which bridge pickup for a big rhythm sound and some nice sustain?

gottalovethe80s

gottalovethe80s

New member
Hi guys, I'm looking for a big 80s hardrock rhythm sound, with some nice sustain to go with it. The pu will go in a firebird with a thin mahogany body and maple neck, to a jvm210 halfstack. I've looked at the aph1, aph2, screamin demon, custom, tonezone but don't know which one to get, and I'll be buying from Vietnam so I can't actually try any of them out myself. I play alot of guns n roses and sometimes greenday too, mostly rhythm stuff.
All advices and recommendations are welcomed:D
 
Re: which bridge pickup for a big rhythm sound and some nice sustain?

gottalovethe80s said:
Hi guys, I'm looking for a big 80s hardrock rhythm sound, with some nice sustain to go with it. The pu will go in a firebird with a thin mahogany body and maple neck, to a jvm210 halfstack. I've looked at the aph1, aph2, screamin demon, custom, tonezone but don't know which one to get, and I'll be buying from Vietnam so I can't actually try any of them out myself. I play alot of guns n roses and sometimes greenday too, mostly rhythm stuff.
All advices and recommendations are welcomed:D
Click to expand...

Are you looking for a set or just bridge?

I'm going to guess the firebird is all mahogany, so I'm going to say that depending on your tastes Alnico 2 pups might be a little too mushy in the bass. Many guys lean toward A5s in all mahogany guitars...so that's going to be the part you're going to have to figure out. The Alnico 2 Pro and 59 are going to sound big but is still going to have a classic vibe. The 59 might be a bit better suited for an all mahogany guitar. If you want more of an 80s big hair, big rigs, and big sound you'll probably want to go with a hotter pickup. A Distortion (Rhoades and early Lynch) in that setting might work out for you really well. For a little more classic tone I'd check out the Custom 5. The Full shred would be a good option if you want a little more edge to Custom 5.

Hope that helps.

Luke
 
Re: which bridge pickup for a big rhythm sound and some nice sustain?

gottalovethe80s said:
Hi guys, I'm looking for a big 80s hardrock rhythm sound, with some nice sustain to go with it. The pu will go in a firebird with a thin mahogany body and maple neck, to a jvm210 halfstack. I've looked at the aph1, aph2, screamin demon, custom, tonezone but don't know which one to get, and I'll be buying from Vietnam so I can't actually try any of them out myself. I play alot of guns n roses and sometimes greenday too, mostly rhythm stuff.
All advices and recommendations are welcomed:D
Click to expand...

Why not the A2Pro? That's close to what slash uses, I think it'll be perfect for rhythm tones. Anything higher than an A2 magnet will be brighter/punchier. I'm a big fan of A2 magnets myself. I'd suggest you look up some videos on youtube to get a rough idea on say a pearly gates or an a2pro. Weaker magnet = more character of the guitar's wood, that was part of the original paf pu concept.

Here's a great write up on the custom custom (which is one of my favorites), this pu can do a real nice Slash tone, and can handle high gain with some meaty power chords.
http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/pickup-reviews/the-seymour-duncan-sh-11-custom-custom/#more-19758

In addition, I STRONGLY recommend you read about the differences in pu magnets (unless your familiar already).
http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/the-tone-garage/differences-in-guitar-pickup-magnets/
 
Re: which bridge pickup for a big rhythm sound and some nice sustain?

Slash also uses LPs. That's a mahogany back with a maple top.

For all mahogany LukeDuke is right. Something with an A5 like a JB or maybe a ceramic like a DD. Full Shred is a great choice for mahogany.





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Re: which bridge pickup for a big rhythm sound and some nice sustain?

thanks for the input, guys. after some reading I'm kinda leaning towards the aph1 which is what slash used to use and the dimarzio super distortion which seems a tad too hot but is favoured by alot of people. which should I go for?
 
Re: which bridge pickup for a big rhythm sound and some nice sustain?

Firebirds can be pretty bright especially with a maple neck I imagine...I'd vote Custom Custom, it'll do vintage/classic rock through to '80's rock, has loads of sustain and can definitely do Slash and the raw Green Day sounds mentioned as well.
 
Re: which bridge pickup for a big rhythm sound and some nice sustain?

I have to agree with the A2P recs. The thinner Mahogany, and Maple neck will make that sound great! A2P = BAss + Mids and fat highs, so in the bridge, it is awesome. If you dig Slash, hard to argue with it.

I don't see the need for a big output humbucker with that amp. If you did, however, I'd go with a Custom. Super Tight and big bottom thump. Definitely a higher output choice, however. Custom is my "go to" 80's pup. I'm a Les PAul w/ Maple neck guy. The ToneZone will also give you a mega thick rhythm sound as well, but way less personality than either an A2P or a Custom.

Remember, Duncan has a 30 day exchange policy....think about it.
 
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Re: which bridge pickup for a big rhythm sound and some nice sustain?

The JB sounds horrible in mahogany. Waaay to muddy. A2P or Custom Custom is what I would go with. In that rig, you could probably even get away with less, like a 59 or a PG.
 
Re: which bridge pickup for a big rhythm sound and some nice sustain?

Johnny the Kid said:
The JB sounds horrible in mahogany. Waaay to muddy.
Click to expand...

^^^ Personal opinion. ^^^


Have had a JB in four different mahogany guitars with no such issues. And just the opposite with A2 based pickups, like the ones suggested.


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Re: which bridge pickup for a big rhythm sound and some nice sustain?

darthphineas said:
^^^ Personal opinion. ^^^


Have had a JB in four different mahogany guitars with no such issues. And just the opposite with A2 based pickups, like the ones suggested.


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I just find the JB really shines in something like an ash or alder bodied guitar. My lead player just got a Strat that he rebuilt and put a Jb in the bridge and it sounds fantastic.
 
Re: which bridge pickup for a big rhythm sound and some nice sustain?

again the JB Mahogany argument :smack:
I stand in the pro JB & mahogany side of the argument, as with any pick-up in particular pieces of wood it just doesn't jibe. The JB has a bold sound when it doesn't match the guitar it seems to do so emphatically.
I think the OP may be looking for the Custom.
Not Custom5 or Custom/Hybrid.
 
Re: which bridge pickup for a big rhythm sound and some nice sustain?

I dunnooo Megadeth and Testament seemed to use JBs in mahogany guitars to great effect. In fact it comes standard in some mahogany ESPs. But I'm gonna be weird and suggest the Invader with this one.
 
Re: which bridge pickup for a big rhythm sound and some nice sustain?

thanks guys, is there alot of difference between the aph2 and the a2pro?
 
Re: which bridge pickup for a big rhythm sound and some nice sustain?

just bought myself an aph1, now I just have to wait about 2 weeks for it to get here :(
 
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