pickups for jackson v

[callen3615]

i got a new jackson kvx10. gota change pickups tho. ok, now for pickup swap in the bridge...i got a x2n in one of my ibanezs, and i like the sound, but i want to try something different. i have been looking at the duncan tb-4s, duncan distortion, or maybe a bill lawrence 500 xl. not going the active route tho. im going for a good thrash metal tone.

[the.godfather]

What's the body wood of the Jackson?

That'll determine what pickups to recommend.

[Jik]

If it is a newer KVX10 (the one with the floyd) then it is made of basswood. I personally own one of these and installed an EMG81/85 and installed a PA2 booster. Maybe I was just lucky with the peice of wood, but mine has a wonderful scream for most types of metal.

[the.godfather]

The Bill Lawrence XL500 is a great pickup, cheaper than other brands too. I had a dual set of them in my RG421 once and I really enjoyed them (I've got a set of GuitarHeads Alnico's in there now). After a while they became a little bit too brash for my liking though. At first they were great, but after a while I just got tired of the out-and-out high output power. I wanted something that I could also dial down a touch and do other things with, and that's why I got rid of them in the end.

If you want to try something different from the X2N, then I'd look elsewhere because the Bill Lawrence is basically the same as the X2N.

Maybe try SD Blackouts if you want to try actives, or DiMarzio Breeds if you want to stick to passives? Both pickups that I'm a fan of myself.

[callen3615]

i feel that active pickups ruin the dynamics of any guitar. never tried the breed tho, have an evolution and never got that much into it, couldn't play any rhythm with it

[CityofBlindingLights]

Originally Posted by the.godfather

If you want to try something different from the X2N, then I'd look elsewhere because the Bill Lawrence is basically the same as the X2N.

Maybe try SD Blackouts if you want to try actives, or DiMarzio Breeds if you want to stick to passives? Both pickups that I'm a fan of myself.

The Bill Lawrence L-500 sounds NOTHING like the X2N, whether you use the L-500 C, R, L, or XL. The L-500 is MUCH more expressive, and allows the tone of the body wood to really shine through. It's a very alive pickup, allowing the acoustics and nuances of your playing to jump out of your amplifier. The X2N is a biting, high output, balls-to-the-wall pickup. The Seymour Duncan Dimebucker is based off of the L-500XL, but that's the closest aftermarket pickup you can find to the Lawrence L-500.

The SD Blackouts are interesting, I'm just not an active guy, so they never really floated my boat.

The DiMarzio Breed set, on the other hand, is absolutely amazing. Lots of nice low end and thick and crunchy, but it doesn't get muddy.

If you don't like those, my personal recommendation would be a DiMarzio Super 3 in the bridge and a DiMarzio Super 2 in the neck (or any DiMarzio will work in the neck, as long as its output is less than or equal to that of the bridge), but I highly recommend you look into the Super 3. Or, try the DiMarzio D Activators or D Activator X.