Recommend a mini humbucker

[iced_earth]

So I got a guitar with a hum/single combo and I just can't get a tone I like out of the single. The guitar has a Mahogany body with a maple neck and ebony board and overall has a bright tone. The bridge hum is fairly high output with a focus on highs more than mids and lows. I am looking for something focusing on mids/lows instead of highs.

I have been looking at Duncan Hot Rails, Cool Rails, JB Jr. and Lil SD and Dimarzio Chopper, Pro Track, or Fast Track 1/2. The Hot Rails seem like the most "metal" of the pickups above. Does anyone have pros/cons for the other pickups? I don't care too much about clean tones for this guitar. Also, has anyone tried a Fast Track 2 in the neck? Dimarzio says it is bridge only.

Many thanks to all who reply. [img]/images/graemlins/help.gif[/img]

-Mike

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: Recommend a mini humbucker

One vote for the Hot Rails, as that is the only single coil sized humbucker I've had experience with. It also sounds great when you split it, although you said you don't like the neck single coil sound. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] It's smooth and warm as a humbucker, but still retains the clarity and a tiny bit of "Strat quack", which to me, helps it really cut through. Splitting it to single coil yields a definite "Strat quack" that I've been quite pleased with.

[charvelguy]

Re: Recommend a mini humbucker

Both SD and Dimarzio make nice s/c pups. The rails are nice pups. The JBjr is a hot pup with a good deal of highs/mids, and the lil SD will have highs cut with the output probably similar to a lil59. SD has a chart you can check out if you haven't done so already. You can check out the frequency response and sound clips for most if not all of those on both sites. If you want a real metal pup and have an active in the bridge, consider the live wire single.

[guitar geek]

Re: Recommend a mini humbucker

I have a lil screaming demon in the neck of my model 6. I really love it, it is clear, warm, output is pretty high, but that is I think mainly due to the fact that mine is not a neck version, but a bridge version, but that is no problem at all, I really like both the clean as the driven sound. it has a midscoop and that gives a really distinct tone

Harrald

[guitar geek]

Re: Recommend a mini humbucker

I forgot to say, I had some stupid clips recorded yesterday for someone who wanted to hear the difference between some PU's (emgs and some passives) and I did the intro of One by metallica (the poor bastard is a metallica nut [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]), one clean and one clip with the first solo. playing sucks, but I had too much to record and too little time. I have a clip of the lil SD clean and one of backing with an EMG 60 and solo lil SD

clean
lead

it is recoreded with a pod 2 and a cheap soundcard, but hey, wat do you expect from a poor student [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Harrald

[Immortal]

Re: Recommend a mini humbucker

[ QUOTE ]
One vote for the Hot Rails, as that is the only single coil sized humbucker I've had experience with. It also sounds great when you split it, although you said you don't like the neck single coil sound. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] It's smooth and warm as a humbucker, but still retains the clarity and a tiny bit of "Strat quack", which to me, helps it really cut through. Splitting it to single coil yields a definite "Strat quack" that I've been quite pleased with.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, plus mine vote for SHR-1. Great pickup.

[bsteff666]

Re: Recommend a mini humbucker

I've been wondering about the Dimarzio Fast Track 2 for years. I'll probably be able to let you know about it in a few days.

I've got one of my project guitars coming together.....Its a lefty Strat strung right handed. I opted for Dimarzio Fast Track 2 in the bridge & Dimarzio Pro Track in neck & middle.

[Newc]

Re: Recommend a mini humbucker

I never liked the Hot Rails - I thought it sounded too much like a Strat. The Classic Stack sounds better, but get the bridge version.
Also, the Lil59 or LilSD would work better and gets a more realistic humbucker tone than the Hot (Not) Rails.

Newc

[Jack Napalm]

Re: Recommend a mini humbucker

I have a Lil 59' in the neck of a PC3 and love it. Very nice pickup. Not as full as the full size '59 but it has a nice sound to it.

[j2379]

Re: Recommend a mini humbucker

cool rails probably arent what u want. close to a lil59 but not alittle tighter sounding. it was the vintage style hot rail before all the other mini hums came out.

[Ace]

Re: Recommend a mini humbucker

Your most likely not going to get a very "metal" sound out of ANY neck pickup. Stick with a good bridge pickup, and don't worry too much about the neck. Also what you are looking for is not really a "mini-humbucker". Mini-humbuckers are what the pickups are called that are used on Gibson Firebirds and some older Epiphones. What you want is a single-space humbucker. Honestly, none of them will ever compare with a real humbucker, and no neck pickup will ever sound like a bridge pickup. My adive is to use your bridge pickup if you want a metal sound. I have guitars that I have removed the neck pickup completely, and guitars with no neck pickup at all. I also have guitars that I love the neck pickup sound of, but it's not a sound that most people would call "metal".

[etaeniura]

Re: Recommend a mini humbucker

I vote for the lil 59-definitely has a big warm sound to it, and good output to match up with hotter bridge pups. I have also used a Carvin TBH in my HM strat and it is also a very good sounding pup-and is dirt cheap compared to some others.

[toejam]

Re: Recommend a mini humbucker

I'd say go for either a DiMarzio Fast Track 2 or The Chopper.
I'm having a H/S/S project done soon, and I just ordered some new DiMarzios for it... a Norton for the bridge, The Chopper for the middle, and a Fast Track 1 for the neck. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] I chose the Fast Track 1 because I like my neck pups a little brighter.

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: Recommend a mini humbucker

Hey Ace... I thought you were a huge fan of the neck pickup for your massive doomish guitar tones. Ehh? [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Ace]

Re: Recommend a mini humbucker

Yes, I am. However, the qualities that I like about the "doomish" sound from them are the same qualities that make it NOT right for a "metal" sound. Neck pickups are closer to the center of the strings vibrations, therefore they pickup more string vibrations, and are boomier. They fill up the freqs with a large, overpowering, swelling sound. It sounds great when I am playing slow, doomy stuff. However, when I play faster death metal stuff, with all sorts of intricate rythyms and tapping and stuff, it all gets lost in the boominess. Matt Pike has an awesome sounding doom rig, but try shredding on it and it will sound like your speaker cabinets are full of oatmeal. Pat O'Brien from Cannibal Corpse has a good death metal tone, but try playing doom on it, and you don't get that swelling overdriven sound that makes doom so cool.