looking for more bite

[big kurka]

hey everyone hope i'm saying the right term there. to start i got a new schecter solo 6 hellraiser and i ripped out the emg's and all the electronics. i installed an sh-1 and sh-11 with cts pots 500k all 3, switchcraft toggle and jack. everythings works great but things didn't sound right i tweaked and retweaked th p/u's height, artie mod and still didn't help so i put in a a4 in the 59 and it helped alot on the neck. the cc was lacking highs and sounded dull which i thought was weird because the guitar i took it out of it sounded great(sold that guitar) tried it in another guitar and it sounded realy hash and bright. anyways i put an a5 in it and everything seemed to balance out well from neck to bridge. the problem is it seems to be missing some bite(like a metal tone)it sounds to smooth for what i want (tight bottom end scream in your face) should i try a ceramic mag, different p/u's or what??? i like having a nice balance between the two p/u. i want this guitar to be a hard hitting heavy metal screaming machine(sorry for the cheesyness there), but not to harsh sounding when you roll off the volume. i don't do much soloing stuff (because i can't) i hope i did run on to much just hoping you guys understand what i'm looking for. thanks everyone p.s. forgot to say the guitar body is mahogny with a 3 peice mahogony set neck and rose wood fret board.

[dr. ad]

do you have another pickup you can swap some hex-head pole screws with, ie a screamin demon or full shred?
that's the cheap option; beyond that, i'd suggest dropping a ceramic mag into that CC, which would make it a standard SH-5 duncan custom and quite likely solve your problem good and proper.

[Gearjoneser]

I'm pretty sure you should change the bridge's magnet to ceramic, making the Custom/59 A4 neck. That's probably what you're wanting to hear.

Either Ceramic or A8 for the Custom bridge. Either of those 2 should do it.

[LatsMcGee]

I would drop a ceramic in the custom also, You could try a Duncan Distortion also though.

[Puck]

For more clearity and bite without harshness from passive bridge pickups I always disconnect the tone pot (or wire it to the neck pickup only) in my guitars. Works really well for me...

[super rad stuff]

either a ceramic or alnico 8 magnet would be what you're looking for. if you want to retain some alnico warmth but want the ceramic output, then go with the a8. if you want straight up in-yo-face attitude and grit, go with the ceramic.

[GuitarDoc]

I personally like the A8 better than the ceramic in the Custom, but I don't do metal so the ceramic is probably what you want.

[blueman335]

i personally like the a8 better than the ceramic in the custom, but i don't do metal so the ceramic is probably what you want.

+1.

[Despair]

I personally like the A8 better than the ceramic in the Custom, but I don't do metal so the ceramic is probably what you want.

Just to confuse the issue, the Custom 8 is a great metal pickup as well! And a lot of people have used the ceramic Custom for rock.

The Custom 8 with heavy distortion has a great upper mid edge, with a generally balanced sound. The ceramic Custom has more of a ceramic gritty presence, beyond it's additional treble. Both are great sounds in the right guitar, and either could work in your guitar. I'd snag both magnets, nice to have the other on hand if your tastes change or you wind up trying to fix another guitar.

Hex screws can definitely help with bass/lower mid bloat, and give a bit more bite as well. I like installing them just under the wound strings in the neck pickup.

[GuitarDoc]

Hex screws certainly can help with clarity. Not a great amount, but they do help some. In my neck Pearly Gates I put a hex under the low "E" string only. Helped the "washout" I was experiencing just on that string. Improved the overall balance of the pup.

[big kurka]

wow great response everyone. ok it looks like i'm going to order an a8 and a ceramic and try both. is there any thing i need to know about them mags- polished, rc, and are there different ceramic mag, and lastly were would find the hex head screws and (do you mean the button head allen screws or the ones that look like set screws) thanks everyone

[Lewguitar]

The magnet swaps might do the trick but you can also simply adjust your CC so that the two E polepieces are even with the top of the bobbin and the other four polepieces are raised until all 6 polepieces match the arch of your fingerboard and frets. Then move the whole pickup as close to the strings as you can get it without it being so close that the strings rattle against the polepieces. If that happens lower it a little. But start by adjusting the polepieces as described and then hold down your strings at the highest fret and then move the whole pickup up until the poles almost touch the underside of the strings. It'll give it more bite...guaranteed.

[Despair]

The magnet swaps might do the trick but you can also simply adjust your CC so that the two E polepieces are even with the top of the bobbin and the other four polepieces are raised until all 6 polepieces match the arch of your fingerboard and frets. Then move the whole pickup as close to the strings as you can get it without it being so close that the strings rattle against the polepieces. If that happens lower it a little. But start by adjusting the polepieces as described and then hold down your strings at the highest fret and then move the whole pickup up until the poles almost touch the underside of the strings. It'll give it more bite...guaranteed.

Nicely put, the CC being an A2 isn't going to have string pull issues doing that, and getting the pickup close to the strings emphasizes highs and with some pickups even lows.

I suspect it wont be enough, given the poster's talk about metal tastes, but it's certainly a good idea to test what it sounds like. At the least it's a stopgap until the magnets arrive.

[big kurka]

thanks lew and despair, but i did try that before i swapped mags to the a5, had the p/u about 3/32 from the strings did help that much thanks though.

[Despair]

thanks lew and despair, but i did try that before i swapped mags to the a5, had the p/u about 3/32 from the strings did help that much thanks though.

Same trick works with any magnet, of course, just have to watch out for string warble if it gets too close.