Best Bridge humbucker for Alder Strat? suggestions pls

[Alkeys]

Hey guys I have a Warmoth Alder hardtail strat with a Carvin Maple neck with ebony fretboard. I'm going to be using HSS or HH pickup configuration.

Can you guys give me some suggestions on bridge pickups?

Originally I was thinking Duncan JB but I don't want something so brittle sounding. I want something with some bass presence and a thick 3D quality that also sounds good clean and is capable of complex harmonic overtones with good sustain.

My favorite player of all time is Jake E. Lee- I also like Vito Bratta, Warren DeMartini, Andy LaRocque, Alan Holdsworth a lot. So I guess I'm kind of going for a thick growly 80s metal sound that I could do cool clean stuff with as well. I like to tune down to D but I'm not into that NuMetal Mallcore super duper heavy stuff like Slipknot and all that so that's not what I'm going for.

This is what I've been thinking about:

DiMarzio Breed bridge
DiMarzio Norton
DiMarzio Tone Zone (less likely???)
DiMarzio Super3- (although I heard this one doesn't have a lot of bass so I'm fearful it would make my guitar sound too trebly-maybe I'm wrong- I love Def Leppard's Hysteria album though)

any suggestions on your favorites? I'm kind of leaning towards a Norton or a Breed- any experience with either? Thanks everyone!!!

[Gurj]

One of my all time favourite pick-ups has got to be a Bill Lawrence XL500

[Salamander In The Sun]

Big Jake E. Lee fan here, too!

Just go ahead with the JB - it's probably one of the closest things you'll find to Jake's favorite pickup in the 80's (a Seymour Duncan Allan Holdsworth prototype).

It's actually a very balanced pickup.

[RSVampire]

the JB is good but if you're worried about it being bright and brittle (which some people think it is) then I opt for the Seymour Duncan Screamin Deamon which is also a great well rounded pickup for a Strat.

[quiksilverdew]

Norton.

[jaxadam]

Duncan Custom 5. For some reason it seems to really capture highs without being as "brittle" as a JB.

[Moibanez]

Breed! I have one in my Alder 7V and it is awesome.

[Alkeys]

Does the JB have enough low end?

Here's a few concerns of mine- I was kinda leaning more towards DiMarzios:

1) I've heard that a JB in Alder can sound super bright- I've heard it can sound Ice Pick-ish in Alder strats- maybe I am wrong
2) JB is cool but the JB is like 70s technology and I kinda wanted to see if there was an "updated equivalent" like a Super JB-more bass, not ice-pick
(like no one's made anything better since then????!!!!!)
3) I know it's lame of me but am I the only one that doesn't like how Seymour Duncan's say "Seymour Duncan" in big ol white letters on their pickups- that bugs me-it looks cheap

I notice not a lot of people suggest the Norton- maybe a lot of people haven't tried them- it's always ToneZone ToneZone or Evo2.

Well if you guys think the ToneZone would be the best to sound "big", killer for Rhythm and clean up well, maybe that one.

Air Zone? Norton? Tone Zone? Bareknuckles Miracle Man? JB? Is Breed a bad idea in Alder?

Open to more suggestions- thanks for all the input- this really helps me picking the brain of more experienced players like yourselves- thank you

[Alkeys]

MoIbanez- Does the Breed get muddy in Alder?

[jaxadam]

Tone Zone will sound good in Alder, Norton even better, and Custom 5 even better.

Custom 5 will give you great low end without sounding too harsh.

I would only recommend JB for mahogany.

Bill Lawrence XL500 will freakin' kill, that is an awesome pickup.

Caparison PH-R will also kill, but good luck finding one of those. It's like the passive version of an EMG 81 crossed with a JB.

You've got a lot of choices. You can always start out with a Dimarzio, and take advantage of their 30-day return policy by trying out a few pickups and seeing what you like.

[Alkeys]

I listened to the Seymour Duncan site and I can say that I like the sound of the Seymour Duncan Custom Custom. I like how it's kinda darker.

Is there a DiMarzio equivalent to the Custom Custom? A Norton? Breed?

[Big Red]

I have a JB in my alder Jackson Dinky; I find that it's a pretty limited pickup in that it only handles the glam/hair stuff very well. It's IS a pretty thin tone.
I had a Super 3 in there at one point (which I put in my Lado Earth tonight), and it wasn't very ice-picky at all because the highs in the Super 3 are rolled back (e.g. a 5 on the eq-treble verses an 8 for the JB). The emphases is on the mid-range, and a tight bass. With respect to it's other merits, the Super 3 is very nice in terms of EQ voicing; I've had it in everything from mahogany to maple, and it is quickly over-taking the Super Distortion as my favorite bridge pick-up. Oh, and as with all of the other Super-series pick-up, the power of it blows the JB out the water in almost every respect.

P.S. Phil Collen didn't start using the Super 3 until the Adrenalize-era (e.g. 1992). In regards to the Hysteria era; Grover Jackson installed high-output ceramic factory pickup in his then-new Soloists/Dinkys/Archtops. For the album recording, Phil did most of his parts on a Fender Strat with a regular Super Distortion (which was taken out of one of his Ibanez Destroyers) in the bridge.

Cheers

[Alkeys]

Big Red- have you tried the Bill Lawrence XL500- opinions? Note: I'm not a Pantera fan so I'm not going for that tone- I'm going for Jake E. Lee/Early EVH/Def Leppard kind of stuff thx

[Big Red]

Originally Posted by Alkeys

Big Red- have you tried the Bill Lawrence XL500- opinions? Note: I'm not a Pantera fan so I'm not going for that tone- I'm going for Jake E. Lee/Early EVH/Def Leppard kind of stuff thx

Unfortunately I haven't dabbled in any the boutique companies at this point....I'm still mucking about with the Big 3. In terms of Def Leppard's tones, are you looking at the Pete Willis-era (e.g. On Through The Night, High And Dry, Pyromania), or the Phil Collen-era?

Cheers

[Alkeys]

Really the only Def Leppard album I LOVE- is Hysteria. The rest of the Def Leppard albums don't really speak to me the same way- not even close- probably has a lot to do with the production on that album too.