MY 594 WANTS MORE GAIN. RECOMMENDATIONS?

[ViperDoc]

I love my stock 594. It is masterful in delivering classic, vintage tones in a superbly built machine.

But I want more shred on tap. Not "modern high gain", mind you. And not compressed, Slayer-metal, charcoal-dumping white noise. I want DYNAMIC SHRED. Clean, tight, and HEAVY.

What would you recommend? Thank you!

 

[elvis]

An Archon

 

[garrettb]

An Archon

End of thread.

 

[ViperDoc]

An Archon

Noted. It seems the mighty Archon could chew up and spit out any axe thrown at it. That said, what of the 58/15LT pickups in combination?

 

[elvis]

Works great with my telecaster. I'm sure your LTs have at least that much output. And the higher frequency presence of the LT should be very tight.

My 594 is due in a couple weeks. I'll be shredding it too.

 

[Glide-bpm]

I've plugged into Mesa Road King II head and 4x12 with mine and play it regularly with a Helix and Mission Gemini 2 FRFR using Mark IV and
Archon models... 594 cranks through the right high gain amps or modelers. I've used both... Becoming one of my favorite guitars in
the collection! Probably at #2 just slightly behind the desert island lone guitar 509... 509 only because I like having that trem handy
just in case of that occasional wobble or dive bomb. aCk!!!

 

[elvis]

Just keep the gain to a minimum. If you overdo it you will lose the dynamics you are looking for. Clear pickups and a clear amp with some gain and a raw tone should give you exactly what you want. Rectos like the Road King are a great example.

 

[ViperDoc]

My original question was a pickup question, even though I'm not sure I articulated it that way. Pickups and amps go hand in hand, of course, so any amp recommendation is welcome. I think a mouth harp pushed through an Archon would make Kerry King proud! Maybe I need to raise the pickups up a bit. I might do that and report...

 

[elvis]

I got that, but I would steer you away from beefy pickups. Low output pickups into high gain amps are popular, and I'm getting great heavy tones from 58/15, PAF, 57/08 and others. Good dynamics due to the clear pickups. Higher output pickups tend to be very focused and lack dynamics.

If you MUST up the output, which I still maintain is unnecessary in the era of super high gain amps, then the regular 58/15 is a great pickup. But first try to boost your amp with an overdrive.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

And I'll add, while not "low" output, my 57/08s and my NF's sound incredible with the Archon. And so do the couple single coil guitars I've thrown at it.

 

[Jazzedout]

A clean boost pedal maybe?

 

[VHTStark]

If it were my guitar, and I think I know what you are after, it would be the 57/08's. I have had a couple modern style PAF's wound by Duncan in the custom shop to perform great in a high gain context and the stock 57/08 is as good as they come.

Compared to the 58/15's, the 57/08 has more midrange, while the 58/15 is more hi-fi. Also, while the 57/08 will still retain dynamics, it still hits the preamp plenty hard and compresses musically when you dig in for leads. What amp do you currently play?

 

[Phil M]

A clean boost pedal maybe?

Yes, I think this is the easiest thing to try before swapping pickups. A clean boost into your overdriven amp. I myself prefer PAF or slightly overwound PAF style pickups for their voicing, their clarity and their ability to clean up. Then when I want more sustain or heaviness, I get it from the amp and/or boost pedals.

If you go this route I highly recommend the Creation Audio Labs Mk.4.23. There are others, too.

The Archon is of course a certified badass amp. By all means, get one if you can afford it.

 

[garrettb]

My original question was a pickup question, even though I'm not sure I articulated it that way. Pickups and amps go hand in hand, of course, so any amp recommendation is welcome. I think a mouth harp pushed through an Archon would make Kerry King proud! Maybe I need to raise the pickups up a bit. I might do that and report...

http://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/higher-gain-pickups-for-the-beloved-594.21956/

https://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/594-bridge-pickup.18575/

https://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/mccarty-594-bridge-pickup-solution.25559/

 

[Ovibos]

If not going the amp route, I'm a fan of the Suhr Riot (and clones). Might be a little more 'modern' but tons of musical gain.

 

[kes7u]

You mentioned the 58/15LTs. If you are looking for something in that ballpark, with more gain, then please consider the 58/15 NON LT pickups.

Or you could try the Seymour Duncan Slugs or Rock Monkey Beefbuckers for SLIGHTLY more gain.....

Kevin

 

[bodia]

This is easy, and no one has mentioned them yet.....59/09. Just see any of the WL run 594s that Brian did. I had a LT loaded one at the same time as the 59/09 loaded 594. They both rocked, but that 59/09 was PERFECT for what you are looking for.

 

[László]

Just get a boost pedal. That way you’ll have the good qualities of the 58/15LTs, and can still push the amp over the top. It’s simpler, it’s cheaper, and it works really well.

 

[watelessness]

An Archon or an HXDA. Or swap the pickups

 

[markd21]

What I have always done is use low to medium output pickups into an MXR Dyna Comp set with the knobs like this:



It allows the dynamics and touch sensitivity to exist, but it adds a minuscule amount of compression and gain to the sound. Here is an example:

https://soundcloud.com/mdenman/solo-clip

That is an SC245 w/ 57/08s played into a Rivera S120 with EVM12L speakers. It's just the guitar and drums - this was the mix sent to the bassist to work out his parts. The gain is smoothed out and boosted via the Dyna Comp.