Screamingdaisy
(O)))m
What are you currently using? What did you try along the way?
Please include guitar, amp and genre(s) as appropriate.
Please include guitar, amp and genre(s) as appropriate.
PRS + High Gain, favourite pickups?
- Thread starter Screamingdaisy
- Start date
The Fight
Long Hair Demigod
As far as high gain go, I really like the hfs in a cu24. I love it! But for lower gain probably the 59/09. Just me.
For those rare occasions when I'm asked to do high gain stuff, I like a low-to-medium gain pickup and a good boost pedal. I'll often use another studio's high gain amp to do the recording session.
That way, I get lots of clarity, and even more push to goose the amp further than any pickup can give. Plus, I retain the ability to get very sweet lower gain or clean tones. I've posted about this on other threads, but people do respond that they like to go straight into the amp, so I'm of no use there...
Just the other day I saw a Pete Thorn video where he makes the same statement about the boost pedal plus regular pickups for higher gain stuff.
At one time I thought higher gain pickups would be needed to get good gain tones, and cut some ad tracks with my son's Tom Delonge Strat in the mid '00s; it had a very high gain pickup (Duncan Invader, I think). But honestly, I thought it was a truly awful-sounding pickup for all but the highest gain tracks I cut with it.
That way, I get lots of clarity, and even more push to goose the amp further than any pickup can give. Plus, I retain the ability to get very sweet lower gain or clean tones. I've posted about this on other threads, but people do respond that they like to go straight into the amp, so I'm of no use there...
Just the other day I saw a Pete Thorn video where he makes the same statement about the boost pedal plus regular pickups for higher gain stuff.
At one time I thought higher gain pickups would be needed to get good gain tones, and cut some ad tracks with my son's Tom Delonge Strat in the mid '00s; it had a very high gain pickup (Duncan Invader, I think). But honestly, I thought it was a truly awful-sounding pickup for all but the highest gain tracks I cut with it.
BrianC
more toys than talent
For me I am really happy with the Suhr Aldrich pick ups. Heat like an HFS but the clarity of a 5708.
gush
Where is that speedo pic
Dragon 1s hands down. They rock hard. I only like the hfs in lowered tunings. Too harsh in standard tuning for me.
As I do 99.9% (super) high gain stuff (VH, Ozzy,..., Dream Theater,...) I thought I might chime in and give you my 2 cents:
Although all the PRS pickups I tried (Dragon, McCarty, #6, #7, Tremonti, 53/10,...) in all kind of different PRS guitars (SC, SCT, SCF, Tremonti, JHM, P22, McCarty,...) sounded really good even under high gain, in the end I always ended up with EMG 85 (b) and EMG 60 (n) or more recently EMG 57/66. And especially the EMGs 57/66 with their brushed steel covers do not only look like they were designed for PRS, to me they somehow even sound like they were designed for PRS.
In guitars where I cannot put actives in, like my P22, I had great results with DiMarzio Illuminators, maybe because they were designed for Piezo equipped guitars from ground up.
As always YMMV.
Disclaimer: I'm not endorsed by any of the above mentioned companies.
P.S.: I talked to him about this topic when he signed my EMG-eqipped SCF and although Paul is very proud of his own series of PUs (and has every right to be so) he is also cool with people using high quality PUs from other brands on his guitars.
Although all the PRS pickups I tried (Dragon, McCarty, #6, #7, Tremonti, 53/10,...) in all kind of different PRS guitars (SC, SCT, SCF, Tremonti, JHM, P22, McCarty,...) sounded really good even under high gain, in the end I always ended up with EMG 85 (b) and EMG 60 (n) or more recently EMG 57/66. And especially the EMGs 57/66 with their brushed steel covers do not only look like they were designed for PRS, to me they somehow even sound like they were designed for PRS.
In guitars where I cannot put actives in, like my P22, I had great results with DiMarzio Illuminators, maybe because they were designed for Piezo equipped guitars from ground up.
As always YMMV.
Disclaimer: I'm not endorsed by any of the above mentioned companies.
P.S.: I talked to him about this topic when he signed my EMG-eqipped SCF and although Paul is very proud of his own series of PUs (and has every right to be so) he is also cool with people using high quality PUs from other brands on his guitars.
drdoom8793
THAT guy at Chick-fil-A
I really like using my Custom 24 with 59/09s through a Keeley modded TS9 into another drive pedal. That would be run into my Vox AC15. This gets me a really tight high gain sound that works really well for hard rock and even some metal. Pretty good considering it's definitely not a high gain amp at all.
The Fight
Long Hair Demigod
Yes! Still yet to try one out, one day! The standard treble is pretty sweet for gain as well.
Brad737
This space for rent...
For high gain, the original Dragons are hard to beat.
ViperDoc
Plugged In.
For really high gain stuff, I like to record my guitar in series with my Vitamix running on full blast. Just crank those b!tches up.
south89
New Member
Try the PRS \m/ pickup. That's what I have in my PS running into my archon. Killer tone. Sound man told me at last show he just put my eq at noon the whole way across the board. He's not the first to tell me my tone is pretty good
alantig
Zombie Four, DFZ
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2012
- Messages
- 14,942
For high gain stuff, I use my Archon and Orange Jim Root Dark Terror amps. Although it's mostly the Archon by far. Sometimes the dirty channel, other times the clean with a Tone Bone Hot British or a metal pedal.
For guitars, I've used a bunch of different stuff, but lately have focused on a DGT, Tremonti and 408 (all stock) and my PS with \m/ pickups. The DGT has definitely nailed that classic hard rock tone - some time ago, when I was learning "War Machine" by Kiss, I think the closest I came to the original tone was the DGT through the Hot British into a PRS 2-channel C. The really cool thing is that they all clean up very nicely as well.
For guitars, I've used a bunch of different stuff, but lately have focused on a DGT, Tremonti and 408 (all stock) and my PS with \m/ pickups. The DGT has definitely nailed that classic hard rock tone - some time ago, when I was learning "War Machine" by Kiss, I think the closest I came to the original tone was the DGT through the Hot British into a PRS 2-channel C. The really cool thing is that they all clean up very nicely as well.
sergiodeblanc
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2012
- Messages
- 27,383
HFS all day.
Buildermike
Can you have too many?
Dragon I's. A very versatile pickup.
Huggy Love
Vintage member
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2015
- Messages
- 2,766
For high gain I had a CU22 with dragon II's, sold it to pay for my kids braces.
I don't do a lot of metal so I never got another gtr with that type of sound.
I don't do a lot of metal so I never got another gtr with that type of sound.
jfb
Plank Owner
I have a set of DiMarzio Transitions in a guitar and I think they are amazing. They do the high gain thing really well to my ears/hands. I also like Tom Anderson pups. H1/H3 or their H1+/H3+. From PRS I'd check out their \m/ set, Dragon II set. or the Tremonti configuration.
I've tried and used all of these with a variety of amps and enjoyed the results in all styles.
I've tried and used all of these with a variety of amps and enjoyed the results in all styles.
My idea of "high gain" is probably more like "mid gain" in the modern sense. The highest gain pickups I've tried are the 496/500 ceramic humbuckers that came stock in the Faded Flying V I had about a dozen years ago. I ran that through a Line 6 Pod XT using variac Plexi, Rat, UniVibe, and Dyna Comp models for a hopped up high gain tone.
I currently do high gain tones with my EG-3's bridge Muy Grande single coil, which has 8.5k resistance similar to a PAF, and then I use a combination of OD/fuzz/comp to gain up a barely-hairy clean amp.
I currently do high gain tones with my EG-3's bridge Muy Grande single coil, which has 8.5k resistance similar to a PAF, and then I use a combination of OD/fuzz/comp to gain up a barely-hairy clean amp.
kes7u
Wife's husband and Dog's dad
I've played the 59/09, HFS, Tremonti and \m/ pickups. I really do like them all, and still use them all. My favorite would have to be the \m/, though. I use them in the guitar in my avatar. Private Stock DC P245 semi-hollow.
The 59/09 seems to be a very nice transition between the lower turn pickups and the hotter ones I've mentioned. The others are really great 'hot' pickups, each with their own flavor. Maybe it is just that the \m/ seems to clean up so beautifully!!
Kevin
The 59/09 seems to be a very nice transition between the lower turn pickups and the hotter ones I've mentioned. The others are really great 'hot' pickups, each with their own flavor. Maybe it is just that the \m/ seems to clean up so beautifully!!
Kevin
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Screamingdaisy
(O)))m
Any opinion's on the \m/ neck pickup?
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