Recommend me a 7-string middle position pickup

[Sickan]

Soooo. I tried the LTD SC-607B yesterday, and holy fuck - it's the best guitar I've tried, I'm buying it tomorrow (got a great price aswell)!
It has two EMG 81-7 pickups (bridge and middle, no neck) and I'm switching the bridge to a Lundgren M7.
What (Lundgren/DiMarzio/Seymour Duncan/EMG) middle position pickup would you recommend for a warm/smooth/and well... not sterile tone, both for cleans and leads?

 

[Dexter_prog]

No idea, but why does it come with no neck pickup and a middle pickup?

 

[Zack Uidl]

I never understood the middle pickup without the neck thing.....

I do have a Lundgren M-8 in my Conklin 8-String and the cleans and leads sound amazing

 

[Sickan]

Well Stephen Carpenter is not a leadguitar-type of guy I guess.
Zack, do you have the neckversion? If you do, how would you describe the tone?

What do you guise think about the EMG 707TW? Is the single-coil mode any good?

 

[Lazzari]

dude remember the pickup its not the same.. i mean the size.. remember the emgs are like bass pickups and lundgrens are normal type of pickups...

 

[ze kink]

Probably a SD '59 or something? I've got a Lundgren M7 & SD Jazz combo in my custom baritone 7-string and I like the combination, but that said I like brighter neck pickups.

 

[pattonfreak1]

DiMarzio Tone Zone FTW

 

[Sickan]

I bought the guitar today, I'll contact them about what pickups I want on monday!

dude remember the pickup its not the same.. i mean the size.. remember the emgs are like bass pickups and lundgrens are normal type of pickups...

Yeah I know, I talked with the guys in the store about it, they'll handle it!

Probably a SD '59 or something? I've got a Lundgren M7 & SD Jazz combo in my custom baritone 7-string and I like the combination, but that said I like brighter neck pickups.

How would you describe it? Do you have clips or DI's with clean/lead playing?

DiMarzio Tone Zone FTW

Same for you; How would you describe it? Do you have clips or DI's with clean/lead playing?

 

[ze kink]

How would you describe it? Do you have clips or DI's with clean/lead playing

I don't really have any DI's to offer at the moment, but it's pretty bright; though as a neck pickup, it really just means that it cuts through better and isn't all muddy and dark. I can imagine that it wouldn't be as good as a middle pickup though, the '59 is darker and could have more of a darker neck pickup style tone, but it'd still cut through a lot better since it'd be a middle pickup.

Oh, and congrats on the guitar; I used to own a SC607B too and regret selling it. It also had a refinished satin neck which was awesome. The current owner apparently put Bare Knuckle pickups in it and is still using it as his main guitar. Really, pretty much the only thing I didn't like about it were the EMG's, so... fuck. Mine was the natural coloured older model though.

 

[Sickan]

I don't really have any DI's to offer at the moment, but it's pretty bright; though as a neck pickup, it really just means that it cuts through better and isn't all muddy and dark. I can imagine that it wouldn't be as good as a middle pickup though, the '59 is darker and could have more of a darker neck pickup style tone, but it'd still cut through a lot better since it'd be a middle pickup.

Oh, and congrats on the guitar; I used to own a SC607B too and regret selling it. It also had a refinished satin neck which was awesome. The current owner apparently put Bare Knuckle pickups in it and is still using it as his main guitar. Really, pretty much the only thing I didn't like about it were the EMG's, so... fuck. Mine was the natural coloured older model though.

Do you think the '59 would sound nice with a coil split? I'm currently thinking about a M7 or '59 with coil split!

I was so excited when I got to try it (it was like the last one in Sweden and they took it in for me) after playing on it for 5 secons I knew I was going to buy it!

 

[Keregioz]

Yeah I know, I talked with the guys in the store about it, they'll handle it!

Won't the excess space from the bigger hole look kinda ugly?...

 

[Sickan]

Not with pickup rings!

 

[ze kink]

Do you think the '59 would sound nice with a coil split? I'm currently thinking about a M7 or '59 with coil split!

I was so excited when I got to try it (it was like the last one in Sweden and they took it in for me) after playing on it for 5 secons I knew I was going to buy it!

Well, probably. I've got switches for coil splitting the M7 and the Jazz on the custom. You could probably just wire the coil splits to a push/pull pot that'd get installed with the pickups (since you need to replace them anyway). But I'm sure it'd be cool. I'd say put coil splits on both pickups; I find I'm using them even in metal pretty much. Though I'm not one of those "bridge pickup w/ volume and tone on 10 all of the time" kind of players anyway.

 

[Mattayus]

EMG 60-7 man, seriously... love it.

 

[Sickan]

What kind of difference is it between the M7 neck and the EMG 60-7?
I got a EMG 60 on another guitars and it's great for cleans, and a 60-7 in the middle with a coil split would probably not sound that bad

 

[Mattayus]

M7 will be a little more aggressive, but I don't think you really want that with the middle position tbh.
I'm a long-time 7 string user, and the 81-7/60-7 combo is my absolute favourite. It won't need splitting to a single coil, because it inherently has that raspy single-coil vibe.

Here's a clip of my 60-7 in my LTD M307. There's some clean first, then some lead.

It just has this amazing throaty attack that I just love for shred, and makes for really glassy cleans. Do it.

 

[Sickan]

I could imagine that the 60-7 in the middle position would be somewhat like a 85 in the neck, which I have on 2 other guitars - and it sounds fine!

 

[Mattayus]

Yeah, it would be a little colder in the middle, not quite as warm as that clip because it would be less neck-wards, but it will sound beautiful for cleans, especially in that mahogany body. There's also the option of the 707TW (coil tap-able). 707 is just a monster pickup, might be a little too hot to accompany the 81-7 but it's still an option. It will certainly have more body and warmth, they're great pickups. But personally I'd go for the 60-7, no question!

 

[Sickan]

It's actually an adler body, and I won't use the 81-7.
I will tell the store what pickups I want on monday, so I have some lurking left to do!

 

[Mattayus]

Oh my bad! I thought the SC were mahogany!
Well if you don't want the 81-7 then I highly suggest two 707's. A normal 707 in the bridge, and a 707TW in the middle. The 707 is such a unique beast, it's nothing like any 6 string equivalent.