building a "big guitar"

[emericanchaos]

so i now have a brand new jackson something or other. got it at GC. it's a graphite coloe with a rose board and inverted head and HZ pups. sounds pretty nice out of the the box actually. i put some EB "heavy bottom" strings on as a demo but so far this thing sounds pretty nice.

the plan is to go X2n bridge EVO neck up top. this would be a "big" guitar and eventually will be down tuned to straight C. i have a 96' 570 for regular stuff.

how do y'all feel about this setup?

the idea will be to be able to play down tuned stuff like wintersun, the human abstract, arch enemy, etc.

[SeanB]

Whatever floats your boat...

[markyperfection]

The X2N can sound pretty beastly tuned low, though the Evo neck wouldn't be my first choice. I'd probably throw a Super 2 or a D-Activator Neck (my favorite hot neck pup from DiMarzio) in the neck position since they're a good bit hotter but still nice and bright so they'll add a little snap to the neck-position warmth and roundness.

Though I'm currently using Bare Knuckle Pickups, my band tunes down to C. I use a couple different RG's with Bare Knuckle Nailbombs and D'Addario strings gauged (low to high) .059 - .042 - .030 - .019 - .015 - .011 and it's been working great for me.

[emericanchaos]

Originally Posted by markyperfection

The X2N can sound pretty beastly tuned low, though the Evo neck wouldn't be my first choice. I'd probably throw a Super 2 or a D-Activator Neck (my favorite hot neck pup from DiMarzio) in the neck position since they're a good bit hotter but still nice and bright so they'll add a little snap to the neck-position warmth and roundness.

Though I'm currently using Bare Knuckle Pickups, my band tunes down to C. I use a couple different RG's with Bare Knuckle Nailbombs and D'Addario strings gauged (low to high) .059 - .042 - .030 - .019 - .015 - .011 and it's been working great for me.

bridge is going to be x2n or tone zone for sure. the neck spot is up for grabs. i want something with some sing to it. i have an air norton in the neck of my 570 and it's too dull for me. it's warm but it's not bright at all imo. i love the tone zone in the bridge of that guitar though. roaring chords, colorful harmonics, lots of overtones on high gain. just seems that the air norton works against it. was thinking about going PAF pro in the neck there with a true velvet in the center though it might get a bit too bright.

[reguv760]

since you're going the X2N route, have ya checked the D-Activator X?
i'm not a fan of TZ; had it once and traded for an Evo which went to an RG760... the Evo was taken out for an X2N which works fine for Thrashing in Eb. I also have an Evo on a JEM tuned to C and it does the job for solos that slice; for rhythm work, not so much... a D-Sonic works better IMHO.
For singing neck tone... a Paf Pro should do the job. I have to agree with marky regarding the D-Activator neck - got one for my UV. It's not singy like a Paf Pro but has a "balanced" snap that works well on both high and low notes.
Another suggestion for the neck would be an Air Zone. One of my buddy has one in the neck pos on one of his guitars (Ibanez SC1620) and it's like a ultra-beefier Paf Pro. Kinda like the low-mids of a TZ mixed with MORE of the singy-ness of a Paf Pro..

Reg

[emericanchaos]

that air zone sounds interesting.

i'm not a fan of actives. don't want to deal with batteries and the like. going to try a PAF pro first in the neck i think. i was going to put one in the other guitar so may as well give it a shot. i'm curious about that air zone now though.