New member, new questions.

[specialk]

Hi all,
I've got a Jackson performer PS2. I don't know if it is American or foreign. Anyway it was given to me by a member of my family because I needed a guitar that was heavier sounding. I've never turned back. I keep thinking I should buy a new guitar, but can never find one that I can tolerate, much less like. So one day I decided to go on a tone quest. After asking one musician, he reccomended EMG's. That was my plan, but then talking to a worker at Guitar Center, he told me that a friend of his has a Dimarzio Evo in the bridge and a SD Hotrail in the middle and neck positions. He told me the difference between active and passive Pups and so on. Basically, he asked me, what type of music do I want to play. I said somewhere between Metallica and Tool. He informed me that they were on opposite ends.
I finally ended up with a green Evo in the bridge position. I really like it, but it is not as loud as I was hoping. It sounds way better than the other factory singles. I can't even use them anymore because of it sounding so good.
I went ahead and bought a hotrail today for the neck, but after looking around, it seems that everyone puts these in the bridge position, why? On my guitar, the neck seems to have more output. Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone has tried this combo? I'm looking for a specific sound, and am trying to mod this guitar to get it. It has sentimental value and will never be sold or given away. Any ideas to make it more tonal?
Also, I've started to airbrush green lightning bolts on it to match the EVO pup(they do not make green hotrails).
Sorry for the long post, bored at work.

[Grandturk]

Welcome!

1 - Performer is an import - someone else can tell you where its made, but its not USA (doesn't mean its bad, though).

2 - You can play any style of music with any pickup

3 - The only Dimarzios I've seen at Guitar Center lately have been Evolutions - small wonder that's what they sold you

4 - The neck pickup will naturally be "louder" than the bridge pickup because the vibration of the string is wider at that point - i.e. the string moves more near the neck than the bridge. The remedy to this is to adjust the height of the pickup - usually the bridge pickup closer to the strings than the neck pickup.

5 - Typically, the Hot Rails is used as a bridge position pickup, but you can put it anywhere you want.

[specialk]

Cool thanks. I know I any style can be played, but I was searching for a certain tone. Like Metallica plays Tool, or Vice versa. Hard to decribe. I think I will like the output difference, when jamming loud for chorus and whatnot, can drop to more crisp verses. Not sure, we'll see. I may just play as loud and fast as possible. Haha. Also, any advice as far as learning? I started playing bass when I was 16. Picked it up very quickly, migrated into rhythm acoustic guitar for country and gospel. Became kinda bored with that as it is not my style of choice. Learned basic chops and have decent speed and fingering techniques. I am now 24. However, I am self taught all of this. I can't read traditional music, and when people start talking about 5ths and 7th and stuff I cloud over. I feel I'm at a stopping point in my playing because the next level is some soloing and lead, yet I'm totally lost. Some of the best players I know can't read a lick of music and are amazing. Others have taken music classes all their life, and guitar lessons and are absolutley dreadful.

[KyuzoGuitarist]

the sound is in your hands!
all this guitars-pickups-amps stuff has to help you but not to lead.
there are a lot of great guitarists who don't even know the full name of model of a guitar thay are useing for many years, or don't know the type of wood their guitars are made off.
To get the right tone you have to learn how to get it with your hands. everything else are shades of your future tone.
Good luck!

[rjohnstone]

The PS-2 is an entry level Jackson. Similar to today's JS series guitars.
Some were made in Japan and some were made in Korea. I think some were even made in Indonesia towards the end of their production.

Decent guitars with lower end hardware and electronics.
Swap out the hardware and you have a decent workhorse.

[Spivonious]

As far as finding the right tone, I've found that you need to find the right amp first. Then you can experiment with the slight nuances of different pickups. Metallica meets Tool says to me something in the Mesa Rectifier series. The Evo should be fine, you just might need to raise it a bit closer to the strings.

It can be puzzling to know where to go next when you've reached a certain level. If I was in your shoes, I'd learn some basic music theory, like how chords and scales are constructed. Also, you didn't mention it but playing with other people is amazingly helpful. You get to hear different styles and may even be able to share some guitar knowledge. There are lots of resources on the web for learning music theory, some better than others. If you find that you're still lost/not getting it, then inquire at your local music store about taking lessons. Some players are born with the talent, but the other 99% of us need some help and lots of practice. It's not always fun, but it's totally worth it in the end.

[leftybob]

re changes

Did you evaluate the quality of the pots and tone cap ? Upgrading those can make huge difference as well ...

[RacerX]

What's the serial # ?

[jacksonaxes]

What's the serial # ?

Does ron have a serial# fetish?

[RacerX]

Well if newbies would just POST them, instead of making me ask....