New set up

[scott]

Getting some new pickups and would like some opinions.
The guitar is a soloist, poplar wood, hum-sing-sing, line 6 amp
These pickups will probably be my last purchase for years so I want to get this right.
I need three different Tones.
1: 80’s trash Megadeath, Pantara, Antrax, Exodus, Slayer
2:Cleaner European type metal Iron maiden helloween ,Eric Johnson
3: and more of a full open sound for classic rock
I also need them to somewhat match, I paid $250 for the blue ghost flames so appearance is important to me.
Im thinking of going with dimebucker, hot rails, cool rails. Or the EMG sa/sa/81.
Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated.

[ArtieToo]

Hey Scott; First of all, you have to take my "suggestions" with a grain of salt. I don't play professionally. I'm a rank amatuer who plays strictly at home.

However, for an HSS configuration, you may want to consider any of the following:

Quarter Pound (SSL-4/7)
Custom (SSL-5/6)

But only in the tapped version. I say that because, for just a few dollars more, and a bit of wiring, its like getting two pups in one. In the tapped mode, you get the classic, jangly, chimey, Strat sound. Switch to full-on, and get a tone that approaches a humbucker, but is still its own unique sound. Mated with the proper humbucker in the bridge, and its a lot of versatility from 3 pups.

Just a thought. My proverbial 2-cents worth.

[jimmy]

from what you describe, I would totally go with the Dime in the bridge.
It's got that nice tight, heavy metal crunch and cleans up really well, too; the cleans are a lot cleaner than you would think!

And since it has two metal blades instead of pole pieces, you won't have to worry about buying it in a Trembucker or standard Size--a LOT of people overlook this cool feature.

I don't know a lot about single Coils, but I would go with some cool rails or hot rails in the Mid and Neck position.
If it was my guitar, then I'd go with the Cool rails in the neck.
I hardly ever use the middle pickup, so I can't really help you there.


Rock on.

[scott]

Im thinking of making my tone pot to a p/p vol/tone pot so i can bleed in the level of the dimebucker with the cool/hot rails.

[big_black]

These pickups will probably be my last purchase for years so I want to get this right.

Ha, yeah right! Welcome to the addiction, um... I mean forum.

[scott]

Ok i decided i am going with a dimebuck, hot rail and hot stack.my question now is i read some ware that if you order a hot rail for the bridge position it will have a higher output, should i try that even though it's going in the middle

[Nite_Maresz_25]

Ok i decided i am going with a dimebuck, hot rail and hot stack.my question now is i read some ware that if you order a hot rail for the bridge position it will have a higher output, should i try that even though it's going in the middle

No, because it would overpower the neck pickup. Get a neck hot rails for the middle.

[DeadSkinSlayer3]

No, because it would overpower the neck pickup. Get a neck hot rails for the middle.

I'm using a 17K bucker in the bridge and it doesn't overpower my 7.3K Jazz neck, even when split.

I'd say a JB or Custom in the bridge, Cool/Vintage Rails middle, and a Hot Rails/JB JR in the neck.

[Nite_Maresz_25]

I mean wouldn't to 15k (ish) pickups over power one 7.5 k (ish) pickup??? maybe im just thinking something else i read somewheres.

[scott]

what is the difference in tone from neck to middle to bridge is one brighter or fuller or whatnot
iv been playin the same guitar for 8 years and never questioned why my guitar sounds the way it does.witch i like pearly gates and 2 ssl-5, i just want something different

[Zerberus]

what is the difference in tone from neck to middle to bridge is one brighter or fuller or whatnot
iv been playin the same guitar for 8 years and never questioned why my guitar sounds the way it does.witch i like pearly gates and 2 ssl-5, i just want something different

1. IMO you should be shot for wanting to modify one of the most collectable production Jacksons of the last 15 years, a Shannon-Soloist SHS-1 in Blue Ghost Flame. Sell that guitar to me and I´ll sell you a USA Soloist with whatever pickups you want

2. I would go EMG 81-SA-SA, perfect combop in a Soloist for the type of stuff you´re looking for. Alternatively switch the Bridge pickup for a Duncan Distortion or Duncan Custom and keep the SSL-5s. A cool Rails at the neck would also work real well.

The Dimebucker is too Mushy in a Neckthru IMO, I wouldn´t recommend you go that route. If you do anyway, I´d get the Hotrails as a Neck model and the Hot-stack as a bridge model and put the Rails@ neck and the stack in the middle. The stack will help clean up both humbuckers in pos 2 and 4, and the HR will give you nice fluid tones at the neck for leads.