[Monsta-Tone]

I have an ESP LTD Elite ST-1.
It's a great guitar, but I'm still searching for the right pickups.
Up until yesterday, I was using a Chopper in the neck and a Tone Zone in the bridge.
  Chopper was just a hair too hot and dark
  Tone Zone sounded great, nice and thick with lots of power.....but the mid range hump always sounded like my Wah pedal was on.


I re-installed the factory pickups yesterday and once again, they are a huge disappointment.
  Duncan STK-S4 in the neck and middle
  Duncan Custom in the bridge

I swapped the bridge magnet with an Alnico II and like the Custom Custom much better!
The neck and middle pickups just have no personality though....


I love the way this guitar plays.  It also has tons of sustain, which I like, plus the Floyd (even though it's an FR1000) is amazing.

I tried the "Pickup Picker," but it always comes up with Injector neck (which I absolutely did not like in any guitar I tried it in) and Tone Zone.


Here are the guitar specs:
24 fret maple neck
Maple fretboard
Alder body with 1/4" thick maple cap (might be a thin laminate, I can't tell)
Floyd Rose trem
25.5" scale

My setup:
Guitar --> Fractal FX-8 --> Mesa Triaxis --> Mesa 20/20 power amp --> 2 1x12 cabinets loaded with Cannabis Rex speakers

What I'm looking for:
Great all around tone with lots of versatility.  I'm not trying to nail anyone's tone.
I play in a cover band.  We play everything from James Brown to Chili Peppers to Rage Against the Machine.
I have a Cruiser Bridge in the neck position of a Strat and it is freaking wonderful!  I did not like it in this guitar though due to the 24 fret position........
I fully understand that this guitar will not sound like my Strat, but I'd like to get as Strat like neck and middle tone as I can with a semi-hot humbucker bridge pickup that can handle high gain as well as mid gain tones.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Monsta-Tone]

This is the guitar: http://geartunes.s3.amazonaws.com/gear/images/20130731-IMG_0782_02_990x660.jpg

OVERVIEW

The LTD Elite ST-1 Duncan employs a bolt-on construction at 25.5” scale, and has an alder body with natural binding. This guitar features high-end appointments including quilted maple tops, Gotoh tuners and a Floyd Rose bridge. It comes with Seymour Duncan JB (bridge) and Classic Stack Plus (middle and neck) pickups, a maple fingerboard and chrome hardware.

Made in Japan by ESP Luthiers
Unlike ESP's other LTD models that are manufactured in various areas of Asia like Indonesia and Korea, the LTD Elite line is made in Japan at the same manufacturing facility as the rest of our high-end ESP models.In fact, the same experienced and qualified luthiers who create and build our critically acclaimed ESP Standard Series are those who are making LTD Elite. You can rest assured that these luthiers are among the worldʼs finest, and will simply not build a guitar or bass without the highest attention to detail and quality.

Made in Japan with an alder body, bolt-on maple neck and Floyd Rose bridge.
FEATURES

    Bolt-On-Neck Construction
    25.5” Scale
    Alder Body
    Quilted Maple Top
    Maple Neck
    Maple Fingerboard
    42mm Locking Nut
    Thin U Neck Contour
    24 XJ Frets
    Chrome Hardware
    Gotoh Tuners
    Floyd Rose Bridge
    Seymour Duncan Custom (B) / STK-S4 Classic Stack Plus (M & N) pickup
    Controls: Master Volume, Master Tone, 5-Way Switch

[darkbluemurder]

If you liked the Chopper in the neck and thought it was just a hair too hot and dark, the Satch Track would be an option.

Cruiser bridge is a low output pickup - I can see why you did not like it in the 24 fret guitar. I have it in the neck spot of a telecaster where it sounds great but can just so keep up with the Chopper T in the bridge, and that is only because I have not set the Chopper T too close to the strings.

Funny though - I would have recommended the Injector neck as well hadn't you said that you didn't like that one. On the other hand I preferred the VV Heavy Blues 2 in the neck position of a strat to the Injector neck which I now use in the middle of that guitar. The VV HB2 has a bit more mids which I preferred in the neck spot.

Cheers Stephan

[Monsta-Tone]

Thanks Stephan,
The Cruiser bridge in my Strat sounds warm and bright at the same time.  I guess I'd call it very "Full" sounding, with lots of sustain.

In the ESP, not much has sounded good in the neck position so far.

I did stop by a local music store that was going out of business and picked up a pair of DiMarzio single coils from an old Parker Nitefly.

Yesterday I put this combination in the ESP.  So far it sounds great, but I need to try it with my band next weekend.....
Fast Track 1 - neck - Much more Strat like than the Chopper
DiMarzio/Parker single coil - Middle - Really punchy, but very Strat like
Tone Zone - "Half Air" mod - it seems a lot brighter now, which I don't like, but it's not nearly as aggressive as the stock TZ was.


If I hate the Fast Track, I'll look for a VV Heavy Blues.  Does it stay bright enough in the neck position?

[darkbluemurder]

Yesterday I put this combination in the ESP.  So far it sounds great, but I need to try it with my band next weekend.....
Fast Track 1 - neck - Much more Strat like than the Chopper
If I hate the Fast Track, I'll look for a VV Heavy Blues.  Does it stay bright enough in the neck position?

I was actually thinking of the FT-1 but did not recommend it since I never played one.

For me the VV Heavy Blues is bright enough. It is not that much different than the Injector neck, except that it's a touch fuller and sings more in the neck position. While I found the Injector neck slightly brittle in my guitar while it was in the neck position that brittleness is gone with the VV HB. The Injector neck is now in the middle position in the same guitar and it does a great job there.

Cheers Stephan