[andrus108]

Hi,

My first post here, and already got two weird questions:

1. I am looking for a pair of humbuckers for both Jackson DK2 (alder) and Ibanez RG550 (basswood). At first I was thinking of just asking about neck pickups (these guitars currently have a Super Distortion and Super 3 in bridge position only, respectively), but I recently acquired a Fulltone Fuzz Face clone, but it doesn't get along too well with such hot pickups... So I am thinking of replacing those with some low output bridge HB's as well. What I want to achieve with the combo is to have a clear sounding neck and mid-humpy bridge pickup, similar to the Seymour Duncan Jazz + JB combo (had it, didn't like the tone, but loved the 'matching mismatch' :-)). It seems that PAF Master combo, or PAF Master neck + PAF 36th bridge are most likely candidates here, but would I get enough mid boost with the bridge compared to the neck?

2a. In the neck slot of my Ibanez RG550 I currently have a PAF Pro, but I somehow find it really muddy. One of the reason for it could be that I run my bridge pickups WITHOUT any pots, straight to the switch, while neck has a 500k volume. Obviously without any load, the bridge has a very sharp sound, while the pot loads down on the neck and cuts out some of the highs. Would I benefit from moving up to a 1M value pot?

2b. Also, if I wanted to add a single coil between the HB's, would I bump up the pot value for it to 500k, or are they bright enough that a 250k would still be fine? (In my Jackson, as an experiment I wired Super Distortion to a push-pull in such way that I get either straight to output series HB or split coil with volume; I find the split coil brighter with 500k volume than the series HB, and it's not a true single coil either, that's where I'm coming from anyway).

Thanks for at least reading ;-)

[DarthPhineas]

Pots don’t cost all that much.

Determine a quality brand that works for you. Maybe Bourns or CTS. Get a few values and try them out.

Let your own ears determine what is best for your own tone.

[greenlion]

Fred/Humbucker from Hell combo for the RG with an area67 or area61 in the middle. Do you not even have a volume pot hooked to your bridge humbucker? Why not? They are made to run with 500k pots. Breed bridge sounds good in a Jackson DK. Both of the bridge buckers will have the mid bump you are looking for.

[andrus108]

Get a few values and try them out.

Yes, figured as much, no harm in having too many pots in your stash ;-)

Fred/Humbucker from Hell combo for the RG with an area67 or area61 in the middle. Do you not even have a volume pot hooked to your bridge humbucker? Why not? They are made to run with 500k pots. Breed bridge sounds good in a Jackson DK. Both of the bridge buckers will have the mid bump you are looking for.

That's correct, I have no pots connected to bridge pickups. I've realized when I want that extra cut from bridge pickup it's because I really want to go loud, and therefore I don't need the volume or tone control on it, just the way I use it. Volume for neck pickup is good if I want to clean up my signal for rhythm, and then I just switch into solo mode right on my guitar :-)

Are Breed or Fred low output enough for vintage style fuzzes, and how similar or different would HB from Hell be to a single coil, as I understand it's designed to emulate one, similar to EJ neck or Bluesbucker?

[DarthPhineas]

how similar or different would HB from Hell be to a single coil, as I understand it's designed to emulate one, similar to EJ neck or Bluesbucker?

Can’t say I really find any of those to be as similar to a single coil as the official product descriptions might have one to believe

The HFH is pretty stiff and brittle, by comparison.

The Bluesbucker is my favorite of that lot.

[marcwormjim]

This vid showcases a bluesbucker being used to ape SRV tones with a Les Paul:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vKxNFblLoQo

Good luck down in the pickup audition rabbit hole.

[greenlion]

Fred is medium output, and Breed is higher output. I'm not sure about use with a fuzz. I have only used bright single coils with fuzz boxes. You said you were looking for something similar to the Jazz/JB combo. The JB is not low output at all. If you want a more vintage PAF tone, I like the Duncan Seth Lovers. The Pearly Gates set has a good dose of mids as well. I'm not the biggest fan of the 36th or PAF Masters. You'd have to ask others about those.

[eclecticsynergy]

If you're thinking about The Breed, you might consider the neck version; it makes a pretty darn good bridge pickup. Hotter than vintage style pickups though not as over-the-top as the bridge model (perhaps a better match for your fuzz) yet it has significant extra drive & thickness compared to PAF types.  Big low end and a smokin lead voice. Mine is in a Les Paul Custom.

If you're looking for vintage output with extra mids, I think the 36th Anniversary bridge could be a pretty good fit for you, depending on the guitar of course.

You might also consider the Air Norton; its output isn't as high as the DCR might lead you to believe and IMO it's less mid-forward than the 36th. A little more balanced, but it will still snarl when you dig in.

[andrus108]

Thanks so far for your suggestions. Bluesbucker sounds very promising as a neck pickup, and I got very good options regarding the bridge pickup, I'll just have to pick one and see how I like it, and change it if I don't :-)

@greenlion: I tried few Duncans, and never got on with them. The only thing I liked about the Jazz/JB was how they matched each other, and they gave me a good idea of what I want to achieve when choosing pickups, otherwise not my tone. I found the ones I tried to have like a 'screamy' sound about them (not a bad thing in itself, just doesn't suit me), whereas Dimarzios I tried so far have been 'growly' or 'barky', which is what I prefer. And that's why I post here, not on the Duncan forum ;-)