Active P'up's ?'s For DK2M.. Or Not?

[T@rgetDrone]

I am seriously considering popping a pair of actives in my DK2M. Sure it came with the Jazz in the neck and the JB in the bridge. But I didn't really care for the JB so I pulled a Full Shred from my p'up stock and liked it much better (this is my fav SD combo for passives. also like the '59 in the neck with the Full Shred in bridge). I also replaced and rewired the stock 3 way with an AllParts 5 way. All this was done like 3 days after I got it and tried it out stock (almost a year ago). It sounds fine really. BUT.... My DX10D has the exact same p'up/switch config so I'm thinking DX10D for classic rock sounds and DK2M for heavier stuff.

I'm an active p'up N00B. Never installed them before. I feel confident I can do it since I do all my own setups, parts swaps, etc. But I have a few N00B (or maybe not so noob?) questions first.

I'm familiar with the EMG 81/85 combo. Played them before. Like the 85 in the neck, hated it in the bridge. Didn't care much for the 81 in either position. I like the SD HMET Livewires combo a lot better. Didn't care as much for the new Mustaine's though. I am curious about the GuitarHeads set. Heard clips (for what it's worth but never had my hands on em).

1) Can anyone give me a good reason, in your opinion, for NOT putting actives in the DK2M? I'm all ears for opinions.

2) Anyone tried the GuitarHeads? If so, how do they compare to SD's and/or EMG's?

3) IF I do this I will need (possibly) to replace the 1 vol and 1 tone pot (some kits come w/these). Please recommend the best 25k pots for the job.

4) Is the fact that I have a Strat style slide switch (had a 3, now a 5 position) going to cause me problems with the active pu's selector switch? Some seem to be mini toggle type and others seem to be more LP style. I'm CLUELESS here on this issue.

5) Where in the bloody hell am I going to put the battery, or worse, the batteries? SD uses 2 batteries, EMG and GuitarHeads uses 1. I sure would like to avoid routing a hole in the back of my axe.

6) Should I scrap the idea for the DK2M and buy another cheap unit with a good neck, or construct a mutt to install actives?

I would appreciate all input on the above. I'm open to all suggestions except maybe a set of EMG's. But that too is still an outside possibility.

[Jackson-Charvel]

Never heard of those guitar heads actives, explain.

[T@rgetDrone]

They seem to be kind of an obscure brand of actives. I did all the research I could on them... checked HC reviews, checked the website, checked the feedback rating for ebay auctions, checked out the sound clips. Couldn't find anything but good from my searches, limited as they were. A link is below for the ebay auction item (it's over but no biggie. i'm sure they're for sale too).

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=006&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=160098650922&rd=1&rd=1

[LEOKV2]

I dunno man, why get those? They look kinda obscure, unknown and cheap. Get yourself some EMG's and do the 18 volt mod (if you want em to have the headroom of the Livewires). To me, always use the brand that specializes on something, EMG does only actives.

[soc_monki]

I dunno man, why get those? They look kinda obscure, unknown and cheap. Get yourself some EMG's and do the 18 volt mod (if you want em to have the headroom of the Livewires). To me, always use the brand that specializes on something, EMG does only actives.

EMG also makes passives (HZ line, Select line). but the active line are better

[emperor_black]

my 2 cents... EMG's are very bright sounding pickups. They are supposed to be placed in a guitar built out of dark sounding wood i.e mahogany. Putting them in a bright sounding wood like alder (Alder + a bolt on + maple neck = super bright) is theoretically not gonna sound right. I hate the bright sounding SD's in my Dk2t too.

But many have put them in alders and swear that they sound great. My best advice is to get a set of Dimarzio's. D-sonic is my fav for the bridge position. Never heard of the guitarheads.

[thetroy]

I'd stay away from actives for the simple reason that they're generally more expensive. If you want them for heavier stuff maybe something like DiMarzio X2N bridge - Super Distortion neck or SD Dimebucker bridge - Distortion neck

[emperor_black]

I'd stay away from actives for the simple reason that they're generally more expensive. If you want them for heavier stuff maybe something like DiMarzio X2N bridge - Super Distortion neck or SD Dimebucker bridge - Distortion neck

sorry, all are bad recommendations. X2N and Dimebucker are super bright and will not sound good in an alder bodied guitar IMO.

Thru the 5150, EMG's sound amazing. But when I plug them in a guitarport, it overdrives the little unit so much that it starts sounding crappy. So, there you go. depending on your amplification necessities go with actives or passives.

[thetroy]

Eh. Most "high gain" pickups I know of are on the bright side. The X2N gets the job done in my alder/maple/maple strat which is the exact same woods as his DK2M

[emperor_black]

yeah, you are right. What was I thinking?? I liked the sound of the D-sonic through the 5150. even though the pup is not as high output as the super distortion for example, it sounded so much better. Maybe I will put it in my DK2T.

[toejam]

EMG 85 in the bridge with either a 60 or 81 in the neck!

[LEOKV2]

the HZ series are the passives EMG I believe let out to get a different market: people who don't wanna spend $200 on a set of pups. If I were to get passives, I'd get Duncans. For a crunchy bright punchy sound I'll get the parallel axis. For actives I'd go with EMG's, 81 or 85.

[Jackson-Charvel]

The X2N sounded bad ass in my alder body strat, not too bright for me.

[Bengal65]

EMG 85 in the bridge with either a 60 or 81 in the neck!

+1! I was wondering when Toe would come along That sounds like the combination you need. The battery will fit fine. If I can fit (2) 9 volts in an RR1 (done carefully I might add), there should be no problem with a Soloist (Dinky).

[Shwayman11]

why dont you try the Seymour Duncan PATBD pickup. Its the highest output pickup they make (next to the Livewires) and im sure would sound great in the bridge.

let us know what you choose