Pickup Decision Help

[FunkyApocalypse]

So I've made a decision...while the actives are still in, I shall try the 85; if that still doesn't work out, I'm just gonna throw in a Screamin' Demon in the bridge and replace the SAs with some stacks.

[xenophobe]

Mahogany is usually really warm sounding, not bright, but the lows can get a little loose on some guitars... for some reason the 85, which is scooped and not as flat as an 81, tightens up the bottom end and makes those mids sound really dark and wicked.

[Newc]

My '93 LP Standard was a bit brighter than I was expecting mahogany to be. By contrast, the SGs I've had, as well as my NASL that doesn't have a maple cap, were/is a lot warmer-toned. Even the NASLs that do have maple caps aren't as bright as my LP was, and they're Floyded. It did darken up when I put a graphite nut on it, but not a lot.

[leftykingv2]

So I've made a decision...while the actives are still in, I shall try the 85; if that still doesn't work out, I'm just gonna throw in a Screamin' Demon in the bridge and replace the SAs with some stacks.

It'll sound great bro! The Demon is so under rated in my opinion. It's in my top three pick ups with the RTM and the JB. The sound is big and very friendly to pretty much any type of gain setting as well as having awesome harmonics. It's just an awesome pick up for all things rock.

[Chad]

Mahogany is usually really warm sounding, not bright, but the lows can get a little loose on some guitars... for some reason the 85, which is scooped and not as flat as an 81, tightens up the bottom end and makes those mids sound really dark and wicked.

"Usually" is the key word. Being totally blunt, that's why these types of threads are semi-worthless. Because every guitar is different. And everybody's ears are different. Wood type and so forth are only good for generalizations, but may not reflect at all the way an individual instrument really sounds. I have two Schecters that are very similar except: one is mahogany body/neck & set neck. The other is mahogany body/thin maple veneer top & bolt-on maple neck. The former has an 85 in the bridge. The latter has an 81 in the bridge. With the different pickups, the guitars sound very similar. When I had the 81 in both guitars, they sounded NOTHING alike. The all mahogany one was much thinner sounding. As a side note, people who say that EMGs sound the same in every guitar (a common internet myth) are either not speaking from experience or are absolutely, unquestionably tone deaf.

Bottom line is that choosing pickups is a leap of faith of sorts. But I try to evaluate each guitar individually then do all the reading I can about different pickups. It still takes experimentation, but usually I get something pleasing to my ears after a swap or two.

[leftykingv2]

"Usually" is the key word. Being totally blunt, that's why these types of threads are semi-worthless. Because every guitar is different. And everybody's ears are different. Wood type and so forth are only good for generalizations, but may not reflect at all the way an individual instrument really sounds. I have two Schecters that are very similar except: one is mahogany body/neck & set neck. The other is mahogany body/thin maple veneer top & bolt-on maple neck. The former has an 85 in the bridge. The latter has an 81 in the bridge. With the different pickups, the guitars sound very similar. When I had the 81 in both guitars, they sounded NOTHING alike. The all mahogany one was much thinner sounding. As a side note, people who say that EMGs sound the same in every guitar (a common internet myth) are either not speaking from experience or are absolutely, unquestionably tone deaf.

Bottom line is that choosing pickups is a leap of faith of sorts. But I try to evaluate each guitar individually then do all the reading I can about different pickups. It still takes experimentation, but usually I get something pleasing to my ears after a swap or two.

+1 I always thought EMG's were great pick ups. I know from experience what you're saying is true. I had a set of EMG's (81, SA, 85) In an old RG 550 and they sounded okay. I recently decided to put some Seymour Duncan's in this same guitar and it was a definite improvement. I had the EMG's just sitting there and I decided to throw them into another Ibanez I had which was an RG 550 as well. The only difference spec wise between the two guitars was the color. Well let me tell you the EMG's sounded a million times better in the second RG 550 than they did in the first one. This in my opinion proves the point that no two pieces of wood are completely the same tone wise even if they're the exact same species of wood and it proves that EMG's do not sound the same in every guitar.

[leftykingv2]

Left handed pickups cost more y'know?

I am used to it. Left handed spatula's and left handed hammers cost more too.

[xenophobe]

"Usually" is the key word.

And that is exactly why I used it. I probably should have said generally, but that works. Most of the time, a mahogany guitar with an ebony fretboard and an EMG 85 will sound similar enough to where I would only need to fine tune my eq to get the tone I love most. This combo works for me and it has worked across different brands and models. Maybe it's just what I've trained my ears for. Of course there's always the oddball... the CS also produces a turd every once in a while too.

Bottom line is that choosing pickups is a leap of faith of sorts. But I try to evaluate each guitar individually then do all the reading I can about different pickups. It still takes experimentation, but usually I get something pleasing to my ears after a swap or two.

I wouldn't say a leap of faith, but I agree about the experimentation... but a good eq really helps too.

[Newc]

No one said EMGs sound the same in every guitar, we always say they make every guitar sound the same. Big difference. Put them in a Les Paul, then in a Strat, and both guitars will sound like they have EMGs in them. :p

[Chad]

Yeah, EMGs will impart their character into the overall sound a guitar makes. And so will every other pickup on the face of the Earth. Not sure why a lot of people let on like that is something exclusive only to EMGs.

[VitaminG]

"Usually" is the key word. Being totally blunt, that's why these types of threads are semi-worthless.

I don't think this particular thread is worthless. The brief wasn't "what pickup works in mahogany", in which case you would absolutely have a point. The request was for a pickup more suited to hard rock in a bright guitar as the EMG currently in it is better for thrash/death. So we have an idea of the relative amount of gain, a broad description of the style it will be used in and the tonal consideration of it being a bright sounding guitar. So that gave us some parameters for recommendations, rather than just what we prefer (or internet legend about what sounds good) with a particular body wood.

During the research that lead to me buying those Dominions, I wasn't just looking for pickups that would sound good in ash. Of course, I spent some time reading forums about that, but most of it is about single coils for ash strats. I was also looking for pickups that would address what I felt were tonal deficiencies in the guitar. Spent too much time looking at tone charts & reading forums for opinions. I may have got lucky with the Dominions because there's not a lot of internet opinion out there about them yet, so I was largely going by gut. But they perfectly filled that tonal gap for this particular guitar.

[Chad]

I agree this thread isn't worthless. That's why I said semi-worthless.

Seriously, I totally get what you're saying. But everybody hears things so differently. One person's "bright" guitar is another person's "perfectly balanced" guitar. And what is suitable for one person isn't for another. The Schecter with the EMG 85 that I keep talking about......a few people on the Duncan forum had me convinced a Duncan Distortion would be the be-all, end-all pickup in that guitar. I got one and left it in for a week or so, but I absolutely HATED it in that guitar. I tried the EMGs because I had an extra set laying around and the 81 in the bridge sucked too. The 85 ended up being perfect. Nobody recommended an 85 for that guitar. But it worked great.

On the other hand, I have a Schecter Corsair (335 style) that came with Duncan Designed 59s. I did lots of reading, research, and asking questions. Ended up going on one guy's recommendation of a Dimarzio EJ set. I absolutely LOVED the EJ in the neck. Didn't like it in the bridge. Put a 36th Anniversary in the bridge......done deal....pickup sounds perfect in that guitar.

I could go on and on. Again, as said earlier, recommendations can help to some degree, but a person still has to choose what their ears like. And that requires experimentation and a leap of faith to find a "winner". Some may get it on the first try. Many don't. And what works best may end up being something never even mentioned in this thread.

[Newc]

Yeah, EMGs will impart their character into the overall sound a guitar makes. And so will every other pickup on the face of the Earth. Not sure why a lot of people let on like that is something exclusive only to EMGs.

Because it's the interwebs, and what good are the interwebs except for perpetuating myths and fostering hate?

[VitaminG]

Because it's the interwebs, and what good are the interwebs except for perpetuating myths and fostering hate?

it's also great for recycling third-hand opinions as your own. and lolcats

[FunkyApocalypse]

it's also great for recycling third-hand opinions as your own. and lolcats

+2

I really like the direction this thread took lol