The Eight String Pickup Guide

[manstrom]

I'm new to 8 strings having just picked up a dean ml modifier. The emg 808s combined with the shorter scale made the bass flabby and generally nasty.
That said, I had my soldering equipment out and did a quick 18 volt mod to the pickups... wow is all I can say. Its like a whole new guitar. That said, if you're not digging on your 808s just add an extra 9 volt.

Also, im looking at making a booster like was listed above (I love combining my electro-geek side and guitarist side lol). I'll probably do a thread on it if I get around to it haha

 

[yellow]

I'm new to 8 strings having just picked up a dean ml modifier. The emg 808s combined with the shorter scale made the bass flabby and generally nasty.
That said, I had my soldering equipment out and did a quick 18 volt mod to the pickups... wow is all I can say. Its like a whole new guitar. That said, if you're not digging on your 808s just add an extra 9 volt.

Also, im looking at making a booster like was listed above (I love combining my electro-geek side and guitarist side lol). I'll probably do a thread on it if I get around to it haha

Hey manstrom, you should check out my "EMG 808 Fix" above.....anyway, the EMG RPC is a better alternative to the 18v mod if you have to pick one of the two, wish you saw that post before u did the 18v mod, However, I'd be interested to see what would happen with both the RPC and 18v mods together.

 

[pauliwally]

I have a Schecter Blackjack C-8 that came with Blackouts. I found the Blackouts to be extremely muddy. A lot of low mids. Considering the videos I watched on the blackouts, it made me wonder if Seymour Duncan just relabeled some bass pickups?!? Anyway, I switched to 4" Lace Deathbars and I'm extremely happy with the sound. They're a little too hot on the output for djent, but I actually like that my leads still sound cool. Its kinda the best of both worlds. The sound is reminiscent of Architects hollow crown album to my ears. I play through an Engl pre currently and my style is kinda mathrock with the djent stuff thrown in.

 

[Konfyouzd]

Dimarzio D-Activator 8 bridge, Ibanez RG8, Peavey 6505+ combo or a Crate Shockwave, into a 4x12 with 4 Texas Heats.

Not liking it at all. Stock pickups are better in some ways, though not as hot of course. Ordered a Deathbar and X-bar to compare.

Care to share what it is you're not liking?

Xbar and Deathbar ordered...So they recommend a 250 k pot but if one would choose to use a 500k pot it will give a subtle high end to the tone or more bite?

I use a 500k pot in my XBars. I'll try to get a clip of something recorded tonight (now that I can do it w/o making everything sound terrible) and I'll upload it as soon as I can. In fact... I have to re-record one of my songs... Maybe I'll just do it on my 8.

 

[Pezshreds]

I use an Ibanez RGA 8 with the stocpickups (Just waiting for the BKP aftermaths to arrive ^_^)

Honestly, I've used a lot of the stock pickups with this type of range of Ibanez, and they've all been quite muddy and very lacking in note definition.
I was slightly suprised that, not only were the pickups playable, the single note clarity was actually not overly bad.

The downfall is as soon as you start doing chords (power chords/chord chords) it loses all definition (while distorted) on any notes used.

In saying that, it's quite nice on clean, the chords come through a lot more defined on clean.

All in all, I wouldn't recommend purchasing this guitar and leaving the stock pickups in for metal/prog/tech, but it is still playable until you get an upgrade.

 

[crg123]

Hey Guys. I know awhile back bareknuckle posted they were making their seven string pickups available with EMG spacing but I was wondering if they started doing this with their 8 string pickups because they've never had covered 8 string pickups before.

Here's the link to the old facebook post:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...62536157.32460.141809295967657&type=1&theater

I'm really interested in purchasing a new bridge pickup but I currently have Lace 4.0 x-bars (formerly blackouts).
I emailed bareknuckle but I was curious if anyone else knows. I'm thinking about throwing a warpig into my 8 since I love it so much on my 7 or a juggernaut if they have it available.

edit:

Hi Dave,

I'm afraid we cannot currently offer 8 string covers.

Kind Regards,

Ben
--
Ben French

For everyone else's reference. I was very happy with how quick he responded.

 

[mnemonic]

I asked them the same question a few months back, and tim replied on a saturday! Talk about customer service.

He had also mentioned the tooling costs to make the covers would be too much, if I remember correctly. So as far as I know, you've got two options if you want BKP's in an 8 string with soapbar pickups; 1.) deal with the extra space, or 2.) put 5 string bass pickup covers over them.

 

[phantomofalfred]

I had to do something about my stock pups in my RGA8.
I tried Dactivator,Lundgren/and Deathbar.
My favorite was def the DeathBar. Its medium output, even eq, so you can shape it any way you want. The sound is focused and very tight.
I play mostly Metal but sometimes get into some other styles.
I can highly recommend the DeathBar. Through my Axe-FX it instantly got me that TOSIN ABASI Rhythm sound.
Since it's a bar, there will be no drop in output when you bend.
String Spacing on the RGA8 is a bit wide for standard 8string pups, so you are far better off with some sort of EMG or my personal favorite "THE DEATHBAR"

 

[russmuller]

I asked them the same question a few months back, and tim replied on a saturday! Talk about customer service.

He had also mentioned the tooling costs to make the covers would be too much, if I remember correctly.

HAHAHAHA I had also emailed this past weekend about 8 string soapbar covers because I didn't think to look in this thread. This was his response (on a Sunday even!):

Not at the moment I'm afraid Russ. The costs involved for developing cover tools is in excess of £6000 and for such specialist pickups as 8s I wouldn't see a return on that kind of investment at the moment.

Kindest Regards,

Tim
--
Tim Mills
Managing Director

 

[MerlinTKD]

AGILE CEPHEUS ALPHA/BETA (PASSIVE)

- Agile Septor 828 (Ash body, 3pc maple neck, rosewood fretboard, all stock)
- Ernie Ball Cobalt strings (10-56 + 80 bass string)
- Fender Mustang 1/2/Floor (custom patch based on Metal2000 [EVH5150]; amp+cab only, no stompboxes/effects active)
- No other outboard gear, some EQ+compression in Reaper when recording
- Generally used for metal/rock


Some background: I manage a music store, and have worked in music retail for 6 years now; I've had this guitar for a while (a little over a year), just in the past 3-4 months have I become satisfied with the sound I was getting (more due to changing taste and incessant tweaking than anything about the guitar ). I have to say, I've become a fan of these pickups!

As a comparison, I've got a 7-string with BKP Painkillers; while the Cepheus are not quite in the same league, they are far more impressive than any stock pickup I've ever heard, and honestly I like them as well as any DiMarzio or Duncan I've played. The low frequencies are full but focused, the highs are present but not icepicky, and the mids are... well, there's plenty of them! I wonder how much the strings are making a difference, because the added lows of the EB Cobalts may be balancing the mids and highs, but I'm incredibly happy with the result!

Caveat: they are NOT the most versatile pickups out there. They have ceramic magnets (both bridge and neck), fairly high output, and have a particular mid-focused sound; I've heard they're based on Lundgren M8's, and while I've never played Lundgren's or heard them in person (other than Meshuggah recordings, of course!), I can believe that's correct. However, I've been able to make some pretty good sounding tones via the Fender Mustang software to cover all sorts of rock to metal sounds, and some nice, fun processed clean tones as well.

Until recently, I'd been pretty sure I would replace them with some type of BKP, but lately I've been rethinking that idea: I'm really happy with the sound I'm getting, and it's inspired me to write and complete a number of new tunes (clips to come later ); at this point, I'm not sure I'd replace them, even with BKP's, for fear I'd lose the tone I've got!

So, a definite, big to the Cepheus Passive 8-string pickups!

 

[blaxquid]

-Pickup: EMG 808
-Guitar used: LTD SC608B (Alder body, maple neck-through body construction)
-Amp used: Lecto/POD HD/Axe Fx Std.
-Your preferred style(s) of music: Death Metal, Jazz, Prog, Duhhrr

I'll start off by saying the 808's only quality is that the output is pretty good. The rest has already been said: overly bassy, fizzy high end, muddy on pretty much anything, chordal work require even more effort and spotless technique. The pick attack feels quite soft but you don't notice it because of that shrill high end that tries to fool you.

Cleans are OK on the middle pickup, but has this annoying low/low-mid bump that I don't like on guitar (bass is another story). Poorly detailed high end register. If you like your mids, you'll dearly miss them with that pickup.

The 18v mod is permanent on those but will not change the mushy marshmallow-ey character on those.

OK as OEM pickups but quite terrible all around - I'm sure EMG lined their pockets quite well with that OEM'ing move at the onset of a market for ERGs but now I won't even give a shot at the 808X - probably will go straight back at SD Blackouts or Dimarzio DA8 and deal with the gaps/drilling.

EMG

 

[zipline7020]

So right now i have a schecter hell raiser c-8
its all mahogany with a quilted maple top, and its a neck through.

at the moment, it has EMG 808's, and i really can't get into them.

I'm looking to play something close to Breaking Benjamin, Love and Death, RED, alter bridge, deftones......only in drop F with the occasional A#.

at the same time, i want to be able to tighten it up and have a hint of djent for some cool spacey/groove moments. but djent isn't the priority.

the two pickups that caught my eye were the dimarzio D-activator andthe BKP Ceramic Nailbomb. If anyone has any other suggestions that'd be awesome too.

All in all, i guess I'm looking for an 8 string version of the PRS tremonti pickups.

thanks!

 

[AlejoV]

Hey guys, what is your opinion on Dimarzio Ionizers? I might get an RG2228, so I'm going to swap pickups and strings. I'm really torn between EMG 808x's and the Ionizers.

I think that the EMG 808x's have a really cool even sound, but the Ionizers are passive and sound sweet.

 

[Dana]

ionizers are gonna be more versatile. emg are one trick ponies

 

[tm20]

I'm really considering getting new pickups for my RGA8 and I can't decide between EMG 808Xs and Seymour Duncan Blackouts. I listened to a comparison test posted earlier in this thread and both sounded good. But I do want to tune the low string down to C# so I'm not sure which pickup would be better, or even if either pickup is the right choice for this. Anyone have suggestions?

*currently I've got a Line6 Spider III (I know, not the greatest thing) and also got a Zoom G5 pedal which I run through a Blackheart Speaker. These things are probably not the best for playing such low tunings but it's all I have for now

 

[Canis Canem]

Pickup - Seymour Duncan Nazgul 8 (Active Mount)
Guitar - ESP LTD H-208


First of all, after owning this for several months, this pick-up is defiantly suited to metal, and with it being specially designed for 7 and 8 strings we can assume its for the more extreme side (Think Meshuggah). So just bear that in mind if you're looking for a strat tone.

I've loaded the Nazgul in the bridge position on my ESP LTD H-208, which is a
under £400 (600$) just over entry level 8 string which I've had no problem with and I would advise it to anyone thinking of making the transition from 6/7 to 8.

The pick-up is extremely high-output and generally can exceed most of the gain offered by the ever popular EMG 808's. It has a really crunchy, bitey mid range with a good amount of bass that complements the lower strings and treble to keep it all clear. I was surprised by it's ability to maintain the sounds clarity and articulate details considering it's titanic gain capacity.

I've been running this through a EVH 5150III 50watt Head and a Harley Benton 2x12 Cabinet (which is rediciously good for the money!) and the Nazgul is perfect for all the high gain sounds you might crave from bands like Meshuggah, Periphery etc. But it can also give some sweet and fluid cleans (Think Welcome Home [Sanitarium] - Metallica) which go hand in hand with the likes of the Sentient, the Nazgul's partner in obliteration.

Pros

• High Gain
• Surprisingly Versitile
• Responsive to guitar volume + pick attack
• Looks the ballz
  

Cons

• Maybe too much gain
• Feedback issues have happened when close to the amp (Occasionally)

Overall this pick-up is killer and defiantly worthy of the heaviest player. Very responsive to guitar volume and pick attack with very few cons. I defiantly recommend it as a feature to any metal players 7 or 8.

-Tom

 

[Getoutmyyard]

So I've seen a good few people mention Lace Deathbars/X Bars, but does anyone have a clear idea, or opinion, of which one is better? I've seen a lot of people use the Deathbar for the bridge, and X Bar for the neck, and at the same time I've seen people use Deathbar for both, or X Bar for both. I play an Agile Septor 827, mahogany body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard. I play progressive death metal with a little bit of djent, or clean sections, but the main sound is a lot of heavy riffing and soloing. I'm looking for the best pickup choice for that. Any thoughts?

 

[Dead-Pan]

Lundgren.

 

[crg123]

Just upgraded to a Lundgren M8C bridge. My guitar is an Agile Septor 827 Elite model with a maple neck thru and mahogany wings. Originally this guitar has blackouts then I swapped them out for a Lace Deathbar/ Xbar set. I had this combination for two year and I just swapped out the Deathbar for a lundgren to change things up and since I've always been curious.


My rig (quite long - yet very simple since its all tone shaping stuff):

Boss GE-7 (pre-eq)>Keeley 4 knob comp > Maxon OD808>Boss NS-2 (Hard gate)> Blackstar ht-5 (with upgraded tungsol 12AX7 pre amp tube)> FX loop > ISP Decimator > Rocktron Xpression for post EQ and cab sim > Scarlett 2i2 > Macbook pro > Pro tools 11

I'm super happy I switched pickups. The Lundgren is much better at handling the low F and less fizzy overall. It sounds almost like the Lace's are single coil in nature. The Deathbars weren't bad they just the pickup equivalent of an FRFR system with no real defining characteristics besides what ever body/neck wood you're using it in. The idea behind the lace's are the are a 10 treble, 10 mids, 10 lows on an EQ scale then you use a graphic EQ in front of it to shape what ever tone you want.

If you can justify the upgrade definitely go lundgren, I'm never turning back. They just have this awesome responsiveness to your playing. The lace's are a great option at a non boutique price though. The lundgrens are just a whole other beast of a pickup even compared to my BKPs.

 

[MerlinTKD]

Just upgraded to a Lundgren M8C bridge. My guitar is an Agile Septor 827 Elite model with a maple neck thru and mahogany wings. Originally this guitar has blackouts then I swapped them out for a Lace Deathbar/ Xbar set. I had this combination for two year and I just swapped out the Deathbar for a lundgren to change things up and since I've always been curious.


My rig (quite long - yet very simple since its all tone shaping stuff):

Boss GE-7 (pre-eq)>Keeley 4 knob comp > Maxon OD808>Boss NS-2 (Hard gate)> Blackstar ht-5 (with upgraded tungsol 12AX7 pre amp tube)> FX loop > ISP Decimator > Rocktron Xpression for post EQ and cab sim > Scarlett 2i2 > Macbook pro > Pro tools 11

I'm super happy I switched pickups. The Lundgren is much better at handling the low F and less fizzy overall. It sounds almost like the Lace's are single coil in nature. The Deathbars weren't bad they just the pickup equivalent of an FRFR system with no real defining characteristics besides what ever body/neck wood you're using it in. The idea behind the lace's are the are a 10 treble, 10 mids, 10 lows on an EQ scale then you use a graphic EQ in front of it to shape what ever tone you want.

If you can justify the upgrade definitely go lundgren, I'm never turning back. They just have this awesome responsiveness to your playing. The lace's are a great option at a non boutique price though. The lundgrens are just a whole other beast of a pickup even compared to my BKPs.

Can you talk more about the Lundgren's, what you like, pros/cons, etc?