1st Jackson is here!! Pickup Advice Wanted

[helsinkirocks]

I got a Jackson RRXT as a birthday present to myself!
I've always wanted a Jackson RR, Randy is my personal favorite lead player.
I was torn between this and one of the Dean Dave Mustaine signature Vs.

I really love the way she plays, the way the neck feels, the weight, balance, etc everything.

However, I am not in love with the stock Duncan Designed pickups.
What would you guys recommend as a good set of replacements?

My amp is a Peavey XXX, I generally play high gain, scooped, thrashy stuff.
I was looking at the Gibson Dirty Fingers style pickups from Guitar Madness (called Dirty Digits), but have also heard good things about the Duncan Customs.

Thanks in advance all!

And I didn't forget pics..

[DonP]

The Duncan Custom is a very popular pickup on this forum, as is the Duncan Distortion. But if you don't like the current Duncan Designed pickups, I'd be worried. Which DD's are in there? take them out and look at the backs for the number like HB102B or HB103B.

Personally, I have the HB103 set in a Kelly and love them for Thrash. Didn't like the 102 set in DK2s that much.

The 102 set = JB / 59?
The 103 set = Duncan Distortion and Jazz?
There is also an Invader set.

[CaptNasty]

Pickups are a hard thing to recommend for someone else. It is so dependent upon the tone and response that each player wants to build.

Since you mentioned high gain, have you looked at Bareknuckle pickups? They have the Ragnarok and Juggernaut... high gain articulate pickups. I have been considering a pup swap to BK Juggernaut in the bridge and a BK Emerald in the neck.

[Number Of The Priest]

The 102 set = JB / 59?
The 103 set = Duncan Distortion and Jazz?
There is also an Invader set.

From https://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/p...igned-pickups:

HB-102
The HB-102 was modeled after Seymour’s favorite humbucker combination, the USA-made SH-4 JB™ bridge and SH-2n Jazz Model™ neck set. Like the HB-101s, these pickups also use Alnico 5 magnets, but have a hotter winding spec, based on the world’s most popular “hot-rodded” humbucker. The bridge pickup is Trembucker-spaced.

HB-103
The HB-103 was patterned after the SH-6 Duncan Distortion™ set. It uses ceramic magnets and powerful coil windings to deliver a high output tone with lots of crunch and harmonics. The bridge pickup is Trembucker-spaced.

HB-108
The HB-108 is called the Detonator™ and is based on the high-output, Seymour Duncan SH-8 Invader.

Consensus on the "Invader set" (Detonators) is that the Detonators only outwardly look like Invaders, but their tone is closer to Distortions: https://www.seymourduncan.com/forum/...tor-the-secret

[DonP]

That's a lie (not saying you are lying NOTP) about the HB-103 set. I measured the neck pickup and it's under 8K ohms. I have a Distortion Set and the neck pickup is 12K ohms.

The <8K HB-103n in my Kelly sounds clean but can get great old Metallica Kirk Hammett lead tones. I don't think a 12K Distortion neck would sound the same.

I have a DK-1 neck on my Kelly, so it isn't a turd. I keep the HB-103 set in there because they sound great to me. If they didn't I'd swap them out.

[helsinkirocks]

Yeah, these are the HB-103s. I think they sound alright, but not necessarily for me. The other guitars I use a lot (Mustang, Jaguar, Les Paul) have respectively- a JB, Super Disortion, and the EMG Het Set.

I REALLY like the Het Set but I'm not sure about spending close to $300 for pickups for a guitar I payed only a little more then that for. I really like the JB in my Mustang, the Super Distortion is pretty good too though, I think I prefer the JB.

I'm looking for something in the vein of early Metallica/Megadeth. I think Mustaine used to use JBs, I also read Hetfield used Invaders, pre-EMGs.

I really might just go for the JB, and maybe a Humbucker from Hell in the neck?
Thoughts on that route?

[Yash]

Scooped thrash? EMG 81/60? Or 81/89 (my favorite)? Or even the 57/66. It's a good balance and I live it in my ESP Arrow 7.

[eakinj]

fishman Modern Fluence would be my suggestion. pricey but my god they sound good

[CaptNasty]

fishman Modern Fluence would be my suggestion. pricey but my god they sound good

Thank you. You gave me GAS. Off to look for a DK1 or DK2 with EMGs that I can do a pup swap on.

[helsinkirocks]

I'd be okay with EMGs, maybe an 81/60 set, though I've never installed EMGs into a guitar that didn't have them, my LP I bought used it already had the Het Set installed.
I'd be a little concerned about room for a battery under the pickguard (haven't pulled it to look).

[Force]

I put EMGs in my RR3, just enough room for a battery.

[toejam]

If going EMGs, I'd recommend the 85 in the bridge with a 60 or 81 in the neck. The 81 is too bright and mid-scooped sounding in the bridge for me.

[phragle]

So you have your first jackson, congrats man!!

And you want a classic 80s metal tone.... Find a J 90c. I have Charvel with the active midboost deal, A charvel with active emg's, a jackson with who knows what (the cheap black and white rhodes) and several other repulsive electric twangers of various manufactures. My Charvel 1C wth the J90c sounds better to me than any of them.

[helsinkirocks]

I'll look into the J90C! I plan on getting another Jackson eventually. I'd love a King V but I very rarely see any lefties.

EDIT::

I REALLY like the sounds I've heard of the J90C.

I actually kinda like the stock Duncan Designed neck pickup, now that I've spent some time with it...And after digging through my parts bin, I come to find out I have an HB-103N with the black EMG style cover. I could swap that in, essentially keeping the same neck sound, but matching the J90C....or would it be easier to just stick a black cover on the one already installed.

Hmmm...

[helsinkirocks]

Well guys, sorry for the double post...but after watching videos and looking on ebay I found a J90C for a fair price so I bought that, and went head and put a black cover over my neck pickup to (hopefully) match it.

So it looks like I'm going J90C in the bridge, and [for now at least] the HB-103N in the neck.

Here she is with the black cover on the neck. Can't wait for my J90C to get in, will keep you guys updated on that...