What Are the Hottest 7-String Pickups???

JTM45 · #1 03-14-2005, 08:31 PM

I've just bought an RG2027(waiting for it to come) and it's my first 7-String. What are the hottest sounding pickups that I could put in the bridge position? I play a lot of high gain stuff and chunky riffs but I'd also like to be able to get plenty of pinched harmonics without too much trouble. I'd rather not go down the EMG path really. I love EMG's but as the guitar has the Piezo I don't want to be adding active pickups as well as the electrics for the Piezo.

What are my options on the 7-String pickup front?

brainstem3000 · #2 03-14-2005, 09:14 PM

i have a 2 2027 and one has emgs 81-7 and a 707 . the other has tonezone7 and a paf7 . the 2027 piezo pickups are active they run off a 9 volt battery just like emg's . both are great . i perfer the emgs for a tighter crunch . but you will have to route out the pickup cavitys to make room for the emgs . i had this done professionally . the tonezone 7 in the bridge are the hottest passive pickups i ever played so . so if you love emgs you will have to route the body. but the tz7 is as close as you can get .without modification . if you go with emgs i found a way to wire the emgs right to the battery from the piezo so 1 battery powers all pickups . either way . you have already won . the 2027 in my opinion is one of the best . playing sounding 7 string ever made . enjoy and congradulations

Allen Garrow · #3 03-14-2005, 09:30 PM

I Vote For Tonezone7 (bridge) Airnorton7 ( Neck ).

~a

darren wilson · #4 03-14-2005, 10:26 PM

For sheer "hotness", the Seymour Duncan Invader 7 is probably about as hot as you can get in a passive pickup.

Allen Garrow · #5 03-14-2005, 10:41 PM

When you say Hot are you inferring to "OUTPUT"? I was thinking Hot as in Kick ass. The TZ/AN's are beefy as hell, I've used EVO 7's and found that the high output wasn't the way to go for a 7 string. 6 string yes, 7 no.

~A

Dylan7620 · #6 03-14-2005, 10:43 PM

i know duncan can custom wind u a pickup... theres also the lungren model m, both are going to be expensive though.

JTM45 · #7 03-15-2005, 09:30 AM

Thanks for the advice guys.
'Allen', I also meant Hot as in Kick-Ass,lol.'Beefy as Hell' sounds good to me too. Are you suggesting the TZ for the bridge and the AN for the neck? A lot of people seem to go for that combination(must be a good sign). Will the TZ provide plenty of Harmonics and stuff as well as the low-end 'chunk'? Also,will this pickup combination work well with the Mahogany body of the 2027?

'Darren', I did think about the Invader 7 but I found the 6-string version to be a bit too 'trebly' (if there is such a word,lol).

'Brainstem 3000'. It's good to hear you speak so highly of the 2027. I've read lots of favourable reports of the guitar but I just couldn't find any for sale. I was about to buy a 2020X instead and at the last minute a 2027 appeared on 'the auction site' for £500 so I just had to get it.
I think I'll probably try the Tone Zone first and if I'm not happy with that (i think I will be from what people are saying) I may go for the EMG's in time. I would rather not route the guitar but if it comes to it I think I could do it(or have it done).

Many Thanks to evryone for the input. JTM45.

Allen Garrow · #8 03-15-2005, 09:50 AM

JTM45, TZ7 ( Bridge ) is rich with harmonics, as is the AN7 in neck, warm big, and work great with the Wah pedal. I've found the wah pedal ( bad horsie ) was just missing something on other 7's like Universes, it was there but just shy of really cool. I could never get the kickass nasal tone on a 7 that I could on my 6 ( VWH ). TZ7 seems to get me there, the frequency ranges work well together.
As far as Mahogany bodies go,,,,hummm I no experience with Mahogany,,,other than a really old Gibson Explorer I used to have years ago. If I remember correctly others have said Mahogany and Tz7/An7's were a good combo. I think that bottom line is only you and your ear are really going to know what you like. These suggestions should get you pointed in the right direction at least. I have 2 RG1527's 0ne has Tz7/An7 and the other is Blaze/Blaze custom ( bridge ). The Tz7 guitar is my sweet heart,,,she's warm, big, gentle and a complete bitch at times. That is my #1 guitar. The other with the Blaze/Blaze custom is my goofy guitar. The tone isn't as mature as the Tz7. The bridge has plenty of bass and mid to give it that old school UV sound and well we all know the Blaze in the neck just kicks ass'. That guitar is more of my shredder guitar, the sound is a little tighter, reminds me of the tone Steve has on PAW. The Tz7 is more Dream theater or Alien love secret,,,more DT though.

~A

Scott of Actual Time · #9 03-15-2005, 09:55 AM

the TZ7 is a great pickup, but in a mahogany body it can sound dark depending on your amp. it is hot output, but i would not call it the hottest. the Blaze Custom and the Evo7 are both hotter, in terms of sheer power and edge to the sound. i'd recommend the TZ7 as a great starting point for a 2027, especially if you run a ton of gain or have a sharp sounding amp. however, you may find like many folks here on jemsite that it doesn't have enough edge or bite in mahogany for your tastes.

the AN7 is a great neck pickup, with a smooth overdriven tone and a spanky quack when coil cut.

Allen Garrow · #10 03-15-2005, 10:14 AM

Yeah, I would agree with Scott. I use alot of distortion through a rack mount. I have a Digtech valve Fx and I run it through a Carvin DCM1000 which is very a very clean bright amp. I'm not sure how it would sound through a conventional tube head, but I would lean towards that it may be darker. But if you have extra Eq abilities you should be able to find that sweet spot.

~A

JTM45 · #11 03-15-2005, 10:40 AM

Cheers Guys!
There's some great advice there for me to be going on with. I've got a '79 Marshall JMP 50watt head but I also have a home-made 15 watt head with a single KT66 power-tube (awesome sound considering I made it!)which I use at home mostly. I also love high-gain distortion stuff. I recently got a Keeley modded Boss MT-2tz which sounds fantastic! I never liked the stock MT-2 (too 'fizzy' sounding)but this Keeley version is like a completely different pedal. It's very versatile too.

'Dylan7620' mentioned 'Lundgren' pickups. I just checked their site out and the description sounds good (but then don't all manufacturers descriptions,lol). Has anyone tried the Lundgren7 pickup? I know they're not cheap but if they give you the sound I'm after it's gotta' be worth considering.

Drew · #12 03-15-2005, 03:00 PM

Former 2027 owner here.

I bought it with a Tone Zone 7 in the bridge, and hated it. You're taking a lower-mid-heavy tonewood without a lot of deep bass or treble, and putting a pickup that's basically all mids into it. Good clean, but useless for distorted leads.

The Evo, on the other hand, smoked in that position. Great riffing tones, and one of the best lead sounds I've ever heard.

Basically, because mahogany is so mid-heavy, you want a pickup with good highs and strong bass. something slightly scooped, particularly in the lower midrange, is ideal. The Evo is strong in the treble, bass, and upper mids - a natural pick. The Blaze has a scooped midrange but great treble and bass - this would probably work quite well too, although Wordwolf swears by the Blaze Custom in his 2027 (the blaze with a boosted midrange, from the sound of it probably upper midrange, and a bit more output). The Lundgren is probably a great match, too - hot, and as close to an EMG sound as you're likely to get in a passive.

-D

JTM45 · #13 03-15-2005, 07:26 PM

Thanks 'Drew'. All advice is greatfully received! I'm really confused now though,lol. I can see what you're saying totally.From the description you give of the Evo and the Blaze it sounds like they would work well with the Mahogany body.
I suppose in the end I'm gonna' have to try one type first and if I'm not happy swap it for something else,and so on. Obviously the less of that I have to do the better. I am tempted to perhaps try the Lundgren first as nobody has had anything bad to say about them (so far!). I hadn't even heard of Lundgren Pickups until someone mentioned them in reply to my question.
I really don't like 'over-bright' sounding pickups. I play a lot of chunky power-riff type stuff (sort of Dino Cazares' sound) but I don't want it to sound at all 'muddy' either.

Looks like I might need to experiment a bit ('experimenting' can be so damned expensive though!lol).

The Dark Wolf · #14 03-16-2005, 05:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drew

Former 2027 owner here.

I bought it with a Tone Zone 7 in the bridge, and hated it. You're taking a lower-mid-heavy tonewood without a lot of deep bass or treble, and putting a pickup that's basically all mids into it. Good clean, but useless for distorted leads.

The Evo, on the other hand, smoked in that position. Great riffing tones, and one of the best lead sounds I've ever heard.

Basically, because mahogany is so mid-heavy, you want a pickup with good highs and strong bass. something slightly scooped, particularly in the lower midrange, is ideal. The Evo is strong in the treble, bass, and upper mids - a natural pick. The Blaze has a scooped midrange but great treble and bass - this would probably work quite well too, although Wordwolf swears by the Blaze Custom in his 2027 (the blaze with a boosted midrange, from the sound of it probably upper midrange, and a bit more output). The Lundgren is probably a great match, too - hot, and as close to an EMG sound as you're likely to get in a passive.

-D

EHHH! Nope, I swear by the BLAZE, not the Blaze Custom, m'man. I'm curious about the BC, but I'm really happy with the Blaze Bridge.

Like Drew, I do NOT recommend the TZ7 for the bridge on the 2027. The AN7 for the neck, yes! But I found the TZ7 to be
A) Flabby (all low mid)
B) Lacking in bass
C) No treble to speak of
D) Very, very "round", almost like a vintage pickup
E) Not very "hot." The Blaze is quite a bit hotter (output, punch, and balls)

The TZ7 does have a nice sound... very mellow, great cleans, rocks live. But side-by-side with the Blaze, I'd give the Blaze a 9.5, and the TZ7 MAYBE a 7... for anything with clarity, a 4 or a 5 at best. It just doesn't seem to like mahogany (I'm a 2027 owner like you. had the TZ7 in, now have the Blaze Bridge... remember, there are 3 Blaze pickups. 1. The Blaze neck 2. The Blaze Bridge and 3. The Blaze Custom (also for the bridge.)

I'd completely recommend the Blaze Bridge for the 2027. Awesome sound (it seems pretty similar tonally to the Lundgren, too, at least in a macro-sense. The Lundgren's are used by Meshuggah, so if you like that sound, there ya go. Another GREAT bridge pickup for mahogany is the Seymour Duncan JB (also JB-7, of course). I'd say those are the 3 best passive bridge pups for mahogany 7's, and the EMG 81-7 for active. (Although someone on here, frankfalbo maybe? swears by Bartolini's... not sure if he uses active or passive Barts, however.)

fishhead785 · #15 03-16-2005, 03:13 PM

I have a 1077 that has a TZ7 and I really didn't care for it with the basswood body.Suprisingly though I really like the stock pickups that come in the RG7CT and also the stockers in my 8527's..they sound really smooth .....but they have maple caps. Guess it depends mostly on what type of music you play to get a sound you are happy with....I also have a EBJPM7 and that sounds closest to my 7620 which also has stockers in it.