Whats up everyone? I'm another of those "new guys". Anyway, I have a Jackson DR3 and a RX10d. Both came equipped with 'Duncan Designed" pups. I've been wanting to swap them out but have hesitated because of various reasons. The only advice I've gotten so far was "use these cuz their what I like". Well, thats not a hell of a lot of help. I play mainly Metal/Thrash etc. I"ve heard genuine Duncans are good, Bill Lawrence are good, Duncan Invaders are good, etc, etc. Anybody have any sound advice as to what and why would be a good choice? Should I only bother with the bridge or swap both? PLease dont tell me "use these cuz the rest suck" and then dont bother with any more info. Thanks guys
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Most aftermarket pickups are an improvement over OEM pickups
the dynamics, output and character will almost always be a step above factory hardware
(talking about low to midrange priced guitars)
Ofcourse you shouldn't put (for example) low output low mid p'ups if you want more gain and mids
but that's selfexplanatoryLast edited by Nightbat; 03-15-2010, 01:19 PM."There's nothing taking away from the pure masculinity I possess"
-"You like Anime"
"....crap!"
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Originally posted by storm_rider_71 View PostWhats up everyone? I'm another of those "new guys". Anyway, I have a Jackson DR3 and a RX10d. Both came equipped with 'Duncan Designed" pups. I've been wanting to swap them out but have hesitated because of various reasons. The only advice I've gotten so far was "use these cuz their what I like". Well, thats not a hell of a lot of help. I play mainly Metal/Thrash etc. I"ve heard genuine Duncans are good, Bill Lawrence are good, Duncan Invaders are good, etc, etc. Anybody have any sound advice as to what and why would be a good choice? Should I only bother with the bridge or swap both? PLease dont tell me "use these cuz the rest suck" and then dont bother with any more info. Thanks guys
At first I was using a Full Shred set in a 750XL. This was good.
Then the BLUSA L500XL in an RR1. This was better.
Then the set in my KE3. This worked the best. I have plenty of "real pickups" sitting in a box, including two DD's (both regular spaced however), but the Duncan Designed's are getting the job done very well, so why waste time and money?
Of course, if your pickups aren't doing it for you, you need to change. Amps / Guitars / Speakers all come into play. It's just the end result that matters.
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I like hot pickups because of the "touch response" - i.e. you can play very lightly and the still sings quickly with lots of snap.
My goto - Dimarzio Super Distortion. Big fat pickup with lots of output. Sounds great with a clean amp for spank, a pushed amp for classic roar and a high gain amp for serious grind.-------------------------
Blank yo!
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Originally posted by Grandturk View PostI like hot pickups because of the "touch response" - i.e. you can play very lightly and the still sings quickly with lots of snap.
I was playing my Fusion at practice on Sunday. It's loaded with a Tonezone/Evo set. Turn the volume down on the guitar and I was using the TZ into the XTC module in my RM100 for a nice warm clean. Playing funk chords through the XTC! Then turn the volume back up, dig in and it's CRUNCHTIME!!Hail yesterday
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dimarzio tone zone is a real well rounded, powerful pickup. my favorite. also the super distortion is a winner. as for duncan, the distortion is real nice. the name pretty much labels it as a one trick pony, but it's great for many tones.
but again, it depends on the guitar. I throw a tone zone into a guitar the day I get it, but not every guitar sounds good matched with certain pickups. I have one flying v (sandoval polka dot) where the super distortion sounds insanely perfect no matter what style you play. but in another jackson king V, the super distortion sounded like a chainsaw. if you try a ton of pickups and still can't get it "right" then EMG'S will make it playable. EMG pickups can literally make a baseball bat sound good. although their sonic range is very limited.Last edited by fatstrat; 03-15-2010, 07:59 PM.
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The Duncan designed HB4 is modeled after the Duncan Distortion.
The HB3 is modeled after the JB. The HB2 is the 59 and the HB1 is the jazz. IIRC.
The real Duncans will sound better than the Designed..They have a fuller more satisfying sound. To my ears the designed sound thinner and kinda of week in comparison. For metal I would suggest the Duncan Distortion for its gain and smooth compression like tones with plenty of attack.It cleans up ok. If you want it to clean up more then the JB will clan up a bit more. They are essentially the same ouo coils. the only difference is the magnet used. JB is alnico and the Distortion is ceramic. if ya want more gain and ultra clean Go EMG's as much as a passive fan as i am. Emgs do have their place. The super d is also a good pickup a bit more mids than the distortion.
Gil
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Originally posted by JACKSONFREAK View PostThe real Duncans will sound better than the Designed..They have a fuller more satisfying sound.
I sold the Real JB for sucker money and kept the DD JB.
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Originally posted by storm_rider_71 View PostWhats up everyone? I'm another of those "new guys". Anyway, I have a Jackson DR3 and a RX10d. Both came equipped with 'Duncan Designed" pups. I've been wanting to swap them out but have hesitated because of various reasons. The only advice I've gotten so far was "use these cuz their what I like". Well, thats not a hell of a lot of help. I play mainly Metal/Thrash etc. I"ve heard genuine Duncans are good, Bill Lawrence are good, Duncan Invaders are good, etc, etc. Anybody have any sound advice as to what and why would be a good choice? Should I only bother with the bridge or swap both? PLease dont tell me "use these cuz the rest suck" and then dont bother with any more info. Thanks guys
toned guitars, it has alot of 'sizzle' to the distortion, which is nice only sometimes. I'm not a big fan of dimarzio in general, they are high quality construction, but I've never played one and been like "Hell yes, this is it" and I always end up swapping them from guitars that have them.
The SH-4 JB is too brittle for me, though if you switch to a 250 pot it mellows out, but some swear by it. The Custom Custom and Custom 5 are both variations of the sh-5 Custom, but with different magnets, an Alnico II and Alnico V respectively, compared to a ceramic bar of the SH-5.
I really think any of the Custom's are great all around pickups, out of everything I've tried, its the only thing I haven't wanted to change after a week.
Neck pickups: Seymour Duncan '59 SH-1, or a Jazz SH-2... you can't go wrong with either.
Now for the Actives.
Emg 81, will give you incredible clarity, sustain, and tight bottom end, that you can only get from an active. Many complain that they 'make every guitar sound the same' which simply is not true, they distort in a very characteristic way, and sound different in every guitar.
the nice thing with EMG is that once you install them, you can switch out pickups by just unplugging and replacing, no soldering, you don't even open the control cavity, and you can even switch to Seymour Duncan Actives without any changes.
the EMG-x's have slightly less output, less 'noise' and more dynamics and character sort of bridging the gap of active and passive.
the duncan Blackouts have more output and gain than EMG, but that translates to 'sizzle' which is annoying a lot of times, they have alot more midrange as wellWish I could add Pics to this thing!!
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I'll put in another vote for the Custom. I've tried quite a few of the pick ups mentioned in this thread as far as Duncans go, and I keep going back to the Custom. Tight (and VERY aggressive) bottom end, good even mid range, nice highs, good for lead and solo tones. There are pups I like better for solos, and ones I like a bit better for rhythm, but none I like all around better than the regular ceramic Custom. (SH-5)
The JB has a high mid-range tone that you can't dial out, and can color your tone in a way you may not like. It's definitely not for everyone, although I do love it's lead tone. It also has a bit of a looser bottom end that some may or may not like. It's overall not as aggressive as the Custom.
The Distortion kind of solves the JB's bottom end aggression and looseness with an oversized ceramic magnet. While I like the rhythm tone, I don't like the lead tone of the DD at all. The Custom matches, and even exceeds the aggression of the DD on the low end and has a better lead tone imo.
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Originally posted by jeff5 View PostI'll put in another vote for the Custom. I've tried quite a few of the pick ups mentioned in this thread as far as Duncans go, and I keep going back to the Custom. Tight (and VERY aggressive) bottom end, good even mid range, nice highs, good for lead and solo tones. There are pups I like better for solos, and ones I like a bit better for rhythm, but none I like all around better than the regular ceramic Custom. (SH-5)
The JB has a high mid-range tone that you can't dial out, and can color your tone in a way you may not like. It's definitely not for everyone, although I do love it's lead tone. It also has a bit of a looser bottom end that some may or may not like. It's overall not as aggressive as the Custom.
The Distortion kind of solves the JB's bottom end aggression and looseness with an oversized ceramic magnet. While I like the rhythm tone, I don't like the lead tone of the DD at all. The Custom matches, and even exceeds the aggression of the DD on the low end and has a better lead tone imo.
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I really do appreciate all the advice. Its nice hearing from people who actually know what their talking about for a change. I have a Ibanez RG that has EMG - designed by's in it. I'm not crazy about the sound of them. Their distorted tone sounds like garbage. Dont get me wrong. I'm not knocking EMG's (especially since mine are actually cheap-o copys) I'm just worried about spending the money to upgrade and finding out I was better off with what I had. Every one have you have given me very sound, sound advice. I really appreciate it. Thanks again. I look forward to talkin with you allDo you think atheists with dyslexia and insomnia lay awake at night wondering if there really is a doG? :think:
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