PICK-UPGRADE !! sujjestions ?

[metalcore]

DKMG 2005 Model / with EMG HZ H-3

the H-3 sound total crap

so my best choice should be EMG 81/85 Active b/c i already have a battery socket in the body..

or some Ducans Passive

another problem is i am going to do the installation my-self, there are no good guitar shops where i live,
so can i do the installation my self ??
any one that had upgraded HZ - H-3 to EMG 81/85 ?? with the same guitar circut for jackson? DKMG
or to some passive pickup ones ??? Please help..

[Baum83]

Hey metalcore,
upgrading to 81/85 is a good idea. I did the same with my '04 WRMG and removed the afterburner for good. Now, I wouldn't put in EMGs just because there's a battery compartment already in the guitar - if you like and actually want the EMG sound, go for EMGs. If not, now that's a huge can of worms and you'll get 80 opinions from 10 people. Best to do some research, narrow it down to a few combinations and going "trial and error" from there.
I swapped the EMGs for DiMarzios by now, though.. X2N bridge, PAF Pro neck, and it sounds awesome. I think a Duncan JB or Distortion in the bridge would work very well too.

[guitarsjb]

I've heard a lot of good things about the Duncan Blackouts. I've never used them, but seeing as you have the battery space, they are active.

I personally am stuck on the DiMarzio X2N, put them in everything, yet they sound different in each guitar, all in a good way.

was typing the same time Baum was apparently LOL

[Newc]

I take it you don't have the AfterBurner in that? Makes the HZs sound better, IMO, but it doesn't need to be run full-open.

Can't say I've ever met an active EMG I liked.

Get a Duncan JB for the neck and a CustomCustom for the bridge.

[Baum83]

Also, installing them requires a bit of soldering work. Not much, and the pickups fom the large brands come with detailed instructions. If you don't know how to solder, take it to a tech, or a friend who has a basic grasp of such electronics and can solder. He should be able to do that part for you, with the manual provided.
--edit--
I forgot... new EMGs come with QuickConnect-cables, so if you've got 25kOhm potentiometers in your guitar you may not need to solder anything. Just plug and play.

[metalcore]

i have never played EMG 81/85 but i read every one on threads nearly 80% Player uses it and getting good results , but i like the sound of Metallica and Slayer..

i am running my DKMG through GT8 so i am not gettting most out of GT8 using HZ - H-3 it totally suck the tone away,

i need pups to Enrich the tone quality / good ammount of output ..
i dont care if they passive or actives..

what pickup Combinations should i go for ???? as i mentioned there are no good guitar shops where i live so i cannot try out pickups or hear by any means ive to rely on online sound samples and "YOU" guys

EMG 81/85

Seymour Duncan® JB™ TB4 Humbucking Pickup
Seymour Duncan® ‘59™ SH1N Humbucking Pickup

Seymour Duncan Livewire Dave Mustaine Active Pickup Set
any one tried them???

looking for a heavy / chuncky sound
with clean ones too !!

-soldering is not a problem

[Cygnus X1]

I put an EMG85 in the bridge position of my DKMGT, and am loving it so far.

I have some others to try, but a lot of people use the 81/85 set in these guitars.

[Cygnus X1]

85 in the bridge, 81 in the neck. It will chunk, I promise.

[Baum83]

80% is bullshit, but there are many people using EMGs, and they are decent pickups. If you want to go in the Slayer/Metallica-direction, using EMGs can be a no-brainer.
Testing pickups in random guitars won't make you significantly wiser, at least not much more than looking up the frequency diagrams on the respective websites would. There's no sure-fire way to tell you which pickups to get, you pretty much have to put the pickups in your guitar and decide for yourself which combination sounds best.
With the possible exception of the PAF, all of those pickups will provide what you're looking for, heavy sounds with lots of chunk. The PAF will definitely deliver as a neck pickup, though, and likely sound unbelievably much better than an EMG81 for clean playing. I suggest you look up some DiMarzios, too - they have a lot of pickups you should find interesting. I'm pretty sure there have been discussion about this in the past, and in the Tech Q&A forums, so you should do a forum search too.
Let your gut decide which pickups you want.

[KBRR]

Its all personal taste i have been a long time EMG user, and love them, but now have moved to duncans... both great pickups .

[Madness]

I take it you don't have the AfterBurner in that? Makes the HZs sound better, IMO, but it doesn't need to be run full-open.

I normally hate HZ's but, they sound great in my DKMG with the afterburner turned back just a touch as Newc suggested.

I'm a Duncan guy myself. Most of my guitars have either a JB/Jazz combo or my Fav, Custom/'59 combo.

[brada]

I normally hate HZ's but, they sound great in my DKMG with the afterburner turned back just a touch as Newc suggested.

+1
I now have 81 and 85 and I must say that to me hz h3 sounds much better.
81 is so compressed (it has no dynamics and sucks big time for clean) and 85 is a liitle muddy and has lot of bass.

hz h3 as more natural sound...