The 8 String "Leviathan"

It wasn't me!

I would have gone with an Evolution and a FRED but I'm no expert on neck pickups. Bridge is where it's at!

Karl Hungus

FRED? What's that be, eh?

It wasn't me!

It's a DiMarzio humbucker. Joe Satriani uses one. I think it's in the neck on his customs.

Karl Hungus

Ah, I see it now. It's for 6 strings only, keep in mind this is a 7 I'm getting.

It wasn't me!

Ah yes. No ideas then. I know little or nothing about seven-string pickups.

Karl Hungus

Aye same as myself, but I think DiMarzios are the way forward tbh. Just look at the players who use them compared to the EMG players. I looked up the artists page on emginc.com and it's completely dominated by nu-metal guitarists who coat everything in a layer of undefinable distrortion. Not good.

I definetly think I'll be using passive pickups from now on.

It wasn't me!

Heh. Feylya's going to have something to say about that whenever he gets back! I like EMG's myself but each to his own I guess. I'd advise never to rule out something like active pickups though.

Karl Hungus

Ah, he knows I've gone off the EMGs for ages now, I doubt he's going to say anything.

I'm more interested in what the doc has to say at this point reguarding pickups, but I do want pickups with fairly high output, but not so high so that it sounds like mud. So I think Evolution + Blaze combo should be right up my alley.

I still might get that X2N for my mockingbird just for that definitve Schuldiner sound. Although I got that guitar so I could play around with alternate tunings, it's pretty much become my guitar for solely playing Death.

I don't know will I rule out active pickups in general, but I think at this point, my experience with EMGs have spoiled my view on actives.

It wasn't me!

I meant about all the nu-metal guitarist and extraordinary amounts of distortion on the website. The Doc generally knows what he's talking about on anything remotely guitar-related anyway so you're in safe hands there. Can't say I know anything really about DiMarzio's. I could use either a second guitar or a new, better one, preferably the new, better one. At the moment I'm thinking an SG with a slimmer neck.

Karl Hungus

I'd say something like "The statistics speak for themselves" or words to that effects with reguarding the amount of numetal guitars that use them, but I'd nearly be putting myself in the hotpot at the same time so to speak just thinking of the amount of numetal guitarists that use BC Rich, it wouldn't be a wise course to take.

Suffice to say I do think the EMGs sound extremely muddy and unclear. I can certainly see why some guitarists would like the sound, but its really not for me at all.

It wasn't me!

I guess each to his own on this one. I like EMG's personally. Any opinion on the SG Standard?

Karl Hungus

Don't put EMGs in it? In fairness, they all sound exactly the same, does emg pickups. I got the exact same tone from my Virgin with yonder 81 and 85 as my friend gets from his luthite Ibanez. If you shell out on a guitar, you want a pickup that'll make use of the extra tonality provided.

I wouldn't exactly be the biggest gibson fan myself, but I can't exactly find much fault with them. They're a good guitar really, and although I've preference towards the explorer, you'd do well with an SG.

It wasn't me!

I wasn't going to. I was going to stick with the original pickups until I decided whether they were what I was looking for and then swap up for maybe some Duncan's if necessary. EMG's are nice but they have a tone of their own. You're right there. They don't make use of what's available. I guess you just have to like the tone of the pickups themselves really.

Karl Hungus

Aye, and I think that the idea of a pickup that just supplies its own tone and ignores the guitar's own natural tone is a very bad idea. I mean, stick 'em in a Custom 24 and it'll sound the same as if you were playing through a cheap aria with emgs installed. :eek:

Bad thing altogether if you don't like the EMG tone.

It wasn't me!

I'm with you on that. I'd like there to be a happy medium where both guitar and pickup add their own distinctive elements of tone, but as of now there isn't one that I know about. Not a bad thing to stick in an old Epiphone or something though if you've got it lying around.

Karl Hungus

I'll let you know how I get on with the DiMarzios so. I certainly like idea of something that's fairly high output, yet doesn't dominate the tone with it's own sound.

Doctor J

Seymour Duncan JB. It is the perfect pickup (or damn near close anyway )

Karl Hungus

Hmm... They come standard with DiMarzio Blaze pickups tbh, might just take those, they sound sweet. What's your thoughts on those, and why the JB doc?

Doctor J

Why? Because I put one in the Eggle many years back and can personally vouch for it. Beautiful pickup.

Karl Hungus

Hmm... Fair enough so, do you think it's the kinda thing I'm really going for though? And you've not said anything on what you think about the aforementioned DiMarzio pickups? They sound fairly damned good to me, and as far as I understand it, they don't solely give their own tone akin to what EMGs do, so that's the main thing I'm concerned about.

Doctor J

I can only speak for the JB because after I got it I stopped looking for humbuckers. I haven't played the DiMarzio. TBH, the only person who will know what is right is you and if you can spare €150 in the name of research I'd point you to, well you know where, he's got an X2N for $45 and some JB's for under $60. Get them both and install them in turn in a guitar you know well, then let your ears decide. You could sell either on here and break even at least. I could harp on about the JB but my idea of what's right might not be yours. Either way, I'd want to make sure that the solder on my custom guitar was never disturbed once it left the workshop. Know what you're going to buy.

Karl Hungus

Oooh! Now, I've certainly not €150 for the sake of experimentation, but I might indeed nab that X2N for my mockingbird, because $45 is a damned good price and the mockingbird is pretty much my dedicated 'Death' guitar.:D They don't make the X2N for 7 strings though, but from what I understand, the Evolution is the closest thing, so it could give me a fair idea.

Doctor J

Well at least you'd know if it was the right path, in relation to your EMG's. Next time I'm in Galway I'll bring the Eggle, you can check out the JB.

Karl Hungus

Hmm... Would it be out of line for me to ask you to get it for me? It was enough of a fight to get my ma to let me use her credit card for play.com, and she doesn't want her details given out anywhere else, I've asked a few times before.

I can of course pay you and give you a pint for your troubles.

Doctor J

No problem, but it'll have to wait until after I get assaulted by the meany old taxman when my S2020 comes in.

feylya

Don't you mean the "S2020"???

Karl Hungus

Ah yeah man, I'm in absolutely no rush. I doubt I'll be getting my Stealth for quite a while yet anyway.

Doctor J

feylya wrote:

Don't you mean the "S2020"???

Isn't that what I said?

feylya

Isn't it a different model now??? S2120 or something? Ah, I dunno.

BTW, Ishibashi has changed the range of RG's available

Doctor J

Nah, I checked it all out and it's a last generation 2020 (with the EQ for the piezo) which makes it pretty much a 3020. June 2002, going by the serial number.