Single coil pickup for 7 string guitar ?

[Brett - K A L I S I A]

I think the title pretty much says it all. I want single coil pickup for a 7 string guitar I'm planning to build, for the neck of course (707 will go on the bridge, but EMG doesn't do any 7 string Single Coil). So do you guys have any suggestions, models, brands ? I'd like a nice Fender-like crystal clear sound for some acoustic parts and stuff (I'll also have piezos on the bridge), as well as a smooth lead tone (maybe a single/dual pickup with push-pull would do the trick but I "need" it to be in a single shape, not humbucker - well, when I say that I "need", it's more that it's what I'd like)...
Thanks in advance guys !

Brett

 

[LynchpiN]

7 string piezos? What brand/model?

 

[Matt Crooks]

Lynch- Graph-tech makes the piezos and will make 7-string sets.

Brett- the only single coil 7 string pickups are passive, and won't match well with the active EMGs.... so I'd suggest either going with two 707s or going passive in the bridge and neck position. I've got the 707s in my 7strings and they sound really nice - the lead tone on the neck is very buttery.

 

[Noumenon]

you could use the dmsk switch thing for the emgs. basically you have a three way switch on your guitar (where the regular 5 way switch for ibanez is) and in the middle mode you have a capacitor connected to the summed output from the emgs, this will (or should according to emg) scoop out the sound to imitate a single coil. or rather two splitted humbuckers (one of the mode on standard 2hum ibanezes). if anyone understood that :S

 

[Razorjack]

I've seen some very nice 7-string single coil Seymour Duncan custom shop pickups, they usually cost around $150us which for a custom made p/up is dirt cheap. Also, with an EMG Afterburner or just a little preamp circuit the passive and active pickups will work great together.

I love the sound of a passive single coil mixed with an EMG, pure bliss for lead.

 

[Matt Crooks]

you could use the dmsk switch thing for the emgs.

I had Jackson put the DMSK in my first 7 string with the 707s... it did very little to the sound, and what it did do, sucked. I pulled it out of the guitar and it's in a drawer somewhere.

 

[Brett - K A L I S I A]

7 string piezos? What brand/model?

Yeah, custom made Graph-Tech. I already have piezos on my 7 string Ibanez but it's L.R. Baggs, and it's in the floyd rose.

Thanks for the answer guys, I'll check these things out (didn't know about the fact that active and passive pickup don't go well together, I have EMG85 and stock passive Gibson pickup on my Gibson Explorer and did not notice anything weird...

Cheers

 

[JeffTD]

I believe DiMarzio is the only company that makes a production line 7 string SC.

That said, the Blaze SC from them kicks ass!

Also, that crap about mixing passives and actives not working is total bullshit. Just wire up the active to the passives pot. It'll work and sound right, but the volume knob will act more like a switch. 0 will be off, but 4 will be the same as 10, or so. Not a big deal IMO.

Or, get a PA-2 without the switch, and wire only the SC to it. It'll bost the SC and make it match the EMG very well.

 

[Noumenon]

I had Jackson put the DMSK in my first 7 string with the 707s... it did very little to the sound, and what it did do, sucked. I pulled it out of the guitar and it's in a drawer somewhere.

okay, never tried it. just read it on emgs site
but it one might be able to do it with some active eq-circuit?