best pickup to change for the hz on alexi guitars

[nunofrg]

i got the ltd rl-600, which have the same specifics as the alexi600 one, as the guitar is pretty cool, the only think i dont like and im sure mostly of you dont either is the pickup. i cant like it and i really think to change for another. something with more gain.. people say that emg 81 is the best but im not sure, perhaps theres another cool passive pickups that i could swictch instead of that one that are more related to alexi sound, and more gain. i dont know, my preference is for the passives because of the battery of the actives. i ask you guys to suggest some cool pickups.

thanks!

 

[iPot]

If you want something related to Alexi's sound, get his signature pickup.

 

[nunofrg]

isnt it the same pickup but with boost?

 

[SteveMCsteve]

Yup, and the boost needs batteries.
Right now I have a Seymour Duncan TB-6 installed in my Edwards Arrowhead. I'm not sure if it's the " Alexi sounds with more gain" sound you want, but I'm happy with it.

 

[Kalmah338]

well you could go with the SD Blackout or the EMG 81. u can always get his signature pickup ^ but if your looking for higher gain id definately go with the blackout or the 81, i have the blackout in my edwards and until something went bad in the electronics, i loved it. plenty of gain and just a great all around sounding metal pickup. same goes for the EMG 81. now if you really wanna copy his sound you can stalk ebay for the J50BC pickup and JE-1000 gainboost but you will prolly have no luck

 

[nunofrg]

didnt alexi used blackouts? thats perhaps the best option for me

 

[nunofrg]

but is that one active or passive? and whats the especific name of it? theres loads of different blackouts

 

[Kalmah338]

yes he did. i am prolly exchanging my blackout for an 81 here soon because i think it was faulty and so many other bands use the 81 and i had trouble matching tones with them with the blackout due to the very bassy sound that comes with the blackout. but if all you are looking for is to achieve his sound then go the blackout but remember you can only get so close to the sound you hear and will prolly have better luck matching AYDY or Blooddrunk tones because this was the period he used it (to my knowledge).

no there are 2 blackouts the AHB-1 and AHB-2 which are both active

 

[srob7001]

If you want more gain wouldn't an OD or Distortion pedal be the easiest solution?

 

[iPot]

and will prolly have better luck matching AYDY or Blooddrunk tones because this was the period he used it (to my knowledge).

I think he used SD Blackout only on Blooddrunk and used EMG HZ-H4 on Are You Dead Yet. After Blooddrunk he switched Blackout to some EMG, maybe his sig pickup. One thing that also affects to his tone is his amp. If I remember correctly he used GP1000 on Are You Dead Yet and Marshall Kerry King sig head on Blooddrunk.

If you want more gain wouldn't an OD or Distortion pedal be the easiest solution?

I hope you're not meaning DigiTech "Tone raper" Death Metal?

 

[SteveMCsteve]

I don't think anyone is reading his post.
He doesn't want anything that requires batteries, yet people are suggesting gainboosters and active pickups.
I don't know about digitech, but Maxon and MXR pedals are actually quite nice.

 

[guardian_of_fate]

Don't get the 81. In fact, stay away from EMG's entirely. Unless of course you want totally generic tone.

 

[charli]

what do you suggest
btw has anybody tried EMG X pups?

 

[guardian_of_fate]

Get some bareknuckle pups. I can't guarantee you'll sound like Alexi, but that's probably a good thing.

 

[srob7001]

I hope you're not meaning DigiTech "Tone raper" Death Metal?

No I was thinking more along the lines of the TS-9 or some other type of tube screamer, well, if his amp has tubes.

TS - deff stay away from most pedal with the the words death or extreme in the name, as they are probably terrible.

Also, I tried the MXR Full Bore Metal and it was terrible. Tone was sooo bad, swapped it out for a TS-9 and now I am in heaven.

 

[Aleksi]

TS, why don't you want batteries?
I used to be anti-batteries because I was paranoid they'd run out all the time but they last a fair while, it really isn't a hassle at all and it gives you far more options. In my opinion the only thing that should concern you is tone. If you do go the battery route I can recommend the Seymour Duncan Blackouts (ABH-1), it's a very nice pickup, far better than the EMG 81 to my ears (and my guitar tech agreed).

However, if your only problem is a lack of gain then I'd probably recommend a pedal or a new amp. What amp are you using now?
Assuming an amp change isn't a viable option, maybe a distortion pedal or an overdrive pedal (overdrive if you just need to push it a little harder)

 

[nunofrg]

well i use to play at home for now,so i use a line6 spiderIII 30w

 

[srob7001]

With that amp a PU change really isn't going to make that big of a difference.

If I were you I would use the money you were gonna spend on a PU and save it and put it towards a small tube combo amp.

 

[SteveMCsteve]

^ Yea, I agree with srob7001.
Instead of getting a different pickup, get a better amp first. A good guitar isn't gonna sound good with a bad amp, but a really good amp can make a decent guitar sound good.

 

[nunofrg]

hm, and which amp could i buy? it has to be a combo, cuz the others are too big are doesnt make much sense of having it to play in the room...