Need pickup suggestions

[gerryl98]

My second DK2 has Duncan Designed HSS pickups. The single coils are Duncan Designed Hot Rails and the humbucker is the HB-103 which is supposed to be based on the Duncan Distortion SH-6. They don't sound bad but the don't sound great. Please suggest an upgrade. Should I just put real Hot Rails and a real SH-6? My other DK2 has the STK-1 single coils and the JB for the neck humbucker and I think this combo is very versatile to play most rock and hardrock. I'd like something just a little hotter while keeping it versatile too.

[The Poolman]

I have the Duncan distortion in an Ibanez, and I had the JB in my Model 2, the JB was a better pickup to my ears. (I just swapped out the JB in my model 2 for an EMG81 Wow is all I can say)

[Nagash02]

If you're unhappy with your version, maybe get the real SH-6

Else, try a SH-5, or the JB as suggested, but if you don't tell us what kind of sound you want and what kind of music you play...

As for the singles, I'd suggest you try the real hot rails, but If you want something versatile, maybe a Cool Rails in one of both positions would be a nice try...

[Nimitz]

Is that a mirror in your pocket?

Cause I can see myself in your pants!

[Mindstein]

I got Seymour Duncan SH-6/SH-2 in my Jay Turser...I know...shuddup! BUT I can't complain about that combo, makes a $100 guitar sound line a beefed up Les Paul...honestly though, my favorite pickup is a no name Humbucker that came with my Squier Telecaster Custom ... Registers at 18.4 ohms, passive...if I knew what it was I would sell every EMG, Dimarzio and Duncan I have.. You can pick up a Squier Tele custom 1, for about 200

[gerryl98]

If you're unhappy with your version, maybe get the real SH-6

Else, try a SH-5, or the JB as suggested, but if you don't tell us what kind of sound you want and what kind of music you play...

As for the singles, I'd suggest you try the real hot rails, but If you want something versatile, maybe a Cool Rails in one of both positions would be a nice try...

Looks like I'll be scouring for a deal on the Duncan Distortion PU. I like the idea of the Cool Rails too, but that's going to be a hard find used.

[DonP]

I think you'll be throwing your money away. I compared Duncan Designed's with the real and the difference wasn't noticable if at all. I sold the JB in that test and kept the HB102B in my DK2.

In my KE3, it still has the HB103 set.

If you aren't happy with it, doing a small change like real SD's might turn out disappointing. Go for a large change, like get a Custom, CC or something really different.

[Mindstein]

Couple more pickups I like are:
Kent Armstrong Motherbucker Double Pickup Hot Ceramic something like 27k ohms around 60 usd on ebay
Mighty Mite Motherbuckers around 19-24k ohms just about 20 USD.

They are cheap alternatives to the name brands, good thing it you're not out a lot of money to try them out, and don't require upgrading your pots like actives do..then again if you already got actives it might not be a good thing to go for.

I don't know where you could get a old set of Jackson Active Pickups, but I know they exist, or existed

[Chad]

I think you'll be throwing your money away. I compared Duncan Designed's with the real and the difference wasn't noticable if at all. I sold the JB in that test and kept the HB102B in my DK2.

In my KE3, it still has the HB103 set.

If you aren't happy with it, doing a small change like real SD's might turn out disappointing. Go for a large change, like get a Custom, CC or something really different.

+1. There was a thread on the Duncan forum where the folks at Duncan said the Designed pickups are same spec...just that they are made overseas. The difference would be rather small, if any at all.

[Hellbat]

Duncan custom in the bridge. DiMarzio ToneZone if you play more clean stuff.

[Bocha]

+1. There was a thread on the Duncan forum where the folks at Duncan said the Designed pickups are same spec...just that they are made overseas. The difference would be rather small, if any at all.

Well, I got my last guitar with Duncan Designed pickups, and it was unsatisfying at all. There was this feeling that I didn't turn the pickup volume all the way up, sounded like crap. Then I replaced them with SH-2n and SH-4, and, holy shit, the sound was like an explosion, very juicy and distinctive. I even compared this pair with EMGs and I thing EMGs are not that juicy and distinctive though they are more expensive. So no, I'll never agree that Duncan Designed pickups are any good.

[toejam]

I don't know where you could get a old set of Jackson Active Pickups, but I know they exist, or existed

Nowhere, because they don't exist. Jackson has never made active pickups. All of their pickups were passive and could be utilized with their active electronic circuits.

[Chad]

Well, I got my last guitar with Duncan Designed pickups, and it was unsatisfying at all. There was this feeling that I didn't turn the pickup volume all the way up, sounded like crap. Then I replaced them with SH-2n and SH-4, and, holy shit, the sound was like an explosion, very juicy and distinctive. I even compared this pair with EMGs and I thing EMGs are not that juicy and distinctive though they are more expensive. So no, I'll never agree that Duncan Designed pickups are any good.

What were the Designed pickups that you were replacing? Were they Designed versions of the SH-2n and SH-4? In other words, was the difference more from the pickup change itself and had nothing to do with Designed vs real deal Duncans?

I've played around with a lot of pickup swaps and have tried most of the the Duncan line and I don't think I would call ANY pickup change "explosive". Yes, there are differences, but they are often subtle, at least to my ears. It's a very YMMV situation. A "huge" change to one person may be barely perceptible to another depending on their ears and perception. But regardless, if I switched humbuckers in a guitar and noticed an "explosive" difference, I'd be inclined to think the old pickups were not bad sounding, but rather defective.

[Bocha]

I didn't call the changes explosive, I said that sound became explosive, I use this metaphore to describe the sound as filled with good middle, distinction and juiciness, Duncan Designed pickups were sounding like the gain was not very high. And yes, I agree about the defect, because my indian guitar with Jackson pickups, which should be very cheap and worthless, sounded much more "gainy" and better overall, so one can think that there is something really wrong with this exact DDs. I had HB-108N and HB-108B in neck and bridge respectively. Furthermore I use Ibanez Toneblaster 15Watt combo, which is not very distinctive itself, my friend's RR1 sounds exactly the same as my Japanese with SDs, my Indian sounds a bit messy, and still those DDs from my Japaneese sounded like the distortion was mostly off, while it was on and the gain was 100% up. Neck and bridge both had this problem.

[Mindstein]

Nowhere, because they don't exist. Jackson has never made active pickups. All of their pickups were passive and could be utilized with their active electronic circuits.

Sorry- your right-the pickups are passive. The electronics where active - jap pros?