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Author Topic: NGD and pickup suggestions  (Read 27479 times)

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kawai2g4b

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NGD and pickup suggestions
« on: Time Format »

Hey guys, I just picked up a Squier Stagemaster Deluxe HSH (neck thru) via trade throw in.  It has a licensed Floyd with a brass sustain block and a nice thick neck (for a shredder anyway).  But I am definitely going for an electronics upgrade.  What pickup combo would you guys install in the Squier of you had it?  Note: I don't use actives with the exception of a Carvin DC200 style setup.

Also: body construction is maple neck thru with alder wings.
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Dante

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Re: NGD and pickup suggestions
« Reply #1 on: Time Format »

My personal fave: Seymour Duncan SH4 JB in the Bridge and SH2 in the Neck. Especially with a neck-thru guitar or a set-neck

One note: They lose a lot of volume when you split the coils (not sure if that's a deal breaker). I have often toyed with the idea of installing a small preamp chip for that...never did though.

kawai2g4b

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Re: NGD and pickup suggestions
« Reply #2 on: Time Format »

That would probably work.  I have the JB in one of my old custom axes and I already use a similar preamp setup on my Carvin and Kawai.  Keep em comin, thanks Dante!
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Pearce G2R with ADA TFX4 in loop.
ADA MB-1/B500B
And other non ADA stuff.

Kawai AQ-500 guitar, Korean Fender Lite Ash Strat, Electra X930 MPC modded, G&L L2K basses, Peavey T40, Fernandes basses.

Systematic Chaos

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Re: NGD and pickup suggestions
« Reply #3 on: Time Format »

My personal favs are the DiMarzio CrunchLab bridge and LiquiFire neck humbuckers....
What I especially like about the CrunchLab is that when playing high notes these still sound very "deep" with lots of substance and not ice-picky at all. Almost as if you´re playing tuned way down (but still in standard E).
Low-end notes are still tight and defined and open chods (even in hi-gain) sound humongous!
The LiquiFire neck pup gives you a well defined creamy liquid kinda solo/lead sound for single note playing and legato lines and just sings. Also a great pup for clean sounds.

I personally don't use any middle pups as they always tend to get in the way of my right hand....
So for chimey glassy bell-like cleans I use the inner coils of both bridge and neck pup together in parallel, done with a single 3way 4pdt switch (DiMarzio EP1111) for my 3 pup positions...power of simplicity.

With the wood composition of your SM Dlx being mostly maple and alder it makes for a very bright sounding guitar....with the wrong pups that easily gets ice-picky.....

Another pup I could recommend (but these only pop up from time to time used) is a DiMarzio Virtual Hot PAF.

Just my 2€-cents

edit: attached 2 short clips with the CrunchLab/Liquifire combo.
1st is heavy; Rhythms is MP1 Mod3.1 w/MDRT, Leads is Mesa Triaxis. Recorded through an old Behringer GI100 Ultra-G cab sim and an ESI DuaFire interface....

2nd is the Intro to Dream Theater´s The Count Of Tuscany. Cleans is the middle pos of the 3way toggle as mentioned above, Leads is CrunchLab and (later) LiquiFire. All Boogie Triaxis

Guitar on both was an Ibanez RG2620QMSP with DiMarzio CrunchLab and LiquiFire pups
« Last Edit: Time Format by Systematic Chaos »
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rnolan

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Re: NGD and pickup suggestions
« Reply #4 on: Time Format »

Pick ups are so subjective, my favourites are Ultrasonics (Bill Lawrence designed them ??). Anderson used them in their first guitars, mine is the first in Australia, I changed the initial Ultrsonics to the last version they made.  Great PU very flat (they were called reference series because they are not as middy as most PUs so bass mids and treb nicely balanced). they come in single coil and humbucker sizes but are all dual coil humbuckers.  Like SC I wind the middle PU as low as it can go as it gets in the road of my right hand.  But the wiring on the anderson (each PH has a 3 way switch, middle off, down coils in series, up coils in parallel) so combining the middle PU (which is as far from the strings as it can go) in parallel with the neck in series gives a great glassy clean sound with clean patch and quite good controlled R and B/rock sound with hotter patches.  Best PUs ever IMHO if you can find some.
Other choice, depending on your style are the Gibson 57 reissues, not the highest output but in a class of their own for a good rock tone (I've got a pair in my Epiphone SG, sound great :thumb-up: )
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Peter H. Boer

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Re: NGD and pickup suggestions
« Reply #5 on: Time Format »

Pick ups are so subjective, my favourites are Ultrasonics (Bill Lawrence designed them ??). Anderson used them in their first guitars, mine is the first in Australia, I changed the initial Ultrsonics to the last version they made. 
Very goods pickups, but nowhere to be found anymore.
I find Bill&Becky's L500s come closest  :thumb-up:
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rickeb1

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Re: NGD and pickup suggestions
« Reply #6 on: Time Format »

I have an all maple Carvin DC150 from around '85, and a while back I decided I wanted to replace the stock pickup with something thick and rich that would tame the high-end of the maple a little.  At the time, several people on another forum suggested the Suhr DSH+ for the bridge, which is what I ended up getting.  I have been very happy with the DSH+ and have often received compliments on the tone, so it may be one to consider.

~ Rick
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MarshallJMP

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Re: NGD and pickup suggestions
« Reply #7 on: Time Format »

Well for either EMG81's or Dante's choice but in your case a TB4 (not the JB4 since you have a trem) and the SH-2.
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Systematic Chaos

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Re: NGD and pickup suggestions
« Reply #8 on: Time Format »

Ultrasonic Refs on German eBay: http://www.ebay.de/sch/Musikinstrumente-/619/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=ultrasonic   :thumb-up:
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rnolan

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Re: NGD and pickup suggestions
« Reply #9 on: Time Format »

Thanks SC, I don't speak German so it's a bit hard to read, I sent them an email, hopefully I can buy one direct so I can put a Ref 3 with a spare Ref 6 I've got in my Tele
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Systematic Chaos

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Re: NGD and pickup suggestions
« Reply #10 on: Time Format »

If they don´t sell intl lemme know  :thumb-up:
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rnolan

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Re: NGD and pickup suggestions
« Reply #11 on: Time Format »

Thanks SC, appreciated  :wave:
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finstah

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Re: NGD and pickup suggestions
« Reply #12 on: Time Format »

Hey guys, I just picked up a Squier Stagemaster Deluxe HSH (neck thru) via trade throw in.  It has a licensed Floyd with a brass sustain block and a nice thick neck (for a shredder anyway).  But I am definitely going for an electronics upgrade.  What pickup combo would you guys install in the Squier of you had it?  Note: I don't use actives with the exception of a Carvin DC200 style setup.

Also: body construction is maple neck thru with alder wings.

It's also gonna depend on the body wood and the neck type. All my Ibby's have Dimarzio Tone Zone's (or stock Ibby USA's which are some sort of DiMarzio.) in the bridge and PAF Pro in the necks. My Jackson has a Sreamin Demon.

rnolan

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Re: NGD and pickup suggestions
« Reply #13 on: Time Format »

So the stage master is a straight through (sugar) maple construction, which tends to be quite bight (particularly compared to Mahogany and other softer woods) and with Alder wings (is no doubt quite a heavy guitar), although the alder may mellow the maple a little ? but not much. So PU choice you don't want them too bright and you need 2 x humbucker sized PUs.  One definitely worth a try is the Gibson 57 re-issue, not the highest output but a great tone and would benifit from the maple giving just a bit more sparkle and cut.  I have 2 in my Epihone SG, they are great PUs, noticeably better than others (even my old drummer could hear the difference lol). I swapped out the Epiphone PUs (which sounded great just microphonic) for a SD JB bridge and SD Alnico neck, standard selection for a Les Paul/SG, they were ok (now in the cupboard) as the 57 re-issues are soo much better (and individual ?).  After the Ultrasonics, my next fav PU.
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Gemini75

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Re: NGD and pickup suggestions
« Reply #14 on: Time Format »

I was recently wow'd by a clip I heard using The Creamery's Classic 83. Easily one of the most balanced sounding pups I've ever heard.
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