Pickup combinations - Input wanted - long post

[toejam]

Re: Pickup combinations - Input wanted - long post

Originally posted by pro-fusion:
I've tried a bunch of Dimarzios in my Soloist, including the Steve's Special and the Super Distortion, and they just sounded too trebly and brittle for my uses. Those pickups might work better in a darker-sounding guitar, such as a Les Paul or a basswood-bodied Ibanez.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">That's strange, because the SD is eq'd more in the mids and bass than treble, according to DiMarzio's tone chart. According to Duncan's chart, their Distortion has more treble, the same with the JB. The JB I had in my mahogany Hamer I felt was lacking a little low end... it sounded nice in the treble and high mids, just lacked a little bass, IMO. Anyway, the DiMarzio SD does sound really nice and well-balanced in my all mahogany Jackson JJP.
Like you said, all a matter of taste, plus I guess you can't always go by what the tone charts say.

[pro-fusion]

Re: Pickup combinations - Input wanted - long post

The Super3 has more low-end, but I've found the SD to be fairly bright in every guitar I've had one in.

Maybe it was a case of the Super Distortion sounding "thinner," rather than more "trebly"--either way, the Duncan Distortion has a much more massive sound than the SD in my Soloist. I will say that the SD had better note articulation than the Distortion does. Even with the Distortion set very low under the strings, the notes still don't have the amount of crispness that I would like. Ultimately, I would like a pickup with the tonal balance and fullness of the Distortion, but with the articulateness of a Dimarzio. I'm not sure that such a thing exists--other than EMG, maybe. But I've lost most of my former enthusiasm for EMGs in the last year or so. They are great for rhythm playing, but they just don't "sing" well for leads.

[pro-fusion]

Re: Pickup combinations - Input wanted - long post

I've also found that a Duncan Distortion set far below the strings gives me the best sound I've gotten out of my Soloist. Set it too close to the strings, though and you get raspiness and mud. But that's true of any high-output p/u, I suppose.

I've tried a bunch of Dimarzios in my Soloist, including the Steve's Special and the Super Distortion, and they just sounded too trebly and brittle for my uses. Those pickups might work better in a darker-sounding guitar, such as a Les Paul or a basswood-bodied Ibanez. I have to say, though, that Dimarzios have a 'crunchiness' that Duncans don't. All a matter of taste.

I've got a Carvin V-220 on the way, and I may try a Dimarzio Air Zone in the bridge, to offset some of the brightness that old Carvins have. Would a Duncan Custom 5 be a Duncan equivalent to the Air Zone? I've tried the Custom Custom in a mahogany-bodied guitar LAG, and found it very dull-sounding compared to the Duncan Distortion.