Dave Mustaine Livewires, whats the deal?

  • Thread starter HeHasTheJazzHands
  • Start date
  • This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links like Ebay, Amazon, and others.

HeHasTheJazzHands

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2011
Messages
36,762
Reaction score
29,699
Location
Louisiana
Why does no one talk about these? Like, I've never heard ANYTHING about them in these parts. Hell, not even on the Duncan forum.

Are they underwhelming? They sound pretty killer in clips.

Just curious because I've been thinking about trying them out. I have a silver Hagstrom with chrome trimmings on the way, and I think they'd look sweet in the fiddle.

So, are these just a set of JB/Jazz pickups with more output? Or am I better off just getting a 57/66? :lol:
 

Zoobiedood

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2015
Messages
364
Reaction score
198
Location
Tampa Bay
From what I can tell, they are the JB/Jazz set, but active with more of everything.
 

eaeolian

Pictures of guitars I don't even own anymore!
Super Moderator
Joined
Jul 21, 2005
Messages
15,318
Reaction score
3,619
Location
Woodbridge, VA
FWIW I always liked the regular Livewires. The Mustaine set, not so much.
 

This site may earn a commission from merchant links like Ebay, Amazon, and others.

TonyFlyingSquirrel

Cherokee Warrior
Joined
May 4, 2006
Messages
4,647
Reaction score
1,651
Location
Auburn, Washington
I've installed dozens of the old 90's livewires, and I like them quite well in the basses that came across my desk. I've heard great stuff about their regular guitar livewires of the last 15-20 years, but I've heard that the Mustaine LW's are too hot & too harsh in the mids & highs, don't have any personal experience with them though.
 

TonyFlyingSquirrel

Cherokee Warrior
Joined
May 4, 2006
Messages
4,647
Reaction score
1,651
Location
Auburn, Washington
I think that the 57/66 combo is among the best of the EMG lineup, and the RetroActives are quite nice too. Much more like vintage wound passives in an active output, and nowhere near the 81/85 realm.
 

HeHasTheJazzHands

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2011
Messages
36,762
Reaction score
29,699
Location
Louisiana
I've only played them in one guitar, but they sounded good in that. :shrug:

Really what I'm saying is don't buy the DM Livewires. :lol:

The latter is what I was implying. :lol: It's just I was originally looking into the 57/66 set, then I randomly remembered the Livewires.
 

TonyFlyingSquirrel

Cherokee Warrior
Joined
May 4, 2006
Messages
4,647
Reaction score
1,651
Location
Auburn, Washington
I think the 57/66 sound more organic, less overtly "active". They're like underwounds that have been actively turned up so that you can use them to interact with the front end of your amp the same way that overwounds were intended to back in the day, only without the inherent over compression that overwound/hot pickups introduced. With high gain amps now, there's no need to use something like a Dimarzio X2N like you needed on a stock JCM800.
 

HeHasTheJazzHands

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2011
Messages
36,762
Reaction score
29,699
Location
Louisiana
Well the new idea was to find a DiMarzio Dominion in satin chrome, given how much I'm loving it since I just got it. But given how rare it is and I can find a use 57/66 set for as much as a set of Dominions and a Humbucker for Hell set, I might as well just trythe EMGs.
 

TonyFlyingSquirrel

Cherokee Warrior
Joined
May 4, 2006
Messages
4,647
Reaction score
1,651
Location
Auburn, Washington
I think you'll dig the 57/66 set, and if you happen to use your tone knob (which I don't) you can opt for one of the custom tone controls to further tailor one or both pickups, depending on how you route the signal path.
 

777timesgod

Officially the unofficial Forum Censor
Joined
Sep 10, 2007
Messages
1,219
Reaction score
364
Location
Cyprus, Europe
I do notice that guitars moded with them had less of a price upgrade when going used than others which had their stock replaced for EMGs as an example. Hmm...
 


Latest posts

Top