Pickup Selection for MetalHeads and their USAs...

[Guitarist]

How many of you shredheads stick with the pickup selection made by the Jackson folk? Typically meaning a JB bridge and whatever they put in the certain model as the neck pup ranging from the 59 to the Jazz. Tell me what you did/didn't like about the matched pups with the alder and whatnot. Thanks.

[MetalGrasshopper]

Re: Pickup Selection for MetalHeads and their USAs...

I haven't taken out any of my stock USA pickups. I got a TB-4 in the bridge and SH4 on the neck for all of my USA Jacksons except for my Kelly, which has 2x EMG85s...still good stuff.

[xenophobe]

Re: Pickup Selection for MetalHeads and their USAs

I've only had a few Jacksons or Charvels where I actually liked their pickup selection. My strathead has a J50C in the bridge... It's hotter than a standard J50 and sounds much nicer. I usually prefer an EMG 81 or 85 in my guitars.

[Tooling]

Re: Pickup Selection for MetalHeads and their USAs

JB + '59 is the ticket

[shredmonster]

Re: Pickup Selection for MetalHeads and their USAs

I change all of mine. I tried many pickups - Gibson Dirty Fingers, Dimebag Daryl, Invader, Dimarzios including the Evolution, Bill Lawrence, etc...

I keep going back to a Duncan Custom.

However I found this guy recently called Aero Instruments who makes the best pick up I have heard so far. He has a website, is a great guy and seems to really know his stuff.

Pickups are $125 so they are not cheap but they are killer. His key is to design a pick up that won't color the sound - it transmits the guitars "natural sound."
Sort of a killer PAF.

He can make them in any magnet configuration, has single and double and has a special pickup to work with a splitter.

[Flatpicker]

Re: Pickup Selection for MetalHeads and their USAs

I'm a Rio Grande fan.
Had them put into my RR1 and a Hamer Standard.
Am toying with a sa/sa/89 combo for an SL1 though.

[CacophonyDeth]

Re: Pickup Selection for MetalHeads and their USAs

jb + jazz : dont fix what aint broken [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[jackson16]

Re: Pickup Selection for MetalHeads and their USAs

Im an EMG guy. Maybe its because whatever guitar you slap them in, it will sound good. I also like the clean flat look of EMGs. They are quiet and I dig their sound. Im an 81/89 combo or maybe 81/85. Im thinking of putting them into my Y2KV, as well as swapping out the hardware for black hardware, if I dont sell my Y2. EMGs sound good to me so I will just stick with them until I find something else.

[Newc]

Re: Pickup Selection for MetalHeads and their USAs

I never liked the JB. I like the JB Jr in the bridge of the older Warriors that had the dual singles at the bridge, but I really don't like the JB humbucker in the bridge of any guitar. I do like them in the neck, though.
I prefer the Duncan Distortion in the bridge for the shred-type tones (don't need a high-gain amp, either) and the Custom's good for more melodic stuff that has breathing room instead of just blazing away.
I also like the Screamin Demon, and want to try a Custom Custom and Custom 5.
The 59 is good for a Classic Rock type of tone, but I had one in the neck of a guitar and did not like it for anything other than Classic Rock tones. Melodic Satch-type lead lines came out sounding too gritty and raspy, and the cleans weren't shimmery enough, even when split. Still sounded gritty.

Newc

[RR05xx]

Re: Pickup Selection for MetalHeads and their USAs

What jackson16 said. I use 81 , 81/81, 81/85 or 81/60 in different guitars. I did keep by 2001 SL2H stock though and must admit that I am not that excited about the pickups in it generally. However, to be different, I am going to keep the guitar stock. It doesnt get played that much anyway!

[ZuliaArmy]

Re: Pickup Selection for MetalHeads and their USAs

EMGs here

[GodOfRhythm]

Re: Pickup Selection for MetalHeads and their USAs

EMG's in any mahogany bodied guitar.

[Wizard of Ozz]

Re: Pickup Selection for MetalHeads and their USAs

'59/JB or EMG 81/81.

[Zerberus]

Re: Pickup Selection for MetalHeads and their USAs

If I stay passive I usually go with a Duncan Custom or sometimes a Distortion for the bridge, ´59 or Jazz @ neck. I prefer the JB as a neck pickup, like Newc, but it´s too overpowering to load all my HH axes with that setup. Singles then tend to end up becoming a Cool Rails and a Lil´59 or JBJr.

On some I use EMGs, 85 bridge and SA for the most part, sometimes an 81 neck.

Although I´m currently converting a few of my earlier Ontarios back to the original pickups [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[jcs21]

Re: Pickup Selection for MetalHeads and their USAs

I usually change mine, but not all of them. 81's for single hum, 81's in bridge and neck of 2 hum guitars, 81/SA/SA in the soloists. Some I have left stock just for a different sound.