Bridge pickup replacement suggestions

NeglectedField · #1 08-23-2006, 11:39 AM

My payday is just around the corner and I intend on getting a new bridge pickup on my RG7321. I play a mix of metal and bright cleans so I need something that's tight under high-gain but sounds pleasant enough clean. Bear in mind it's a basswood body and I hear that the SD jb-7 is not suited so well for it. I also hear from various people that the dimarzio blaze custom doesn't have very tight definition, but feel free to tell me otherwise if you've had better experiences.

First ideas are:
SD Duncan Custom 7
Dimarzio Blaze bridge
Dimarzio D-Sonic 7

I would ask on the 7-string forum but I never got an activation email so I can't post there yet.

Roland · #2 08-23-2006, 11:45 AM

Blaze Custom Blaze Custom Blaze Custom Blaze Custom.

NeglectedField · #3 08-23-2006, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roland

Blaze Custom Blaze Custom Blaze Custom Blaze Custom.

Would be helpful if you could explain what you like about it, seeing as I've heard mixed things....

Roland · #4 08-23-2006, 01:41 PM

Mixed things? From where? The only reviews I've ever seen of the Blaze Custom have been positive exclusively. (Save from HC, but they consist of a bunch of idiots)

First of all, it's got a massive distorted authority that is perfectly clear on the low end if you know how to tweak your amp (i.e if your setup sounds muddy, it sure isn't the pickup), with a very nasty midrange growl that backs off nicely when you scoop the amp. The cleans are rather ballsy and clear, that again back off nicely when you roll off the volume and/or tone-knob. Basically a humbucking can of whoopass in every aspect.

NeglectedField · #5 08-23-2006, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roland

Mixed things? From where? The only reviews I've ever seen of the Blaze Custom have been positive exclusively. (Save from HC, but they consist of a bunch of idiots)

First of all, it's got a massive distorted authority that is perfectly clear on the low end if you know how to tweak your amp (i.e if your setup sounds muddy, it sure isn't the pickup), with a very nasty midrange growl that backs off nicely when you scoop the amp. The cleans are rather ballsy and clear, that again back off nicely when you roll off the volume and/or tone-knob. Basically a humbucking can of whoopass in every aspect.

It's the sevenstring.org forum where I heard the most negative stuff come from.

If your description is correct it will probably work nicely with my line 6 spider which I've set up with two distorted tones, one scooped (my own set up, a very sharp trebly scoop) and a fatter Steve Vai tone I learned out of Guitarist magazine's Tone Up column. I've also got a toneport which I use to record with. What amp/setup(s) do you normally use? And how does the blaze custom handle the low B?

Drew · #6 08-23-2006, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeglectedField

I would ask on the 7-string forum but I never got an activation email so I can't post there yet.

Really? PM me over there (same username), you can do that even before you're approved. Did you provide a valid e-mail with your registration? Also, what's your spamguard like? Take a look at your filtered mail from about the time you set up.

For your question, the D-Sonic might be your best bet of the ones listed, but I don't know enough about Duncans to speak for them. I love, love, LOVE the Blaze bridge, but I like it for it's rumbly, low bass growl and incredible responsiveness to semi-harmonics - it's a hell of a lead pickup and it kills for slow-to-mid-tempo growly riffing, but for fast, tight high-gain stuff, there's probably better options. The Blaze Custom is apparently a little tighter in the bass, but also trades some of the high end bite for midrange, and the Blaze isn't the brightest of pickups to begin with.

From what I've been told, the D-Sonic 7 splits the difference between the Blaze (growly low end) and the X2N (extremely narrow, focused high gain sound), preserving a bit of the growl but with a more focused, brighter tone. I'm actually kind of curious to try one myself.

NeglectedField · #7 08-23-2006, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drew

Really? PM me over there (same username), you can do that even before you're approved. Did you provide a valid e-mail with your registration? Also, what's your spamguard like? Take a look at your filtered mail from about the time you set up.

For your question, the D-Sonic might be your best bet of the ones listed, but I don't know enough about Duncans to speak for them. I love, love, LOVE the Blaze bridge, but I like it for it's rumbly, low bass growl and incredible responsiveness to semi-harmonics - it's a hell of a lead pickup and it kills for slow-to-mid-tempo growly riffing, but for fast, tight high-gain stuff, there's probably better options. The Blaze Custom is apparently a little tighter in the bass, but also trades some of the high end bite for midrange, and the Blaze isn't the brightest of pickups to begin with.

From what I've been told, the D-Sonic 7 splits the difference between the Blaze (growly low end) and the X2N (extremely narrow, focused high gain sound), preserving a bit of the growl but with a more focused, brighter tone. I'm actually kind of curious to try one myself.

Just PM'ed you there.

the D-Sonic 7 is my first choice at the moment, it's quite pricey (£80) and I'm getting it installed by a technician so I wanted to see if there were any decent, cheaper alternatives. It's a shame nobody's given the Duncan Custom 7 a try, looking at tone chart it seems to be quite near the blaze bridge in terms of the type of sound, except less scooping out.

Drew · #8 08-23-2006, 11:17 PM

You're in England? Maybe a set of Bare Knuckles? The only reason I haven't tried them yet is they're kind of pricey to import here... Everyone who I've talked to who's tried them has come away raving.

Check your inbox over there - my money says it's a gmail filter issue.

**jaxadam** · #9 08-23-2006, 11:40 PM

Blaze is great, and also EMG 81-7. I know you're not considering that, but it is great for 7 string.

thadood · #10 08-24-2006, 02:30 AM

EMG's will give you a fizzling high end, and not in a good way. They're kind of sterile sounding, good for only one thing. Go with a set of Bare Knuckles since you're in England. They're expensive, but worth EVERY penny.

NeglectedField · #11 08-24-2006, 07:56 AM

I hear good things about Bare Knuckle, but I can't see any 7-string models on their official site.

Cheers for the help so far, guys.

Drew · #12 08-24-2006, 02:01 PM

EMG's are actually way more versatile than you'd think, and not particularly sterile - I convinced just about everyone who heard it here and everyone who heard it over at sevenstring.org that the clip I posted of me w@nking over the "Comfortably Numb" changes was a stratocaster, and not the neck 707 of a Hellraiser.

They ARE awfully susceptable to fret buzz - you really have to run your action high enough so you're getting absolutely no fret buzz, because they're bright enough and sensitive enough that they WILL replicate it, even through fairly high gain. So if you're a 1.5mm action guy who tolerates a little bit of buzz for a lighter touch, you might want to steer elsewere, but if not, they're definitely a viable option.

Bare Knuckles, I've been told, will wind any of their 6-string pickups as a 7-string, which is bloody awesome of 'em.

thadood · #13 08-24-2006, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drew

EMG's are actually way more versatile than you'd think, and not particularly sterile - I convinced just about everyone who heard it here and everyone who heard it over at sevenstring.org that the clip I posted of me w@nking over the "Comfortably Numb" changes was a stratocaster, and not the neck 707 of a Hellraiser.

They ARE awfully susceptable to fret buzz - you really have to run your action high enough so you're getting absolutely no fret buzz, because they're bright enough and sensitive enough that they WILL replicate it, even through fairly high gain. So if you're a 1.5mm action guy who tolerates a little bit of buzz for a lighter touch, you might want to steer elsewere, but if not, they're definitely a viable option.

Bare Knuckles, I've been told, will wind any of their 6-string pickups as a 7-string, which is bloody awesome of 'em.

I have a set of EMG's I'm trying to sell, they just don't cut it for me. I need a much more organic sound =0
And yeah, for Bare Knuckles, when you order, put in "7 string" for the customizing box. You can even get yourself some awesome pickups covers, which are shown on the site somewhere. Unless they don't do pickup covers for 7 strings.