I wanna change pickups on my all mahogany DC 747

[juiceofvenus]

I got an all mahogany Carvin DC 727, with active electronics & those standard PU's, the thing is that they are great for gargantuan riffing & powerchording but they suck when it comes to more complex chords & are a bit too harsh for soloing.

I would like to ask you guys what PU's would you recommend, for both bridge & neck (allthough i think i'll only replace the bridge for now), considering that this is an all mahogany guitar, yes neck too (neck through fixed bridge).

I like fat, beefy, well defined tone & i play with lots of gain, distortion & mids & i wouldn't want my sound to get muddy, the Carvins don't get muddy, but they're really scooped to prevent that & i don't like scooped :)

So here is what i had in mind, any opinions wellcome:

Bridge:

Either Duncan JB or Dimarzio TZ as a first choice
Duncan custom or Evolution

Neck:

Air Norton or Paf Pro as 1st choice
Jazz or Duncan custom

Thanks

[juiceofvenus]

I forgot to ask, you where can i order these 7 string PU's only, i've only found www.gtrheaven.com, wich has all Duncan 7 's but only Evo's & Blazez from Dimarzio, so where do u guys get the TZ7 & PAF pro 7 from?

Thanks

[ChrisReedSmith]

You can order them direct from DiMarzio or you can go through a dealer such as Guitar Center. If you want to order direct you can have them send you a catalog but since you already know what you want you could probably just call.

[Noodles]

Also I think you can get the TZ7 for $70 from Mars Music if you wanna order online.

[juiceofvenus]

Thanks

[Noodles]

Jucie, have you tried an RG7 neck? If so how does it compare to the dc7x7 neck?

[Scott of Actual Time]

Quote: from juiceofvenus on 5:21 am on Mar. 25, 2001
I got an all mahogany Carvin DC 727, [snip]

I like fat, beefy, well defined tone & i play with lots of gain, distortion & mids [snip]

Bridge:
Either Duncan JB or Dimarzio TZ as a first choice
Duncan custom or Evolution

Neck:
Air Norton or Paf Pro as 1st choice
Jazz or Duncan custom

I use Duncans in my Ibanez 7 strings, JBs in the bridge position of my basswood RG7s and a Custom in the bridge position of one of my 540S7s. *I play high gain prog/technical metal.

I chose those pickups partly on previous 6 string experience with the JB in basswood bodies - I think it has a thick, chewey crunch sound without being too high output or too top end harsh.

I chose the Custom for the thin mahogany 540S7 from recommendations about that pickup in mahogany guitars. *It has high but not super high output, and it stays rounded and sort of sizzly at high gain.

I really like them both, and I would recommend either for your larger mahogany guitar depending on how much sizzle you wanted [the JB gives more]. *

For a short, mono mp3 sound clip of them in action, check out this studio clip of my band Actual Time:

http://www.people.virginia.edu/~sha3u/clips/duncan7.mp3

The clean is the RG7 w/ JB, the dirty is the 540S7 w/ Custom. *The rig is Peavey Rock Master tube preamp, some EQ, some reverb from a Rocktron Replifex, and a Boogie 50/50 with the Deep Mod into a custom 4x12 I built.

If you like the music, check out:

http://www.mp3.com/actualtime/
http://www.people.virginia.edu/~sha3u/time/

I can't help you much on the Duncan neck - I was happy with the DiMarzio New 7 in the neck of the RG7s and just left them there. *I would think that a Jazz or for slightly lower output a 59 would probably do well, and the Custom in the neck [which it really isn't made for] might be too much.

Hope this helps.

[juiceofvenus]

Noodles, i live in Romania & there's no point in describing how pathetic the guitar market is, so obviously no replacement pickups are available, so no i haven't tryed an RG 7.
I will order my PU via the internet & that;s why i gotta really nail down the pickup that has the sound i'm looking for, or otherwise i'll be stuck with it, i couldn't even sell it here if i didn't like it cuz honestly i dunno how many 7 string guitars are in Romania, i might not be exagerating when i say i'm the only one :)

Scott, those PU's sound more refined & clear than what i've got, but i would like more mids that what i hear here.
The sound here seems kinda scooped/dry, somewhat similar to the metallica justice for all sound, so is that the actual sound of the PU's or you scooped the sound from the amp?

[Scott of Actual Time]

sorry, i meant to reply and i guess i forgot.

yes, some of the scooped sound comes from the amp and EQ settings. *i have a very carefully optimized thrash sound that has lots of low end but also a lot of upper mids. *it is very dry, i use a touch of reverb and that's it as far as FX.

that was the Custom, if you wanted a more rich, thick sound when using distortion, i would recommend the JB instead. *good luck.

[RGA7620]

Scott. ? did you direct mount your duncans or use mounting rings just curious cause i just got a jb and jazz and was wondering

Thanks Rich

[Scott of Actual Time]

i direct mounted them. *the mounting tabs are U shaped instead of V shaped, but they still fit in the RG7620 cavity rout. *i used some rubber blocks under the slug pole piece coil of the pickup, since the ends of the crew pole pieces make the pickup rest at an angle and not flat. *if i had a dremel router or something, i would rout a tiny channel in the wood for those screw ends.

[RGA7620]

Very cool thanks. Also dig the music keep it going

Rich