software

Hello Experts .

I have been saving for a new guitar and pickups for a very long time, and have come to this.
An Ibanez S470DXM
And then a Duncan Distortion in the neck, and a Duncan Invader in the bridge, with a DiMarzio HS-2 in the single coil slot..
I was wondering if you pickup experts had any comments? I want to use this for old-style metal lead (Metallica, Hammerfall, other power metal).
I would greatly apprecieate any feedback.

Thank you and have a nice day!
Julian Culme-Seymour

welcome to the forum, julian

sounds like a great setup .. i am not sure it will sound exactly like those things you mentioned, but i bet it will sound very heavy indeed! ... i hope you enjoy it

good luck
t4d

Thanks for that - need more experiened comments. I mean, the main thing I want is a clear sound..I know thats also gear dependant..

Is the 470 even a good guitar? I like the feel of it, and have ehard with better pickups its nice....I want heavy, clear sounds
Thanks
Julian Culme-Seymour

the invader might be too hot for 'clear' distortion man, it's very very hot and sensitive (had a girl like that once..)

but yeah, have you looked at the custom, CC, or C5? perfect for powermetal! its just the invader might overcook things.. best thing is to try one, and trust yourself on what you hear!

welcome to the board man

tom

i suggest a duncan distortion in the bridge.

the invader is a great crunchy rhythm pup but i dont like it as much for solos. i think the distortion will nail that older metal lead tone youre looking for.

as for the neck id say either a duncan distortion neck or a jb if you want a big fat high output pup.

the hs-2 is going to be alot lower in output and youll probably want to use that for your clean tones. youll probably have to reverse the phase to have it work properly with the duncan buckers

Personally I'd go with a Distortion in both the neck and bridge. I HATE the invader.

Ive changed my mind a little
Neck - Distortion
Singlecoil - Dimarzio HS-2
Brdige - Dimarzio ToneZone..

Aain for powermetal type stuff..really heavy distortion..but want a very vey clear sound..thoughts?
Thanks
Julian Culme-Seymour

powermetal makes me also think of a dimarzio super distortion in the bridge.. it's kinda the quintessential 80's metal pickup.. or a full shred in the bridge? it's quite bright, but the mahogany body should match it out nicely!

tom

I see that you have made up you mind but, I would say to either go for the Distortion in the neck and bridge or the Full Shred set! Both are great for metal and offer very good clarity even though they are very distorted!

Thanks for all the replys..

I really liked the ToneZone sound..do you guys not think its any good? Im still thinking Distortion/Super Distortion in neck and ToneZone in bridge...and the hs 2 on single but taht aint so important to me - is this combo no good? You guys have only suggested other pickups so i was wondering if you thought it was a crap set up?

Thanks and please reply with more advice - you guys have helped so much so far!

Julian Culme-Seymour

Anyone? I know im spamming but id like to buy it all this weekend...is my chosen set up no good?



the Tone Zone rawks ! The setup you're contemplating should work out okay.
On paper those should all matchup well. Ofcourse everything can always change the moment something goes into your guitar. Each one is a different animal as we all know !If you're going to go for more clean playing , a TZ might not be 100% what you want, but the other 2 pups in your setup will cover that. TZ will add fat, powerful beef. It's at its finest when distorted. Crank it to 11 brutha !

DiMarzio Super Distortion or Duncan Distortion is higher output than the Tone Zone. You dont want to run a higher output pup in the neck. High bridge, low neck, or something close to output. The TZ and a PAF Pro is a hot combo. Good luck.

Ok. so how about this:
Neck : PAF PRO
Single: HS 2
Bridge : ToneZone

Im planning to use hs for clean, TZ for lead, and PAF Pro..is that good for chugging chords?

I have a TZ-PAF Pro combo. I like it for various styles. They work well together.

Out of the Duncan line, something with a JB should do well!

EDIT: Oh, I just noticed your last line in your last post. It's better to use the bridge pup for rhythm when using lots of distortion. You can do leads on both neck and bridge pups, the other one's more trebly and the other one softer. So you have variation. I also like the PAF Pro for cleans, especially split.

So...Tz in Neck and PAF in bridge? Does the TZ sound nice on neck?
Would then the PAF be good for rhythm in bridge?


Originally Posted by juliancsSo...Tz in Neck and PAF in bridge? Does the TZ sound nice on neck?
Would then the PAF be good for rhythm in bridge?

No, you understood me wrong. No matter what pup, the bridge position is what is recommended to use when playing rhythm with lots of distortion. All that quot;chug chugquot; you hear comes from bridge pickups.

It's recommended to put the TZ in the bridge and the Paf Pro in the neck. They're meant to go that way, and sound nice so IMO. They would be unbalanced the other way round.

Definately do a Distortion Bridge. I'm not a fan of the Invader either, way too muddy for me. Distortion, Custom, Custom Custom, JB, can all get you there. They're all crunchy and very articulate pick ups. Distortion being the hottest of all of those. Definately use the bridge pick up for all your rythym metal needs!

For the neck you could do a distortion neck. Or if you, like me, like the neck/neck middle position, for the slower, prettier, blusier, solos, you could do something like a PG, A2 Pro, Jazz etc., for the neck slot. And if you want a higher output from one of those, just put a Bridge version in the neck, only difference is the output.

The JB/Jazz, DD/DD, DD/59, or Custom/59 will all do metal very well. DiMarzio Super D/PAF Pro, TZ/PAF Pro, Norton/Fred also.