Question:
Hey all,
I have an epiphone Les Paul classic and I am looking to replace the pickups with some good high output metal pickups that can be used for rock and blues when I need to play something that has a bit of a vintage sound (love to play Cream once in awhile, go clapton :P) I am stuck between paying 130$ for a set of seymour duncan pickups ( the SH-2 in the neck and SH-4 in the bridge) or for 140ish I can buy 2 separate dimarzio pups such as a super distortion in the bridge and whatever would be a good neck pickup to go with it (something by dimarzio preferably). I play through a Vox 50watt hybrid amp with 2 12 inch speakers and have access to a peavey valveking 40 watt full tube once in awhile but ill mostly be using the vox. Any experience or help would be appreciated and I apoligize if this thread is in the wrong catergory but it sounded electric guitarish :P. Btw if you do suggest Dimarzio please tell me which ones and why.
Thanks all

Answer:
sound better than Duncans or Dimarzios.
I have the Generators in an Epi LP and that guitar sounds incredible.
They're only $78 for a pair in black or zebra ($98 with nickel or gold covers).

Answer:
Gotta go with Dimarzio on this one. Both make some great pups, but Dimarzio has never failed me.

Answer:
Be prepared to spend some money. I don't know how many frigging pickups I have gone through testing em out.
Seymour Duncan sh-4 JB, good pickup for metal and rock but I find it quite cutting.
Seymour Ducan sh-14 Custom 5. Great for rock and hard rock, my favourite.
Dimarzio Super Distortion, another good pickup for rock and hard rock.
Choosing pickups sucks ass, good luck:thu:

Answer:
DiMarzio super distortion @ the bridge and DiMarzio PAF @ the neck. The best of both worlds. All of the crunch and warmth you'll ever need.

Answer:
i just kinda have a thing for dimarzio but if you do go that route i love the combo i have of the drop sonic in the bridge and the breed neck in the neck (obviously). With the drop sonic you can get true j.p. tones (petrucci is God) and the breed is fat as a mo fo and harmonics are still easy and beautiful. dimarzio does also have this nifty little "pickup picker" that lets you put in your amp style, guitar type, style of music, etc., and "problem solver" like more sustain/better harmonics/etc which helped me make my decision. hope this helps.:thu:
p.s. let me know what u go with

Answer:
I had better luck with DiMarzio's than Seymor Duncan. I think mostly because I feel the pickups are described more accurately than Seymour duncans are not due to their quality. Air Norton in the Bridge and Air classic in the neck best combo I have tried yet.

Answer:
I hate Duncans.
DiMarzio FTW

Answer:
I also like an Air Norton in the bridge. Most peeps put 'em in the neck.... but I ended up putting one in the bridge of an Agile and love the articulate nature of that pup.
It's not super-high gain type of a pup.... but then if you go with a really hot, overwound pup you lose a lot on cleans and when you need some nice rhythm crunch without that overly compressed tone hot pickups give off.
Don't care for Seymours as much.... though I do have a JB/Jazz setup in my Baritone and it sounds spectacular there.
To me it is all about matching the right pickup, with the right guitar, with the right amp, playing the right style of music. Like someone else said.... Good Luck!!:thu:
Seriously, there are so many variables that the best you can do is just take an experimental attitude and try out a bunch of pickups. Buy used on E-bay and then if you don't like them you can sell them back on E-bay or here and probably break even. If you buy new then if you don't absolutely love them you are guaranteed to lose at least $50 to $60 right off the bat.
Have fun with it. It is all a journey. There is no destination.
Cheers,
BP

Answer:
Dimarzio Super distortion (bridge) Dimarzio PAF (neck)
Vs
SD SH-4 (bridge) SD SH-2 (neck)
Who has:
most output?
most versitility?
best cleans?
best harmonics?
I would like to thank all posters so far as the info you are all giving me is extremely helpful as I am drowning in a sea of humbuckers:P

Answer:
DiMarzio super distortion @ the bridge and DiMarzio PAF @ the neck. The best of both worlds. All of the crunch and warmth you'll ever need. WORD
Nonetheless, I uncovered the 57+ bridge pickup and put it at the neck.
(An attempt to see what happens, plus I couldn't decide between a PAF Pro or Fred)
57+ Has pretty much everything a PAF Pro has in its grasp. It's sunk down low and the tone is just right. So the spacing is a tad wide but it doesn't make a donkeys worth of difference
The Dimarzio Super Distortion in Creme is an absolute winner in this guitar
(Dimarzio DP-100cr)

Answer:
sound better than Duncans or Dimarzios.
I have the Generators in an Epi LP and that guitar sounds incredible.
They're only $78 for a pair in black or zebra ($98 with nickel or gold covers). I noticed you have an Edwards LP. Talk to me. Give me a quick review is it worth the $$$? They look solid, but I've never played one. I've had Gibson LP's and currently own an Epi LP Ultra... wonderful guitar... after I add some new PUPS. I'm curious about the Edwards.
Thanks,
Jim

Answer:
Dimarzio Super distortion (bridge) Dimarzio PAF (neck)
Vs
SD SH-4 (bridge) SD SH-2 (neck)
Who has:
most output?
most versitility?
best cleans?
best harmonics?
I would like to thank all posters so far as the info you are all giving me is extremely helpful as I am drowning in a sea of humbuckers:P One thing you're forgetting.
The Seymour Duncan SH-6 Distortion pickup
It is the Ceramic mother to stand up to the Dimarzio Super Distortion, but cleans up better on the clean channel when needed.
Paired with an SH-2 Jazz model it stokes n' smokes.
Known as the 'Distortion Mayhem Set':
I have these in my SG Custom, mid and bridge.
How much do I like the Epiphone '57+?
I have that stock bridge pickup (cover on) in the neck on this one as well. Hot Hot, but cool enough and dark enough to cut it back when needed.

Answer:
DiMarzio super distortion @ the bridge and DiMarzio PAF @ the neck. The best of both worlds. All of the crunch and warmth you'll ever need. yes:D

Answer:
I noticed you have an Edwards LP. Talk to me. Give me a quick review is it worth the $$$? They look solid, but I've never played one. I've had Gibson LP's and currently own an Epi LP Ultra... wonderful guitar... after I add some new PUPS. I'm curious about the Edwards.
Thanks,
Jim Most definitely worth the $$$. I've owned lots of LP's including a couple Gibson's and this is the best I've had. I swapped the JB/59 pup combo for 57/57+ and it's perfect now.
It's my #1 guitar.
Search the forum. Tons of Edwards info here.

Answer:
if you want to sound like Steve Vai get a Dimarzio
if you want to ssound like Slash get a Duncan
a quick glance of their roster does show that more high gain players (as in they play with more pick up output) use dimarzio and more traditional sweet vintage sound players will use a duncan. of course im wrong as i think Dimebag used a Duncan and Pete Townshends' LP had a Super Distortion....
but tbh, id go duncan, i have a hot rail in my strat which i can't really compare anything to as the other pups in it are ceramics and thats hte only strat i play.....
i have a Gibson LP Std which has Burstbuckers which are Alnico V magnets which i think are a bit too bright for me.
in the end though i have no clue as to how to choose pick ups! you spent a small fortune on new ones then have em intalled , you plug yr guitar in and then FART you hate the tone you're getting!!! i find it funny and interesting that slash has stuck with the same pups since 1986

Answer:
i really lke the sound of dimarzios tone zone (i think its called) on their site's samples...
sounds great.
ceramic humbuckers scare me. i never want to try them., well i never want to pay money to try them

Answer:
Note to OP. Everything you read in this thread is opinion and preference, not universal truth. Why do you want to base your buying decision on someone else's opinion and preference? Wouldn't yours be more important?

Answer:
Hey all,
I have an epiphone Les Paul classic and I am looking to replace the pickups with some good high output metal pickups that can be used for rock and blues when I need to play something that has a bit of a vintage sound (love to play Cream once in awhile, go clapton :P) I am stuck between paying 130$ for a set of seymour duncan pickups ( the SH-2 in the neck and SH-4 in the bridge) or for 140ish I can buy 2 separate dimarzio pups such as a super distortion in the bridge and whatever would be a good neck pickup to go with it (something by dimarzio preferably). I play through a Vox 50watt hybrid amp with 2 12 inch speakers and have access to a peavey valveking 40 watt full tube once in awhile but ill mostly be using the vox. Any experience or help would be appreciated and I apoligize if this thread is in the wrong catergory but it sounded electric guitarish :P. Btw if you do suggest Dimarzio please tell me which ones and why.
Thanks all
Both companies (imo) have some good offerings. Overall though I like DiMarzio over Duncan. DiMarzio pups have always seemed to "work" for me.
For Rock and Blues I would not go for high output metal pickups. High output Metal types (imo) can sound a bit sterile and tight when not used with high gain.
Recently I went back to DiMarzio's in my Gibby Explorer. PAF-Pro in the neck and a Breed (neck model) in the bridge. DiMarzio recommends the Breed neck for fixed bridge/ set neck guitars. Both pups are med output with alnico 5 magnets. They have a smoother and more "open" tone then the hot ceramics the Explorer comes stock with. The Breed is also hooked up to a push pull pot for single coil tones. All around a great set for Rock and Blues (imo)
I would def' go for a PAF-Pro in the neck of your Eppi. It has a smooth sound that is a little vintage and a little modern. It also has more output than a typical "vintage" type which I like. For the bridge...a Breed might be cool for you or the Super Distortion. The Super D is a nice med output ceramic mag pup (imo), one of my fav's. I think the D has a great Rock N' Roll tone with some nice "bark & Balls".

Answer:
DiMarzio Air Zone is nice, too. I just picked one up a couple of weeks ago when WWBW was clearancing the Red one's out at $20. I put it in the bridge of my Samick Valley Arts super strat and love the sound of it.

Now I also like my Washburn WI64 set up with a DiMarzio X2N in the bridge and a PAF Pro in the neck. They both split coil pretty well for pulling back on power when needed.

I haven't had much experience with Duncans. No real reason, it just seems I have been able to get good deals on DiMarzio when I needed them.

I am feeling the lure of a set of Rockfield SWC's for my new SG for a vintage sound. The whole Rockfield lineup seems pretty interesting, plus they have sound clips on their website like the big companies.
My guitar growls?
Are today's guitars ever going to be highly sought after "vintage" models?
Do I need to adjust my truss rod/action - G string buzzing (I think).?
Strat PUPS?
What manufacturers actually monitor.?
Help with Boogie Triple Recty?
Agile - pull the trigger?
New band clip from last night(DSL Toanz)?