Ultimate Superstrat Questions

[candideijon]

I think there is a communication problem here.
"Grim recommended Custom 5 and then I have read :
Custom Custom is same pickup with Alnico II magnet instead" implies that I took your suggestion into consideration. I like Alnico II magnets...
However I don't have any obligation to take every advice given here. Do you take every advice given in your life ?
Finally I never asked direct questions about pickups. please check the initial post.
I hope these explanations may help...

[Grim]

I think there is a communication problem here.
"Grim recommended Custom 5 and then I have read :
Custom Custom is same pickup with Alnico II magnet instead" implies that I took your suggestion into consideration. I like Alnico II magnets...
However I don't have any obligation to take every advice given here. Do you take every advice given in your life ?
Finally I never asked direct questions about pickups. please check the initial post.
I hope these explanations may help...

Please don't tell me you post on the duncan forum....

[MetalHeadMat]

Please don't tell me you post on the duncan forum....

.

Either way, for a warmer tone I'd try a Tone Zone or a Duncan '59.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

Hey dude, I did not mean to come across as insulted you did not take our advice, I meant to come across as saying "We have tried these pickups and know what happens, so why did you do totally the wrong thing, you don't make any sense?"

If you want a warm-tone Alnico pickup then the Tone Zone is what you should try, that is why we recommended it. It's a classic go-to pickup to warm up a bright guitar, and it's got a great tone.

Overall, I don't really mind if you decide to get rid of the San Dimas, but it's pretty silly to try one pickup that is the WRONG pickup IMO and start whining about how it "just isn't the guitar for you" and talking about selling it. :dunno:

[candideijon]

@Grim : No I did not. Actually my question was not about pickups initially...
@MetalHeadMat & MakeAJazzNoiseHere : I will give ToneZone a chance for sure. I can not resist that anymore So far I tried Jazz, Alnico II Pro and 59 (default) in the neck and I found Alnico II Pro best. That was the reason why I wanted to try an AlnicoII magnet in the bridge (so Custom Custom). To be honest Custom Custom is far better than JB. I would not say wrong pickup but still not what I am looking for. Cleans are really nice and with drive it is more balanced than JB but I guess I am looking for some kind of crossover between these two (I mean Custom Custom & JB, leaned towards Custom Custom), so I hope ToneZone is the one...

[Grim]

Hey dude, I did not mean to come across as insulted you did not take our advice, I meant to come across as saying "We have tried these pickups and know what happens, so why did you do totally the wrong thing, you don't make any sense?"

If you want a warm-tone Alnico pickup then the Tone Zone is what you should try, that is why we recommended it. It's a classic go-to pickup to warm up a bright guitar, and it's got a great tone.

Overall, I don't really mind if you decide to get rid of the San Dimas, but it's pretty silly to try one pickup that is the WRONG pickup IMO and start whining about how it "just isn't the guitar for you" and talking about selling it. :dunno:

Ding!

We wouldn't recommend the pickups if we didn't approve of them. Not insulted, just irritated.

[candideijon]

I understand your point. But no worries I will try ToneZone to finish pickup episode. Actually I liked the Custom Custom and will try it on the Les Paul Studio with ebony fingerboard.
Btw I noticed that you have SoCal. Can you compare its neck in terms of responsiveness to any instrument you own or used to own. Especially any with rosewood fingerboard ?

[Grim]

I understand your point. But no worries I will try ToneZone to finish pickup episode. Actually I liked the Custom Custom and will try it on the Les Paul Studio with ebony fingerboard.
Btw I noticed that you have SoCal. Can you compare its neck in terms of responsiveness to any instrument you own or used to own. Especially any with rosewood fingerboard ?

Responsive? I'd say it's less responsive than my ebony fretboards but more responsive than my rosewood boards. Not sure if we are talking about the same "response"

[candideijon]

I guess we are talking about the same things. I meant the "responsive" in terms of : for more powerful sound less power you apply by fingers. So for lead work, tapping, hammer on, legatos are really clear and audible by less finger force.

[Grim]

I guess we are talking about the same things. I meant the "responsive" in terms of : for more powerful sound less power you apply by fingers. So for lead work, tapping, hammer on, legatos are really clear and audible by less finger force.

Ebony and Maple are more responsive than Rosewood. They are much harder.

[candideijon]

Ok. Have you seen any rosewood fingerboard guitar that is close to Ebony/Maple guitars you have (let's say SoCal or Jackson Soloist) in terms of responsiveness. Without loosing too much in warmness/roundness of sound or whatever.
This is my main question since the beginning I have only one guitar shop where I am living and they are busy, I am busy etc. I can not try much. So I want a few candidates to make a point shot in trying
Since the beginning everybody suggested me to try warming up of maple fingerboard guitar (san dimas) by swapping the pickup. Conclusion is to use ToneZone. I really appreciate everybody's input here.
But what about the other way around if the pickup thing does not work ? Or is there a kind of different alternative wood (which can be found in some products) that is a crossover between rosewood and maple/ebony. I heard Pau Ferro but couldn't see any guitar in online shops with that wood used as fingerboard material.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

I have a guitar with a Pau Ferro neck & Ebony fingerboard. The body is Ash.

It has a Tone Zone in it.

[Grandturk]

I currently use or have used the following bridge pickups in my Super Strats:

Alder
- Super Distortion (x3) - love the sound, big and chunky, wide open, very round and warm
- Tone Zone - nice cut, really livened up a "dead" sounding guitar - as in, the other pickups in it sounded dead
- Duncan Custom - great cut and zing - holy crap was getting nice sounds last night with a "variac" Plexi model on my POD - yeah midnight jamming!
- Duncan JB - not my bag - too much "Awwww" in the midrange

Basswood
- EMG 81 - great sounding pickup, very hi-fi - can do it all roll off the volume and tone and it chunks up
- Jackson J-80BC - blech... need to get that thing out of there ASAP
- Jackson J-50BC - big and fat and wooly - yuck
- Duncan Screamin' Demon - mixed results

Ash
- Super Distortion - lots and lots of top end - lost that round sound that I liked and was too zingy (maple neck strat, light ash body - bright to begin with)

In general, I like "lively" pickups - I can tell just touching the strings how they transmit to the amp - basically pickups do two things for me - they make me fight the guitar to get a sound out of it, or they just flow, man...

I have no idea what this thread was supposed to be about...

[Scribner]

Interesting. That guitar only has a volume? Ultimate setup is to go completely radical and add a tone knob (if it is as easy as drilling a hole) and Bare Knuckle Stormy Monday Pickup set. Their web site has a link to sound clips. Then of course you may want to coil tap for a nice strat tone and especially with a maple neck.

Another interesting thing I was reading somewhere is that low output (K reading) meant a brighter pickup.

How are those pickups wired with only a volume knob?

[candideijon]

Hi indeed this solution is quite radical. I would do that only if I am sure to keeping it. Now I have already bought a used ToneZone. It is on the way. If it works nicely that's good and my regards to everybody here. If not I will try to use 250K pot as a final solution (maybe I should try that in first place... whatever).
I heard good things about Bare Knuckles but don't see them around often. I don't know if there is a relevance with K reading but brightness is related with resonance peak (you can check this information on seymour duncan website).
I don't remember by heart but pickup's black wire to the poti and the grounding is made and that's it I guess. The wiring diagram is available in many websites for One Volume guitars...