[speedy1]

I'm just about to order a 7 string Carvin.

I WAS going to replace the 2 stock humbuckers with an EMG 81-7 and 707.

However, I have some hesitation.

I use the bridge pickup ONLY for rhythm playing, and the neck pickup ONLY for solos. I like my leads to sound very liquid/dark/fluid sounding, and definitely NOT trebly. A good example of my type of preferred tone would be the opening to Yngwie Malmsteen's Icarus Dream Suite, or speaking in general terms, the neck-pickup only setting of a Strat.

As far as I am aware, EMG's cannot be split, so I wouldn't think it would come remotely close to having a Strat-like neck pickup tone.

I HAVE read the pickup review thread. I know a few bridge pickups would fit the bill for great pinch harmonics/bite/tightness, etc...

But I am completely stumped as to what neckup could get me remotely possible to a Strat tone.

(If it helps, you can use any weird description of various pickup "tones" you like--I've been playing for 26 years, but this will be my first 7 string!)

I would really prefer to have an EMG in the bridge, I love 81's, but that woyuld necessitate having another EMG in the neck, and I don't know how that would sound.

Thank you everyone for reading!

This is my first post here, and I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can from this forum!

[Apophis]

you can use active pickups and passives in one guitar, you have to use preamp to that passive to add some volume.

Read the forum, there are many opinions about Carvins, and as I remember it's not easy to change pickups with Carvins, cause stock carvins have strange dimentions.
Adding EMG you have to route the pickup hole to fit the EMG also

The best way is to order some custom noiseless single coil in humbucker housing from Seymnour Duncan or other pickup maker.

[scott from _actual time_]

Originally Posted by speedy1

what neckup could get me remotely possible to a Strat tone.

Rio Grande. those cats are total vintage-style pickup builders, so they know how to make authentic single coils (and they make them in 7-string versions). the Muy Grande model has big poles and sounds like an SRV "pushed" over-wound single-coil. the Tallboy has normal-diameter poles and sounds like a normal-output single-coil. both of them do excellent Strat tones because they are true Strat pickups, just built for 7 strings.

(Anderson also made some great 7-string strat-type single-coils, but i don't think they make 7-string pickups anymore, so that might not be an option for you.)

[The Dark Wolf]

This is funny.

The EMG 707 can get you into Strat territory better than a lot of Strats! What a misconception.


Drew had an awesome clip around here somewhere, where he did some Gilmour-esque stuff, clean-ish, and asked people for their opinions. Everyone was like, "Wow! Great Strat tone!"

Yeah. He was using his Schecter Hellraiser, with EMG 707s.

[speedy1]

Thank you all for your replies!

That info was exactly what I was looking for.

Since I would definitely prefer an EMG in the bridge, I will seek out the EMG 707 clip.

I will also check out the other manufacturers' pickups as well.

Thanks again!

[DDDorian]

It'd help to know what kind of woods you intend to use. If you're going for a mahogony body, I recommend the SD Jazz7 humbucker in the neck. It'll get you into total Strat territory when tapped and is pretty capable when used regularly too

[Jason]

Originally Posted by speedy1

Thank you all for your replies!

That info was exactly what I was looking for.

Since I would definitely prefer an EMG in the bridge, I will seek out the EMG 707 clip.

I will also check out the other manufacturers' pickups as well.

Thanks again!

Going after the Gilmour vibe (mp3 inside)

[ShawnFjellstad]

putting emgs into a carvin will require serious routing.
if you're willing to cut up your brand new guitar, go for it.
i'm just letting you know.

[speedy1]

As far as woods go, it will be a maple neck and fingerboard, and swamp ash body.

Most mahogany guitars I've tried have sounded too dark and muddy...It's always easier to tame down a bright sounding guitar with EQ than to try to bring trebleness and clarity out of an inherently dark sounding guitar.

As far as cutting up a new guitar for EMG's, I really don't care. I just want to achieve the sound I'm going for-- ultra tight, super gain bridge pickup, and smoother/fluid type neck pickup... like Yngwie's HS3 (only they don't make those for 7's, and it has VERY little output.)

Of course, I could always have custom pickups wound too... choices, choices!

I'll keep doing my research.

Thanks for the welcome, and all your input!

[frank falbo]

The SD Custom Shop makes 7-string singles all the time. Yesterday I just saw MJ making a 7-string stack and I was drooling over what I could do with something like that. They would wind you whatever you wanted.

If you went Blackouts instead of EMG's, you could get the passive sized version, which would only require minimal routing/dremeling. That way you could go back to any other passive pickup (that would be splittable) at any later date. If you go with a humbucker in the neck you can always use a passive humbucker and split it, or have a custom passive humbucker made like the Stag Mag, where you have two Strat-like singles next to eachother instead of a traditional humbucking arrangement. There are tons of possibilities, but the EMG routes kill all of them. If you're "active-curious" I say start with the passive sized Blackouts.