Pickups recommendations

[UberMetalDood]

Please help me to select optimum pickups for my new Carvin guitars. I posted pics of them elsewhere on the forum. I have 2. Here are the details with all the information for answering questions.

CS4 (kind of bright, needs slightly more output)
-mahogany & maple cap
-rosewood fretboard
-stainless steel frets
-stop tail bridge


DC127 (bright/kind of harsh, mids kind of scooped, output is good, needs mids)
-ash body/flame maple cap
-rosewood fretboard
-stainless steel frets
-wilkinson tremolo


I want to play metal like Lamb of God but I'll probably stick to the same stuff I always play like old metal, Joe Satriani and Scorpions because I can't shred. I don't like loud pickups that mess up my clean sounds.

[dominus]

Duncan Custom in the CS4, Dimarzio Air Zone in the DC127.

[Christopher Caruana]

Duncan Custom for the CS4

[Jeff5]

Agree on the custom. Can't go wrong, and if you ever want more gain from it throw a tube screamer or pick up booster in the mix.

[UberMetalDood]

Thank you for the suggestions but please inform me what properties of your suggestions make it a good match for my guitars. The custom 5 looks like very loud output and my concern is that it could be harsh. I never found a ceramic humbucker that had just the right amount of output.

I would be interested to know about this because a forum search looks like you can change the magnet of the custom 5 to make any one of 3 pickups in the SD line. Where do you get those kinds of magnets and is it easy to do without messing up the pickup?

[Christopher Caruana]

If you want scorpions, then the Gibson "Dirty Fingers" is the pickup you want. That pickup is what you are hearing on all their hits like "Rock you like a hurricane" and "big city nights"

[lowenzz]

Custom and or BBQ for both.

Been awhile since I had my DC127 to remember, but I have a CS4.

I am guessing on your CS4 you have the common C/S22B. This pup has real similar output to the custom series, maybe a hair less. And what I would call a round tone, thick mids, abit compressed, I wouldn't call it bright.

If that is the case I would suggest going with the Custom with an alnico 8. Lots of output, thick, NOT bright, seems less compressed than the Carvin 22B series
You can get your Blackout or Screamin for Vengence on easily with this one in the bridge. Still has a real nice clean whether channel switched or volume pot rolled off.

For more of a Classic, not bright vibe with plenty of horsepower. Gots to be the Rio BBQ. I love that pup in just about everything. Currently in my CT3. I have
S22's still in my CS4. I like them alot, being covered I found them oddly enough to be both warmer (less bright) and nice clarity vs the uncovered C22's.

Happy Hunting.

[dominus]

Thank you for the suggestions but please inform me what properties of your suggestions make it a good match for my guitars. The custom 5 looks like very loud output and my concern is that it could be harsh. I never found a ceramic humbucker that had just the right amount of output.

I would be interested to know about this because a forum search looks like you can change the magnet of the custom 5 to make any one of 3 pickups in the SD line. Where do you get those kinds of magnets and is it easy to do without messing up the pickup?

Just so you know, the Custom 5 is NOT the SH5/TB5 Duncan Custom that we've all recommended. The Custom 5 has an AlNiCo 5 magnet in place of the ceramic that's in the Custom. I've found that the Custom 5 just doesn't have enough output, and the Custom (and Custom 8) do.

The Custom can do just about any sound that you want, and is THE pickup for mahogany, which is why we've all recommended it. It lets your amp do the work, it can do anything from light rock to technical death metal.

As for the Dimarzio Air Zone, that's a pickup that does well in ash, and EQ-wise, is pretty much what you're looking for.

[UberMetalDood]

Just so you know, the Custom 5 is NOT the SH5/TB5 Duncan Custom that we've all recommended. The Custom 5 has an AlNiCo 5 magnet in place of the ceramic that's in the Custom. I've found that the Custom 5 just doesn't have enough output, and the Custom (and Custom 8) do.

The Custom can do just about any sound that you want, and is THE pickup for mahogany, which is why we've all recommended it. It lets your amp do the work, it can do anything from light rock to technical death metal.

As for the Dimarzio Air Zone, that's a pickup that does well in ash, and EQ-wise, is pretty much what you're looking for.

Yes I know it is the SH14 but I saw the eq looks like 6 / 3 / 8 and it seems like it might be harsh because the ash body with maple cap and rosewood is already missing some mids that you get in alder and mahogany and because my guitar is already bright.

I know it would be a weaker magnet but would alnico 2 magnet in the custom 5 soften the sound and add the mids for me?

[CesarM13]

Yes I know it is the SH14 but I saw the eq looks like 6 / 3 / 8 and it seems like it might be harsh because the ash body with maple cap and rosewood is already missing some mids that you get in alder and mahogany and because my guitar is already bright.

I know it would be a weaker magnet but would alnico 2 magnet in the custom 5 soften the sound and add the mids for me?

Yes, if you put an Alnico II magnet you will be making the SH-11 Custom Custom
link: http://www.seymourduncan.com/product...11_custom_cus/

it is supposed to nail the early van halen "brown sound" as well as the tone of other classic and hard rock bands of that era.

it could work for you

[dominus]

Yes I know it is the SH14 but I saw the eq looks like 6 / 3 / 8 and it seems like it might be harsh because the ash body with maple cap and rosewood is already missing some mids that you get in alder and mahogany and because my guitar is already bright.

I know it would be a weaker magnet but would alnico 2 magnet in the custom 5 soften the sound and add the mids for me?

No one told you to get the Custom 5. No one recommended the SH-14/TB-14.

DO NOT GET THE CUSTOM 5. DO NOT GET THE SH-14/TB-14.

We have been recommending the SH-5/TB-5 Duncan Custom:

SH-5 Duncan Custom Four Con. Bridge: 14.1 k
Ceramic Bar 7 / 6 / 9

[UberMetalDood]

No one told you to get the Custom 5. No one recommended the SH-14/TB-14.

DO NOT GET THE CUSTOM 5. DO NOT GET THE SH-14/TB-14.

We have been recommending the SH-5/TB-5 Duncan Custom:

SH-5 Duncan Custom Four Con. Bridge: 14.1 k
Ceramic Bar 7 / 6 / 9

oops sorry my bad. I really need to start wearing the glasses I bought. I'm not used to wearing them but here is yet ANOTHER reason to start.

Ok so now that you cleared that up... I don't know if a ceramic pickup will work for me because they usually dont sound organic. They also tend to be loud and distort my clean channel too much. I'm willing to look into it however if you can describe how it will fit my guitars.

Does it sound warm and is there any harshness in the treble? Is it as good clean as it is overdriven?

[Despair]

oops sorry my bad. I really need to start wearing the glasses I bought. I'm not used to wearing them but here is yet ANOTHER reason to start.

Ok so now that you cleared that up... I don't know if a ceramic pickup will work for me because they usually dont sound organic. They also tend to be loud and distort my clean channel too much. I'm willing to look into it however if you can describe how it will fit my guitars.

Does it sound warm and is there any harshness in the treble? Is it as good clean as it is overdriven?

Treble harshness depends considerably on the guitar. If you don't like it with the ceramic, the Custom is one of the most popular pickups for magnet swap experimentation. Given Seymour Duncan already ships 3 versions of it that are near-identical other than magnet (OK, the spec calls for 0.2K higher resistance on the A2 model. Margin of error will put some of the others over that anyways)... And the A8 variant is popular enough to be listed at Wymore, have to wonder how long before that becomes a standard offering from Seymour Duncan.

I've heard people get extremely bright sounds with the Custom, that lacked the gritty edge I usually hear with ceramics. I'm not sure how much of that was done with additional EQ, though. But it is one of the best-regarded ceramic pickups.

[UberMetalDood]

Treble harshness depends considerably on the guitar. If you don't like it with the ceramic, the Custom is one of the most popular pickups for magnet swap experimentation. Given Seymour Duncan already ships 3 versions of it that are near-identical other than magnet (OK, the spec calls for 0.2K higher resistance on the A2 model. Margin of error will put some of the others over that anyways)... And the A8 variant is popular enough to be listed at Wymore, have to wonder how long before that becomes a standard offering from Seymour Duncan.

I've heard people get extremely bright sounds with the Custom, that lacked the gritty edge I usually hear with ceramics. I'm not sure how much of that was done with additional EQ, though. But it is one of the best-regarded ceramic pickups.

Can you tell me of where I can hear a good example of Duncan Custom like studio recordings you know of?

[GuitarDoc]

CS4 = Duncan Custom with A8 mag; Possibly Dirty Fingers
DC127 = Dirty Fingers; Pearly Gates; A2-pro

[jafo]

Can you tell me of where I can hear a good example of Duncan Custom like studio recordings you know of?

Per the online catalog, it's used by Mike Chlasciak / Halford (bridge), Whitey Kirst / Iggy Pop (bridge), Rick Jackett / finger eleven (bridge), Will Adler & Mark Morton / Lamb of God (bridge); the last of those might interest you. For ceramic, I find it rather warm and organic.

Plus, with a few cheap magnets (see wymoreguitars.com and use the coupon sdforum) you can have all the Custom series, and them some. Seriously, you cannot go wrong with the Custom coil; great blend of tone, power, flexibility, and responsiveness -- nothing choked or compressed about it.

[Despair]

Can you tell me of where I can hear a good example of Duncan Custom like studio recordings you know of?

http://www.bobsavage.net/bogner/bogner.htm

DC127 loaded with a Custom in bridge, only pickup used in the first demo on the page. It may be a lot more metal amp gain than you are looking for, though.

[Franknfilms]

Thank you for the suggestions but please inform me what properties of your suggestions make it a good match for my guitars. The custom 5 looks like very loud output and my concern is that it could be harsh. I never found a ceramic humbucker that had just the right amount of output.

I would be interested to know about this because a forum search looks like you can change the magnet of the custom 5 to make any one of 3 pickups in the SD line. Where do you get those kinds of magnets and is it easy to do without messing up the pickup?

FYI- I put an A8 magnet in my DD and I've never done any of my own work, don't know how to solder, etc. I can verify that is easy to change magnets. However, I made a few mistakes which were easily corrected such as tightening the screws too tight and bending my coils away from each other, it was fixed though. if I didn't destroy my pickup when changing the magnet then I'm sure that no one can.