Tighest 6 string pickup for low tunings?

[Clark Kent]

There are two types of tight pickups. 1) one that has way more treble 2) one that has a tight bass response. Most of the time people are talking about getting tight bass when they actually want less bass. Tight but loud bass sounds weird in some cases and therefore is not as versatile. F.ex. DiMarzio D-Sonic and Crunch Lab.

 

[mickrich]

I'd definitely be interested in hearing that.

Here is rough "tracking" mix.
Drums and guitars are takes, bass is guide.
Guitars are quad tracked thru triple recto into recto cab and Marshall cab.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/2133088/MIX BOUNCE#02.wav

Here is a zip with drums/bass mix and separate L/R DI tracks so you can re-amp.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/2133088/Drums,bass +sep DIs.zip

Let me know when you have grabbed these because they are WAVs and take up quite a bit of space on my dropbox folder.

 

[Robert W]

Here is rough "tracking" mix.
Drums and guitars are takes, bass is guide.
Guitars are quad tracked thru triple recto into recto cab and Marshall cab.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/2133088/MIX BOUNCE#02.wav

Here is a zip with drums/bass mix and separate L/R DI tracks so you can re-amp.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/2133088/Drums,bass +sep DIs.zip

Let me know when you have grabbed these because they are WAVs and take up quite a bit of space on my dropbox folder.

Got them. Thank you.

 

[Robert W]

There are two types of tight pickups. 1) one that has way more treble 2) one that has a tight bass response. Most of the time people are talking about getting tight bass when they actually want less bass. Tight but loud bass sounds weird in some cases and therefore is not as versatile. F.ex. DiMarzio D-Sonic and Crunch Lab.

That's interesting. What would you suggest then for a 6 string passive with diminished bass response? Right now I got too much bass in my tone as it is and it's a bitch to try and EQ around.

 

[Clark Kent]

Well that's a tough one. Bare Knuckles is the only one that comes to mind really. I've got a new guitar coming in that is a 6 string for lower tunings and it's got the Aftermath pickups. But to be honest Bare Knuckle has let me down so many times that I can't recommend them. I guess I like balanced pickups because they are versatile and use a tight amp for a tight sound. BKPs are super dynamic so they demand a bit more... kind of like the anti-EMG in my experience.

To give you a more specific suggestion I'd like to know what amp and cab you're using.

 

[Empros]

the alnico on the other had is very muddy and not tight enough in the low end for metal stuff.

It's not even opinion: that's just objectively bullshit.

 

[Empros]

BKPs are super dynamic so they demand a bit more... kind of like the anti-EMG in my experience.

That's why I like them and anti-EMG is a great way of putting it. There's too much soulless, sterile metal garbage and we should be encouraging dynamics, not shying away from them in the fear that your uber tight br00tal triplet bro might not sound like a machine playing it...

More 'chords', less chugs.

 

[decoy205]

Just to throw a new winder into the mix Madhouse Designs out of CA is doing some cool high output but super clear pickups for high gain stuff.

 

[Rex Rocker]

People generalize a lot when talking about EMG's being undynamic/sterile/lifeless/whatever. 81 and 85 are not the only pickups EMG make.

I have the 81TW and 60 in my guitar running @18V and I swear I get DI's that are every bit as spiky and dynamic as any passive I've had in the same guitar before.

Sorry for the mini-rant. Carry on.

 

[Clark Kent]

Yeah you're right.. EMG has become a synonym for active pickups. Ofcourse I meant the active EMGs.

 

[Rex Rocker]

I meant active too.

Both EMG haters and even lovers tend to dislike their passives, lol.

 

[RedDog]

Duncan Full Shred. Lot of upper harmonics. Found the bass to be smaller than what most were saying, so I put it in my heaviest guitar. Then a Sneapster sold me a Full Shred Trembucker, we'll see how that turns out.

 

[Trevoire520]

It's not even opinion: that's just objectively bullshit.

I'm pretty sure you'll find Lasse has used quite a few of Bareknuckles pickups and finds them to be generally quite muddy/untight aswell.

I've had the Nailbomb in my Ibanez SZ (mahogany & maple) for a couple of years and was never really happy with it, always had far too much low mids and just didn't have that tight/fast low end. Sent it back to Tim to have the magnet changed for a ceramic and now I'm REALLY happy with it, would never go back to that pickup with an alnico magnet. Maybe in a alder guitar?

 

[Charles J]

This is kind of a little secret, but look for an original BRIDGE pickup from a USA made Peavey Wolfgang on eBay.

They go for super cheap and IMO, it's tighter than the new EMG Het-Set and the CLOSEST PASSIVE P/U that sounds similar to EMG81, but just a bit cooler and, dare I say, organic sounding.

Could also be the GTR itself, too. Those Peavey Wolfgangs are badass fucking guitars. The current EVH offering has a differetly wound and voiced P/U than the original Peavey Variant does.

AND NO, do not go for anything out of a Peavey HP (the wolfgang replacement after Eddie left). YUCK.

 

[Empros]

I'm pretty sure you'll find Lasse has used quite a few of Bareknuckles pickups and finds them to be generally quite muddy/untight aswell.

Like I say, it depends what you want, but the idea that something isn't good for 'metal', simply because it's not tight with uber chugs-ville, is just silly. I defy anyone to find better, more articulate pups for atypical chords and voicings.

 

[Robert W]

Ok, so what non-BKP 6 string passive pups are out there light on bass and more focused on mids and highs?

 

[JakeAC5253]

I've just got to add something a bit different. In my 6 string tuned to Bb standard, I have a Duncan Jazz neck model. This came out of another guitar while I was fucking around one day, half expecting to leave the soldering iron heated so I could remove it 5 minutes later. Fast forward a year later and I'm still using it... A Sneapster here, who is a devout EMG active pickup lover and also hater of passives, heard a DI I made with this guitar and he said he was impressed he liked it so much given that it was a passive... VERY defined on chords and chugging, sounds fantastic on leads.

I've got a Duncan Distortion in all my other guitars, and that's fantastic all-round metal pickup. As tight as you need, but also very pleasing and balanced sounding, which is where most "tight" marketed pickups or tones in general fall off the wagon, IMO.

About the Wolfgang pickups, you are supposed to be able to take a Super Distortion and swap the magnet with an Alnico 3 type, and get very close to the sound. I have never tried this, but I've sold my super distortion. Definitely something to think about.