guitar pickup problem (humbucker in bridge position), help needed

Dick Brucinson

Dick Brucinson

The TRUE Dick Brucinson
could you other guitarists out there help me please...


I have three different electric guitars - with two I am fine, but with my Jackson Dinky Adrian Smith US Singnature model I am absolutely not. the problem is all about the bridge pickup the guitar came with.


what I expect when paying more than 2500 Euro for a guitar is that things are really of high standard. the middle pickup and the neck pickup both were not good, that's why I fitted them with Seymour Duncan Hot Rails humbuckers first. so far, so good - both positions fine now. but still the bridge humbucker is the big problem. the guitar came with a DiMarzio Super Distortion Humbucker - and it sounds horrible. the pickup has all its attention on the mids that in the end it all sounds thin and muddy, almost like a neck pickup in bidge position. it's a nightmare.


can anybody advise me a really good high gain and high output humbucker for bridge position???


thank you so much.
 
I love the Super Distortion dp100. Not too compression sounding like the hot rails (have them too in a different strat) but yeah, middy, but a good type I think. Have it in my black Murray strat and in my creme japan. Check dimarzio's website. They list the tonal balance of their pickups. I'm considering a tone zone for my new RG, supposedly the shit.
 
Yax said:
I love the Super Distortion dp100. Not too compression sounding but yeah, middy, but a good type I think. Have it in my black Murray strat and in my creme japan strat. The Super Distortion 2 dp 104 is a lot more treble sounding if that's what you are looking for. Check dimarzio's website. They list the tonal balance of their pickups.
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thank you Yax. now it'd be interesting to know whether it's the dp 100 or the 2 dp 104 you mentioned my guitar came with...
I also have the Mexican Fender Dave Murray Stratocaster, it cost less than half of the price the Jackson Dinky Adrian Smith was, and the original pickups the guitar came with are all excellent (bridge & neck: SD Hot Rails, middle: SD Jeff Beck), the guitar sounds great. better than the US Jackson.
 
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I've got a Seymour Duncan Custom SH-5 in my Chapman ML-3 (a Tele-shape). Great sounding pickup, similar output level to the Super Distortion but with a more scooped midrange so that might be worth looking into if you find the mids of the Super Distortion to be too much. Might pair nice with the Hot Rails too.
 
Sure the pickup is not wired wrong? Sounds like a weird decription of the Super Distortion to me. I like it, but I prefer a JB (or even better actually, a JB Jr which has all the tone but more focused).
 
Maturin said:
Sure the pickup is not wired wrong? Sounds like a weird decription of the Super Distortion to me. I like it, but I prefer a JB (or even better actually, a JB Jr which has all the tone but more focused).
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I'm very sure it's not wired wrong cause the guitar came frm Jackson USA directly, and the least thing I would imagine they screw up the electronics. yeah, the JB would be an option too, I have it in my Fender Strat and it's really good. whats the difference between the JB and the JB Jr?

is it this one you like?:

www.thomann.de

Seymour Duncan TB-4 BLK

Seymour Duncan TB-4 BLK Jeff Beck Pickup, Trembucker Tonabnehmer für E-Gitarre, perfekt für alle Stiele von Blues und Country bis zu Hard Rock und Metal, Steg Position, Dual Coil, Alnico V Magnet, wachsversiegelt, Gleichstromwiderstand 17,4 kOhm,...
www.thomann.de www.thomann.de
 
Anything by Dimarzio shouldn't sound bad. You need to check the signal without any mediation, maybe it's the switch or the pots that are faulty.
 
Zare said:
Anything by Dimarzio shouldn't sound bad. You need to check the signal without any mediation, maybe it's the switch or the pots that are faulty.
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it's not that it sounds bad in a broken way, but it's really more character of that pickup itself...
 
Well it's a mid focused pickup for sure.


Get an SH or Trembucker. I have one of those - If I remember to pull it out next time I restring to check exactly what model it is, I'll let you know.

However,

Smith’s Stratocaster is fitted with a Floyd Rose locking tremolo system and the same DiMarzio Super Distortion bridge humbucker as his Jackson
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So basically this pickup recorded AoB and TCW which isn't an 80s mid rich sound with muddier guitar chug. So it's not about the pickups, it's a possibility your equipment isn't responding well to them. What are you playing on?
 
Dick Brucinson said:
I'm very sure it's not wired wrong cause the guitar came frm Jackson USA directly, and the least thing I would imagine they screw up the electronics. yeah, the JB would be an option too, I have it in my Fender Strat and it's really good. whats the difference between the JB and the JB Jr?

is it this one you like?:

www.thomann.de

Seymour Duncan TB-4 BLK

Seymour Duncan TB-4 BLK Jeff Beck Pickup, Trembucker Tonabnehmer für E-Gitarre, perfekt für alle Stiele von Blues und Country bis zu Hard Rock und Metal, Steg Position, Dual Coil, Alnico V Magnet, wachsversiegelt, Gleichstromwiderstand 17,4 kOhm,...
www.thomann.de www.thomann.de
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Yeah! The JB Jr is a technically totally unrelated pickup (Alnico V vs ceramic rail magnet) in single coil format meant to replicate the sound of the full size JB. Which it does, really well, but to me it sounds even better.
 
Maturin said:
Yeah! The JB Jr is a technically totally unrelated pickup (Alnico V vs ceramic rail magnet) in single coil format meant to replicate the sound of the full size JB. Which it does, really well, but to me it sounds even better.
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I really think the Jeff Beck TB-4 will be the pickup I'll go with, replacing the DiMarzio Super Distortion. I think the Jackson will be really cool then, so apart from the TB-4 it's already fitted with a SD Hot Rails Humbucker in single coil format in neck position and with a SD Hot Stack in middle position. the Hot Stack btw is interesting, it has a full magnet center core instead of 6 pole pieces. strong magnet field though, but quite unique sound.
 
Good choice and certainly different than a Super Distortion.

I haven't found any other pickup I like as much as the JB Jr. Rolls off super well in my American Standard Strat and also works perfect for a Maiden sound (Janick Gers uses them in all his Strats).
 
Maturin said:
Janick Gers uses them in all his Strats
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it's always interesting to take a closer look what equipment they use. in case of the US Signature Jackson Adrian Smith Strat I seriously doubt that Adrian in fact uses the DiMarzio Super Distortion humbucker ( = the one the guitar comes along with). it's more a marketing thing and the Super Distortion seems to fit well with the marketing concept to this guitar, but when taking a closer look and hear to that humbucker it's obvious that it doesn't have much in common with Adrians sound. H's tone isn't particularly middy, but that's exactly what the pickup stands for. possibly he used that one in the eighties for a few recordings, but I'm almost 100% sure the Super Distortion is NOT Adrians bridge humbucker nowadays. I only wish I knew what pickups he uses nowadays.
 
Got the Super Distortion in a Kurt Cobain Jaguar and my brother has the old Dave Murray sig. I don't think a pickup would make that much of difference, honestly.

Try amp and effects first.

But I agree about marketing in the business in general. What they actually play... You could write several books about. No one gains from revealing that if the endorsement is lucrative. Effect pedals and amps are harder to actually make out though. A lot of empty Marshall cabs on stages all over the world while the actual amp is a Fender combo behind the stage...
 
Dick Brucinson said:
it's always interesting to take a closer look what equipment they use. in case of the US Signature Jackson Adrian Smith Strat I seriously doubt that Adrian in fact uses the DiMarzio Super Distortion humbucker ( = the one the guitar comes along with). it's more a marketing thing and the Super Distortion seems to fit well with the marketing concept to this guitar, but when taking a closer look and hear to that humbucker it's obvious that it doesn't have much in common with Adrians sound. H's tone isn't particularly middy, but that's exactly what the pickup stands for. possibly he used that one in the eighties for a few recordings, but I'm almost 100% sure the Super Distortion is NOT Adrians bridge humbucker nowadays. I only wish I knew what pickups he uses nowadays.
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Just to chime in...

H's humbucker in his green (standard tuned) Jackson is indeed a Seymour Duncan SH-4 or the JB (whatever name you like more).

However, in his drop-D Jacksons (white, black pickguard, maple neck) he still uses the DiMarzio Super Distortion. The "hooligan" 2MTM guitar is also the DiMarzio as is his goldtop Les Paul. His other Les Pauls have stock pickups (Burstbuckers and 57 classics AFAIK). His V has DiMarzios while his X-Stroyer has a JB.

Hope that helps.
 
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