Single Coils to Balance D-Activators

[Nihility]

Hi folks, im new to the forum, but i felt that i could get some really good input on my question here, seeing that there are plenty of ibanez and dimarzio players here (as they go hand in hand)... anyway on to the question.

Ive recently gotten my hands on an Ibanez RG 370, as my ESP F series got a little boring and i had wanted a reasonably priced RG that i could do quite a bit of overhaul to, but without a pickguard.

Im seriously considering swapping pickups on the RG - the INFs arent bad, better than average, but still stock - and im looking for something a little higher output, a la D-Activators, D-Activator Xs or an X2N in the bridge and something to balance it out. Heres the catch though... i need a single coil to balance all of this out, and i would consider something with decent cleans and a good lead voice to balance everything out. Really, id like some suggestions on what to combine with a set of D-Activators or an X2N and D-Activator/ Evo Neck.

(PS. I play quite a bit of Death Metal and prog, but i play some jazz fusion and Opeth cleans)

[_FR0D0]

Red Velvet Reverse Wounded

[Nihility]

I looked into Red Velvets but from memory, im pretty sure they aren't hum cancelling. Would it be possible to wire a Pro Track or a Fast Track 1 into it? A friend has a similar set up with an X2N and a Pro Track and it works fairly well so im wondering if thats a possibility as well?

[kotornut]

I have a Fastrack 1 and it sounds great, very single coil like. Amazing cleans. It's output is pretty high for the type, but it'll still have a little volume difference when compared to the D-Activator. You'd have to fiddle witht he PUP hieghts. The Protrack will sound like a classic humbucker, but you can wire it up for splitting and so on. Honestly, death metal isn't much for single coils so it's hard to recommend something for that style.

If you don't really care whether or not it sounds exactly like a singe than look at a Chopper, the Chopper is kind of in between a sigle and humbucker tone. And if you want a true humbucking sound then get a Air Norton S or a Protrack. Also look at the BC-1 it's a Billy Corgan signature, you might not be into his music but it sounds like something for you based on what you are looking for. And it's higher output.

DiMarzio BC-1 DP225
When we started working with Billy Corgan on the pickups for his signature Strat®, we sent him several models to try out. He liked the Air Norton® S in the neck, Chopper™ in the middle and Tone Zone® S in the bridge. After playing them on several gigs, he asked for some changes in the neck and bridge pickups. He wanted a deeper sound from the low strings without losing any punch, and he didn't want the sound to get muddy with high-gain amps. To do this, we lowered the frequency response of one of the the coils in each pickup just enough to boost the bass while opening up the mids. The end results are the pickups that are now in Billy's signature Strat®. They do exactly what he wants in humbucking mode, and he's found they work really well in split mode as well.
Recommended For: All positions, especially neck.
Tech Talk: The output and DC resistance specs of the DiMarzio® BC-1 and DiMarzio® BC-2 are very similar to those of the Air Norton® S. The difference is in the tuning of the coils, and how this affects the way they interact with each other. It can be described as more of a "feel" than a sound difference - Billy's pickups seem to move more air.

[Nihility]

Thanks, thats a good idea too, will definitely look into the BC.

I don't play exclusively death metal, and at the end of the day my RG also doubles for when i play some of Opeth's cleaner stuff, i.e. Damnation and some jazzy stuff as well, so i wouldn't mind an altogether clean sound, just the buzz that would usually come with regular single coils.

The Pro Track and Fast Track both sound pretty nice, and I've kind of narrowed it down to looking in that direction, but the chopper seems a little too high output, since i don't really need another D-Activator on my hands (at least i don't think its at all necessary). The question now is, how much noise can i expect out of the Pro Track and Fast Tracks. Matching ideal heights is not a problem, but i am a little concerned on what the 2 and 4 positions will sound like, coupling the d-activator coils and the pro track.

(Also, is wiring the single coils reasonably easy on the RG? I've wired an ESP with humbucks but have yet to handle any 5 way switches)

EDIT: What is better for that Opeth-esque jazz sound, Fast Track 1 or Pro Track

[kotornut]

My fasttrack is quieter than my full size humbucker (D-Sonic). The cleans are really good and chimey. I think the cruiser and thae area hum-canceling singles are maybe a bit more authentic for a single sound but not by much and they have a significantly lower output which cause more trouble when coupled with a high-output humbucker.

If you want a clean single coil sound without noise than the fastrack is the one, out of your choices. The pro track will be good but not single coil like for cleans, if you prefer classic humbucking sounding cleans than it would be the choice. ANd it is also hotter output that the fast track too.


But I think you've narrowed it down.

[Nihility]

Ya i don't mind classic humbucking cleans, but i actually think i might go with the fast track. Ive noticed its pretty good for prog, and works well with that uber kind of clean you want from something like Opeth. Really i think now i need to get a chance to play both which ill hopefully do on the week at my local music shop (pretty sure they have a few dimarzio packed ibanez's which is to my advantage )