Soloist USA Pickups - ACTUAL DiMarzio replacement experiences? - SL1, SL2,

[jeff9beck]

Thanks. That is an awesome insight. What about the super distortion? Did you try?

[mantis]

SL3 was the Japanese version of the SL1, just rosewood board, no binding, import trem and Duncan Designed pickups. I believe later models got real Floyds and real Duncans.

True for the 2005 and earlier but the 2005 had real Duncan Pickups as I owned a 2005 model. Just the bridge was a Jackson model.The SL3 in 2006 got a Updated bridge in a Floyd Rose from the Jackson Floyd Rose and has real Duncan Pickups in a JB TB4 in the bridge and 2 Seymour Duncan Hot rails for the middle and neck.

[jeff9beck]

True for the 2005 and earlier but the 2005 had real Duncan Pickups as I owned a 2005 model. Just the bridge was a Jackson model.The SL3 in 2006 got a Updated bridge in a Floyd Rose from the Jackson Floyd Rose and has real Duncan Pickups in a JB TB4 in the bridge and 2 Seymour Duncan Hot rails for the middle and neck.

Sorry it was my mistake about the SL3..

I am looking for Pickups for USA Made soloists - Alder body and Ebony fingerboard - 2 (TWO) SL2 with JB bridge and '59 neck, and an SL1 with JB bridge and STK4 middle and neck.

I want to turn one SL2 into a punishing Metal capable axe, and one SL2 into an 80's Hair metal shredder and maybe crossover into some Zep cover songs,

I want the SL1 to be more of a blues/rock machine - not always needing power to knock people down from in front of my speakers, but maybe doing hendrix covers, other more bluesy stuff - closer to PAF style pickups..I guess. Remember I do have almost enough Amp power to play a small arena...so even the PAF version (lower output pickups in general) of the soloist should be able to have plenty of sustain, harmonics, all the good stuff.

I know I will have some used pickups for sale when it's all over.


Thanks!

[1693power]

Back in the 'old days' for me, the 1990s, I used to be able to buy used Super Distortion (and dual sound coil-tapped version) DiMarzios, the old '70s and '80s double cream bobbin ones, for $20-$25. I used to drop them in place of stock Gibson pickups back when no one cared about the 'Dirty Fingers' style Gibson pickups. They got put in SGs, LPs, bolt-neck project guitars, everything. Teenage me playing '70s metal loved the mas output sound of a Super Distortion through a master volume Marshall BUT, it came at a price. The DiMarzios to me lacked nuance, and were lots of mids, sort of a compressed sound, and not nearly as dynamic as a lower output pickup. You lost highs and lows. Through a real old tube amp they helped put the gain over the edge. But when compared to a '59 PAF style pickup like an Antiquity, I think the Super Distortion is only going to do metal well. At half volume it isn't much of a pickup.

I just picked up a mid-2000s USA SL2, and am equally unimpressed with the stock pickups. I have another guitar that has Gibson 498 and 500 pickups stuck in it, an all mahogany Carvin. They sound decent in that guitar. Has anyone put some of these in a Soloist? Any chance that I will find those pickups an improvement over the stock SDs? Thanks.

Does anyone think that older EMG 81s and 85s are any better than the new ones? I also have an '80s 85 laying around. Didn't know if they had any cache over a brand new one.

[jeff9beck]

Back in the 'old days' for me, the 1990s, I used to be able to buy used Super Distortion (and dual sound coil-tapped version) DiMarzios, the old '70s and '80s double cream bobbin ones, for $20-$25. I used to drop them in place of stock Gibson pickups back when no one cared about the 'Dirty Fingers' style Gibson pickups. They got put in SGs, LPs, bolt-neck project guitars, everything. Teenage me playing '70s metal loved the mas output sound of a Super Distortion through a master volume Marshall BUT, it came at a price. The DiMarzios to me lacked nuance, and were lots of mids, sort of a compressed sound, and not nearly as dynamic as a lower output pickup. You lost highs and lows. Through a real old tube amp they helped put the gain over the edge. But when compared to a '59 PAF style pickup like an Antiquity, I think the Super Distortion is only going to do metal well. At half volume it isn't much of a pickup.

I just picked up a mid-2000s USA SL2, and am equally unimpressed with the stock pickups. I have another guitar that has Gibson 498 and 500 pickups stuck in it, an all mahogany Carvin. They sound decent in that guitar. Has anyone put some of these in a Soloist? Any chance that I will find those pickups an improvement over the stock SDs? Thanks.

Does anyone think that older EMG 81s and 85s are any better than the new ones? I also have an '80s 85 laying around. Didn't know if they had any cache over a brand new one.

Hi - OP Here.
Are you saying that even nowadays, a super distortion will not sound good in a USA soloist bridge? Even if I keep the volume cranked?
You say it's MID heavy and only good for metal, but metal is mostly MID scooped..(right?)

I guess it's going to be harder than I thought to find a few good matched sets and improve my soloists potential.
I thought a Super D would increase my bass and treble output, as well as mid
Earlier in this thread a guy said the Soloist wood and construction is MID heavy, emphasizing mid frequencies more than others, so a non-mid heavy pickup would be good to at least maintain balance and not need eq/tone controls to de-emphasize mids.

I would get the NEW EMG X series and sell the old ones if you go that way.

I would stay away from anything that works in mahogany (the gibsons) in an alder bodied soloist..
Let us know what you wind up changing and how it sounds!

What do you want to change about your current sound?

[roodyrocker]

I have a Soloist with Dimarzio Tone Zone in the bridge and Air Norton in the neck. The Tone Zone is also coil tapped using its volume knob as a push/pull. Great combination but the low E can get a bit flubby. I used the same combination in my Rhoads but the bridge sounded thin so I swapped the bridge to a Dimarzio Super Distortion. Air Norton is still in the neck position of both guitars.

[jeff9beck]

Hmm.
The Jackson PC-1 comes with a DiMarzio Super3 in the bridge But, the PC1 is mahogany,,, and I have seen custom shop Alder soloists (factory run of 10 for dealers) with a PAF PRO in the bridge.

I am thinking I will probably order and audition (Bridge) X2N, SuperDistortion, Super3, PAF Pro, PAF Master.

Then on a second attempt will try X2N, deactivator, Crunch Lab and Steve's special (steve's has reduced mids).

I think the Norton and Tone Zone are out.

I'm going to need some way to record (an easy way), but I can also have a very similar sounding second Soloist during the comparisons.

And maybe use on similar amp/preamp settings for comparison, but of course I'll play with the EQ and gain after comparing using the exact same settings..

Thanks for all advice so far..

[roccotanto]

Hi!

I am a DiMarzio endorser as well, and have a little bit of experience with those pickups in Jacksons. I have used stock Jackson pickups, have used Seymours (in the 80s) have used EMG (had an endorsement with them in the 90s for a few years) and most recently DiMarzio.

For me, the single coil pickups that seem to work best for rock players in Jackson guitars are the Injectors. I have a 3 TITE Soloist that I am equipping with an Injector in the neck position, an Area 67 in the middle, and an Injector in the bridge. Once I get them installed, I am going to do a video demo of the guitar (with before and after tones) and hopefully it will help you and others with their search for tonal nirvana!

[HOTRIFF]

Tone zone has a very bass-low mid heavy sound. It sounds fantastic in Ibanez RG which is quite a trebly guitar, so they compensate each other.
Soloist is more balanced instrument and the tone zone sounds muddy, without enough definition in it.
Soloists wood construction produces overall balanced sound, however the mids are very dominant, that's why Steve's special and Duncan Custom, whos mids are slightly rolled back, but still have a balanced sound are a success in Soloist

I´ve made the same experience with the Tone Zone in a poplar Soloist (US).
How about a Seymour Duncan "Screaming Demon" (TB-12) in the bridge position and a little ´59 in neck & middle position ?

[jeff9beck]

Hi!

I am a DiMarzio endorser as well, and have a little bit of experience with those pickups in Jacksons. I have used stock Jackson pickups, have used Seymours (in the 80s) have used EMG (had an endorsement with them in the 90s for a few years) and most recently DiMarzio.

For me, the single coil pickups that seem to work best for rock players in Jackson guitars are the Injectors. I have a 3 TITE Soloist that I am equipping with an Injector in the neck position, an Area 67 in the middle, and an Injector in the bridge. Once I get them installed, I am going to do a video demo of the guitar (with before and after tones) and hopefully it will help you and others with their search for tonal nirvana!

Thanks. Seems like there's too many choices..

I have a little more experience as my last 2 Jacksons came with DiMarzios..
I have an HS3 neck single coil in an alder soloist CS, and that sounds real nice..

I've also had recent experience with
Bridge: PAF pro, X2N, and Neck: HS3, ToneZone. ALL sound better and rock harder than than the SD JB/59 !