jacksonsxrule Posted September 21, 2003 Report Share Posted September 21, 2003 hey im looking to install some good pickups on a custom guitar im looking for a heavy rock metal kind of sound on a s-s-h body any suggestions for some good sounding distortion? thanks alot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 21, 2003 Report Share Posted September 21, 2003 emg 81 emg s emg s or duncan dimebucker for metal with a passive pickup or a jb for plain old motley crue type stuff i am not sure if your distortion question is seperate.if you are looking for a stompbox type distortion pedal anything by zoom or boss is good.i use zoom and i play slayeresque metal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksonsxrule Posted September 21, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2003 sorry if i didnt be specific im just looking for some pickups that go well with heavy distortion preferably with budget in mind thanks alot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted September 21, 2003 Report Share Posted September 21, 2003 What kind of rig are you running through? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pushead Posted September 21, 2003 Report Share Posted September 21, 2003 The EMG 81's are nice, but very sterile. If you're looking Metal type heavy, try the Gibson 500T ceramic pickups. People either love them or hate them, but they are the stock pickups in an explorer I own, and they are very good at that metal type sound. I'm actually looking for something less drastic to replace the ultra-low output ones in a late 70s Gibson Les Paul. I was wondering if people had any experience/preference between the new Gibson Burstbuckers and the PRS Dragon II sets, or if they had another suggestion. The only requirement is they need to have gold covers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedy McFeely Posted September 21, 2003 Report Share Posted September 21, 2003 i really like the Dimarzio "Tone zone", "Steve's Special", and "Evolution". Dimarzio's website has good info as to output and eq of each pick up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 21, 2003 Report Share Posted September 21, 2003 for the 500 t guy...try bill lawrence.i have not tried them but i hear he makes a superior 500 t for a good price. and you are right those are good passive pickups for hard rock.if you play someting where you need the absolute tightest articulation you can get though,emg is it.very few people play like that anymore though.just deicide,slayer,and a few others. but for just plain old thrash metal a 500t is great.really excellent tone with a mahogany body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 21, 2003 Report Share Posted September 21, 2003 sorry if i didnt be specific im just looking for some pickups that go well with heavy distortion preferably with budget in mind thanks alot. try some dimarzios.brian sells them cheap and they have some good ones for that type of sound.i like the tone zone(or i did before i switched to emgs) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazyderek Posted September 21, 2003 Report Share Posted September 21, 2003 the dimebucker might be good or dropsonic... and try a set of choppers for the middle and neck mmmmm dimarzio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 This is a very subjective topic but I'll throw in my 2 cents - I was searching for a very long time for an excellent distortion sound using my Marshall Valvestate amp and Ibanez RG550. I tried out just about every distortion pedal made without any success. Once I put my self-built guitar together and plugged it in to the same rig I had been usign for years, I couldn't beleive it! The EMG 81/85 combo was the answer for me. It made a huge difference - great distortion/harmonics/percieved sustain,... I realize other pickups could do the same but if I had to pick one set right now, it would be the EMG 81/85's. I'm building some guitars now that will have Duncans and others in them. I just want to be sure that I'm not missing out on something even better. Try them out at a guitar shop if you can find them in a decent guitar. That's probably the best way to find out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksonsxrule Posted September 22, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 thanks alot guys ill definetely keep your input in mind when buying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hezochiah Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 I just put EMG ZWs in my Les Paul DC and it made a huge difference from the Gibsons (492R and 57T). I'm not good at solos, but just mess around sometimes and the sustain and harmonics with the EMGs is amazing. I heard Wes rave about EMGs so much and now I see why, 'cause they rock... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 This is a very subjective topic but I'll throw in my 2 cents - I was searching for a very long time for an excellent distortion sound using my Marshall Valvestate amp and Ibanez RG550. I tried out just about every distortion pedal made without any success. Once I put my self-built guitar together and plugged it in to the same rig I had been usign for years, I couldn't beleive it! The EMG 81/85 combo was the answer for me. It made a huge difference - great distortion/harmonics/percieved sustain,... I realize other pickups could do the same but if I had to pick one set right now, it would be the EMG 81/85's. I'm building some guitars now that will have Duncans and others in them. I just want to be sure that I'm not missing out on something even better. Try them out at a guitar shop if you can find them in a decent guitar. That's probably the best way to find out. as far as i know there is no passive pickup which is so rich in harmonics or takes gain so well without the unwanted noise. there ARE some really nice duncans though that are ALMOST as quiet.like the custom and the jb and the blackback might as well forget about the invader though.WAAAAY too much noise and feedback Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 What about the screamon demon or the duncan distortion (I forget the model #'s)? How would they compare against the 81's? Are harmonics any easier with the 81 compared to these? I have read reviews about the screamon demon and some say it is weak - some say it has lots of personality (which I guess is the knock against the EMG's). I really love my 81/85 combo but I am considering going with the Duncans just to see what they can do. If you think I will be dissapointed, please let me know. FYI - My EMG's use a 18 volt system with an EXG circuit (which I hardly use at all). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 you will probably be dissapointed.the demon is made for george lynch's sound and is pretty weak.and i have learned that pretty much anything with distortion in the name is pretty much noisy and dry. and when people say emgs lack personality,they are the same people who have either never tried them,don't play metal and think that emgs are all for metal,have never heard pink floyd,or all three emg has a pickup for every style of playing and i hate to tell you,but once your ears get used to zero background noise,you may never be able to stand a passive pickup again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 by the way the absolute best passive pickup for harmonics and sustain is imo the dimebucker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romano Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 s-s-h config? i don't like it very much because i prefer h-s-h or h-h this is my suggest: di marzio "the tone zone" in single coil format (i think it's called S for strato and T for tele) di marzio middle single coil (steve model) di marzio super distortion (very good at bridge position ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 and when people say emgs lack personality,they are the same people who have either never tried them,don't play metal and think that emgs are all for metal,have never heard pink floyd,or all three emg has a pickup for every style of playing The more I think about it, the more I wonder how much basis those claims can have. The EMG does not actually produce the notes (such as a keyboard), so the guitar's construction must play a part in the final sound. The EMG as I understand it amplifies and filters the note. It must be the filtering that some people don't care for - either that or they just get confused by the active pickup concept and assume that the pickup is injecting it's own signal in place of the note detected by the coils. Anyway, thanks for the info on the demon. I knew that Gilmour used EMG's but I wasn't sure if they were the active's or passives. He does use a ton of effects but it's hard to argue that his sound lacks personality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 i have emgs in all of my guitars and the tone in every one is different Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksonsxrule Posted September 22, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 hmmm based on the numerous suggestions of humbuckers ill probly just get a configuration more along the lines of a h-s-h hopefulyl i can find a cheaper single coil that does nice clean tones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DividedByJames Posted September 23, 2003 Report Share Posted September 23, 2003 My 2 cents... I had a hardtail Ibanez S-series that was made of mahagony and it had a Duncan JB in it. I really liked the sound, but I sold the guitar and decided to put the pickup in a Jackson JJ which was either basswood, alder or poplar. After I put it in the pickup sounded terrible and almost microphonic, so I took it out and vowed to never put it in another guitar that wasn't made of mahogany. Point being is that the type of wood that the body is made of contributes to the tone, in addition to scale length and being bolt on, set neck or neck thru, and how much sustainable wood there is (ie. hardtails vs tremolos & swimming pool pickup channels vs. direct mount pickups). My personal choice is Duncans and I'd recommend in the humbucking position the JB or the Invader, which is very good on a dropped tuned Les Paul. I use the Classic Stack single coils on my Strat because they are clean and noiseless and look like Strat pickups--although the Quarter Pounder I hear is good for matching up volume levels of the pickups. I also like Duncans because they have 5 wires and you can do lots of coil tapping, phase stuff, etc. with your own soldering gun. If you are after heavy metal/rock, the EMG's are pretty good for just that too. But if you are getting a set of EMG's (H-S-S) I'd make the humbucker an EMG89 which is an 81 that can coil tap to a single coil sound. This way it'll give you more switching possibilities. If I remember correctly EMGs run off batteries, so if you are the type to leave your cord plugged in overnight, you'd better invest in some 9-volts. Also I think EMGs have that plug and play system, so that you dont have to solder anything. Good for the average joe, but bad for guys who like to coil tap and hotrod their electronics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 23, 2003 Report Share Posted September 23, 2003 well the 89 is a good pickup,but the humbucker sound is an 85,which has a beefier bottom end than an 81.the plug and play system just means that the pickup is plugged into a wiring harness which must be soldered in the guitar.some of the components do come presoldered so you have alot less to solder,but there is still some to do. the beauty of the harness system is that ,once you have it wired in,you can switch between active emg humbuckers by just unplugging it rather than desoldering anything. the active pickups do take a battery.one battery per guitar,not per pickup.and you should unplug the patch cable after use because that is what disconnects the battery(which is why it is a 3 contact,or stereo,jack)and keeps it from running down.but it is important to know that one 9 volt battery lasts 3000 hours on an active humbucker.that's 3000 hours of being plugged in,not of being in the guitar.that is well over a year for most guitarists,especially if you have more than one guitar.and even a small control cavity like the one on an s serieshas enough room to wrap the battery in the foam that comes with the pickups and tape it up.i switched to emg over a year ago,i have about 6 working guitars with emgs in them,and i haven't replaced a battery yet. and if you do use one of those high output passive pickups,be sure to properly sheild and ground the pickup cavities.that will cut down on the microphonics.the main thing to remember is that basswood and alder are used on alot of cheaper guitars(even though alder is a good tonewood,it is inexpensive)and on cheaper guitars they tend to not properly sheild and ground the cavities,while mahogany is usually on higher end guitars,which have proper shielding. there is no hotrodding the electronics with the emgs ,except by leaving out the tone knob,which gives a hotter signal,but they are already plenty hot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DividedByJames Posted September 24, 2003 Report Share Posted September 24, 2003 ah yes..the 85...I forgot about that one. I just have been running across Metallica bits here and there and I always seen them refer to the 81 being the "metal" EMG. I had an EMG89 in this custom Star shaped guitar and it was beefy. But I learned my lesson about active electronics and batteries after I left my cord plugged in overnight for a few days. That's all I meant...make sure you unplug after every use But I agree, once I learned that, I haven't had to replace the batteries at all (well until I sold it). My jazz bazz (that's getting the abalone inlays) has EMG pickups and I haven't changed batteries in like a year. Of course I only play it once in a while. As for hotrodding...I see EMG like newer cars and passive pickups like classic cars in the sense of what you can do under the hood. It's like if you aren't a qualified technician, you're better off taking what's stock. But some people like to have 'vette engines in their AMC Gremlin... ...uh...likewise some people like to do in/out phase, coil tapping, PRS wiring, etc. and that's a little more difficult to figure out with EMGs. If it wasn't for that I think I'd play them all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theQuestioneer Posted September 25, 2003 Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 you will probably be dissapointed.the demon is made for george lynch's sound and is pretty weak.and i have learned that pretty much anything with distortion in the name is pretty much noisy and dry. how is the demon compared to other passives, though? you seem to be saying it dosn't live up to actives, but if i'm trying to get a good sound, and am only using passives, would it still not be a good choice. this is the demon, not the distortion that i'm talking about. what if i branch out into slightly less heavy stuff, do you think it would work better for that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 25, 2003 Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 the demon is okay...i prefer the duncan custom or the jb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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