[Kelly Briggs]

I'm wiring my old Washburn back together and plan to keep it in D standard/drop C. The current configuration is HSS. I have no idea what wood this thing is made out of but it has one of those "Washburn Wonderbars" on it. I may eventually change that, but for now I'm stuck with it.

What is everyone's suggestions for pickups, pots, etc to maintain clarity? I'm not looking for high output. I currently have an FS1 and a True Velvet middle in the parts drawer, but I'm not sure this is what I want to use them for. I'm leaning towards a PAF Pro in the bridge, but I'm just not sure.

My ears are open. What do you suggest?

[daenius]

You want something fairly bright and tight sounding for the lower tunings. Avoid bassy pickups that have a looser bass response so your low notes won't sound like indistinguishable mud under any amount of gain.

D Sonic is a great choice for lower tunings! I have one and I use a guitar in D standard with it.
The PAF Pro should do pretty well too.
I've only ever used Air Norton in the neck but many have reported success with it in the bridge for these types of applications.

If you want to try Duncans, the JB and the Custom family should serve you well too.

[corypheus]

Hi,

I never found Drop-C to be super low drop tuning, and most of the pickups in the DiMarzio line will have no issue staying tight at Standard D or Drop-C.

You haven't exactly said your amp and the music you're playing, that'd definitely help.
Your choice is pretty good, Paf Pro will, volume wise, balance with the two others, and will be bright enough to go well with the True Velvet, the Paf Pro is pretty versatile and can fill anything from blues to hard rock and even metal, however if you're looking out for more modern riffage machine, there are better picks for the tuning.

Daenius said Drop Sonic, it's an okay choice, but Crunch Lab offers a more complex and harmonically rich sound that has a very similar basis in terms of frequencies as the D-Sonic, so I'd reccomend that one. If you want a really precise rhythm pickup, the Steve's Special is at it, you can throw as much gain or drop tuning down and it will stay tight and precise.

If you're looking to cover lots of different styles that include rock and all subtypes of metal, Evo 2 or Illuminator are excellent no matter the genre, they're also equally excellent for both rhythm and lead works.

I have two HSS guitar currently, an Ritchie Sambora sig with two fender pups and an Paf Pro, and another mexican Fender with Evo2 on the bridge and two Satch Tracks... and that guitar does everything from blues to all sorts of metal... and literally everything in between. Evo 2 is very underrated and people just don't know how good is Satch Track. That combo is what I'd suggest.

HTH,
Cory

[Kelly Briggs]

Thanks for the input so far! Musically, I tend to be a bit all over the map. Anything from Vai/Satch/Johnson to old Motown to Classic Rock...anything but country. The amps are a mix of Marshalls(JCM 800, 4140)and Boss modeling gear.

I had the Evo2 for awhile and really liked it. I sold it and have been kicking myself since. I had thought the Evo2 with maybe a Pro Track middle and Chopper neck could work.

I had also thought about a Duncan JB with a couple of SDS1 as I was a huge Jake E Lee fan back in the day.

Crunch Lab or Illuminators had not occurred to me.

[Kelly Briggs]

I should also add, my primary guitar is currently a HSH setup with Gravity Storms and an Evolution single coil.

I've stumbled onto a PAF Master with two Area 67 as a pre wired set. Any thoughts on that?

[corypheus]

Hey Kelly,

Those are nice amps, I still use my 2203 as my main amp.
Evo2 is definitely a good pick for everything you mentioned, and it would definitely work with PT middle and Chopper in the neck. I'd still reccommend a Satch Track in the neck, as it's pretty versatile, can sound like a true humbucker but sounds beautifully split as well.

JB is a bit different animal. It has some similarities with an Evo2, but it's fundemental tone is different. Whereas Evo2 is tight and controlled with heavier gain, JB tends to flab out, where Evo2 cuts with treble detail and presence, JB cuts with a high midrange spike. Both of pickups are very versatile, and can do pretty much any music genre out there.
It does definitely work well on superstrats, and it works even better on a 250kohm or 300kohm pot then a regular 500kohm. If you go this route, pick a medium output singles, because otherwise the JB will completely overpower them, the JB is pretty loud pickup.
The only issue I found is that JB sounds dead in an thin agathis guitars. I have no clue which Washburn series yours are, but one of my Washburn Idols were agathis and could never get JB to sound well in it. The Custom and Custom Custom worked wonders in that one - sadly I don't remember trying Evo2, but DiMarzios tend to be less coloured by guitar wood type then contemporary Duncans.


Crunch Lab is excellent for what it does, if thick leads and groovy rhythms is your thing, CL does it excellent, but by the music types you're playing, I'd think it would be an overkill.
Illuminators may seem like a monster output pickups, but they're not, I found them pretty versatile, they're just loud and bold pickups. They cut through even the densest mix, they sound pretty balanced. Between it and Evo2, however, Evo2 is more versatile and smoother, and a bit more expressive.



PAF Master and A67, are low output set. They're excellent for blues, classic rock and rock and hard rock, but they might lack a bit for Vai, Satch and more modern sounds. Any PAF can sound modern and tough, but it usually requires a modern high gain amp, with an 800, those things rock all day - but might be lacking for more then that.

HTH,
Cory

[daenius]

Daenius said Drop Sonic, it's an okay choice, but Crunch Lab offers a more complex and harmonically rich sound that has a very similar basis in terms of frequencies as the D-Sonic, so I'd reccomend that one. If you want a really precise rhythm pickup, the Steve's Special is at it, you can throw as much gain or drop tuning down and it will stay tight and precise.

Damn it how could I possibly forget about the Crunch Lab! It's basically an upgraded D-Sonic in my opinion. corypheus is right, if you're thinking about D-Sonic, get the Crunch Lab! That pickup ROARS like no other. THICK sound that will seriously turn some heads. I have a JP that I've used for years and when I jam with people and strum a chord they ALWAYS go "what the hell IS that, it's SO powerful!" Such a strong mid punch with rich harmonics that you WILL be heard no matter what.

But yeah if you want a ton of versatility I still think the Custom or the Custom Custom are great choices.

[corypheus]

But yeah if you want a ton of versatility I still think the Custom or the Custom Custom are great choices.

Absolutely agreed, if versatility is in order, and it's Duncan, can't go wrong with any pickup in Custom family.

Cory