Need new pickups for Mahogany RG

[Fenriswolf]

I got a mahogany RG and want to change the pickups out. I'm gonna be using it for stuff like Feared, Lamb of God, and Metallica. I wanted a SD Jazz for the bridge, but I don't think they make an F-spaced one. The 3 main sets I've been thinking about are Black Winters, Titans, and maybe an EMG 57/66 set.

 

[oracles]

DiMarzio Dominions or D-Activators would be great for that

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

^second

 

[Forkface]

inb4 misha comes and suggests juggernauts.


its a joke guys.

I like SD full shreds in mahogany, but idunno how they would work for metallica type stuff. they would definitely work for lamb of god stuff.

have you considered the dimarzio Dominions? never tried them myself but it kinda makes sense if you are close to LoG style haha.

 

[Fenriswolf]

I haven't really considered any Dimarzios, other than the Titans, just because they look badass.

 

[TRENCHLORD]

D'activator, D'a-X, X2N would all be great in that guitar.
If going Duncan I'd stick with Distortion or B.W..

For actives you just can't go wrong with the various EMG choices, and they're so easily interchangeable once the system is installed.

 

[s2k9k]

You can order any Dimarzio with covers to look like those Titans. I ordered a set of Gravity Storms with silver covers and black poles last year.

I haven't really considered any Dimarzios, other than the Titans, just because they look badass.

 

[Forkface]

the dominions look the same as the titans (?)

 

[Captain Butterscotch]

You can order any Dimarzio with custom covers except the ones that use a bar/blade magnet, I think.

 

[Fenriswolf]

Ok, I didn't know about that, I had just seen a picture of a set of Titans and thought they looked badass.

 

[Pav]

You can pretty much get any Dimarzio pickup in any kind of cover. However the Titans that you liked looked, you'll be able to get any other Dimarzio in an identical finish.

And if it's going into mahogany, I would also recommend D Activators. I have a set in my mahogany Jackson and they're absolutely beast.

 

[Fenriswolf]

Are they alot better in mahogany? Because I had them in an alder guitar before and it was way too bright and harsh.

 

[Pav]

Yes. I had D Activators in a typical Jackson Soloist (maple neck thru, alder body) and ended up swapping them out for the same reason, they were too harsh and piercing. But now that I have them in a mahogany guitar they sound far more full and balanced. It was a much bigger difference than I was expecting.

But if I had to adhere to your list I would go Black Winters. I think you would want more brightness than those EMGs or Titans offer.

 

[chassless]

I like SD full shreds in mahogany, but idunno how they would work for metallica type stuff. they would definitely work for lamb of god stuff.

they would be great for Metallica type stuff. on E standard, they scream the 80's metal. and the added advantage is once you stick thicker strings and downtune, it sounds fatter and more modern.

 

[Yianni54]

they would be great for Metallica type stuff. on E standard, they scream the 80's metal. and the added advantage is once you stick thicker strings and downtune, it sounds fatter and more modern.

Also looking for some new passive pups. I have an ESP Andy James and while I like the 57/66 EMG's I want to get a passive set. the ESP is a mahogany body with Maple neck trough and rosewood fret board.

i have it down to either:

Tone Zone/Air Norton (although people say its mudy in a Mahogoney Guitar)
Crunch Lab/Liquifire
D-Activator bridge with either Liquifire or Illuminator neck
The SD Invader sounds pretty awesome too.

I play mostly Metallica, Five Finger Death punch, Megadeth, Black Sabbath. Mostly heavy Metal, thrash. None of this deathcore,metal core stuff.

oh and I have a Fireball 100 and Mesa Roadster so both high gain amps.

Thanks

 

[Captain Butterscotch]

D-Activator/Liquifire sounds perfect, and I've had that combo before. The D-Activator is super aggressive and full with those specs and the LF is just a fluid, full pickup in most guitars I've heard it in. Running that combo through those amps will be massive.

 

[cardinal]

Also looking for some new passive pups. I have an ESP Andy James and while I like the 57/66 EMG's I want to get a passive set. the ESP is a mahogany body with Maple neck trough and rosewood fret board.

i have it down to either:

Tone Zone/Air Norton (although people say its mudy in a Mahogoney Guitar)
Crunch Lab/Liquifire
D-Activator bridge with either Liquifire or Illuminator neck
The SD Invader sounds pretty awesome too.

I play mostly Metallica, Five Finger Death punch, Megadeth, Black Sabbath. Mostly heavy Metal, thrash. None of this deathcore,metal core stuff.

oh and I have a Fireball 100 and Mesa Roadster so both high gain amps.

Thanks

I have the TZ/AN combo in a 7-string, mahogany RG. The 7-string versions are a bit different than the 6-string versions, so take this with a grain of salt. I like the TZ/AN combo, but the TZ is IMHO better suited for rock or hard rock in standard tuning. Tuning down brings out some muddiness, and heaping in lots of preamp gain does the same thing. You always can tighten things back up with a boost, but that's true of anything. The AN7 also is kinda dark, bordering on "dull" sounding in mahogany IME.

It's a good jack-of-all-trades pickup combo because it can give you a real nice, thick mid-gain or high-gain tone that you can squeeze into a tight metal tone with a boost, but if you're using the guitar strictly for heavy metal thrash, there might be better choices.

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

D-Activator/Liquifire sounds perfect, and I've had that combo before. The D-Activator is super aggressive and full with those specs and the LF is just a fluid, full pickup in most guitars I've heard it in. Running that combo through those amps will be massive.

QFT

 

[neoclassical]

Mahogany = JB/Jazz set or JB/59.

 

[mnemonic]

Not a huge fan of the JB in mahogany, I thought it was a bit flubby. May well be serviceable with a maple neck, but my mahogany body/neck guitar didn't like the JB. Swapped it for a SH5 duncan custom and its worlds better. Tight, bright, clear, not harsh or overbearing top end, like the JB could also be.