[reports12002]

Hello from Australia

I do apologise for joining really just to ask one question - but i haven't been able to find the answer anywhere.

So, I’ve got a Kiesel Aries coming to me soon. Its alder body, maple neck, 24 frets. 

I’ve built it as a S-H config - like the Satriani model JS2400.  I used to have one of those guitars and loved the pup sounds - but didn’t get on with the floyd rose….so Im basically building a similar guitar with Kiesel, but with a more vintage style trem.

In any event, i want to add aftermarket pups to it from the outset….and Im basically only used DiMarzios since 1989. 

Honestly, most of what I do is just jamming at home on backing tracks these days. I don’t play much rhythm, and don’t need a clean jangly strat rhythm sound. the neck pup will be for soloing mostly. I play blues and rock, sometimes heavy stuff, but never aggressive metal rhythm stuff - just lead with various amounts of gain!

I was thinking of putting the Satch track and Mo Joe combo In there (I did enjoy the sounds from my JS2400) - but am also thinking of a Air Norton S and a Tone Zone (mainly because I had a tone zone in an alder guitar years ago and it sounded awesome. 

So I guess I'd appreciate some thoughts on a good S-H combo. Many thanks.

[HarlowTheFish]

Either one of those is good if you want a more humbuckery neck pickup. Something like a Heavy Blues 2 would work well if you want more of a single-coil neck tone that will balance well tonally and output-wise with a humbucker.

[Guitar74]

Agreed. Just did the vvhb2 in the neck of one of my hs super strats. By far the best stacked single I have used  that retains a great single coil tone, but keeps up with the med-hi output bucker in the bridge. Also sounds good with 500 k controls. This is now my go to neck single coil. Especially with a bridge humbucker.

[greenlion]

Heavy blues 2 neck, Breed bridge. Thats what I would try first.

[gtrjunior]

Hello from Australia

I do apologise for joining really just to ask one question - but i haven't been able to find the answer anywhere.

So, I’ve got a Kiesel Aries coming to me soon. Its alder body, maple neck, 24 frets. 

I’ve built it as a S-H config - like the Satriani model JS2400.  I used to have one of those guitars and loved the pup sounds - but didn’t get on with the floyd rose….so Im basically building a similar guitar with Kiesel, but with a more vintage style trem.

In any event, i want to add aftermarket pups to it from the outset….and Im basically only used DiMarzios since 1989. 

Honestly, most of what I do is just jamming at home on backing tracks these days. I don’t play much rhythm, and don’t need a clean jangly strat rhythm sound. the neck pup will be for soloing mostly. I play blues and rock, sometimes heavy stuff, but never aggressive metal rhythm stuff - just lead with various amounts of gain!

I was thinking of putting the Satch track and Mo Joe combo In there (I did enjoy the sounds from my JS2400) - but am also thinking of a Air Norton S and a Tone Zone (mainly because I had a tone zone in an alder guitar years ago and it sounded awesome. 

So I guess I'd appreciate some thoughts on a good S-H combo. Many thanks.

Please consider posting a new guitar day when you get your Aires.
I’ve been gassing hard for a Kiesel. The Aires and the DC600 are both on my short list.

What factory pickups did you go with?

[reports12002]

Thanks for the answers folks - sorry for the delay - not ungrateful, just busy at work...

Had not considered the heavy blues at all, but am almost sold based on the above - will check it out.

Curious re The Breed suggestion (i didn't know they still made it?) - any reason for that one in particular? I haven't tried it. Have liked Nortons, Air Zones, Mo Joes, but never tried the Vai based pups....

Lastly - re the Kiesel -  this'll be my second - I bought a Vader 2-3 years ago and it pretty much became the only thing I use. It's awesome.  This one is just a variation on a theme. I got the standard single coil and the beryllium humbucker with it.

Happy to post picture of the new one when it gets here. I'd post a pic of my existing Vader if i could remember how to attach images - been a few years since ive been on a forum...

[HarlowTheFish]

Thanks for the answers folks - sorry for the delay - not ungrateful, just busy at work...

Had not considered the heavy blues at all, but am almost sold based on the above - will check it out.

Curious re The Breed suggestion (i didn't know they still made it?) - any reason for that one in particular? I haven't tried it. Have liked Nortons, Air Zones, Mo Joes, but never tried the Vai based pups....

Lastly - re the Kiesel -  this'll be my second - I bought a Vader 2-3 years ago and it pretty much became the only thing I use. It's awesome.  This one is just a variation on a theme. I got the standard single coil and the beryllium humbucker with it.

Happy to post picture of the new one when it gets here. I'd post a pic of my existing Vader if i could remember how to attach images - been a few years since ive been on a forum...

The Heavy Blues 2 might work for you with the Beryllium, I hear really good reviews of it over on the Kiesel BBS. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on it when you get it, I'm considering swapping out the Lithiums in my Kiesel CL for Berylliums at some point. I really like them, but they're pretty different from all my other guitars and need some pretty drastically different EQ which isn't always practical when switching guitars.

[gtrjunior]

Thanks for the answers folks - sorry for the delay - not ungrateful, just busy at work...

Had not considered the heavy blues at all, but am almost sold based on the above - will check it out.

Curious re The Breed suggestion (i didn't know they still made it?) - any reason for that one in particular? I haven't tried it. Have liked Nortons, Air Zones, Mo Joes, but never tried the Vai based pups....

Lastly - re the Kiesel -  this'll be my second - I bought a Vader 2-3 years ago and it pretty much became the only thing I use. It's awesome.  This one is just a variation on a theme. I got the standard single coil and the beryllium humbucker with it.

Happy to post picture of the new one when it gets here. I'd post a pic of my existing Vader if i could remember how to attach images - been a few years since ive been on a forum...

Cool...yeah, I’d love to see your guitars if you are able to get some pics uploaded.

[DarthPhineas]

First, play the guitar the way it is and get a vibe for what’s going on.

If you’ve been playing DiMarzio for about 30 years, do you have any sitting around?  If so, start dropping them in there and trying them out. Also, if you have other DiMarzios in other guitars, pull them and try them.

After that, you will at least have a baseline to work with. And then you can go from there.

[greenlion]

Why the Breed bridge? I tried a dozen pickups in my 24 fret, Alder body, maple necked Jackson, and the pickup that sounds best in it is the Breed bridge. Your guitar has the same woods, so... my best guess...

[Guitar74]

Even though I don’t have one in any of my guitars, the ones that I have played with the Breed sound nice with one exception. That being a Les Paul. It sounded dead in the Paul that I played.

[HeyNorton!]

I have an air Norton s in an ibanez HS.  I like it better than the full sized version. It parallels well too.

I like the norton alot, but the air zone or tone zone makes the eq easier to balance with the air norton s

[littlebadboy]

I'm loving my blades on my H-S! Well, it's kind of H-S.