Best pick-ups for MTS gear

[tung]

Since running as my RM100 as my main amp, I've been trying and experimenting with various pick ups combinations. What are your favorite guitar/pickups set up for MTS/Egnater gear?
I noticed a few things from my explorations:
1- My RM100 seem to like medium, lower output pups. The P-90s on my Les Paul sounds awesome, a lot of clarity in the mids, nice smooth bite, although it's not quite bottom heavy. I think this is due to the fact that MTS amps are hot EQ wise already, running hot pups maybe driving it too much.
2- In realtion to another thread, EMG's hotness can cause problem with older clean modules. therefore the cap mod to take care of that problem. Not aan issue when you're pushing EMG for high gain stuff though.
3- My Strats worked great with the head as well, although the Texas Specials on my SRV Signature model sounds much better than my 75 Strat that has SD and DiMarzio humbuckers in them.
4- It's not coincidental that George Lynch uses SD Screaming Demon in most of his guitar. It is a medium output pup, basically let the amp do the work and pushes the gain.
Tung

 

[jmgman70]

That's subjective but this is what works for me.............
Les Paul(Muy Grande,Tallboy)very nice IMHO.
SG Voodoo(Jb bridge,SD distortion neck)also very nice.
SG standard(JB,Dimarzio PAF classic)Great combo.
Explorer(Bridge Duncan distortion,Dimarzio Breed neck)
V(duncan distortion,Steve Morse neck)
Strat(neckvirtual vintage blues,heavy blues and fast track 2 bridge)

 

[ned]

The Wolfgangs have high output picks and mine sound great through my RM50 head and Egnater combo.

 

[tung]

Interesting to see what you guys are running.
I'm definitely not implying that lower output pups are better in anyway, it's just my own experiments and preference. I do think with a really good set of EMG 81 and 85, there are some really great tones you can get, with some tweaking to get proper clean headroom.
T.

 

[Chad]

I've been mostly using a Hamer USA Daytona (Strat style) with an SD Lil' Screamin' Demon in the bridge and Alnico II Pro SCs in the middle and neck. This combo works great for both clean and distorted sounds.

 

[tung]

I've been mostly using a Hamer USA Daytona (Strat style) with an SD Lil' Screamin' Demon in the bridge and Alnico II Pro SCs in the middle and neck. This combo works great for both clean and distorted sounds.

Chad,
Is the Lil' screamin Demon the same as the humbucker version? Just in single coil form? Have you ever compared it to the Screamin' Demon?
I'm thinking of putting the Demon and and SD Phat Cat in my LP, the P90s are great sounding pups, but they're so noisy, with the Randall noisy high gain modules, it's just too much at times. I run a Roctron Hush and that cut down the noise some, but the unit is a real tone suck.
T.

 

[Chad]

I've never actually owned a full size Demon. I wanted to keep the single-coil look, researched pretty heavily, and ended up going with the LSD. It worked out great. Over on the Seymour Duncan forum, I've actually heard a few people say that the LSD is a better pickup than the SD. It does seem that people either love or hate the SD...not much middle ground.

 

[3 Mile Stone]

I have for many years and will for many more to come use Tom Anderson pick ups when it comes to humbuckers. They just hit the spot for me. I love the H2+. Works in every guitar I've tried it in. For single coils I have used Rio Grande and currently have a set of Muy Grande. Thinking about going to that Seymour mini humbucker thing though. We have this one club here in town that has tons of AC wires over the stage in conduit with no insulation. HUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! It's really the worst I have ever seen, so I'm thinking about a change.

 

[tung]

I. Thinking about going to that Seymour mini humbucker thing though. We have this one club here in town that has tons of AC wires over the stage in conduit with no insulation. HUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! It's really the worst I have ever seen, so I'm thinking about a change.

Tommy,
Have you heard the SD Mini Humbucker? If so, what's your opinion of them? I've been looking into options to replace my P-90s, which sound awesome in my LP, but yes, HUMMMM :evil: I'm trying not to do any routing, since the LP is vintage, but just can't seem to come across a good replcement for P90 size.
With my new MTS rig, the noise is a bigger issue running those P90s
T.

 

[3 Mile Stone]

No I haven't BUT ... if I were going to look at mini humbuckers in the P-90 size with dual coils I would definately look at the Tom Anderson M series. M1, M2 & the high output M3 are all P-90 in size, dual coil pick ups that claim to have a HUGE single coil tone. In my Strat I'm probably going to go with the Duncans or Joe Bardens or something in the single coil size so I don't have to route out my pick up cavities in the body.

 

[jmgman70]

FWIW I use a Dimarzio fast track II in the bridge of my strat and it is huge and fat sounding with great harmonics,It was suprising.....

 

[tung]

No I haven't BUT ... if I were going to look at mini humbuckers in the P-90 size with dual coils I would definately look at the Tom Anderson M series. M1, M2 & the high output M3 are all P-90 in size, dual coil pick ups that claim to have a HUGE single coil tone. .

thanks for the tips, Tommy. I'll have to cross the border to check out the Tom anderson M series. We have no Tom Anderson ditributor here in Canada. My original LP P90 pups do have a HUGE single coil sound, great sounding Les Paul tone with that sigle coil roundness bite to it, just too bad they're noisy as :evil: . And there's nothing you cna do about it.
T.