What's Your Kryptonite?

RStabler

RStabler

New member
We all have our favorite pickups that get the sounds we are looking for. If we are not happy with a pickup, most of us will make some changes. However, we don't always have our own guitars to work with, so we have to make it work.

I have been able to make a D Activator bridge sing rather than screech. I can make an EMG 81 sound bluesy. I can get sweet jazz tones out of a Distortion.

There is, however, one pickup that eludes me. I can never seem to make it not screech. No matter how many eq adjustments, amplifiers, movements, pedals, effects and techniques, I can never get a sound I want. It's always harsh and screechy.

This pickup is the Nazgul. I've heard other people make it sound amazing(even in the same guitar), but for me, I can't do it.

Do you guys have any pickups that you can't seem to make work for you?
 
Re: What's Your Kryptonite?

Dimarzio Super Distortion bridge. Too honky and poor chord definition with gain. Needs less mids and a bit more high-end crispness.
Terrible for me.
 
Re: What's Your Kryptonite?

Archer250 said:
Whatever Ibanez puts in their guitars.
Click to expand...

Oh crap. You reminded me of the Ibanez V8.

What an useless pickup! No redeeming qualities I can think of here. Just terrible overall. Honky, muddy and thin. Poor definition despite not sounding particularly big.

Replaced it with a JB and the improvement was huge. The V7 is an OK neck pickup, the S1 single coil actually kicks ass in the bridge of a Strat. The V8 is a waste of magnets and plastic.

HOWEVER...

It does not belong in this thread I think. This is for good pickups you can't get to sound Ok, whereas the V8 is a mediocre pickup.
 
Re: What's Your Kryptonite?

Honestly, people always speak so poorly of the Ibanez V8 I'm actually curious of what it sounds like, lol.

That... and the fact that both of my guitars were supposed to come with it stock, but when I got them, neither had the stock pickups.



On topic: Alnico 5 PAF's in general in the neck position. I just can't get them to work for me. All way too scooped, bloated, and with a mega chirpy attack under high-gain. People seem to get KILLER tones from them, but I just cannot. At all. Haven't tried any Alnico 2 PAF's, though.
 
Re: What's Your Kryptonite?

I played an RG570 some years ago that had V7 and V8s, through a Marshall Artist head and a 4x12. Sounded very good to me. Maybe I'm just that good? :lol:
 
Re: What's Your Kryptonite?

Archer250 said:
Whatever Ibanez puts in their guitars.
Click to expand...

Ditto . . . but with one exception: The Super 58's that came in my gen 1 Jetking were pretty good. I wish I hadn't sold them even though I'm perfectly happy with the AII Pro's in there now.
 
Re: What's Your Kryptonite?

I can't do anything with the Alternative 8. I put that thing in the bridge of my SE. I liked it at first, but the more I played on it, the more I started to hate the midrange of it. It was too "grindy" for me. So then I went stupid and put it in the neck position because I was going through my experimental phase. As you would expect, way too muddy. It was by far the muddiest pup I've ever put into one of my guitars.

So, I ripped it out and put it in a Jim Root tele I bought used as a project guitar. Still didn't sound good. Still had that odd midrange.

So I sold it. I keep wondering if it was the Alnico 8 in there making the mids all weird. I want to try a Crazy 8 just to see, but I can't justify the price of a custom shop pickup I might hate right now.
 
Re: What's Your Kryptonite?

Rex_Rocker said:
On topic: Alnico 5 PAF's in general in the neck position. I just can't get them to work for me. All way too scooped, bloated, and with a mega chirpy attack under high-gain. People seem to get KILLER tones from them, but I just cannot. At all. Haven't tried any Alnico 2 PAF's, though.
Click to expand...

Those reasons you listed are why I went with a A2 Pro neck humbucker for a change.
You should love one of these.
 
Re: What's Your Kryptonite?

ArtieToo said:
Ditto . . . but with one exception: The Super 58's that came in my gen 1 Jetking were pretty good. I wish I hadn't sold them even though I'm perfectly happy with the AII Pro's in there now.
Click to expand...

Second exception, whatever came in the early 80's artist series sound pretty stinking good to me. I had an Ibanez RG from the mid 90s. I sold the pickups out of it for $5 and felt guilty taking the $5.


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I couldn't get an invader to sound good dirty, period. Lots of people can. Me, it was mud, nothing but mud.
 
Re: What's Your Kryptonite?

Pearly Gates = PAF with Laryngitis.
59 = Boomy and shrill.
Demon = Becomes nasally with high gain. Great at low gain.
A2P = Gritty and honky sounding.
 
Re: What's Your Kryptonite?

The '59 neck under gain in a Les paul. Muddy and boomy on the low end, piercing on the high end.
Asides from that, every A2 I've tried (though not that many admittedly) gave me a spongy, soft pick attack I just can't get used to. The sound was there, obviously as I love other peoples sounds with them, but the feel just doesn't do it for me.
 
Re: What's Your Kryptonite?

I would say emg het set...
I loved the 81 bridge and I bought the het set as an improvement...
Unfortunately it is a rythm-only bridge pickup, very punchy(lots of low mids,NO HIGH mids) and EXREMELY DRY...
Off it was...back the 81...
 
Re: What's Your Kryptonite?

idsnowdog said:
Pearly Gates = PAF with Laryngitis.
59 = Boomy and shrill.
Demon = Becomes nasally with high gain. Great at low gain.
A2P = Gritty and honky sounding.
Click to expand...

I'll forgive you based on your revolving avatar collection. Clearly, you have good taste in something. :)
 
Re: What's Your Kryptonite?

Gibson 1964 said:
Second exception, whatever came in the early 80's artist series sound pretty stinking good to me. I had an Ibanez RG from the mid 90s. I sold the pickups out of it for $5 and felt guilty taking the $5.


_____________________________________

I couldn't get an invader to sound good dirty, period. Lots of people can. Me, it was mud, nothing but mud.
Click to expand...

Third exception: The Duncan/Ibanez pups that came in the SZ series.
Based in the 59 and the Distortion, absolutely killer pickups.
 
Re: What's Your Kryptonite?

Ptolemaeus said:
I can't do anything with the Alternative 8. I put that thing in the bridge of my SE. I liked it at first, but the more I played on it, the more I started to hate the midrange of it. It was too "grindy" for me. So then I went stupid and put it in the neck position because I was going through my experimental phase. As you would expect, way too muddy. It was by far the muddiest pup I've ever put into one of my guitars.

So, I ripped it out and put it in a Jim Root tele I bought used as a project guitar. Still didn't sound good. Still hKad that odd midrange.

So I sold it. I keep wondering if it was the Alnico 8 in there making the mids all weird. I want to try a Crazy 8 just to see, but I can't justify the price of a custom shop pickup I might hate right now.
Click to expand...

I just bought one of these but I intend to use it for leads in the bridge only. I'm very interested to hear this midrange people talk about. From what I gathered from that mega demo video on YouTube with all the different Duncan's, it reminded me of the type of sound I got from my eminence swamp thang speaker. I loved that thing so I have high hopes for the pickup.

My kryptonite is Gibson pickups. I've played tons of gibbons that my friends own and while I like the look & feel, the electronics are always miserable. from a burstbucker to the 500t I've not yet found one I liked
 
Re: What's Your Kryptonite?

Diego said:
Third exception: The Duncan/Ibanez pups that came in the SZ series.
Based in the 59 and the Distortion, absolutely killer pickups.
Click to expand...

Is that just the standard DD HB101n/HB103b set? Or something custom for Ibby?
 
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