Phont24 Posted January 11, 2007 Report Share Posted January 11, 2007 (edited) I have very little experience in different pickups and since I've heard so much good about Dimarzio I thought I'd try them. I play a lot of blues but I'm just getting into more stuff like Dragonforce, Vai, and Satriani. The next guitar I want to build I want more of a metal sound. I'm thinking of using an Evo in the neck and a Paf Pro or Paf Joe. Does this sound alright? I'd like some help choosing, because all of the descriptions all sort of sound the same. I play through a Line Six Spider II 112 if that helps. Thanks for the help in advance. Edited January 11, 2007 by Phont24 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted January 11, 2007 Report Share Posted January 11, 2007 (edited) Well, the DiMarzio super distortion is tried and true. High output, around 16KΩ DC resistance, (I think) . It was considered a standard for bands like Kiss, Boston etc. during the 80's. I have one in one of my guitars and like it. I've also had experience with Seymour Duncan pickups. The 4 conductor varieties are very versatile allowing you to experiment with different sound outputs by wiring them differently, eg. series/parallel, humbucker split into single coil, phasing. Keep looking around and reading until you have a good idea. Some manufacturers have sound bites and full specs on their websites, I know SD does. There are also Harmony Central reviews. Some of the info should be taken with a grain of salt, but you can get a general idea of what is favorable and what kind of money you might expect to spend. Edited January 11, 2007 by Southpa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted January 11, 2007 Report Share Posted January 11, 2007 Metal sound? Go with EMGs! That’s pretty much the modern standard for metal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fix_Metal Posted January 11, 2007 Report Share Posted January 11, 2007 (edited) am I the only one which hates EMGs? **** cleans, no dynamic, all the good sounding wood qualities piss off... Edited January 11, 2007 by Fix_Metal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jalien21 Posted January 11, 2007 Report Share Posted January 11, 2007 dimarzio pickups are tight. my brother got a js1200 last year, with a joe in the neck and a fred in the bridge. he plays through a spider II right now, too. it sounds really good on the insane channel with the stuff he plays (same idea. satch and vai mostly). i liked the sound so much i got the same pickups and put them in my ibanez s470. also sounds super-cool. i'm sure the evos and paf pros and many other dimarzio pickups are all going to sound similar, so i wouldn't worry about the specifics too much. i'd recommend them any day. as for EMGs... you know, when you distort your guitar to the point we're talking about here, the wood isn't going to matter all that much anyway. active pickups have really nice cleans, i think, and plenty of dynamics. they're clearly different than passive pickups, but i don't think it's necessairly in a bad way. tone is totally subjective, though, so whatever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thoughtless 7 Posted January 11, 2007 Report Share Posted January 11, 2007 am I the only one which hates EMGs? **** cleans, no dynamic, all the good sounding wood qualities piss off... I have to agree with your opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SG3390 Posted January 11, 2007 Report Share Posted January 11, 2007 Personally, I think Seymour Duncans tend to have a wider ability to adapt with the playing style, and I do agree I think EMGs sound like overdistorted crap. But, what do I know, I'm just a classic-hard rock guitarist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crafty Posted January 11, 2007 Report Share Posted January 11, 2007 I think most of what's been said in this thread is utter hubris if all you're going to do is play the thing through a Line 6 Spider. You could plug a $5,000 PRS 513 into one of those things and it'll sound no better than a Hello Kitty Squier. EMGs, DiMarzios, and SD's are all great pickups. There ARE better pickups, but IMHO they really aren't worth it. If you're just looking for a straight-up metal guitar, go for an EMG 81/60 combo, a DiMarzio Drop Sonic/PAF Pro combo, or Duncan JB/59 combo. You won't go wrong, especially if you ever upgrade your amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winger Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 I've had good experiences with the Norton (DP160) in the bridge and the Air Norton in the neck of a basswood bodied guitar. Nice warm tone, plenty of scream in them if you want that. Not sure if it's your cup of tea though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odin Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 Go and try some guitars and see what YOU like.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 am I the only one which hates EMGs? **** cleans, no dynamic, all the good sounding wood qualities piss off... all complete b.s. sparkling cleans,incredible dynamics,and a very flat response (does not color the wood) they sound no more similar between guitars than any other type of pickup.and you are talking to aguy who has emg on 90%of every guitar i ever play... not a guy who just tried them once Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 I have used EMG's a few times and they are definatly a good quality pickup with a high quality sound. Personally i dont like them on my guitars because i prefer the imperfect sound of passives. I particularly dont like them when they are in a 68 black LP custom with a brass nut (yes, i know somebody with said guitar and he has only just been convinced to put it back to original. Luckily he still had the correct pickups). My favorite pickup maker at the moment is Tim from bare knuckle pickups. Not cheap but very, very nice! It just comes downn to personal preference, see what people you like are using, read the manufacturers blurb, read the reviews and make your decision based on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xanthus Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 Since you mentioned Vai and Spider II 212 in the same paragraph, here's my Guitar Center story. I'm that guy who walks in and asks/grabs the most expensive guitar in the store, plays it for a bit, then puts it back with a look of dissatisfaction, if only for the reaction some people give me Anyways, I grabbed Vai's JEM7VWH, the white one, off the shelf, turned around to look for an amp to play it through, and voila! there was a whole Spider display right next to me! Being the lazy bastard that I am, not to mention my love of Line6 equipment, I plugged into the Spider II 212 and cranked the knob to the red Insane, which I believe is as far as it can turn. Needless to say, the JEM made me realize just WHY people who play them love them. Hooooly ****. Anyways, not the point of the story. Point of the story: Evolution neck and bridge. I'm putting them into my next project, if I ever get enough money saved up. I should probably stop going to GC, in order to do so. So, playing through a SpiderII? Metal pickups? I'd go with Evolutions all the way. And they're nice pickups if/when you go to upgrade your amp. And on a side note, I agree with westhemann re: EMG pickups. They have great clean sounds (actually, they edge a bit on the sterile side) and are very dynamic! I'd keep an EMG combo in mind (81/60 [hetfield], 81/81 [hammett], 81/85 [wylde]) as well, even though they're more expensive than the Evo's. Of course, if you're looking to save money on EMG's, get passive ones... But you didn't hear it from me, I don't want to start THAT debate here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 Of course, if you're looking to save money on EMG's, get passive ones aaachhhh(choking on my tongue) never say that again please do not buy passive emg...symour duncan ,dimarzio,just about anything is better. active emg or no emg at all ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VanKirk Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 Go and try some guitars and see what YOU like.. I agree with this statement. Tone is so subjective and is also dependent on all your gear as a whole. What sounds good to you may sound like crap to another guitarist. Find a music store with a good selection, an amp that's like yours and 'taste test' each, one by one. Just keep in mind the types of woods used in each guitar will also effect the tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crafty Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 Keep in mind that Dimarzio and Duncan have really good online tools for selecting pickups, and all of the major manufacturers have an exchange program if you really want to tweak your sound further. You can also call up both Dimarzio and Duncan and if you're incredibly lucky, you might get Larry or Seymour on the phone to help you figure it out. Might check out Bill (and Becky) Lawrence pickups, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay66 Posted January 13, 2007 Report Share Posted January 13, 2007 For metal don't overlook the Gibson 500T and the 496R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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