Need to buy a pickup...

[Rock Hydra]

My Ibanez RG220 needs a pickup replacement badly. I need help on choosing a pickup to put in the bridge position.

I already have a EMG 81 in my ESP guitar.

I might buy another one, but don't want to have to resolder most of the stuff inside my guitar. I also know that the EMG HZ-H4 pickups are crappy.

So, I was wondering what would be a good humbucker (I'll take suggestions for passive or active pickups) for use with high distortion.

Quick responses please, I'm going up to Guitar Center tonight to pick it up. Thanks.

 

[Wings of a dream]

I like and recommend....

http://www.music123.com/DiMarzio-Evolution-Bridge-Humbucking-Pickup-i97846.music

 

[Leandro]

Don't mix active and passive.

 

[Feel_The_Force]

Whats the difference between active and passive?

 

[Leandro]

active are low impedance with an internal preamp, passives rely solely on the energy of the strings to generate signal(sound)

 

[Rock Hydra]

Bloody: Yeah, I know about the impedance difference
and problems mixing the two can cause
Wings: Thanks for the recommendation, I'll check it out. I was thinking about a Duncan Detonator as well.

 

[vikk]

Whats the difference between active and passive?

or you are putting, or receiving

 

[Feel_The_Force]

So whats better?

Edit: by the way does anyone use bare knuckle pickups?

 

[Rock Hydra]

So whats better?

That's sort of a subjective question.

Active pickups: Actives are relatively low magnetism pickups which uses a preamp to make up for that fact. Most people say though that they sound sterile and lack the tonal versatility of passive pickups. Though, I read somewhere, (I don't know how true it is) the pickup's low impedence wiring system outputs a stronger signal and you can use a longer cable without interference and breakup you would with a passive. Though, many people use wireless, so that may not be such a great advantage.

Passive pickups: Passives have a generally higher magnetism and use the magnetic field created with the strings to generate a signal and can output serious distortion. People tend to say that they can get more tonal variety out of a passive pickup. Also, how the pickup sounds can also vary depending on what wood the body is made out of. So the same humbucker would sound quite different installed say, in a telecaster rather than a les paul. Actives tend to sound generally the same for whichever guitar you have it in.

 

[Draznog]

get the new DM seymore duncans or Bareknuckle pickups

 

[goth_fiend]

the good thing about active pickups is if your using a very long signal chain, your not going to have a signal degradation, with passives there is a possibilty there, that being said I tend to go towards passives as I feel they have more charecter to them

 

[Elysian893]

Dimarzio X2N owns the evolution.

 

[Leandro]

That's sort of a subjective question.

Active pickups: Actives are relatively low magnetism pickups which uses a preamp to make up for that fact. Most people say though that they sound sterile and lack the tonal versatility of passive pickups. Though, I read somewhere, (I don't know how true it is) the pickup's low impedence wiring system outputs a stronger signal and you can use a longer cable without interference and breakup you would with a passive. Though, many people use wireless, so that may not be such a great advantage.

Passive pickups: Passives have a generally higher magnetism and use the magnetic field created with the strings to generate a signal and can output serious distortion. People tend to say that they can get more tonal variety out of a passive pickup. Also, how the pickup sounds can also vary depending on what wood the body is made out of. So the same humbucker would sound quite different installed say, in a telecaster rather than a les paul. Actives tend to sound generally the same for whichever guitar you have it in.

the active doesn't have weaker magnets, only less turns in the coil, which results in both low impedance and output

 

[Elysian893]

the active doesn't have weaker magnets, only less turns in the coil, which results in both low impedance and output

they do have weaker magnets as well.

 

[barrett_]

what are those bareknuckle pickups like?

 

[Leandro]

they do have weaker magnets as well.

it depends. The magnets being weaker or stronger is a project feature, it's got nothing to do with being active or passive.

 

[The Soulforged]

between EMG, Duncan, and Dimarzio, I'd go with Dimarzio. they have mro tone nad sound really beefy. though, i havent played and hi-end duncans, i've played low to middle range dimarzio's that jsut kicked ass. As for EMG i played the HZ-4 and 81 and they just sounded wimpy

 

[Elysian893]

dimarzio is my favorite brand personally... i've not had good luck with duncan's, although the distortion and jazz in my neck through RG sounded pretty good...

 

[Rock Hydra]

I bought a Dimebucker for the bridge.

 

[Feel_The_Force]

Is the Dimebucker good? Also in answer to the Bare Knuckle question, i don't know, i was just looking at them, so i dont know what they are like but they are hand-wound and quite expensive, they have sound clips on their site.