? re: Duncans for a Jackson PC1

[adampone]

interested in hearing some input from you cats on some good pickups to replace the DMZs that come stock in the Jackson PC1.

there is nothing particularly wrong with the DMZ. I'm just a Duncan guy since '85 and like being consistent that way. the DMZs do actually work fine and I might end up keeping them where they are. but who doesn't like to tinker with tone? lol!

typically speaking, I prefer the JB in the bridge position. other Duncans I've tried in the bridge are Pearly Gates, Duncan Distortion, Full Shred, Screamin' Demon, Invader, Custom 5, and an Original Parallel Axis. outside of the JB, I have 1 guitar with a Full Shred and 1 with a Parallel Axis that I've kept... both of those are mahogany bodies. most of the time I will split the coils with a push/pull and it's what I plan to do with this one too.

for the middle position, I typically go with a Hot Rail in a single-coil slot. in hum slots, I'll go with a JB. I've also tried a JB Jr in the middle slot of my Strat, but it didn't really work out for me in that application. I've slowly been working bridge position pickups into the middle positions - I like how that works for me on the Kramer NightSwan and the Kramer Sambora... but does not have to be the case here. again, I would split the coils. the middle is where I get some of my favorite clean tones... or combined with a split neck hum or in this case a split bridge hum.


I'm really thinking about sticking with a JB or a Full Shred in the bridge. so I'm curious about everyone's thoughts on that as well as possibilities I'm overlooking. I do prefer the high output pups.


the real roadblock I'm having is what to put in the middle. I like the tightness and output of the Hot Rail when on a dirty setting, but I also want something that will be open and sing as well as be able to have a nice clean tone when split. one option that came up with the Little '59.


most of my guitars are alder or poplar with a few all maple or a few all mahogany, so I'm not sure what to expect and would like to not be chasing through a bunch of pickups if I can help from it. haha!



so... what do ya think???


thanks!!

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

I don't really care much for the middle position but he Hot Rails isn't a bad choice - the sustainer driver in the neck position PC1 is pretty weak by comparison, though.

The Full Shred is a nice bright pickup and works well in Mahogany I think. It's not particularly hot, though. The stock pickup is very dark. I have heard of guys who like JB's putting them in the PC1 and liking it, so that could be a good choice.

[adampone]

since mahogany is strong in the mid-mids with a good high-midrange bark and maple extends the range of mahogany with more brilliance and punchy lows, I was thinking the Full Shred might be a good one. slightly less lows and mids than a JB. and word is that the JB was originally intended for Beck's LP (which is a mahogany back w/ maple top). kinda hard to go wrong.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

I did have a Full Shred in a Gibson and it definitely sounded really good. It will bring out the highs and help it cut through, which, if you like the JB it's gotta sound a little muddy right now compared to your other guitars.

[SixstringKing]

I agree with Jazz on the JB. I tried one in my PC1 and didn't care for it. The electronics in the PC1s "suck" a bit of the signal out of the pickups. The higher output pickups are a better choice IMO.

[adampone]

I've seen mixed reviews of the JB in the PC1, and that makes sense. so far, it seems as if the Full Shred may the way to go. but the bridge position is the easier one to tackle.

the middle position is what has me baffled. would sticking with the DMZs be a more viable option... leaving the Super 3 in there and going with a Fast Track 2 in the middle? I'd like something that will hang better with the Super 3 on dirty tones, yet be able to clean up very nicely when split for use on clean tones.

[SixstringKing]

On my production PC1, I've installed "The Chopper". I had to "take away" some wood in order for it to look like it it did from the factory. I did this using a dremel so I could get under the maple. I'll try and get some close up shots of it in my photobucket account. Here's one of it anyway.

http://s994.photobucket.com/albums/a...rrent=0010.jpg

[veniculum]

It took me some time to get used to the Super 3...but now I really like it. Not sure what it was...just didn't sound right at first. Maybe because I'd been playing with Duncans for so long prior. In the meantime, I picked up a USA Charvel SoCal with a Tone Zone, and that one hit me right away...liked it. Still, generally speaking, I preferred my JB equipped guitars better (from a tone standpoint).

Now I like the Dimarzios...like I said..they grew on me. But I can certainly understand why you might want to tinker with it. The PC-1 itself has very nice acoustic tone....you definitely can hear that you paid good money for it To me, this is one thing I always listen for before I buy any guitar. So with that said, just about any pickup (that suits your playing style) would work in this guitar. If I were to change it, I'd probably go with a JB...or something similar. I bought a Bareknuckle 'Rebel Yell', and threw it in my EBMM Axis, and it made the difference between me keeping the guitar or selling it off. What a great sounding pickup. Not cheap though.

Good luck man

[adampone]

veniculum - I agree that it's got a great acoustic sound to begin with. something I learned about 20 years ago was to play an electric guitar unplugged to see if you like it... you can always change the pickups or tweat the setup, but it has to work for you acoustically. the PC1 is a great-sounding guitar out of the box and something I did to mine to put it over the top was to install a brass block on the Floyd... bam! best money spent on a guitar upgrade. honestly, there is nothing wrong with the Super 3 and it's grown on me as well. the deal is that I'm not a DMZ guy and am not familiar enough with the DMZ rail pickups to know what I'd want to put in the middle. I know what Duncans work for me, so that'd be an easy fix. if I can figure out a DMZ pup, it'd be great. and I have called the DMZ cust serv guys and they really weren't much help. lol!


sixstringking - 1st off, those are some amazing PC1s! I've always like the Solar color. seriously, those are awesome. secondly, it looks like that Chopper is without the flange, so why did it not fit? and... how would you compare the sound to other pickups you've tried?


some of the other DMZ pups that are interesting are the Fast Track 2, the Pro Track, and the Chopper. I'm leaning toward the FT2, as they compare it to a single-size version of the Super 3... providing it will clean up on clean tone when split. the Pro Track looks like a tamer version of the FT2. and the Chopper looks like it would have a tone closer to the HS2.



thanks guys!!

[SixstringKing]

If you look at the pickup http://www.dimarzio.com/pickups/stra...-strat/chopper, it has a pcb board at the bottom of it were the wires are. I had to use a dremel with a cutoff wheel to sand away the wood underneath the maple cap. I wanted it to still look "stock" without having to route for the whole pickup and this was the solution I came up with. I had to twist it in afterwards and it worked great.
The thing I found with the HS series, like the one in the PC1, is that because they're stacked you still get some of that single coil sound without the hum. Now the ones that are side by side you don't get that, they sound more like a full sized humbucker.
I've found the Chopper to be a perfect blend with the Super3. Power wise, there's almost no drop other than in the treble. Almost like it was in the neck position on the guitar. When I get the chance, I'm going to do the same to my CS PC1. Two reasons, first, I really like the sound. Second, the poles on the HS2 get in the way of my picking and with the rails you don't get that.
As far as the FT2 in the middle position. That probably be a bit over powering. I have a funny feeling when next to the Super3 it won't blend well together. But this is just my opinion, I haven't tried it so I don't know. Don't just look at the output, that's a little misleading, look at the DC resistance when pairing your pickups.
Wish I could find the charger for my camcorder so I could post the difference between the two guitars and the pickups.

Happy hunting!

[veniculum]

veniculum - I agree that it's got a great acoustic sound to begin with. something I learned about 20 years ago was to play an electric guitar unplugged to see if you like it... you can always change the pickups or tweat the setup, but it has to work for you acoustically. the PC1 is a great-sounding guitar out of the box and something I did to mine to put it over the top was to install a brass block on the Floyd... bam! best money spent on a guitar upgrade. honestly, there is nothing wrong with the Super 3 and it's grown on me as well. the deal is that I'm not a DMZ guy and am not familiar enough with the DMZ rail pickups to know what I'd want to put in the middle. I know what Duncans work for me, so that'd be an easy fix. if I can figure out a DMZ pup, it'd be great. and I have called the DMZ cust serv guys and they really weren't much help. lol!

Dude...yes...Floydupgrades.com all the way. Adam has gotten a lot of money from me over the last couple years! I've got big brass blocks in all my Charvels. They do make a difference. I'm thinking of doing a titanium block and saddles for the SL2H or my PC1. Problem with that setup is, it costs almost as much as a whole new guitar But yeah...the blocks do make a difference, and it's cool to hear someone else had the same experience.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

something I learned about 20 years ago was to play an electric guitar unplugged to see if you like it... you can always change the pickups or tweat the setup, but it has to work for you acoustically.

Yep. I get some funny looks from "the kids" at the music store from time to time when I just want to go into the amp room and strum the guitar acoustically instead of plugging into some Line6 amp or whatever.

[adampone]

sixstringking - yeah, I'm a Duncan guy, so I always go by the DC resistance. the output ratings on the DMZ site throw me off. it's the DMZ site that claims the FT2 is like the Super 3, so that's where I'm getting that. I really have hardly any experience with the DMZs. the HS2 is pretty much 15k, while the FT2 is 18k. the Chopper is 8k and the Pro Track is about 8k. to a finer degree, there's also the gauge of copper and the way it's wound. for example, a Full Shred is rated as medium output on paper, but your ears will tell you different when it's in the right guitar. but yeah, I'm also concerned the FT2 may be too hot.


veniculum - I can't bring myself to going the total titanium route with FU. I did get the saddle lock blocks and the stainless steel screws (nut, saddle, etc.), but the only real difference I've been able to hear is with the brass block. those screws are nice because I feel they're harder and won't be as likely to strip and I like the titanium lock blocks so I don't have to worry about them cracking or expanding. I'm not so sure I'm up for dropping that much on titanium saddles. geez. I bought the brass spring claw, but he makes them higher profile than the standard claws and it it didn't fit well in the PC1... I'd like to have had all those upgrades in a single guitars, but I got the brass claw to work in another guitar that's about to get a brass block this week - I'm going to put some brass claw screws in there at the same time. some say the brass warms it up, but I can't hear that.... I just hear more resonance, more sustain and the harmoics jump out. the first time I played the PC1 with just the block upgrade, I had to see if I'd left the sustainer turned on. lol!


jazz - yeah! lol! plus, it's not like you're taking your rig with you to the guitar store, so who knows what it'll sound like when you get it home. haha! if it feels good in my hands and sounds good unplugged, I'll plug it in to make sure it works, but I can do the fine tuning when I get it home. kids these days just play the same 4 chords. lol! they just want to buy whatever Guitar World says is cool. haha!

[jacksonpc1]

Pearly Gates in place of the Super 3. The Pearly Gates pickup & the PC1 are a great match. I have installed many for my customers & they are always blown away.

[markD]

i hated the super 3 in my main PC-1. i went through several duncans - the custom 5, pearly gates, custom, custom-custom, 59 - before i put the JB in it. looking at the specs, i figured the JB would be horrible, but it has been perfect. that particular PC has the JB in the bridge, a dummy pickup in the middle, and a dimarzio HS3 in the neck position wired to a 3-way blade and it is orgasmic in its tone.

now, having said that, i run my amps dark. i keep the presence and the treble pretty low, boost the mids, add in enough bass to fill out the sound and allow the sheer volume add back the high end. in that application, the JB is great.