Best replacement pickups for a 7 string?

[Bud Light's Near]

So, here's the dealeo, I have had a schecter Demon 7 lying around for the past year in the closet. So i stumbled across it one day. It plays great, but the pickups are not. They just lack personality. The only nice thing is that they are articulant.the main issue is they have almost no low end whatsoever. I'm in the market for active pickups here, but am trying to save some money given my budget which sits at $200. So just a quick overview, It's got a basswood body, Maple neck rosewood fingerboard I use .11's. I'd prefer a set to keep it simple, but am willing to buy separately sold pickups. I've thought about blackouts, but I'm not a fan.

 

[dmlinger]

Browse the Pickup section of the forum. The EMG 707 has been a popular 7 string active for nearly 20 years.

 

[Carl Kolchak]

I liked these better than the 707s I tried.
https://www.emgpickups.com/guitar/85-7x.html

 

[Bud Light's Near]

My pickups are modeled after the duncan designed blackouts but for some reason are wired as actives.. I would try a Passive like a TZ or a full shred but I don't want rewire it and go through that nightmare. I personally would go for say an 81 but my guitar needs something with a lot of balls so to speak

 

[feilong29]

I prefer the SD Blackouts to the EMG 707s. I have some Fishman pups in my current guitar and I won't look any further than those. Worth checking out!

 

[Carl Kolchak]

My pickups are modeled after the duncan designed blackouts but for some reason are wired as actives.. I would try a Passive like a TZ or a full shred but I don't want rewire it and go through that nightmare. I personally would go for say an 81 but my guitar needs something with a lot of balls so to speak

Well if you have to have actives in your guitar then it's either EMG or SD. As you said, you don't want Blackouts or an 81, so that sort of limits your choices to either an 85 or a 707. Assuming you have those quick detach connectors in your guitar then why not just get a 707 and an 85, and keep which ever one you think sounds better?

 

[cip 123]

My pickups are modeled after the duncan designed blackouts but for some reason are wired as actives.. I would try a Passive like a TZ or a full shred but I don't want rewire it and go through that nightmare. I personally would go for say an 81 but my guitar needs something with a lot of balls so to speak

I’d go for an EMG 85-7 like has been suggested

 

[Bud Light's Near]

I don't have a quick detach thing in the stock pickups. But after a lot of thought and a lot of sampling, I have it down to 2 707's, the fishman fluences, and an 85 bridge with a 60 neck. I did like the blackouts not gonna lie but they just seem to have a bit too much of a mid range scoop, and don't really seem to have any articulation. So I'm leaning on the 707's. now I know they have solderless installation, but I have limited experience with active pickups and am not sure If I need to install all of the parts they provide or if my current pots and wiring can be used again. I've always reused the 500k pots that have come pre installed when i've swapped out the passives on my other guitars. Active pickup installation is a new thing for me, though i can solder but im really not great at it. But i guess that's what youtube and forums are for

 

[cip 123]

I don't have a quick detach thing in the stock pickups. But after a lot of thought and a lot of sampling, I have it down to 2 707's, the fishman fluences, and an 85 bridge with a 60 neck. I did like the blackouts not gonna lie but they just seem to have a bit too much of a mid range scoop, and don't really seem to have any articulation. So I'm leaning on the 707's. now I know they have solderless installation, but I have limited experience with active pickups and am not sure If I need to install all of the parts they provide or if my current pots and wiring can be used again. I've always reused the 500k pots that have come pre installed when i've swapped out the passives on my other guitars. Active pickup installation is a new thing for me, though i can solder but im really not great at it. But i guess that's what youtube and forums are for

Your stock pups won't have solderless install no, the Duncan designed pups are based on the blackouts I believe.

The EMG solderless install is real simple if you can get your hands on a set like that. I can't recall if it's all solderless or if the output needs soldered.

I'd say you're probably best with EMG, but a trick to remember if you get them is to really experiment with the pickup height. I used to have 808's and they sounded so much better (to me) when they were screwed right down in to the body. Good luck!

 

[Bdtunn]

I have an older jp7 with pretty much the same woods. I put an ionizer in the bridge and paf in the neck. The ionizer sound fantastic, but I’d get something a little hotter in the neck next time.

 

[FILTHnFEAR]

If the 85x-7 sounds just like the 85x get it. I put an 85x in my Ibby S920 and really prefer it over the 81 it came with.

Thick and chunky lows/low mids with a really nice top end grind to it.

I haven't played that guitar in a while because I'm stuck on 7's now, but this thread is making me wanna get it out. Think I'll restring it and play it tomorrow.

 

[Noodler]

I had the 707's in the neck and bridge of an RGA7 and they we're pretty awesome in that guitar.

Pretty sure the RGA7 had the same woods that your guitar has.

 

[Bud Light's Near]

Your stock pups won't have solderless install no, the Duncan designed pups are based on the blackouts I believe.

The EMG solderless install is real simple if you can get your hands on a set like that. I can't recall if it's all solderless or if the output needs soldered.

I'd say you're probably best with EMG, but a trick to remember if you get them is to really experiment with the pickup height. I used to have 808's and they sounded so much better (to me) when they were screwed right down in to the body. Good luck!

I've done lots of digging into the 707's and I personally think that they sound great! I'd like that blackouts if there wasn't such a dramatic mid scoop. They are super compressed if you ask me. I would have gone with an 81/85 set if I had something like mahogany or agathis. I really like agathis for some reason. but since I have a basswood guitar, the lows are nonexistent and the highs are too high. Both pickups have waaay too much attack, so it's like when i pick single notes, the sound of the pick hitting the strings is almost louder than the note.. But yes I really like the 707's! They're articulant, with great bass response, good mids, and highs that don't put holes in my ear drums lol. As far as installation goes, I don't really mind soldering, but the installation of the emg's doesn't seem that hard. I understand It's more a plug in kind of deal. I've changed passive pickups in my other guitars and have soldered but my hands are shaky so it gets sloppy. But another question, can you use two of them or is it only a neck/bridge pup?

 

[Noodler]

I've done lots of digging into the 707's and I personally think that they sound great! I'd like that blackouts if there wasn't such a dramatic mid scoop. They are super compressed if you ask me. I would have gone with an 81/85 set if I had something like mahogany or agathis. I really like agathis for some reason. but since I have a basswood guitar, the lows are nonexistent and the highs are too high. Both pickups have waaay too much attack, so it's like when i pick single notes, the sound of the pick hitting the strings is almost louder than the note.. But yes I really like the 707's! They're articulant, with great bass response, good mids, and highs that don't put holes in my ear drums lol. As far as installation goes, I don't really mind soldering, but the installation of the emg's doesn't seem that hard. I understand It's more a plug in kind of deal. I've changed passive pickups in my other guitars and have soldered but my hands are shaky so it gets sloppy. But another question, can you use two of them or is it only a neck/bridge pup?

I used the 707 in both bridge and neck. It’s super versatile!

 

[c7spheres]

Normally with EMG's people use 25k pots. A 500k might not give you the full experience.

 

[Mathemagician]

Have you considered the 57-7/66-7 set?

 

[Adieu]

I suspect that you're not gonna like any of the usual actives if you don't like the Duncan Designed Actives.


Passives maybe?

 

[Bud Light's Near]

Normally with EMG's people use 25k pots. A 500k might not give you the full experience.

The stock pots say south Korea on them.. So, It's safe to say that the pots need to change. My knowledge of pots is pretty lacking not gonna lie. I've always just left them alone while working on my other guitars, since i figured they are all kind of the same. But quite honestly I have no idea. I just know that EMG includes them for a reason.

 

[chargrilled]

Have you considered the 57-7/66-7 set?

I got the 57-7 bridge in my ESP it kicks arse, 66-7 is ok nothing special a bit dull use a tone pedal to brighten it

 

[Bud Light's Near]

I haven't put any thought into either of those actually. I mean i really don't know since I own mostly passives and have only 1 pair of EMG's