Seven String Pickup Guide
- Thread starter Digital Black
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Soubi7string
3d printer go brrrrrrrrr
DiMarzio Evolution 7
replaced the RG7321 stock pickup
wanted lots of mids
and I got that
also want considerable amounts of Bass and Treble but mids mainly for sustain and loudness
I got everything
its definitely a hot pickup
very pleased with it, its clear as day on both Distorted and Clean.its also a very unforgiving pickup.If you have sloppy playing and want to know what to improve upon this is your Pickup.Its very bright as well, great for taps and sweeps and chugs and pretty much everything.Strongly suggest it for Metal, Death grind, grindcore and experimental players blues and Jazz players I recommend it as well just be sure to cut back on the bass and treble a bit for the warmth of the pickup to shine through.
Pros-bright,clean,high gain.Play with it and you get alot of different tones.Very versatile
cons-if you don't set up your amp just right, it can get a bit muddy on the low end
also if your amp isn't set up right for it, it sounds kinda plastic like, why Idk
Outcome-better.If anyone says this pickup is bad they haven't experimented with it long enough.I just got mine and I'm still finding out different tones with it.
replaced the RG7321 stock pickup
wanted lots of mids
and I got that
also want considerable amounts of Bass and Treble but mids mainly for sustain and loudness
I got everything
its definitely a hot pickup
very pleased with it, its clear as day on both Distorted and Clean.its also a very unforgiving pickup.If you have sloppy playing and want to know what to improve upon this is your Pickup.Its very bright as well, great for taps and sweeps and chugs and pretty much everything.Strongly suggest it for Metal, Death grind, grindcore and experimental players blues and Jazz players I recommend it as well just be sure to cut back on the bass and treble a bit for the warmth of the pickup to shine through.
Pros-bright,clean,high gain.Play with it and you get alot of different tones.Very versatile
cons-if you don't set up your amp just right, it can get a bit muddy on the low end
also if your amp isn't set up right for it, it sounds kinda plastic like, why Idk
Outcome-better.If anyone says this pickup is bad they haven't experimented with it long enough.I just got mine and I'm still finding out different tones with it.
BenInKY
Banned
DiMarzio X2N 7
Replaced the stock RG7421XL pickup.
I was looking for something similar to an EMG 81 without having to route the guitar. Don't care for the SD Blackouts. I've heard for the longest time that the X2N is really similar to the EMG 81, only passive. I paired it with a D Activator 7 Neck.
It's way too much everything for me.
I've had a DiMarzio Evo 7 in a 7620, and I liked it other than the low B getting mushy. I'm thinking maybe the extended scale of the XL fixed that problem and an Evo 7 would rock in a 7421XL, but the X2N 7 is just LOUD.
Definitely hotter than any bridge pickup I've played through, be it an Evolution 7, EMG 707, Blaze, EMG 81, Tone Zone and random stock pickups.
It's just sharp and unpleasant-sounding to me. I tried dialing down the volume and tone knobs and trying different amp settings, lowering the gain, etc., and it's just shrieky to me. Not to mention much louder than the D Activator 7 neck I paired it with.
I'm going to call DiMarzio today and see if I can trade it for a D Activator 7 Bridge, being that I like the D Activator 7 Neck and these are supposed to be DiMarzio's latest attempts at sounding like active pickups.
Pros: If you have an amp that doesn't have enough gain for you, this pickup will gain it up!
Cons: If you have a great-sounding rig already it's just too much output.
I know my review is contrary to most peoples' here, but I'm sticking with it!
Replaced the stock RG7421XL pickup.
I was looking for something similar to an EMG 81 without having to route the guitar. Don't care for the SD Blackouts. I've heard for the longest time that the X2N is really similar to the EMG 81, only passive. I paired it with a D Activator 7 Neck.
It's way too much everything for me.
I've had a DiMarzio Evo 7 in a 7620, and I liked it other than the low B getting mushy. I'm thinking maybe the extended scale of the XL fixed that problem and an Evo 7 would rock in a 7421XL, but the X2N 7 is just LOUD.
Definitely hotter than any bridge pickup I've played through, be it an Evolution 7, EMG 707, Blaze, EMG 81, Tone Zone and random stock pickups.
It's just sharp and unpleasant-sounding to me. I tried dialing down the volume and tone knobs and trying different amp settings, lowering the gain, etc., and it's just shrieky to me. Not to mention much louder than the D Activator 7 neck I paired it with.
I'm going to call DiMarzio today and see if I can trade it for a D Activator 7 Bridge, being that I like the D Activator 7 Neck and these are supposed to be DiMarzio's latest attempts at sounding like active pickups.
Pros: If you have an amp that doesn't have enough gain for you, this pickup will gain it up!
Cons: If you have a great-sounding rig already it's just too much output.
I know my review is contrary to most peoples' here, but I'm sticking with it!
Last edited:
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grape juice
Active Member
i was looking into putting a lundgren into a custom guitar, i listened to some videos on youtube. They seem verrrrry dark and high output amazing metal pickups from what i have heard, but how versital are they? can they play other types of music well besides metal, such as blues and jazz. if not what about emg 707s?
BenInKY
Banned
DiMarzio D Activator 7 Bridge
This was a 30-day replacement for the X2N 7 I tried in my 7421XL. The X2N 7 sounded like somebody went to a mixer board and moved every slider up to 10. No matter how much I tried to dial it down with knobs or whatever I believe it clipped my amp to make a very unnatural, unpleasant attack that was all percussive noise.
Anyway, The D Activator sounds like an active such as the EMG 81 but with the dynamics of a passive pickup on cleans, and has a much nicer clean tone than an active. I can get artificial harmonics out of it no problem, and the notes really ring out well regardless of the amount of gain. The output isn't overwhelmed by percussive picking noise like the X2N 7 was. I'd compare this pickup to the DiMarzio Evolution 7 with tighter low end.
For a 7-string bridge pickup, for what I like, and not routing the guitar, I deem it the perfect pickup. My search has ended! I recommend it all day long.
This was a 30-day replacement for the X2N 7 I tried in my 7421XL. The X2N 7 sounded like somebody went to a mixer board and moved every slider up to 10. No matter how much I tried to dial it down with knobs or whatever I believe it clipped my amp to make a very unnatural, unpleasant attack that was all percussive noise.
Anyway, The D Activator sounds like an active such as the EMG 81 but with the dynamics of a passive pickup on cleans, and has a much nicer clean tone than an active. I can get artificial harmonics out of it no problem, and the notes really ring out well regardless of the amount of gain. The output isn't overwhelmed by percussive picking noise like the X2N 7 was. I'd compare this pickup to the DiMarzio Evolution 7 with tighter low end.
For a 7-string bridge pickup, for what I like, and not routing the guitar, I deem it the perfect pickup. My search has ended! I recommend it all day long.
Konfyouzd
Return of the Dread-I
^ There is a "search this thread" utility. Use it. 
Btw... BUMP. Some ppl don't seem to know this thread exists.
Btw... BUMP. Some ppl don't seem to know this thread exists.
metalmankam
Well-Known Member
After much deliberation and asking around on here which way to install it (as there is much debate over where the bar should be) I purchased the crunch lab 7 thinkin it'd be the cats pj's. WRONG. I have it with the bridge facing the neck (the most common recommendation) and it sounds like i'm missing high end. My guitar is a Schecter Revenger 7 with a basswood body. Ever since the crunch lab was installed, it sounds like my amp is in a tin can or somethin. If i crank up the treble knob on my amp (peavey vypyr 75) it doesn't fix it. It's like it's compressed all the time and i can't turn off the compressor. The low B sadly is very muddy. If i turn it up loud, it's like it still sounds like i turned it down.
This sounds weird but it's like the tone is turned down but the volume goes up as i crank the master? It's not very loud. I've found it to be the opposite of what everyone else has said about the pickup.
I want some chug and crunch and some good low-mids. I'm lookin for 7 string chug and crunch like divine heresy and the CRUNCH lab is not it. I think i'll try turning the pickup around and have the bar facing the bridge before i decide to sell it or trade it, but so far i'm very disappointed.
EDIT: I intsalled a push/pull to coil tap it and i must say that the stock neck pickup and the tapped crunch lab in parallel is EFFING BEAUTIFUL. It just doesn't do it for me for a heavy metal crunch sound
This sounds weird but it's like the tone is turned down but the volume goes up as i crank the master? It's not very loud. I've found it to be the opposite of what everyone else has said about the pickup.
I want some chug and crunch and some good low-mids. I'm lookin for 7 string chug and crunch like divine heresy and the CRUNCH lab is not it. I think i'll try turning the pickup around and have the bar facing the bridge before i decide to sell it or trade it, but so far i'm very disappointed.
EDIT: I intsalled a push/pull to coil tap it and i must say that the stock neck pickup and the tapped crunch lab in parallel is EFFING BEAUTIFUL. It just doesn't do it for me for a heavy metal crunch sound
stuglue
Well-Known Member
Ok, this is part 1 of my pickup review as im currently in the process of having a 7 string built (more on that later)
Here is a review of the dimarzios in my 6 string alder yamaha.
X2n bridge - I agree with the other x2n reviews. This pickup is perfect for low chug, i use Voxengo Span to see the frequency that it covers and it goes right down to 20hz!, for beef and meat its great. Where it lacks is high mids and treble, on the frequency graph there is nothing after 4khz and you can here this as it quite dull. I have recorded a riff with this pickup and a friends EMG 81 and blended together they sound fantastic as the emg doesn't have the bottom end but its got way more upper mids and treble (right up to 10khz). Pinch harmonics are very easy to get from the x2n and it cleans up nicely. If it had the midrange of a tone zone it would be a fantastic pickup.
Dimarzio Evolution - I have this in the neck position and its very loud, a lot louder than the x2n, i think i need to drop the pickup from the string.
Tone wise I love it, perfect for leads it got that smooth buttery tone, and bags of middle, and again like the x2n not much treble (but it is in the neck position), its very bass heavy so rhythm playing is a no no as its too muddy but for fast shred its great.
Ok, my next review will be in a couple of months as im having my first ever 7 string built. As a fan of the x2n ive gone for the x2n7 in the bridge ( i hope it does sound different from the 6 string version as i want more mids!), in the neck ive gone for the liquifire.
Body wood will be alder, i contemplated basswood but with the x2n I desperately need to get some treble!
Neck wood will be all maple (again to try to get brightness)
Pots, well ive gone for one megohm so as to try to let my high end through.
Its also going to have a 7 string floyd rose on (the ibanez Korn whammy) and a 3 way pickup selector so it'll be interesting to see what the x2n/liquifire sounds like in combo.
Here is a review of the dimarzios in my 6 string alder yamaha.
X2n bridge - I agree with the other x2n reviews. This pickup is perfect for low chug, i use Voxengo Span to see the frequency that it covers and it goes right down to 20hz!, for beef and meat its great. Where it lacks is high mids and treble, on the frequency graph there is nothing after 4khz and you can here this as it quite dull. I have recorded a riff with this pickup and a friends EMG 81 and blended together they sound fantastic as the emg doesn't have the bottom end but its got way more upper mids and treble (right up to 10khz). Pinch harmonics are very easy to get from the x2n and it cleans up nicely. If it had the midrange of a tone zone it would be a fantastic pickup.
Dimarzio Evolution - I have this in the neck position and its very loud, a lot louder than the x2n, i think i need to drop the pickup from the string.
Tone wise I love it, perfect for leads it got that smooth buttery tone, and bags of middle, and again like the x2n not much treble (but it is in the neck position), its very bass heavy so rhythm playing is a no no as its too muddy but for fast shred its great.
Ok, my next review will be in a couple of months as im having my first ever 7 string built. As a fan of the x2n ive gone for the x2n7 in the bridge ( i hope it does sound different from the 6 string version as i want more mids!), in the neck ive gone for the liquifire.
Body wood will be alder, i contemplated basswood but with the x2n I desperately need to get some treble!
Neck wood will be all maple (again to try to get brightness)
Pots, well ive gone for one megohm so as to try to let my high end through.
Its also going to have a 7 string floyd rose on (the ibanez Korn whammy) and a 3 way pickup selector so it'll be interesting to see what the x2n/liquifire sounds like in combo.
Rebel Yell pickup in a Mahogany bodied Contour (carvin)
A very nice pickup with extremely tight bass, and good mids/highs without sounding harsh. I play metal to classic rock with it easily. Very versatile. The pickup has a lot of presence, and is definitely in your face. What shocked me was the low amount of string pull. I have the pickups up pretty high and it doesn't matter, my sustain is huge. The old pickups must have had monstrous pull. Pinch harmonics are no problem with either pickup and the sound is pretty rich. The presence and harmonics are some of the bigger +s, when you slap on the gain and hit a big chord, you know it.
The get the classic rock tones , at least the cleaner ones you should probably throw the pickup in parallel mode as it does not really jangle outwise. The bottom end is not huge but there is more than enough there, bass is for basses either way.
A very nice pickup with extremely tight bass, and good mids/highs without sounding harsh. I play metal to classic rock with it easily. Very versatile. The pickup has a lot of presence, and is definitely in your face. What shocked me was the low amount of string pull. I have the pickups up pretty high and it doesn't matter, my sustain is huge. The old pickups must have had monstrous pull. Pinch harmonics are no problem with either pickup and the sound is pretty rich. The presence and harmonics are some of the bigger +s, when you slap on the gain and hit a big chord, you know it.
The get the classic rock tones , at least the cleaner ones you should probably throw the pickup in parallel mode as it does not really jangle outwise. The bottom end is not huge but there is more than enough there, bass is for basses either way.
As you've probably read by now in one of the other threads ( ) I got the 7-string Warrior which I mentioned way earlier back this week (alder body, maple bolt-on neck, ebony board, Floyd).
I've taken some time to really scrutinize pickups and what they bring to the table over the last couple of years, as well as expanded my outboard gear somewhat.
The guitar currently has a Duncan Custom 7 and Jazz 7. In our last episode, it was a Distortion 7 and Custom in the neck. IIRC, I did have a JB7 in it just before I sold it. Can't recall now.
First off, I'm now favoring a Digitech 1101 over my ADA/TSR-12 combo. This is a fairly recent change, though I've had the 1101 for about a year or more. I'm digging through the amp sims and taking clues from the "real amp" world as to how to set up patches in it (i.e. a pedal in front of a JCM800, for example).
This is leading me to build what I feel are useable patches. How close they are to "the real thing", I have no idea. It sounds good enough to me. By comparison, I'm noticing the ADA preamp has a bit more "fuzziness", and less clarity. Could just be my EQ settings in the TSR.
At any rate, I'm finding the 1101 to work better with the 7-string than the ADA does.
Now on to the pickups:
The Custom is a really beefy pickup in this setup, getting a vintage Black Sabbath type of tone - slightly farty on the low strings, but not too flubby or mushy, with biting, punchy leads that don't exactly sound as smooth as a violin quartet pulling a long sustained note. It's not one Michael Angelo Batio could do his hammer-ons-only shtick with. Picking is required most of the time, which is fine with me.
Clean, it's nothing to write home about, but then, it's in a BloodDrip Warrior
The Jazz is really glassy and articulate with a JC120 patch, as you would expect. The lows are a bit boomy, but some EQ work will fix that. For distortions (JCM800+TubeScreamer, Mesa Mark IV, Legacy VL100, etc) it gets a nice raspy rhythm tone (think the intro to Into The Void, but with more bass) and has a glassy, almost Stratty tone on the solos. Might work a bit better than the Custom on those MAB-type hammer-only runs, but you'd still have to pick frequently.
I do notice the low E and B sound kinda "flatwound", even acoustically. There's no punch. However, this could be due to the strings being used, though they don't feel cruddy.
I'm hoping Floyd Rose/Schaller didn't cheap-out and use a low-quality pot metal for the 7-string trem parts, as that's what it sounds like.
Usually when strings sound like that on my 6s, the strings feel cruddy/sticky. These do not. Pick scrapes are nice and bright, even with a Dunlop JazzIII (which is also an indicator of cruddy strings IME - dirty/dead strings have a hard time with scrapes).
Also, I've rewired the Jazz in parallel (green+bare+white to ground, red+black to switch), which gave it the added clarity. Before, wired in series (red+white together, black to hot, green+bare to ground), it sounded closer to Joe Pass on the same JC120 patch - kinda muted with no bite on the high strings.
Might try that on the Custom and see what happens.
I'm also contemplating a magnet swap with the Custom - maybe replace the ceramic magnet with an A5 from a Duncan Designed 7-string I've got lying around to make it a C5.
Then there's the Invader-7 I've got in another guitar (Jackson DX7). Might put that in for a bit.
) I got the 7-string Warrior which I mentioned way earlier back this week (alder body, maple bolt-on neck, ebony board, Floyd).I've taken some time to really scrutinize pickups and what they bring to the table over the last couple of years, as well as expanded my outboard gear somewhat.
The guitar currently has a Duncan Custom 7 and Jazz 7. In our last episode, it was a Distortion 7 and Custom in the neck. IIRC, I did have a JB7 in it just before I sold it. Can't recall now.
First off, I'm now favoring a Digitech 1101 over my ADA/TSR-12 combo. This is a fairly recent change, though I've had the 1101 for about a year or more. I'm digging through the amp sims and taking clues from the "real amp" world as to how to set up patches in it (i.e. a pedal in front of a JCM800, for example).
This is leading me to build what I feel are useable patches. How close they are to "the real thing", I have no idea. It sounds good enough to me. By comparison, I'm noticing the ADA preamp has a bit more "fuzziness", and less clarity. Could just be my EQ settings in the TSR.
At any rate, I'm finding the 1101 to work better with the 7-string than the ADA does.
Now on to the pickups:
The Custom is a really beefy pickup in this setup, getting a vintage Black Sabbath type of tone - slightly farty on the low strings, but not too flubby or mushy, with biting, punchy leads that don't exactly sound as smooth as a violin quartet pulling a long sustained note. It's not one Michael Angelo Batio could do his hammer-ons-only shtick with. Picking is required most of the time, which is fine with me.
Clean, it's nothing to write home about, but then, it's in a BloodDrip Warrior
The Jazz is really glassy and articulate with a JC120 patch, as you would expect. The lows are a bit boomy, but some EQ work will fix that. For distortions (JCM800+TubeScreamer, Mesa Mark IV, Legacy VL100, etc) it gets a nice raspy rhythm tone (think the intro to Into The Void, but with more bass) and has a glassy, almost Stratty tone on the solos. Might work a bit better than the Custom on those MAB-type hammer-only runs, but you'd still have to pick frequently.
I do notice the low E and B sound kinda "flatwound", even acoustically. There's no punch. However, this could be due to the strings being used, though they don't feel cruddy.
I'm hoping Floyd Rose/Schaller didn't cheap-out and use a low-quality pot metal for the 7-string trem parts, as that's what it sounds like.
Usually when strings sound like that on my 6s, the strings feel cruddy/sticky. These do not. Pick scrapes are nice and bright, even with a Dunlop JazzIII (which is also an indicator of cruddy strings IME - dirty/dead strings have a hard time with scrapes).
Also, I've rewired the Jazz in parallel (green+bare+white to ground, red+black to switch), which gave it the added clarity. Before, wired in series (red+white together, black to hot, green+bare to ground), it sounded closer to Joe Pass on the same JC120 patch - kinda muted with no bite on the high strings.
Might try that on the Custom and see what happens.
I'm also contemplating a magnet swap with the Custom - maybe replace the ceramic magnet with an A5 from a Duncan Designed 7-string I've got lying around to make it a C5.
Then there's the Invader-7 I've got in another guitar (Jackson DX7). Might put that in for a bit.
SW Davion
Well-Known Member
I have experience with three pickups in thier respective guitars...
First, I play in a band that sounds similar to Lacuna Coil.
My rig is a Peavey JSX head on top of an 80's Mesa Boogie open/sealed back cab loaded w/ Black Shadows. I use the head on clean only and front load all sounds from an old school Boss GT3.
PAF7: In a 2001 Ibanez K7. Mahogony body. Bridge and neck. Set about halfway between the body and the strings.
Great sounding pickup. Pretty even output across the spectrum of Low's to High's. Easy to control, very quiet and dependable. Love's lots of overdrive. Clean's are nice, like a bassier fender strat if that makes any sense... Smoothe sound, but not great at pinched harmonics.
EMG 707: In a 2001 Korean Ibanez 7321. Basswood body. Bridge and neck. Set just a bit lower than half between body and strings.
I agree with the previous post about the 707's. These pickups do in fact add an EPIC sound to the music. It is a wonderful mix of crushing lows and mid range bark. Highs are good, not as steril sounding as the 81-7. Harmonics come thru easily. Where this pickup excells is when you hit a four or five string chord, just sings with harmonic overtones.
BC RICH Warlock 7 Factory PU's.
I saved this for last...
In 2005 I purchased a Warlock 7. Basswood body. The guitar itself was so-so... neck was horrible.
But the Pickups were AMAZING. They were loud like an active, but still had all the tone of a big alnico passive. Lows were about a 7/10 mids were an 8/10 and highs were probably a 6/10.
The best description I can give is this guitar is it had a open piped Harley Davidson sort of tone. In your face. No joke.
Should have put some aftermarket pickups in the guitar before I sold it just to use these on a higher quality quitar.
As a side note.. when recording, the K7 w/ the PAF7 and the 7321 w/ the EMG 707's work fantastic together. When I dual track my guitars for that thick sound, the two guitar tones sound HUGE together.
The tones don't cancel each other out at all...
If you ever have the chance, this combination works fantastic.
First, I play in a band that sounds similar to Lacuna Coil.
My rig is a Peavey JSX head on top of an 80's Mesa Boogie open/sealed back cab loaded w/ Black Shadows. I use the head on clean only and front load all sounds from an old school Boss GT3.
PAF7: In a 2001 Ibanez K7. Mahogony body. Bridge and neck. Set about halfway between the body and the strings.
Great sounding pickup. Pretty even output across the spectrum of Low's to High's. Easy to control, very quiet and dependable. Love's lots of overdrive. Clean's are nice, like a bassier fender strat if that makes any sense... Smoothe sound, but not great at pinched harmonics.
EMG 707: In a 2001 Korean Ibanez 7321. Basswood body. Bridge and neck. Set just a bit lower than half between body and strings.
I agree with the previous post about the 707's. These pickups do in fact add an EPIC sound to the music. It is a wonderful mix of crushing lows and mid range bark. Highs are good, not as steril sounding as the 81-7. Harmonics come thru easily. Where this pickup excells is when you hit a four or five string chord, just sings with harmonic overtones.
BC RICH Warlock 7 Factory PU's.
I saved this for last...
In 2005 I purchased a Warlock 7. Basswood body. The guitar itself was so-so... neck was horrible.
But the Pickups were AMAZING. They were loud like an active, but still had all the tone of a big alnico passive. Lows were about a 7/10 mids were an 8/10 and highs were probably a 6/10.
The best description I can give is this guitar is it had a open piped Harley Davidson sort of tone. In your face. No joke.
Should have put some aftermarket pickups in the guitar before I sold it just to use these on a higher quality quitar.
As a side note.. when recording, the K7 w/ the PAF7 and the 7321 w/ the EMG 707's work fantastic together. When I dual track my guitars for that thick sound, the two guitar tones sound HUGE together.
The tones don't cancel each other out at all...
If you ever have the chance, this combination works fantastic.
edtemple
New Member
Hey all!
Quick question...
I just ordered a Dean Vendetta 7 from Amazon ($142) cheap, and I already know I need to replace the pickups. I usually use a Fender Strat HSS with DiMarzio Dual Sound humbucking pickups (same basic sound as Super Distortion), and I want to get the Vendetta to sound somewhat similar. Anyone have any ideas?
Thanks everyone!
www.edtemple.com
Quick question...
I just ordered a Dean Vendetta 7 from Amazon ($142) cheap, and I already know I need to replace the pickups. I usually use a Fender Strat HSS with DiMarzio Dual Sound humbucking pickups (same basic sound as Super Distortion), and I want to get the Vendetta to sound somewhat similar. Anyone have any ideas?
Thanks everyone!
www.edtemple.com
SW Davion
Well-Known Member
To update my previous post I have added a Dimarzio X2N7 to the bridge of my Ibanez K7.
The X2N7 is a LOUD pickup.
It is just a touch louder than the EMG 707 mounted in my 7321. Just a touch.
The X2N7 has WAY more bottom end than the 707. I am using a Peavey JSX head behind a Boss GT3. The GT3 is programmed for the EMG. The Dimarzio sounds killer using the same patches, but had to turn the bass knob on the amp down from the 12'oclock position down to about 10'oclock. Otherwise the tone was overall very comparable with the EMG707.
While the EMG has a slightly "HiFi" sound, the Dimarzio has a slightly more raw sound. More edge would be a better way to describe it. Good highs, powerful mids, immense bottom end, but very easy to tame and control.
And for the d'gint crowd... this pickup is VERY precise and pronounced. I was very surprised.
I could easily switch from guitar to guitar using the EMG in one and the Dimarzio in the other, the only change would be an adjustment in the bass frequency.
If balls is what you are looking for and are not interested in cutting your guitar, than this pickup should be considered. All the power of an active, but the tone of a super high output passive.
Best of both worlds.
TWO THUMBS UP FOR THE DIMARZIO X2N7!!
The X2N7 is a LOUD pickup.
It is just a touch louder than the EMG 707 mounted in my 7321. Just a touch.
The X2N7 has WAY more bottom end than the 707. I am using a Peavey JSX head behind a Boss GT3. The GT3 is programmed for the EMG. The Dimarzio sounds killer using the same patches, but had to turn the bass knob on the amp down from the 12'oclock position down to about 10'oclock. Otherwise the tone was overall very comparable with the EMG707.
While the EMG has a slightly "HiFi" sound, the Dimarzio has a slightly more raw sound. More edge would be a better way to describe it. Good highs, powerful mids, immense bottom end, but very easy to tame and control.
And for the d'gint crowd... this pickup is VERY precise and pronounced. I was very surprised.
I could easily switch from guitar to guitar using the EMG in one and the Dimarzio in the other, the only change would be an adjustment in the bass frequency.
If balls is what you are looking for and are not interested in cutting your guitar, than this pickup should be considered. All the power of an active, but the tone of a super high output passive.
Best of both worlds.
TWO THUMBS UP FOR THE DIMARZIO X2N7!!
TaylorMacPhail
Heisenberg
Hey guys, I'm new to the forums so don't be sassy haha 
, anyways, I have a couple questions for y'all, and the first one involves a 6 string and not a 7. I have an ESP Horizon NT-2 (brown burst) with a mahogany body and an ebony fretboard. I currently have a Seymour Duncan Distortion in the bridge and I don't feel it has enough balls. I have a JB sitting around at home, and I would have to pay to get pickups installed so I was just wondering if the JB would have more balls (I play a lot of metal) before I go ahead and pay to put them in. I also have a distortion in the neck too, and I have a SD Jazz sitting around home too (JB & Jazz set came extra with my ESP), would that be good for smooth metal solos and nice thick cleans (with my coil-tap of course)?
I have ANOTHER decision to make, and that is finding a good set of pickups for my Stephen Carpenter basswood 7 string (sc-607?). I kind of have my mind set on the Air Norton in the neck and Blaze in the bridge. I play mostly metal (with both guitars) and I like a modern metal sound (mesa rec, engl fireball, peavey 5150, etc.) and I am mainly a lead player, but I always like playing those groovy Drop G djenty riffs (who doesn't right?). A huge thing to keep in mind, is the clarity of the low B string, because the stock pickups in there now muddy things up a fair bit. Any and all suggestions are welcome, and thanks a lot for your help in advance!
, anyways, I have a couple questions for y'all, and the first one involves a 6 string and not a 7. I have an ESP Horizon NT-2 (brown burst) with a mahogany body and an ebony fretboard. I currently have a Seymour Duncan Distortion in the bridge and I don't feel it has enough balls. I have a JB sitting around at home, and I would have to pay to get pickups installed so I was just wondering if the JB would have more balls (I play a lot of metal) before I go ahead and pay to put them in. I also have a distortion in the neck too, and I have a SD Jazz sitting around home too (JB & Jazz set came extra with my ESP), would that be good for smooth metal solos and nice thick cleans (with my coil-tap of course)? I have ANOTHER decision to make, and that is finding a good set of pickups for my Stephen Carpenter basswood 7 string (sc-607?). I kind of have my mind set on the Air Norton in the neck and Blaze in the bridge. I play mostly metal (with both guitars) and I like a modern metal sound (mesa rec, engl fireball, peavey 5150, etc.) and I am mainly a lead player, but I always like playing those groovy Drop G djenty riffs (who doesn't right?). A huge thing to keep in mind, is the clarity of the low B string, because the stock pickups in there now muddy things up a fair bit. Any and all suggestions are welcome, and thanks a lot for your help in advance!
I expected more Bare Knuckleshttp://www.google.hr/url?sa=t&rct=j...DnudaLJNg&sig2=c2XcV2e97Z3KU_JdYDEfGA&cad=rja here.
Throat Hole
Well-Known Member
i've only used a handful of 7string pickups as i've not played 7 string very long but heres my rig and the pickups i've used
amps are a peavey XXX, Mesa Dual Rec, peavey 5150II and a Sunn Model T
far as cabs i have 2 peavey and 2 mesa 4x12s and 2 emperor cabs forgot what speakers config its either 412 or 410
the pickups i've used are
X2N-7
Blaze neck
EMG 707
EMG 81-7
Duncan blackout set 7 string
lets start with the dimarzios
i had them in a 7321 with 1meg pots and i ran the guitar through the mesa dual rec into a mesa cab with a tubescreamer in front of it just to tighten things up a lil bit and the guitar sounded pretty damn good
the stock pickups were awful they lacked pretty much....everything the X2N7 i put in the bridge sounded great like an EMG81 does in a 6 string but with more balls and less sterile sounding then i would start riffing on it when i had it cranked up i had a really heavy tone think "Born" by nevermore but i obviously wasnt playing that good
blaze neck wasnt horrible it was great for cleans and for leads but it lacked the output and for my taste was a little bit muddy
next would be the 81-7/707 combo
i have this set in my Damien 7 and i really like it i have the 81 in the neck and the 707 in the bridge
the 707 is really powerful and quite versatile if your playing metal. i can go from playing a groove metal riff like a Korn riff to playing nevermore or meshuggah riffs and it will work quite nicely and the 81 in the neck works great as well it has nice clean lead tones where you can hear every note
next would be the blackouts
i just recently got these in my jackson DR7 and i really really like them they are my favorite 7 string pickups i have tried everything about them is awesome IMO
the bridge model is well balanced has a great fat tone no matter the amp i play it through i can crank it through the peavey XXX, 5150 or the mesa and get a killer metal tone or crank it through the sunn and get a nice fat stoner rock tone
the neck version is very clean sounding i can get great lead tones and great clean tones and if i combine it with the bridge i get a real nice clean tone
and i have also installed the X2N/Blaze in a BCrich virgn P-7 and they pretty much do the same thing
thats my 2 cents grant it i'm no expert but thats what i have had in my experience with the pickups i've used in my 7s
amps are a peavey XXX, Mesa Dual Rec, peavey 5150II and a Sunn Model T
far as cabs i have 2 peavey and 2 mesa 4x12s and 2 emperor cabs forgot what speakers config its either 412 or 410
the pickups i've used are
X2N-7
Blaze neck
EMG 707
EMG 81-7
Duncan blackout set 7 string
lets start with the dimarzios
i had them in a 7321 with 1meg pots and i ran the guitar through the mesa dual rec into a mesa cab with a tubescreamer in front of it just to tighten things up a lil bit and the guitar sounded pretty damn good
the stock pickups were awful they lacked pretty much....everything the X2N7 i put in the bridge sounded great like an EMG81 does in a 6 string but with more balls and less sterile sounding then i would start riffing on it when i had it cranked up i had a really heavy tone think "Born" by nevermore but i obviously wasnt playing that good
blaze neck wasnt horrible it was great for cleans and for leads but it lacked the output and for my taste was a little bit muddy
next would be the 81-7/707 combo
i have this set in my Damien 7 and i really like it i have the 81 in the neck and the 707 in the bridge
the 707 is really powerful and quite versatile if your playing metal. i can go from playing a groove metal riff like a Korn riff to playing nevermore or meshuggah riffs and it will work quite nicely and the 81 in the neck works great as well it has nice clean lead tones where you can hear every note
next would be the blackouts
i just recently got these in my jackson DR7 and i really really like them they are my favorite 7 string pickups i have tried everything about them is awesome IMO
the bridge model is well balanced has a great fat tone no matter the amp i play it through i can crank it through the peavey XXX, 5150 or the mesa and get a killer metal tone or crank it through the sunn and get a nice fat stoner rock tone
the neck version is very clean sounding i can get great lead tones and great clean tones and if i combine it with the bridge i get a real nice clean tone
and i have also installed the X2N/Blaze in a BCrich virgn P-7 and they pretty much do the same thing
thats my 2 cents grant it i'm no expert but thats what i have had in my experience with the pickups i've used in my 7s
unfnknblvbl
Member
Guitar: Ibanez RG7321 ('06 model)
Pickups: Q-Tuner GL7 High-Z (neck), Super High-Z (bridge)
Strings: GHS Heavyweight Boomers GBZWLO 11-70
I installed these a couple of years back, and my guitar instantly became the most amazing axe I've ever heard. Well, for the price, anyway.
The frequency response is completely flat and the output very high. You can fiddle with the pole pieces to get a different response range, and there's a lot of options in there - each string has three poles, with another three shared with the next string.
I've set mine up to be fat on the low end, and I've lowered the poles for the three high strings. This is because the magnets are far more powerful than you might expect, and actually dampen string vibration a little.
The sound just walks all over the stock RG7321 pickups - not that this is a difficult thing to achieve, of course! Even through my crappy Behringer amp & quadbox, the guitar sounds.. I dunno. Delicious. The clean tones are thick and... I hate to make food analogies, but it's just thick and creamy. Harmonics ring out like church bells, and every single note is thick and rich with a delicious honey-like texture, especially with the neck pickup selected. I've always struggled with getting a nice clean tone out of my guitars, but not with these pickups!
Continuing the lame food analogies, with distortion (be it amp distortion or through any pedal I've tried), it's like the difference between a Jalapeño chilli and a Habanero. Jalapeño is nice and fruity and all, but the Habanero turns it up to 11 and punches you in the face with your own sweat. I'm hearing harmonics screaming like banshees, and for the first time ever, I'm able to pull off pinch harmonics every single time I want one.
Soloing on the neck pickup through distortion is a thing to behold as well. Normally I avoid the neck position, but this one gives solos an interesting, somewhat wooden quality.
All up, the Q-Tuners have proven to be a fantastic investment for me. They actually make me sound like the guitarist I want to be, rather than some punk kid who's just discovered Korn and bought his first 7-string.
The interesting thing is I bought them because they looked unusual. They also looked awesome in the pictures (and indeed, they look amazing in the guitar). I figured that anything would be an upgrade from the stock pickups. I was right on that count, but I didn't expect them to sound this good!
I like them better than the active pickups on my RGA7 - and thus, I like the actual guitar better, too. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anybody... except that they've stopped selling them
Pickups: Q-Tuner GL7 High-Z (neck), Super High-Z (bridge)
Strings: GHS Heavyweight Boomers GBZWLO 11-70
I installed these a couple of years back, and my guitar instantly became the most amazing axe I've ever heard. Well, for the price, anyway.
The frequency response is completely flat and the output very high. You can fiddle with the pole pieces to get a different response range, and there's a lot of options in there - each string has three poles, with another three shared with the next string.
I've set mine up to be fat on the low end, and I've lowered the poles for the three high strings. This is because the magnets are far more powerful than you might expect, and actually dampen string vibration a little.
The sound just walks all over the stock RG7321 pickups - not that this is a difficult thing to achieve, of course! Even through my crappy Behringer amp & quadbox, the guitar sounds.. I dunno. Delicious. The clean tones are thick and... I hate to make food analogies, but it's just thick and creamy. Harmonics ring out like church bells, and every single note is thick and rich with a delicious honey-like texture, especially with the neck pickup selected. I've always struggled with getting a nice clean tone out of my guitars, but not with these pickups!
Continuing the lame food analogies, with distortion (be it amp distortion or through any pedal I've tried), it's like the difference between a Jalapeño chilli and a Habanero. Jalapeño is nice and fruity and all, but the Habanero turns it up to 11 and punches you in the face with your own sweat. I'm hearing harmonics screaming like banshees, and for the first time ever, I'm able to pull off pinch harmonics every single time I want one.
Soloing on the neck pickup through distortion is a thing to behold as well. Normally I avoid the neck position, but this one gives solos an interesting, somewhat wooden quality.
All up, the Q-Tuners have proven to be a fantastic investment for me. They actually make me sound like the guitarist I want to be, rather than some punk kid who's just discovered Korn and bought his first 7-string.
The interesting thing is I bought them because they looked unusual. They also looked awesome in the pictures (and indeed, they look amazing in the guitar). I figured that anything would be an upgrade from the stock pickups. I was right on that count, but I didn't expect them to sound this good!
I like them better than the active pickups on my RGA7 - and thus, I like the actual guitar better, too. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anybody... except that they've stopped selling them
ASoC
Downpicker \m/
EMG 81-7
Bridge position.
Installed on a Schecter Damien Elite.
This pickup has some serious power, distorted, it really pushes your amp and enhances your pinch harmonics. Palm mutes are very thick, and it usually won't get muddy. I recommend adding bass to your sound to make it nice and thick. On the other hand, it doesn't sound so nice when its clean, the sound is bright, really bright.
String noise can be a problem, as this thing pickups up everything. The feedback is nice and loud but it won't happen unless you want it to.
Bottom line: If you're sound gets muddy and you don't plan on playing clean tones in the bridge position, this is the pickup for you.
Bridge position.
Installed on a Schecter Damien Elite.
This pickup has some serious power, distorted, it really pushes your amp and enhances your pinch harmonics. Palm mutes are very thick, and it usually won't get muddy. I recommend adding bass to your sound to make it nice and thick. On the other hand, it doesn't sound so nice when its clean, the sound is bright, really bright.
String noise can be a problem, as this thing pickups up everything. The feedback is nice and loud but it won't happen unless you want it to.
Bottom line: If you're sound gets muddy and you don't plan on playing clean tones in the bridge position, this is the pickup for you.
For those with using Dimarzio Evo 7's and finding its not that great for prog metal and djent, perhaps check this out and let me know what you think? Tone chasing... =]
Im using an Ibby Rg7321 through Podhd500 through usb into Reapah!
Im using an Ibby Rg7321 through Podhd500 through usb into Reapah!
