D Activator set VS Full Shred set

[luyano]

Hi everyone

I'm looking to replace the stock pickups on my PRS SE Custom 24 (tuned in C# Standard).
They sound good but I'm looking for a tighter and clearer Hi-gain tone while still getting great clean and lo-gain tones. Also, I wanna split the pickups and the stock pickups are 2 conductor.

I play mainly Progressive Metal/Rock (like BTBAM, Opeth, Porcupine Tree, The Mars Volta) but I also play Jazz Fusion, Classic Rock, lots of clean stuff, etc.
I love Opeth's and BTBAM's hi-gain and clean tones so you get the idea.

I'm between the DiMarzio D Activator set or the Seymour Duncan Full Shred set as BTBAM (DiMarzio) and Opeth (SD) uses them and they get tight, articulate distortion, great cleans and good "in between" tones. Also I've heard that those pickups can handle low tunings very good.

I use a Vox VT30 for practicing and a EXH Metal Muff with almost any amp when playing at gigs or rehearsals.
To record I will use a Peavey Valveking from the other guitarist in my band.

I can only get DiMarzios or Duncans and I can't try them in other guitars around my city. Here you can only try those pickups if you buy them.

Any help will be appreciated.

PD: This is my first thread on this forum. :O

[marvelous_seven]

Welcome to the forum!
Nice question too as I've been wondering the same as you,IIRC one of users right here who goes by name Joebacca have used both pickups in his Iceman.
I hope he'll chime in and answer your question.

[mustaine-who?]

FS set is killer...and would go well with your mahogony body. Articulate and full with distortion...bell like with cleans. Leads are flutie...

I'd also recommend the DImarzio Crunch Lab / Liquifire combo. The CL is a killer bridge pup, and what I call a better Full Shred. SLightly more open...slightly more organic...

I have no experience with the De-Activator set...

[LatsMcGee]

I know the fellas in Opeth really like the Screamin Demons......

I second the Crunchlab, it's a great pickup,

I prefer the Deactivator X's to the stand deactivators......

[JOEBACCA]

Almost missed this thread.

Too tired to give a full blown review of both...gotta get some shut eye....work yay.

In Depth Synopsis tomorrow....peace.

[luyano]

Welcome to the forum!
Nice question too as I've been wondering the same as you,IIRC one of users right here who goes by name Joebacca have used both pickups in his Iceman.
I hope he'll chime in and answer your question.

Thanks for the welcome.

FS set is killer...and would go well with your mahogony body. Articulate and full with distortion...bell like with cleans. Leads are flutie...

I'd also recommend the DImarzio Crunch Lab / Liquifire combo. The CL is a killer bridge pup, and what I call a better Full Shred. SLightly more open...slightly more organic...

I have no experience with the De-Activator set...

Mmm, to be honest I'm not a Petrucci fan. I've heard a lot of praise about his signature set but it seems "too warm" for a mahogany guitar.
Thanks anyway.

I know the fellas in Opeth really like the Screamin Demons......

I second the Crunchlab, it's a great pickup,

I prefer the Deactivator X's to the stand deactivators......

Does the Screamin' Demon handle low tunings and hi-gain?
I think that the D Activator X's should sound great on brighter guitars.
Thanks.

Almost missed this thread.

Too tired to give a full blown review of both...gotta get some shut eye....work yay.

In Depth Synopsis tomorrow....peace.

OK, I'll be waiting. xD
Thanks.

[CTN]

The D-Activators are interesting pickups. Very clear indeed, right through the sonic spectrum, but they are quite dark sounding, to my ears. Not terribly well defined in the lower and upper mids, but still clear. I've never played a pickup like it, that sounded clear and distinct, but dark at the same time. Usually a dark pickup will be a bit muddy or woofy. The D-Activator isn't like that.

The Full Shred on the other hand is a different beast entirely. Extremely good percussive attack, and it's pretty bright also. Still has a solid, tight low end, but it is not bass heavy by any means. Mids sound organic and tight. That percussive attack I mentioned makes this a really expressive pickup. You really need to have a confident touch/playing style to make it sound its best, IMO.

[JOEBACCA]

Here's my observations of The Full Shred Set and the D Activator(The Original not the D Activator X) Set Respectively.

I've had both sets in my Ibanez Iceman ICT700 as marvelous seven pointed out. They both have there strengths and weakness. I'll give my honest opinion but I want you to form your own conclusion as to what would suit you best....as opposed to me saying "Hey dude try this pickup because its awesome and I own it so it must be good".

Full Shred Bridge-

Bass is more present to my ears under High Gain than compared to its
clean tone. Tight, Articulate, and Chunky. Handles Drop Tunings with
ease. Mids are very present and aggressive...again more so in the high-
mids. Treble is a little more present than the mids in the mix. Sharp,
Clear, Precise Pick Attack. Pinch Harmonics are pretty easy to get, not
as aggressive as the JB or the D Activator to my ears. Rolling the Volume
knob to 7/8 of 10 produces tolerable cleans for a Medium-High Output
Bridge Pickup

Full Shred Neck-

Bass is more round and punchy yet still has the Tight Articulation of
the FS Bridge. Mids are a little less present than the FS Bridge but is
hardly noticeable when switching between the two. Mids also have a
vowel like singing quality when used for lead passages. Treble is more
Chimey / Bell like yet still very articulate...kinda reminds me of a
Stratocaster Neck Single Coil in its pick attack. Cleans are extremely
useable for many different genres of music with the FS Neck. IMO its
more versatile than the FS Bridge.

Its getting late... need sleepy. I'll finish this comparison tomorrow when I get home from work. To be continued....

[JOEBACCA]

D Activator Bridge-

Bass is Tight and Punchy, handles the lowest of Drop Tunings without getting muddy.
Has a wide dynamic picking range ( Picking softy produces less gain but dig in hard and it will kick your speaker cone's ass.) Palm Mutes have Chunk and Chug for days...all thud no mud. To my ears the Low Mids and High Mids are equally shared in the Tone Spectrum. Single Note runs have tons of sustain, they slice thru with plenty of High Mids and harmonic overtones galore. Some of the most Aggressive Pinch Harmonics found in a Passive Humbucker are at your disposal. The Treble response is Bright and Open and is very present yet is not brittle or grating on the ears IMO. Clean tones are somewhat cold being that it has a Ceramic Magnet ( But who the hell would use a D Activator Bridge Pickup for cleans anyway ).

D Activator Neck-

Bass is Tight and Deep and has very good Articulation on the E/A/D strings all the way up the neck which is rare ( Most Neck Pickups tend to get Flubby/Muddy on the wound strings as you get higher up on the frets ). Another rare attribute of the D Activator Neck is that Pinch Harmonics are just as Aggressive and easy to get as the Bridge Model. The Mids have a slight half cocked wah tone which Dimarzio is somewhat known for which lends well for leads. The Treble Response is bright and articulate kind of similar to the Full Shred Neck however the fundamental note sustains longer on the D Activator Neck where as the Full Shred Neck's fundamental note tends to decay faster in comparison. Clean Tones are Big, Bright and Open. However the D Activator Neck is technically considered as High Output, when the volume is at full, the clean channel of my amp had some distortion. But rolling the Volume Knob down to about 8 of 10 solved that.

Hope this helps make your decision a little easier. If you have any other questions feel free to ask. Good Luck !!

[surface54]

i have never heard opeth uses screamin demons. more so JB and Full shreds.

[marvelous_seven]

Well written you did there,Joebacca!
It seems D Activator bridge and Full Shred neck combo would make up a versatile metal setup for me judging by your review.
Oh btw,have you ever got a chance to compare D Activator and EMG's in your guitar?
Because AFAIK D Activator is modeled after 81/85 combo,I think it would be nice to see how they would compare to each other.

[JOEBACCA]

Well written you did there,Joebacca!
It seems D Activator bridge and Full Shred neck combo would make up a versatile metal setup for me judging by your review.
Oh btw,have you ever got a chance to compare D Activator and EMG's in your guitar?
Because AFAIK D Activator is modeled after 81/85 combo,I think it would be nice to see how they would compare to each other.

Thanks Marvelous !!

What's ironic about the FS and D Activator comparison is that while I was typing it out.....it hit me. I LOVE the FSn in my Iceman and I LOVED the D Activator Bridge that was in it previously so it seems obvious that I should pair the two together and see how it balances out.

As for an EMG 81/85 vs D Activator comparison its been a couple years since I've had a guitar with EMG's so I can't give a proper comparison. Don't get me wrong.... EMG 81/85 are proven metal pickups tried and true. But since going strictly with Passives Pickups I haven't looked back. IMO you know what to expect when you put the 81/85 combo in your axe (Fire Breathing Gain Monster with Cold Cleans). I enjoy the journey and unexpected results of experimenting with Passives to see how they gel with my Guitar/Amp/Cab.

[marvelous_seven]

Thanks Marvelous !!

What's ironic about the FS and D Activator comparison is that while I was typing it out.....it hit me. I LOVE the FSn in my Iceman and I LOVED the D Activator Bridge that was in it previously so it seems obvious that I should pair the two together and see how it balances out.

As for an EMG 81/85 vs D Activator comparison its been a couple years since I've had a guitar with EMG's so I can't give a proper comparison. Don't get me wrong.... EMG 81/85 are proven metal pickups tried and true. But since going strictly with Passives Pickups I haven't looked back. IMO you know what to expect when you put the 81/85 combo in your axe (Fire Breathing Gain Monster with Cold Cleans). I enjoy the journey and unexpected results of experimenting with Passives to see how they gel with my Guitar/Amp/Cab.

Btw,what kind of metal do you play?
May I know what your rig is?

[luyano]

Wow
Thanks JOEBACCA, I'm leaning towards the D Activator set but the DAb/FSn seems like a great combo.
Hope to get something soon.

[JOEBACCA]

Btw,what kind of metal do you play?
May I know what your rig is?

Rather than give you a list of Metal Sub-Genres...here are some of the bands that I jam/practice along to in no particular order.

Metallica, Megadeth, Faith No More, Pantera, Fear Factory, Soilwork, In Flames, Killswitch Engage, Mnemic, Meshuggah, Protest The Hero, Arch Enemy to name a few.

As for my current rig its an ENGL Gigmaster head into an Avatar 2x12 w/ Celestion Vintage 30 & G12H30

For low volume/late night playing I have a Roland Cube 30x.

[JOEBACCA]

Wow
Thanks JOEBACCA, I'm leaning towards the D Activator set but the DAb/FSn seems like a great combo.
Hope to get something soon.

Your welcome !! Glad I could help. Keep us updated.

[marvelous_seven]

Rather than give you a list of Metal Sub-Genres...here are some of the bands that I jam/practice along to in no particular order.

Metallica, Megadeth, Faith No More, Pantera, Fear Factory, Soilwork, In Flames, Killswitch Engage, Mnemic, Meshuggah, Protest The Hero, Arch Enemy to name a few.

As for my current rig its an ENGL Gigmaster head into an Avatar 2x12 w/ Celestion Vintage 30 & G12H30

For low volume/late night playing I have a Roland Cube 30x.

Wow,it seems we share the same taste man (except Meshuggah,I don't go that far though ).
So I'm gonna ask you one more question then,since you tried both pickups which one is sounding closer to those band you listed with your rig?
I love the modern sound of KsE and In Flames,but I dislike the clipping of the EMGs that I've ever tried. And I always missed that "raw energy" (I don't know any better term to describe it) from passive pickups that Arch Enemy,Protest The Hero, and Pantera use.That said,I only tried EMG equipped guitars through some 50W to 75W tube amps with 1x12 cab in music store,not a real 100W+ high-gain monster amps w/ full stacks like what those bands use.

[Gplayerzzz]

That is a great review. I'm looking at these two myself.

[Gplayerzzz]

Have a Q guys. Is the D acts output hard to control? I found the D-X and X2N was too feedbacky.