Pickups for Charvel So Cal

Stevepage

I like the Duncan Distortions that come with my Charvel but I can't help but think I would like something with a touch less output, maybe a little less compressed as I like dabbling with lower gained fusion type of tones but still able to bring 'the rockz!'

I've considered a few

Dimarzio Fred
Suhr Doug Aldrich
Bareknuckle Holy Diver
Dimarzio Transition
Seymour Duncan Jason Becker pickup
Apc Persuader

Are there any you lot would suggest that I haven't listed?

xwolf5150

I love the Perpetual Burn but I've found it sounds better with a 250k volume pot and a 500k tone pot.
Tamed the top and gave a better mid range.

steamabacus

Duncan Screamin' Demon (and no, they're NOT high output).

Work really well in superstrats - open and 'airy' but with great sustain, too.

Travisthedog

My SoCal has a tone zone I the bridge and evo in the neck

They are awesomes

monquixote

Get oil city to make you something

Travisthedog

"Other pickup manufacturers are available"

hubobulous

Fred and Aldrich are two of my favourite pickups.....the Aldrichs were in the 80s Neon Drip that you played at the Gearfest and I know you're already familiar with the Fred.

The Norton is also awesome, and the Air Norton at the neck is also wonderful - its this or the Paf Pro at the neck that works for me if I'm not looking at Aldrichs.

Saying that, some of the other Suhr pickups are lovely and very articulate too.

thomasross20

There are so many pups I don't know where to start! 

mudslide73

Bk vhii, Duncan Custom Custom, dimarzio air zone.

John_P

I've pretty much given up trying other pickups now and just fit the Suhr Aldrich to all my HB guitars,  currently I've got them in a les paul, a superstrat and two US prs guitars. 

Darren

I've currently got a set of BKP VHII's in my Charvel..But my favourite combo is a Dimarzio AT-1 at the bridge and a Dimarzio Air Norton for the neck. I'm going to be changing back to those soon.

Sambostar

Articulate organic pickups which swell and can rock out include Duncan JB bridge, Dimarzio 36th anniversary set and AT-1 bridge and The Breed neck.

JB is pretty good to be honest, it's warm and it screams, but you could experiment and try a magnet swap for an alnico 2.  It has Alnico 5 on it.  Always wanted to try this.Have to try the Custom Custom one day.

Tonezone and EVO is good.  Tonezone also uses an Alnico 5, but much more crunchier, defined and 2 dimensional tone though, not metal as such, quite satisfying really percussive muted and loads of low string definition, which gets lost on the warmer, more organic pickups above which are more wallowy and it squeals without being too shrill.

Agree about the Duncan distortion.  Way too shrill overkill.  Makes you deaf.  Just Horrible. The Dimarzio Super Distortion on the other hand is very good too.

Dimarzio's are good because they come in crème.  Crème pickups always sound better.

ThePrettyDamned

monquixote;358044" said:

Get oil city to make you something

mike_l

Travisthedog said:

My SoCal has a tone zone I the bridge and evo in the neck

They are awesomes

As does mine.

I found lowering the pickups helped to get a much better, less muddy sound from them.

MDKV

I use a JB and '59 in mine. 

Stevepage

Cheers everyone, I'm still leaning towards the aldrich humbucker at the moment. I may give my Custom 5 a whirl and see what it's like

mike_l

I have one of @Van_Hayden Bulldog Extremists with an Alnico5 mag in the bridge of my Jackson. Sounds exactly as I asked for (Think Dave Murray/Adrian Smith/Chris DeGarmo/Michael Wilton). And it's the same as our @Clarky uses for much more than just heavy-stuff.

Clarky

I have Bulldog pups in three of my guitars.. two Morgan V6's and an Ibanez RG.

They are superb.. tight and bright so they offer great definition.. powerful enough to give the amp something nice to chew on, but not so powerful as to make them too single minded..

overly hot pups tend to sound great for riff tones, but get shrill as you head up the neck.. so the soloing tones suffer..

the Bulldogs are great in all situations.. from pretty cleans [ambient arps / strummy stuff etc], aggressive cleans [funk] through to chunky riffing tones and sweet hi-gain leads.. my Morgan V6 / Bulldog combination was by design a single minded headbanger's guitar with no tone control and a 3-way pup selector.. it turned out to be so much more than that.. surprisingly so..

mike_l

I meant to say, in addition to what Clarky has already said, I've used my Jackson for Pink Floyd and Metallica covers in a live situation.

Clarky

in a live situation, I've used my V6's for prog rock/metal [DC Band] and poppy funk [Civilians]

Evilmags

Small shop pickups have the advantage that the maker will listen to you and figure out what you want, then make it