Thinking about changing pickups in my Caparison...

[Erik Monsonis]

Hi!

I have a Caparison Horus since 2009.
This one:

I will tell you the specs, may be useful to know:

24,75" scale
Mahogany body
Maple neck
Rosewood fretboard
27 jumbo frets
Bolt-on construction
Schaller FR tremolo.

Stock pickups sucked for metal, so I had them replaced with EMG 85 + SA.
For some reason I hated the 85 in that guitar (I have it in an old crappy Ibanez and sounded awesome), so I swapped it for an 81.

The thing now is I got really bored of that combination, I miss some dynamics, but the main point is I don't really like single coils anymore

There are no active single-coil-sized humbuckers that I know about, kind of a mini EMG85 or anything similar: all that mini versions are for passives... So I'd have to replace both pickups and the volume pot/selector to have a consistent output.

I have considered changing them to a pickup combo I really like: Seymour Duncan TB-4 (JB) + Dimarzio Air Norton Mini, but I'm not sure about how well would it respond to low tunings (Drop B). Any idea about it?

Cheers!

 

[Jorge Escudero]

Im not an expert but i once tried the pickups you mention (Seymour Duncan TB-4 (JB) + Dimarzio Air Norton Mini) and i really liked the tone, i dont see why they shouldnt respond well to lower tunings.

Anyway, I can give you the phone number of the lurthier where i use to take my guitar for adjustments if you wish, the man knows a lot about all that kind of stuff and could help you in your decision.

Cheers

 

[K Odell]

JB is tha bomb! I always say go for it when people talking about switching to that.

 

[Ashgarth]

JB is tha bomb! I always say go for it when people talking about switching to that.

+1!

 

[Sweetnothing]

JB is tha bomb! I always say go for it when people talking about switching to that.

+2

 

[tenebre]

Also its easy to switch back if you dont like them

 

[Teddyboy]

If you like the Emg81,you can try the Duncan Alternative, which Lasse in a blind test says they're the closest passive pickups to the 81.
I haven't tried them though

 

[Lasse Lammert]

yup, Alt8 FTW

 

[MarcusGHedwig]

It's very odd, I've never liked the JB when I've played multiple guitars with it (felt loose and flubby), but I've heard A LOT of recorded tones that I really liked that turned out to be JB equipped axes - guess I'll have to give it yet another shot...

 

[Jorge Escudero]

Weird indeed dude : - /

 

[acappa]

To me the best: SH4 (JB)/ SH1 (´59) on the passive side, on active SD Blackouts. Bypass the fucker SA, replace for a 3 way toggle that mixes both pickups! Take care

 

[deLuther]

Caparison PH-R
If this Horus is not HGS, it comes with BH-R, which is lower output than PH-R (usual for TATs, Dellingers).
For me it is well suited for metal (at least in TAT), tried some EMGs (85, 81X), but returned to original PH-R.

 

[Erik Monsonis]

Thanks for the tips!! I'm on a road trip right now (Valencia>Venice>Vienna>Budapest>Szeged) so I can't really check everything out (internet in hotels sucks!), but as soon as I arrive home (20th) I'll check it out!

Thanks!

 

[fatalforce]

I have a PH-R in my jackson (moved up from the stock passive emg). I'm surprised you don't like it. It works well on all fronts. I'll have to look into the Duncan Alternative just to feed my curiosity.

 

[deLuther]

Horuses, except HGS models, comes with BH-R, not PH-R, many standard Horus owners swapping pickups for something else in this case, it is easier to find something other than PH-R.

 

[Mago]

Thanks for the tips!! I'm on a road trip right now (Valencia>Venice>Vienna>Budapest>Szeged) so I can't really check everything out (internet in hotels sucks!), but as soon as I arrive home (20th) I'll check it out!

Thanks!

OT, but if it isn't too late allready and you want out for a beer in vienna then hit me up on facebook

 

[TheWinterSnow]

throwing in my recomendation, if you where talking about getting the air norton mini, why not just get a D-Sonic to compliment it? Personally DiMarzio and possibly Bareknuckle would be the only passive pickups I would use and I actaully REALLY REALLY like the D-Sonic a lot.

 

[BrettT]

It's very odd, I've never liked the JB when I've played multiple guitars with it (felt loose and flubby), but I've heard A LOT of recorded tones that I really liked that turned out to be JB equipped axes - guess I'll have to give it yet another shot...

I think a lot of it has to do with how they fit in a mix. They sound a bit flubby and loose when you play them because typically all you're hearing is yourself playing guitar out of a mix context. Kinda similar to a Rectifier...not the tightest high gain amp by any means, but their loose, sort of random character really helps them sit well in a mix and fill it up nicely.