Recommend me 7-string pickups

[_JJ_]

Finally I'm about to pull the trigger and order a custom guitar at http://strictly7.com/
At first I was thinking about getting a custom Solar 7 in mahogany with Emg 707tw's. I want this guitar to sound like a f***ing beast but I'm having second thoughts.
I will mainly play in drop a. Will it be to dark and muddy? This is my first 7-string and I have little experience in 7-string pickups.

When it comes to my 6-string guitars (they're setup in drop b and c) I prefer mahogany with emg 81, even more than my lundgren m6 .
I know there's a 7 version of the 81 (81-7) but it seems to sound much worse than the regular 81. I want my tone to be really solid and heavy and don't care too much for djent.
Should I reconsider both the choice of pickups and wood? I have no idea how much it differs between 7 and 6-string guitars.

It would be awsome if you want to help me make up my mind

Cheers!

 

[bogchop]

I've ordered a Solar 7 with Mahogany, locking tuners and no inlay. I will be putting an SH6 in the bridge, and a 59 in the neck. Staying the fuck away from actives, forever. So sterile and unpleasant to my ears.

 

[MarcusGHedwig]

I just did a Duncan pickup shootout (will post it once I can re-amp it), and much preferred the SH-15 Alt. VIII to the SH-6 Distortion (the SH-6, by the way, is just a JB with a gondo ceramic magnet, for added harshness), so if they make a 7-string Alt. VIII, that'd be my vote personally!

Still have to try the best of what Dimarzio has to offer though... (D-Activator, Crunch Lab, D-Sonic)

 

[Uros]

I've ordered a Solar 7 with Mahogany, locking tuners and no inlay. I will be putting an SH6 in the bridge, and a 59 in the neck. Staying the fuck away from actives, forever. So sterile and unpleasant to my ears.

I CAN'T believe this

I am taking out EMG 707 in my Jackson COW7, and will put the very same combo you'll have in your guitar instead (will have to route out the cavity for '59, since COW is one pickup guitar originally). Can't fuckin' wait!

 

[_JJ_]

I'm sure that's an awsome combo but when I a/b test guitar tones for chunky rythm I usually prefer actives. For leads, passives would definitely be my choice. Looking forward to your shootout Marcus

 

[loktide]

as far as actives go, i MUCH prefer the 707 to blackouts. the blackouts simply have plain ridiculous output and tend to sound overloaded even with the amp's gain turned down to compensate.

can't comment on the 81-7, since i've never played one.

 

[Lasse Lammert]

I can't recommend the CrunchLab

 

[gabriel g.]

In my custom 7string from Ororobus I have a Emg81-7 in the bridge. Its a maple neck through with mahagony wings.

Sounds just unreal delicious

 

[_JJ_]

Glad to hear something good about 81-7 How is it compared to the regular 81? Haven't had a chance to try it myself but the di's i've heard unfortunately sounded pretty nasty. Not really sure whether it was a mahogany guitar.

 

[gabriel g.]

sounds awsome!

 

[gabriel g.]

I play in Drop-A (A E A D G H E)
Guitar has is neck through maple with mahagony wings. Nothing muddy ...

I have a Ibanez MTM2 with an 81 tuned to drop A too.

The Custom-Oroborus with the 7string version of the 81 sounds waaaayyy better.
Sharper, more brutal but also clearer. IMHO the difference comes from the build quality and the quality wood not from the pickup

I dont think there is much of a difference between a normal 81 and a seven string 81. I mean in the end its just a pickup... the 7 string version is bit bigger... thats all

 

[_JJ_]

Seems like I have some thinking to do. I could always buy both the 707 and 81-7, and sell the one I like least.
Maybe that's the only way to do it since it really comes down to taste.

 

[Gnash]

+1 81-7

 

[prostetnic]

I play a D-Activator 7 in the bridge of my mahogany Ibz S7320. I love the sound, but that's my taste. You get a tight pickup with very clear and defined tone, but a modern kind. It's absolutely devoid of any harshness or mid-bumps/scoops and it doesn't have much low end. Admittedly, it's a bit sterile. Not to say the pickup doesn't have balls, but its not a JB or X2N. I wouldn't recommend it for all-out brutal metal - not that it wouldn't deliver if it gets to it, but there are pickups that would do better. Look into SD's or Bare Knuckle, and I'd avoid actives. IMO, actives are necesarry only for live shows (where you need the most minimal signal degradation from the guitar as possible) and perhaps studio work (because they are quiet). Or if you simply like their tone. I don't.

 

[MarcusGHedwig]

I can't recommend the CrunchLab

Warum?

 

[prostetnic]

No, I haven't, but it seems to be the exact same thing. Open, defined sound, very even and balanced across the strings. For basswood you should consider the Blaze pickups, they are no small part of the Ibanez Universe's glory. They growl in that guitar.

 

[Harry Hughes]

as far as actives go, i MUCH prefer the 707 to blackouts. the blackouts simply have plain ridiculous output and tend to sound overloaded even with the amp's gain turned down to compensate.

can't comment on the 81-7, since i've never played one.

I agree. The Blackouts have too much output. The 707s are far better pickups in almost every way.

have you had a chance to compare the deactivator 6 to the 7? i love how the 6 string version sounds on my basswood gtr. i too am trying to get a 7 string passive pickup which is basswood too. also thinking about duncan distortion

I agree with prostetnic, go with Dimarzio.
Dimarzio seem to be the only company that truly make pickups in mind for basswood guitars. Not that I have anything against Seymour Duncan, in fact I love their pickups, but Dimarzio are just the go to brand when it comes to Basswood guitars. For mahogany
The Dimarzio Blaze set, Evo set and IIRC, the D Sonic were all designed in mind to go with basswood 7 strings. I personally prefer the slightly lower output of the Blaze set, but all 3 of those are good choices IMO

 

[Mutant]

I have the EMG 707 and 81-7 in my LTD Viper 407 and i am 100% satisfied.

If you want to hear how that guitar can sound, check out this clip from one dude who is much more talented than me at everything from playing through amplifying to mixing:



btw. I actually prefer his version to the original... maybe it is because i love intrumental versions of my favorite songs.

 

[born_dead]

only Bare Knuckle's!!! awesome pickups !!! I replaced SD sh-5 & sh-1 to Aftermath bridge/Rebel Yell neck at my Warrior Custom Singlecut (mahogany) and I'm very happy with the sound I got from it. fantastic punch and clarity on low tunings. i'd recommend you Painkiller or Aftermath (it gives the sound more "djent" ). also very interesting pickup is Lundgren M-series, but I have not tried the one yet.

p.s. I've been playing 4 years on emg81, emg81 (18v mod), emg707, seymour duncan blackouts ahb-1, and what can i say? fuck it!) my choiсe - Bare Knuckle pickups

 

[locus_coeruleus]

Do the 707 fit in Ibanez guitars?