New to the forum just some questions for the group

[Lucifarion]

So I'm new to the forum been lurking around for a while.... I own a Jackson DX10D, I absolutely love this guitar... mine is MIJ. My question is more revolving around pick-ups. As I'm sure most of you know the stock pick-ups are duncan designed H-102's or H-103's (even the info from Jackson seems to be a lil spotty on this lol). I have these same pick-ups in my LTD EC-100 and they sound great (very bright on the trebble end, and rich and chunky on the bass end, with some scoop in the mid), the ones in my jackson sound kinda muddy I can only account this to being caused by the floyd in my jackson.

So now onto my question lol, I'm thinking about swapping the PUP's in my jackson to either a set of EMG's (81/ 85) or a set of Duncan black-out's... I have experience with the EMG's and love the way they sound... how do the duncan blackouts compare? and will active pup's correct some of the muddy tone I'm experiencing?... So any help you could provide would be much appreciated.

[Inazone]

Have you tried adjusting the pickup height or (if possible) individual pole pieces? That will definitely make a difference. But don't underestimate the effect that each piece of wood - even if the same kind - can have on the tone. It is possible to get a "dead" slab of wood that just doesn't resonate that well.

As far as replacement pickups are concerned, I'm not a fan of actives myself, but active pickups do tend to be more balanced in terms of frequency. My experience so far is that it's best not to choose pickups with any drastic frequency scoops or spikes, unless you play only one very specific type of music. One of the most balanced pickups I've played recently is the Seymour Duncan Alternative 8, although I just put a Custom 5 in one of my Jacksons and am finding it to be a vast improvement over the previous JB. I simply don't care for how active pickups respond to my playing, so instead I've been trying a lot of different passives over the past couple years.

[Lucifarion]

Excellent thanks for the input.... I will try adjusting the PUP's to see if that helps... I'm pretty sure both the LTD and DX10D are basswood bodies... I generally prefer passives myself.... but I'm having a hard time getting the response I want from passives... I have tried other SD's and even a dimarzio or 2 in the past... I liked them but I found that they tend to get "muddy" when I play to speed (I play alot of metal [thrash and Death]) hence the want to change the PUP's to something more "responsive"... I will definately try adjusting the PUP height before I even think about swapping PUP's.... I may swap out just the bridge PUP for a Dimebucker or a set of rails from GFS lol as the neck PUP doesn't seem to be too bad... I'd still like to hear some opinions on the black-outs vs EMGS.

[Inazone]

Don't expect the GFS rail pickups to sound all that similar to a Dimebucker; aside from appearance, rail pickups can be as different from one another as "normal" pickups. A friend of mine found that out when comparing a Bill Lawrence and a Dimebucker. As far a pickup that doesn't get muddy in basswood, I'd probably suggest an SD Full Shred or DiMarzio Steve's Special, although I don't know if I'd consider them "rich and chunky" since that description could equate to someone else's definition of muddy. Of course, there are always passives like DiMarzio D-Activators, which are supposed to have a response closer to active pickups.

Unless the marketing geniuses at Seymour Duncan find a better way to get more Blackouts into the hands of guitarists, getting good head-to-head reviews might be tough. I only know one person with Blackouts in a Jackson, and it has an ash body, which is tonally nowhere near basswood. Not a pickup/wood combination I'd have chosen personally!

[S1I2F3]

I used to have an Ibanez JEM 7VWH, which has a basswood body and Dimarzio evolutions. It was a pretty good combo, great sound in my opinion, and very versatile. Those pups were designed for basswood, so perhaps they might be worth a try. They are high output, but still maintained clarity and definition from what I recall, which seems like what you are looking for.

[Lucifarion]

Thanks guys you have no idea how much your input helps... s1i2f3 I will definately try some dimarzio evolutions since they definately sound to me like what i'm looking for. I have to agree it's really hard finding info/ propper reviews of the blackouts. I have a couple of friends that have the GFS power rails in their axes and they sound really good very clear (one of them has them in a standard DX10 (without the sharkies)... and they don't get muddy sounding when the gain is cranked up. I had no idea that body wood and pick-ups can counter each other... and change the tone on the output. that explains alot lol