Pickup question: L500xl vs. D Sonic vs. Duncans

[Cerastine Order]

ok, I'm thinking about getting a different set of pickups in a KV2 that I'll be purchasing, but I'm not sure about how a few of these above mentioned pickups will perform in a B tuned setting.

1. I've been told that the Bill Lawrence L500XL are AMAZING, but sound thin in anything except mahogany and might not sound good for the detuned metal.

2. haven't heard much about the Dimarzio D Sonic, I had an X2N YEARS ago in an old RG550, liked it then. again, haven't heard too much, but they say that the D Sonic is built for B tuning and Recto's [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

3. Duncans are a bit of a mystery to me. I've had Invaders, I like them but they're just too much low-end, anything above like the D string seems to sound so........blah as opposed to the rest of the guitar. What should I be looking at? should I stick with the JB's for a bit?

to sum it all up, I want a nice high output pickup that won't mud up in my setup. I want punch, something that's good for palm-muting madness but also bust out the squeelin' pinch harmonics. I DON'T need "more low end", this isn't one of THOSE posts, but I do want to retain much of the low end that I'm pushing, hence why I'm not using Invaders.

like I said I haven't actually got this guitar yet, I'm just pickup shopping [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

any comments, suggestions?

thanx in advance guys!

oh and if it helps we sound like a mix of Immolation/Morbid Angel/Gorguts/Nile..............

[1trussell]

Re: Pickup question: L500xl vs. D Sonic vs. Duncan

Stick with the stock JB at first. Experiment as much as you can before deciding whether or not to swap it out. Who knows, you may like it just fine for detuned stuff.

Personally I can't stand the JB and I much prefer the Duncan Distortion for my musical tastes.

[pagemalicious]

Re: Pickup question: L500xl vs. D Sonic vs. Duncan

If you liked the X2N a while ago, why not go back to it? sounds like just the thing your looking for.

[tmdiamond]

Re: Pickup question: L500xl vs. D Sonic vs. Duncan

I like the Duncan JB for most heavy applications but I have a Washburn N4 with the Bill Lawrence L500 and I've used that guitar for drop D stuff (actually C#). It does sound a bit thinner than the Invader for drop stuff but I didn't hate the sound.

[Cerastine Order]

Re: Pickup question: L500xl vs. D Sonic vs. Duncan

but I wasn't playing in B 4 years ago, and this is why I'm looking the the D sonic, the X2N had too many highs, at least thats what I thought back then!

[ranalli]

Re: Pickup question: L500xl vs. D Sonic vs. Duncan

I think the Drop Sonic would suit you well. I had one and I though it was a very good pickup cause it definitely fills a niche like most Dimarzios. It's very tight like an Evolution but instead of the mids being on the upper end of the spectrum, the mids are more focused on the lower side with a good tight bass and enough treble to cut through.

[Greg Crowe]

Re: Pickup question: L500xl vs. D Sonic vs. Duncan

You want a DiMarzio Super Distortion...... do it, you'll thank me.

[zeegler]

Re: Pickup question: L500xl vs. D Sonic vs. Duncan

I found the Super D to be a tad flat sounding. Don't get me wrong, I always liked them, and still have them in a couple of guitars, but they're lacking something. I like a pickup with more dynamics, and the Duncan Custom is great for that. It just sounds more alive. Nice output level, and it maintains low end even in my maple bodied Lado. The SH-13 isn't bad either, pretty close to the XL500, but doesn't seem to clean up as nice as the Custom.

[toejam]

Re: Pickup question: L500xl vs. D Sonic vs. Duncan

[ QUOTE ]
You want a DiMarzio Super Distortion...... do it, you'll thank me.

[/ QUOTE ]
That would be my choice as well. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[rocksoldier]

Re: Pickup question: L500xl vs. D Sonic vs. Duncan

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
You want a DiMarzio Super Distortion...... do it, you'll thank me.

[/ QUOTE ]
That would be my choice as well. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Mine to [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]