, as well. Mag swapping can give it many different personalities, but UOA5 is pretty much the perfect combo

 

[uOpt]

Re: Went back to my Demon bridge pickup.

Might want to try a Custom8?

 

[dotsdad]

Re: Went back to my Demon bridge pickup.

**** I love the Screamin Demon. It's probably going back in my Strat quite soon, along with a Strat Stack in the neck... Think that might be sort of ultimate

Might be? Nope. It is!

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Went back to my Demon bridge pickup.

My Strat's new (and old) heart(s.) Demon/STK-S4 life.

 

[elelpe]

Re: Went back to my Demon bridge pickup.

My Strat's new (and old) heart(s.) Demon/STK-S4 life.

Tell us about this combo, especially how it sounds in middle position... 500k pots?

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Went back to my Demon bridge pickup.

Glad you asked about the middle position; yep, 500k single volume pot. I had a Duncan Designed Hot Rail (Scorcher) in the neck last time around with the Demon. That pickup mixed horribly with the Demon; totally overpowered it, even when set well back, it was always the 'dominant' one combined. There's still a pretty decent gap in output (in the opposite direction) between these two but not insurmountable. I'm glad I installed the Classic Stack; sometimes a Strat needs a single coil.

In general I tend toward thinking a tonal mis-match between pickups can give the best combined tones; I think that here. Although the Demon is a very single-coil voiced humbucker, it's also a tight, focused, punchy pickup that while being bright possesses a lot of bass. The Classic Stack neck is still scooped and bright, but is less brash and possesses less, softer and more harmonic bass (even for being in the neck position... Well, really it just sounds like a 'normal' alnico 5 single coil.)

Combined isn't too clucky/quacky; more smooth and full. I had a Jazz/Jazz combination in this guitar before, that tone combination was a bit bright and percussive to me vs. what I perceive now, which is more like the girth of the Demon plus some single coil sparkle/twang character. They really blend well.