Favorite guitar / pickup?

[dmcguitar]

So what is everyone using with their MV, and whats your favorite combo of guitar / pickups... to do what style of music?

I have been jamming on it with a few guitars, and find I'm really digging my Les Paul copy (which i think is mahogany) with emg 81s.
Also my Basswood Ibby RG, steve's special and AN sounds real good.

Im not sure about my northern ash strat with an evh frankenstein pickup. Anyone else have this pickup? is it really really noisy?

as always, im searching for that tone.. and looking for opinions

 

[theroan]

I'll take a passive over an EMG any day. You can compensate for the volume loss with a simple boost.

I currently rock a Les Paul Studio with the Seymour Duncan SH-2 Jazz model in the neck and the SH-5 custom custom in the bridge.
In my USA Tele, Seymour Antiquity II's and my strat also has Antiquity Texas hots.

Plenty of mojo in there.

 

[iFreedom]

Currently I'm using carvin C66 with dimarzio Air Zone in the bridge and Air Norton in the neck and it's seemingly stellar thru this amp. Rolling of the knob gives great results. The Zone works awsome with high gain - clarity with great low end and both pups do great in the clean channel. The Zone barely clips and the norton doesn't clip at all. To me these are a wicked passive combo.

So, there you go, my two cents.

 

[Scary]

I usually use a fender american deluxe, which is great for strat tones.. but the FIVE comes alive with my gibson les paul. It's like a different amp.

 

[jb's 52]

Been using my Fender Tele 52 reissue w/stock pups mostly.

 

[Shang Chi 66]

I's using a Motor City Pickups Afwayu in the bridge (thanks Wade!), and a Bareknuckles Coldsweat in the neck position of a mahogany Carvin bolt-on.

Absolutely great pickups from both companies. I get smoothness, and excellent articulation with the Afwayu under high gain. And the Coldsweat is like an Air Norton (which I previously had in the guitar) times 10. Fat, full, singing and delicious!

 

[RocknRory]

I wouldn't say its my overall favorite, because its my only guitar I use right now, but its definitely the best for metal/hard rock for me. I use my ESP LTD EC-1000 Deluxe with 81/60 EMGs. I actually just did the 18v mod and it has a much more organic, less compressed sound now. More clean headroom also. It kicks serious ***, actives are beast.

 

[Jim Ed Love]

I haven't tried every pickup out there. I really like WCR pickups.

 

[smd24fan]

Main axe is the PRS Custom 24, stock with HFS/Vintage pickups. Really would like to hear the Dragon II pickups with the Mark V, but modding a PRS is a big no no for me. Strat with SCN Noiseless pickups is great too.

 

[nyeguy]

I like my Air Zone in my beat up '90 PRS which is my pup tester! I run the PRS vintage bass for the neck. You don't wanna know the things I've done to my PRS in the name of TONE! Lol!

 

[SteveO]

The two guitars I have that really go well with the V are a Rowan Texas Twister with Duncan JB/Jazz pickups, and a Highway 1 Tele with Duncan Little '59s in both positions. It does well with my PRS Custom (Duncan 59/Jazz), but I haven't been playing that guitar too much lately as it's in need of a refret. I just picked up an American Special Tele and haven't put a lot of time on it yet as it's getting it's pickups swapped out for a set of Custom Shop Nocasters that I had sitting around. Once it's together I'll be spending some time tweaking lower gain tones for it...

 

[phyrexia]

Main axe is the PRS Custom 24, stock with HFS/Vintage pickups. Really would like to hear the Dragon II pickups with the Mark V, but modding a PRS is a big no no for me. Strat with SCN Noiseless pickups is great too.

Even pickups? A completely reversable task?

 

[fuzzgod]

Les Paul w Burstbuckers, hands down.

 

[Birdy]

I have Fralin p90s in my Les Paul and Jason Lollar mini-humbuckers in
my Firebird V. Both sound amazing....both wired 50s style.

 

[Anonymous]

liquifire neck and crunchlab bridge works for me........

 

[Shang Chi 66]

Salvatruco, have you ever played the Air Norton as well?

If so, how would you compare it to the Liquifire? How is it different?

Thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

Salvatruco, have you ever played the Air Norton as well?

If so, how would you compare it to the Liquifire? How is it different?

Thanks!

Hey Shang chi 66, no experience with AN..sorry!!! but i had read somewhere that the difference between the two is that the liquifire has smoother highs, more mid presence and thigher bass..

hope that helps

 

[NOWAYBACK]

Hello,

I have an ESP Eclipse II with active EMGs 81/60, and a Schecter C1 Classic with Seymour Duncans JB/Jazz. It is somewhat frustrating that the Schecter sounds so much better that the ESP with this amp (and with my Marshall JVM head for that matter), given that the ESP costs twice as much. Surprisingly, the passive Duncans have more output that the EMGs with a fresh new battery, and the difference is not subtle. Beside being more dynamic, controllable and better responding to rolling back your guitar's volume, the Duncans have much (much!) more deep bass that the EMGs through the Mark V - essential for metal. Usable deep bass is the weak point of this amp, and the Duncans seem to manage this limitation very well. I am seriously considering replacing my EMGs with passives.

Best,
Marcelo
NOWAYBACK

 

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I have an ESP Eclipse II with active EMGs 81/60, and a Schecter C1 Classic with Seymour Duncans JB/Jazz. It is somewhat frustrating that the Schecter sounds so much better that the ESP with this amp (and with my Marshall JVM head for that matter), given that the ESP costs twice as much. Surprisingly, the passive Duncans have more output that the EMGs with a fresh new battery, and the difference is not subtle. Beside being more dynamic, controllable and better responding to rolling back your guitar's volume, the Duncans have much (much!) more deep bass that the EMGs through the Mark V - essential for metal. Usable deep bass is the weak point of this amp, and the Duncans seem to manage this limitation very well. I am seriously considering replacing my EMGs with passives.

Best,
Marcelo
NOWAYBACK

hey NOWAYBACK.... sorry to hear about your experience with the EMG's. have you try the 18V mod on those pickups?

good luck

Jorge

 

[NOWAYBACK]

Hello Jorge,

I didn't try it, but heard possitive things about it in this forum. I will give it a chance before I replace them with Duncans.

Best & Saludos,
Marcelo