Help choose pickups for RG550 + Mesa DC-5

[Oatman]

OK, My first guitar gene splicing experiment in preparation for my ultimate R540 Radius experiment...

Basswood body RG550/570 of '87 or so vintage. It is ambiguous because it has a rosewood wizard neck with dot inlays, but doesn't seem to match any 570 I ever saw or heard of, so I think it's a 550 that a previous owner neck swapped - but I digress.

Have Mesa Boogie Dual Caliber DC-5 and I'm finally figuring it out (and it's the easy to dial mesa!) I also have a '65 RI Fender Deluxe Reverb on loan to me for a month or so...

My other guitars all have **** pickups, so no comparisons there.

I'm experimenting and learning different styles and tones (hence versatile amp choice) So I'm trying to avoid anything too high output. Surf-texas-punk->Horton heat, Satch, Santana, Gibbons, All the classics, Mahavishnu Fusion, Andy timmons, SRV, Hendrix, Keith Richards, Jazz-ish. Now I'm not expecting all that in one pickup but just an idea where I'm livin'.

So here goes. The RG55(7)0 in question came to me loaded with Seymour Duncan Custom (Trembukers?) TB-11 in both neck and bridge. Wholly **** they sounded awful. Absurdly, harsh, hairy all high/mids no warmth or bass at all. I couldn't EQ my way out of hell.

Now here is my confusion: I have read that TB11 pickups are good for bright guitars. Is this a bright guitar? Is my amp Dark, bright or indifferent? I don't know how to tell, it is very versatile with Gain stage tone stack and post gain stage EQ. According to SM site the TB11 is crazy high biased with ratings of 3-7-7 for low-mid-high, which fits my experience. Why would you take an already bright sounding guitar and exaggerate it more with a pickup that is so extremely high EQ shifted? What am I missing?

I've had a lot of people recommend the JB (TB-4) pickups, and since the TB11 sounds like a hotted up JB, I'm wondering if that would be better but similarly awful...

I was only looking into SD as I only have experience with Dimarzio pickups. I'm playing with a super distortion, fred, and paf pro in other guitars and plant to try the paf joe and mo' joe's if i ever find some cheap.

Thanks helping a NooB!

[screamndemon69]

Seymour makes nother pup similar to the JB (TB-4) called the PATB-2 that I'm having good luck with in basswood RG's. Paf Pro or similar always work well in the neck as well as Seymour Jazz and the classic '59.

[_FR0D0]

I'm a Dimarzio guy but if you want duncams you should try Custom 5
(SH-14 or TB-14) in the bridge and a '59 model (SH-1 or TB59) in the neck.

For the bridge you can also try a Custom (SH-5 or TB-5).

One thing you can do is get an Alnico V magent and swap your bridge's Alnico II magnet and you will get a Custom 5

[frankfalbo]

Originally Posted by Oatman

...Now I'm not expecting all that in one pickup but just an idea where I'm livin'...

A set of Tom Andersons would blend with that DC-5 nicely. I had a DC-5 for awhile and liked it. The PATB setup would smoke in that guitar, (PATB 1Neck, PATB Stack, & PATB 1Bridge would be my choice) For the ultimate in versatility (and assuming you wanted to add a push/pull or mini-toggle) there is a new pickup debuting at NAMM that I can't discuss yet, but it would give the 570 added versatility that would cover a larger number of the styles you've listed. I've got Boogie gear, and I can attest that it plays well with Boogies. That pickup set will be announced around the second week in January.

[jono]

OK first of all, the RG's designation is mostly dependent on the body style.

The RG550 has a pickguard and the RG570 (back in the late 80s) pickup rings. They could initially be ordered with either maple or rosewood necks.

I have a DC5 and it' my fave amp ever, it's not quite as insane as a dual recto definately a (very) hot rodded fender sound which I love. I think that the amp is bright when there's not much gain dialled in but gets progressively darker if you just wind it up and don't alter the EQ.

I don't have much experience with SD pickups but I like the Fred as a medium output pickup through the DC5 in the bridge and the PAF Pro if just good fun all round, but may be a bit bright for some people's taste.

What I will say is that as you wind up the amp to gigging levels (or any amp really) the bass seems to fill the space more so you do lose some brightness if you're playing out rather than practicing at home.

[Oatman]

You're right Jono, I was probably thinking of the RG750, though I only saw those with sharktooths. I never new that rosewood was an option for the RG550's so that probably solves the mystery.

Thanks for all the feedback. I now have a paf-pro, and a Fred on the way to play with.

As for the Tom Anderson's - I've never heard of them. Which in particular might I look into? I'm probably going to stay away from the boutique pups like the Fralins, wolftones, etc. as I'll likely never find them cheap like the slew of SD and Dimarzios on ****.

The PATB-1 sounds really interesting, what I'm looking for thanks for the heads up! Never heard of those. The PATB-2 sounds a bit over the top. I don't want to lose touch dynamics, which seems to happen with ultra high output, or basically whenever I play regardless of pickup.

It's a good point about the clean channel versus lead. The amp is kinda schitzo with a bright-ish fendery Rhythm channel (only kinda and not at all with regard to the reverb imo) and an increasingly dark-ish Lead that I don't find particularly Dual Rec-ish. I'm working on a 2x12 as an alternative to the black shadow. I know it's sort of off topic, but would 2x 25 watt Greenbacks be a bad idea? (I'm thinking they'll get blown up and I don't have room for a 4x12 greenback+70th anniversary mix that I dream of)

Oh I'm for sure a bedroom loser. I have a drum kit and a few buds pop over to jam every now and then, but I have no interest in playing 'live'.

[Oatman]

Originally Posted by frankfalbo

A set of Tom Andersons would blend with that DC-5 nicely. I had a DC-5 for awhile and liked it. The PATB setup would smoke in that guitar, (PATB 1Neck, PATB Stack, & PATB 1Bridge would be my choice) For the ultimate in versatility (and assuming you wanted to add a push/pull or mini-toggle) there is a new pickup debuting at NAMM that I can't discuss yet, but it would give the 570 added versatility that would cover a larger number of the styles you've listed...

I'm intruiged by the cloak and dagger. I'd love to hear more about it. When is NAMM? I wonder if my buddy who works for Ibanez will be going. He gave me the 2008 (or was it 2009?) catalog to look at the a couple weeks ago. Some cool new colors and grafix coming out. Some really lame ass ones too. Ibanez has been really conservative for a while now...

Anyway, what Tom A would you recomend? I'm starting to scour **** for those PATBs. Once I finnish screwing around I'll have a big pile of pickups and guitar speakers to sell or trade on the cheap keep me in mind boys

[frankfalbo]

NAMM starts January 17th, and that's the official announcement on the pickups. If something leaks out sooner I'll let you know.

Tom Anderson H3, H3+ bridge, and H2-n? for the neck? I can't remember all of his names anymore, but whatever he would normally load into an HH superstrat of his, with Floyd.

[ibanezking]

I've had a DC5 for 7 years and won't part with it!

My Jem has a Tone Zone and Airnorton
and my Les Paul Double cut has a Jb and 59 Neck

Both sound great thro' the Boog!

Max

[Oatman]

I keep getting pickups on **** that turn out to be standard and not fender spaced, even after painstakingly stalking the sellers about it. frustrating.

so i've had to resell a dimarzio super distortion and a paf joe. I now have a TB4, TB11 both from SD and dimarzio FRED and PAF pro. should have them swapped in this weekend.

Thanks for the recs on the Tom A models. Anyone have experience with Lindy Fralins and/or Wolfetone? I'd like to earmark a couple appropriate models from those guys to put on the lidt with the PATBs $ TomAs.


I finally swapped my tubes around and am getting my tone kinda locked in, though with the pickups i'll probably have to start over. Oddly, I found I liked a new production Tung Sol in the PI much better than the fancey schmancey Mullard 12AT7. I also found the "dark w/ early breakup" RFT NOS 12AX7 is great in the clean V3. Still have enough clean headroom for me (love that black shadow speaker) Not sure I'm sold on the telefunken in V1. It sounds pretty dark, but very lush and musical. All in all I'm not sure I'm sold on this NOS stuff. I think it's all pretty hit and miss. I have no idea why I'm going off on tubes in a pickup thread. Waaay past my bedtime. got a sick deal on a new avatar cab. I'm swapping in my greenbacks.

Anyone interested in a pair of 4 ohm Celestion G12T100s? I need to sell them to pay for either v30 or G12H30s to try.

[Crazy_Guitar]

The Seymour Duncan JB is my *favourite* pickup. It does everything: from Les Pauls to HSS Strats.

I also like the DiMarzio's PAF Pro (neck, colder -less output- in the bridge), the Air Norton (neck), Evo 2 (bridge) and Tone Zone (bridge).
From SD, I also like the '59 (both, colder -less output- in the bridge).

I think if you'd pick any of the list above, you'll end up with a great axe, whatever one it is.

[Oatman]

Originally Posted by Crazy_Guitar

The Seymour Duncan JB is my *favourite* pickup. It does everything: from Les Pauls to HSS Strats.

I also like the DiMarzio's PAF Pro (neck, colder -less output- in the bridge), the Air Norton (neck), Evo 2 (bridge) and Tone Zone (bridge).
From SD, I also like the '59 (both, colder -less output- in the bridge).

I think if you'd pick any of the list above, you'll end up with a great axe, whatever one it is.

Finally got my hands on a JB and put it in the bridge of my RG550. I was a bit skeptical after how much I hated the Custom Custom, but OH MY! You are right. I love it. Even more than the Mo' Joe that went in to my RG440DX roadstar 2. It sounds so good on my modded Epiphone Valve Jr that I can't stop jammin' with it. It really does sound amazing jazzy, bluesy, crunchy or metal. I'm pretty impressed. Now I don't mind the custom custom in the neck, but it's an output mismatch. I was thinking of a pearly gates for the neck, but a buddy is trying to get me to try an antiquity. Do those antiquity Hummers come in F spacing?

Anyway thanks for all the advice. Once I'm out of debt I'm hunkering for some Fralin singles for the middle and neck in the radius...