# Which Seymour Duncan pup for bridge in BASSWOOD?



## Jan (Jan 25, 2007)

I've been trying to get this information in other posts but the discussion is getting slightly off-topic so I thought I'd start this new thread. I want to replace my EMG 707 with a SEYMOUR DUNCAN pickup (NOW, please don't suggest Dimarzio, I REALLY don't want those). 

Last week I heard and I LOVED the sound of SH-4 JB but I heard it in a 6-string mahogany guitar. My guitar is BASSWOOD (Ibanez 7421xl). Since I play metal I need a relatively articulate and punchy low end and therefore I'm not sure if SH-4 will do it for me. Can you tell me that? 

I dont care for the output too much, I REALLY don't need a very HOT pickup since my ENGL fireball provides 10x more gain than I going to need EVER. I need TONE. Especially low mids, since my ENGL has tons of LOWS, HIGH MIDS and HIGHS, but just not enough LOW MIDS. 

NOW some people claim the SH-4 WON'T work in basswood (only mahogany), other folks say it's really good for basswood. Now PLEASE don't get off topic, just tell me which SD pup you would go for if you were in my place - 
*SD JB SH-4, **SD SH-5 CUSTOM* ors *SD SH-6 distortion*?

I play MODERN metal (not like AC/DC at all) and I play both lead and rhythm. I'm looking for a juicy, open, full, natural, breathing sound. Crisp, but not sizzling. Ya know, a bit Killswitch Engage-like. Thanks


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## Alex-D33 (Jan 25, 2007)

hey !!! bro just look at the poll's ..SH-5 CUSTOM 7 ALL THE WAY!!!..


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## Drew (Jan 25, 2007)

You're going to hate me for this, but a Dimarzio Blaze in basswood responds similarly to a JB in mahogany, though with slightly more defined bass...  

I'm not familiar with the "Killswitch Engage" sound, but from the sound of it you want something pretty low output and sparkly. Maybe a '59 or a Jazz in the bridge? In particular, I've heard good things about the Jazz as a bridge pickup...


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## noodles (Jan 25, 2007)

I am not a fan of Dimarzio, but Drew is right on the money with this one. Duncans just don't do that well in basswood. The Blaze is too mushy on the bottom for my tastes, but that is more the fault of the wood than the pickup.


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## Benzesp (Jan 25, 2007)

I wonder if duncan would make a PATB for 7. I love the original. I have one in a ESP MII. It is Bueno!


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## eaeolian (Jan 25, 2007)

Drew said:


> You're going to hate me for this, but a Dimarzio Blaze in basswood responds similarly to a JB in mahogany, though with slightly more defined bass...
> 
> I'm not familiar with the "Killswitch Engage" sound, but from the sound of it you want something pretty low output and sparkly. Maybe a '59 or a Jazz in the bridge? In particular, I've heard good things about the Jazz as a bridge pickup...



Heh. I recommended the Blaze to him in the SD forum. I'll stand by my original statement there - In basswood, The Blaze sounds better than any of the Duncans I've heard. (That would be the JB7 and Custom 7 - I won't recommend the Distortion 7 to anyone after having one.)



Benzesp said:


> I wonder if duncan would make a PATB for 7. I love the original. I have one in a ESP MII. It is Bueno!



Sure. That'll be $150.

If you must limit yourself to Duncan (and I don't know why you would, you said you were an EMG user over at the SD forum), the Custom's the best bet in basswood out of that bunch, IMO.


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## Jan (Jan 25, 2007)

> n basswood, The Blaze sounds better than any of the Duncans I've heard.



aeolian, what do you exactly mean by that? In WHAT WAY does BLAZE sound superior to SD? I've heard that DM pickups are more sterile sounding and more active-like (and it was from a guy I know personally and really trust - he works in a recording studio. the only thing is I don't know which models he heard...  ). I'm far from wanting a sterile sound, having used EMG 707 for more than a year I'm totally sick of its anti-septic sound and definitely wanting something organic (but still clear and quite punchy that is).




> the Custom's the best bet in basswood out of that bunch, IMO



That's what I was thinking as well. If I take it, what am I likely to lack according to you?



> in basswood, The Blaze sounds better than any of the Duncans I've heard


Which model? I guess there are 2 models available? Or am I wrong?

Thanks in advance!


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## Drew (Jan 25, 2007)

Yikes. What pickups were your friend referring to? SD and Duncan do tend to sound different - I don't have enough experience with all of their offerings to say this from personal experience, but what I've been told and what my limited experience has been is that Duncans generally are a bit airier and sparkly sounding, while Dimarzios are generally more focused - the former works better in straight-into-the-amp situations, while the later handles effects and gain better. This is a VERY rough rule of thumb, but it's a start. Neither sound like active pickups. 


This link may interest you: 

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/showthread.php?t=16041&highlight=blaze+JB+707

It's a couple soundclips I recorded with my Blaze-equipped UV, my JB-equipped C7 Blackjack, and a 707-equipped C7 Hellraiser a while ago. Excuse the slop and simplicity, I'd cut off my fretting hand fingertip shortly before this so it's just 1-finger powerchords. 

I suspect you'll agree that the JB in mahogany and the Blaze in basswood sound much more like each other than either sounds like the 707 in mahogany. 

FWIW, I'm talking about the original Blaze bridge, not the Blaze custom, and I'm 99% sure both noodles and eaeolean are, as well. 

If you want, I can record a few quick lead clips tonight with the JB in mahogany and Blaze in basswood - I personally love the semi-harmonic response of the Blaze in basswood, it's very vocal, somehow...


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## eaeolian (Jan 25, 2007)

To answer your questions in order:

The Blaze is slightly scooped (which really helps with basswood, IMO), and nice and punchy, and the bottom end is pretty well-defined - not as warm as a Duncan, but warmer than an EMG. I haven't heard one in a while, but I know I liked it better in a 7621 than the Custom or JB - and I *love* JBs. 

If you do the Custom in basswood, the mids may be somewhat "honky" - the Custom doesn't have the vicious upper-mid bite of the JB. The Custom had too much mid for me in basswood. Since you've got a 27" scale guitar, though, the overtones will be different, and I could picture this working the best out of all the Duncans.

The Blaze is the one you want. I didn't like the Blaze Custom anywhere near as much.


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## Hexer (Jan 25, 2007)

unfortunately I've not used a JB or Distortion so far but I find the Custom to work really well in my 7620 (as I said in the other thread). its kind of heavy on the low mids, but I dont think it sounds honky, I'd say it kind of growls.

you can check out my clips at www.myspace.com/thebrightestlight those are recorded with a behringer VAmp.


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## Jan (Jan 25, 2007)

Thanks guys, I really appreciate your help. And thanks for ther clips (Hexer and Drew). Drew, I already listened to the clips you gave the link to, but if you have time it'd be cool to listen to some more clips. Pity you don;t have a basswood guitar with a JB (apart from the basswood with BLAZE) . That would show me the truth! 

Eolian , you're really great for not losing patience, hehe. i asked you about the same question you already answered on SD forums. It's just that I'm here much morte often then there so I didn't know you already had answered my questions! Sorry and thanks even more!


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## EdgeCrusher (Jan 25, 2007)

I have a JB one of my 7621's, and I can say its probably not what your going for. It just doesnt sound the same in basswood as it does in mahogany. Its not horrible, its just not ideal. To me its very loose on the bottom end with an overall round sound to it, pretty much the opposite of an EMG. Since I put the DS7 in my other 7621 Ive been playing it daily and hardly ever play my Duncan equipped RG7 anymore. The DS7 is tighter, clearer, and just works better for metal. Take a listen to my DS7 clip in the other thread. When I get off work tonight, I might even record something for you with the JB7 so you can have a comparison.


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## The Dark Wolf (Jan 25, 2007)

^ I TOTALLY agree with that assessment. I have the same pickups, and came to the same conclusions.


Edge, try the JB in the neck. It seriously smokes there.


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## Jan (Jan 26, 2007)

Edge, if you could record something with both the JB and DS7 it would be just AWESOME! I'm dying to hear how the JB in basswood... I'm pretty much looking for an opposite of EMGs, but I still need the tight and punchy low end... If I really don't like the JB in bass, I will probably go for SH-5 Custom or even Dimarzio (sigh) but here, again, I have no idea whether to choos e an EVO 7, BLAZE 7 or DS7... oh boy...


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## EdgeCrusher (Jan 27, 2007)

Ok got it. Same riff as before with Ryan's drum track. Vox AD100VT head -> Bad Monkey, exact same settings for each track. The 7621 w/ the JB has slightly thicker strings, .60 w/ .10-.52, the one with the DS7 had .58 w/.10-.46. Not a huge difference between the two with my setup, but you'll be able to get an idea.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=655974

I cant get em to play side by side for some reason


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## Jan (Jan 27, 2007)

Edge, thanks a LOT! Maybe I'm weird, but I like the sound of JB better than that of DS7. the only problem with the JB seems to be the lowest string, it's less articulate and punchy than that of DS-7... Oh well, I'll need to thinkh hard before I spend my money. i just wonder if anyone has a SH-5 in their basswood... any samples?


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## jacksonplayer (Jan 27, 2007)

As many pickup swaps as I've done, I don't think I've ever tried Duncans in a basswood guitar. Hmm. One thing about Duncan is that they don't seem to make pickups with as "extreme" a tone profile as Dimarzio does. Dimarzio seems more willing to experiment, including heavily scooped mids that work well in basswood. BTW, I really like the Blaze Custom in the bridge of RG762x guitars. Screams a little more than the regular Blaze.


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## angryman (Jan 28, 2007)

When I first got my 1527 I had a JB fitted as i'd always had JB's in all my other guitars before, but none of those were made of Basswood. needless to say I was extremely disappointed, it was just a fizzy mess with no bottom end definition & clarity so i tried it against my Blaze loaded 7321 & the 7321 was streets ahead in Tone. I swiftly changed the JB to a Blaze & i've never looked back.
I still have the JB tho so when I finally get round to getting the S7 or some other Mahogany bodied Guitar it'll be going straight in there, the JB owns in Mahogany IMO.


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## Jan (Jan 28, 2007)

Ok, you got me now. You've managed guys to persuade me off buying the JB. Now I've even strated looking at the Dimarzio stuff... Which of their pups is WARM and crisp with plenty of LOW mids (not high mids)? Should I go for Blaze Bridge (as some recommend) or TONE ZONE 7 (as their automatic pickup picker suggested) or for a D Sonic 7?


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## Soilent1 (Jan 29, 2007)

Jan,
I have an original UV7bk that came stock with the green Blaze pickups. I hated the sound of the blaze in the bridge position. For the neck, they sound great. 
However, I find that in both positions these pickups are noisy and not very focused. I had so much feedback with my Bridge pickup(even with an Engl Powerball noisegate over it) that I couldn't wait to Ebay that bitch. I replaced it with an EVO 7 and it was like night and day. You can pinch a hormonic on any note and the low end is much more tight and focused. Also, none of the terrible feedback. Go for the Evo! Not a sterile sound at all.


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## Fallen (Jun 16, 2007)

does someone have a clip of sh-5 7 ? I´m buying one in certain time . I think he could go with my omen7 extreme (basswood+maple neck with rosewood finger.),am I right ?
Im playing modern metal too , not too much gain but big balls , chunk , and roar with definition . Dont have amp at the moment , only pod 2.0


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## MerlinTKD (Jun 16, 2007)

heh... I actually liked the JB best in those SoundClick clips, for the very reasons others didn't: I LIKE the fuzziness!  

I admit though, the DS7 rocks, the clarity is ridiculous! It it were me, I wanted the clarity, especially on the bottom end, I'd go DS, definitely. In the clips I've heard, the Blaze in basswood sounds as fuzzy as the JB, without the warmth and sparkle. The Evo is obviously a great pickup, but... well, everyone knows it, and uses it, and so it's like using a Les Paul for classic rock, you'll sound just like everyone else... depends on whether that's a good thing or bad thing. 

The same with the Activator clip... that's definitely the sound or modern rock/metal, but as such, you'll sound just like everyone else, so...

I'm really digging this thread though, since I have a basswood M-207 with Duncan Designed... I understand now why it sounds like it does, and how much better it would sound with a top-line Duncan in there!  

I myself am curious about the Duncan Custom though... wonder how IT sounds in basswood?


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## daemon barbeque (Jun 17, 2007)

Benzesp said:


> I wonder if duncan would make a PATB for 7. I love the original. I have one in a ESP MII. It is Bueno!



I am the 1st one ever get's a 7 string PATB!It's on the way baby!
15K resitance ,Alnico 8 magnet.Scatterwound ahahah:O)

I am very familiar with the JB ,Disotrion and PATB in basswood.

JB :Well ,it's actually Duncan Distorion with a standart Alnico V magnet.The sound is rounder .looser bass and not enough balls.Pass on it bro!I listened to your bands music.It won't cut the melone!

Duncan Distortion : Well ,it's actually JB with an oversized Ceramic magnet (Deja-vu?)..It ripps and cuts well.Very nice harmonics.Not as smooth as JB ,raw ,powerfull sound.The cleans are nice ,and the articulation is good

Duncan Custom : I don't like it in Basswood.It's better for Mahongany maybe , but it lacks highs and lows in Basswood ,and ,it's not as inspiring as the Distortion!

I won't talk about DMZ ,since i am not a fan of them...



Jan said:


> Ok, you got me now. You've managed guys to persuade me off buying the JB. Now I've even strated looking at the Dimarzio stuff... Which of their pups is WARM and crisp with plenty of LOW mids (not high mids)? Should I go for Blaze Bridge (as some recommend) or TONE ZONE 7 (as their automatic pickup picker suggested) or for a D Sonic 7?



Don't sell your soul so fast bro! 
Duncan does great job!The Distortion Ripps many DMZ's...If you pay 170 $ ,you can even get a PATB 7.But wait till i get mine...you are going to hear it!
I am going to post Miracle Man and Duncan Crazy 8 custom patb7 clips for you guys!
Cheers!


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## Benzesp (Jun 17, 2007)

daemon barbeque said:


> I am the 1st one ever get's a 7 string PATB!It's on the way baby!
> 15K resitance ,Alnico 8 magnet.Scatterwound ahahah:O)
> 
> I am very familiar with the JB ,Disotrion and PATB in basswood.
> ...



Holy shite! How did you get this made ? Who do I have to contact at SD to get one?

I'm all over it!


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## daemon barbeque (Jun 17, 2007)

Benzesp said:


> Holy shite! How did you get this made ? Who do I have to contact at SD to get one?
> 
> I'm all over it!



Wait till i get mine!
There are no baseplates ,no coils ,no caps....even magnets have to be cut for it.
So it's the first one ever.Derek Duncan and Evan Skopp where too kind for letting me order one.
It isn't production ready.So mine is a kind of Prototype...
I am going to make many sound bites.Tell me if you have a special wish/song/riff whatever!


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## MerlinTKD (Jun 17, 2007)

Which PATB is that, basically? The 1 (Original), or 2 (Distortion?)


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## zimbloth (Jun 17, 2007)

Duncan Customs are the king of all pickups IMO  I'd try that. The JB is awesome too. Don't like the Distortion, too honky and brittle. The DiMarzio Evo works great in Basswood as well.


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## daemon barbeque (Jun 17, 2007)

MerlinTKD said:


> Which PATB is that, basically? The 1 (Original), or 2 (Distortion?)



None of them!
It's a custom shop one.We made a Seymour Duncan Forum only PU.As i am agreat PATB1 ,2 and 3 fan ,and an Alnico 8 pervert ,i pushed the idea for making a custom shop PATB alnico 8 PU.The polls where agreeing with me .But i swiched to 7 strings.So i e-mailed Evan and Derek .And they where very friendly and where willing to do it for me.The extra price was really more than fair.
So it's called the Crazy 8.It's Parallel Axis design ,Alnico 8 magnet ,Scatterwound ,moderate to hot output ,around 15K resistance. It will be the only PATB 7 string PU for a while ,and the Sustain would be unique.I am very excited about it.I hope the Harmonics are going to blow my mind as they do on a PATB1 (wich has a similar output and resistance ,but a different magnet and winding). 
That's a great thing.Maybe Frank Chimes in again!Fraaaaaaank???


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## MerlinTKD (Jun 17, 2007)

Very cool... just for reference, how does the PATB compare to the JB?

and... Alnico 8? Crazy, can't wait to hear it!


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## soldierkahn (Jun 18, 2007)

I just picked up the Blaze NECK model to try in the bridge of my 1077XL. I have the Blaze BRIDGE in right now, so ill let you know which of the two is the better of suggestions


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## daemon barbeque (Jun 18, 2007)

MerlinTKD said:


> Very cool... just for reference, how does the PATB compare to the JB?
> 
> and... Alnico 8? Crazy, can't wait to hear it!



So it will sound similar to a JB in many ways but...
1)It's going to be more clear
2)It's going to have more dynamics
3)It's going to have lot's more sustain (PA design)
4)It won't ice picky as the JB is 
5)It will have much more bottom ,and fullnes


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