Is the D sonic really lacking for distortion?

[JPetrucci07]

On my standard JP6 I am amazed at how "anemic" and worse off the D-sonic in bridge sounds compared to the BFR I just added. I've tested side by side on my Mark V and a ton of different settings. Now I know the mahogany tone block/alder combo will give a thicker, crunchier sound compared to basswood JP's, but it also has the crunch lab in the bridge...how much of the tone difference can be attributed to the bridge pickups? Is it D-sonics are better suited for lower tunings? I am curious about adding a crunch lab to the bridge of my standard JP, has anyone done this before and what did they think? I love the sound for solos out of the custom JP in neck however. Maybe I would even consider the older Petrucci bridge pickup, since that seemed more "articulate" then the D-sonic at high gain from what I remember.

 

[73h Nils]

I wouldn't say the D Sonic is lacking in distortion at all. It's a bit "growlier" than the original set, and I haven't had enough time with the new ones to give you a comparison there.

I didn't like it in the 6 string model I tried, but on my Dargie JP7, it's actually quite nice. I like it a lot. Might have to do with the orientation. I'm sure others have more detailed opinions, though.

 

[ScoobySteve]

Had a JP6 for 5 months. Distortion is exactly what it DIDN'T lack. Then again, mine was the standard JP w/ BFR RW Neck. Maybe the RW neck added some tonal dimensions I wasn't aware of. But the D-Sonic isn't "thrash/hardcore" distortion. Think Alex Lifeson, "BIG" distortion. It's hard to explain what I mean, but it certainly wont sound like Blackouts. Good distortion, a hint of reverb and chorus, hit an open chord and WHAM! Big distortion! I loved the D-Sonic Personally.

As they say, EQ! EQ! EQ!

 

[bkrumme]

There is a distinct difference in tone between the D-Sonic and the Crunch Lab. To me, the D-Sonic was very good, but not as thick as the Crunch Lab. The CL has accentuated midrange as well as being higher output. You'll notice this much more when the D-Sonic is in a basswood JP6 and the CL is in a BFR.

I wouldn't say that the D-Sonic lacks distortion, but I would say that the tonality and output of the Crunch Lab would be percieved as MORE distortion than the D-Sonic.

 

[JPetrucci07]

hmmm, I agree with the Lifeson "big wall" part, and Im not a fan of loads of distortion either...but it just seems for rhythm, as in power chords especially, that crunch lab is so much "fuller" and thicker. Maybe its just the difference in body woods being heard through the Mark V. Im in love with the rhythm from the BFR now however, maybe I should swap out the D-sonic and see how it sounds in the regular JP6. I was just curious on people's opinions who have played both different pickups on the same JP model.

 

[Tung]

The CL in my JP50 totally cuts with areally nice upper mids that's not harsh at high gain. I can't say the same for the D-Sonic on my JP6, it sounds rather harsh and undefined with the same settings. But to my ears, the CL has less gain and output.
I'm trying to decide whether to put CL in my main JP6 as well.

 

[mesavox]

I would say that the D-Sonic is just more mid intense and more open sounding. It's not as compressed as the Crunch Lab. I like it better for 90% of what I do, but I have noticed that the Crunch Lab in the 7 string makes the 7th string more crunchy and thus, more distorted sounding I guess you might say.

I am dealing strictly with BFR jp6 and JPX7s, so I can't speak for the basswood versions. I had a D-Sonic 7 in my DG JP7 and it was even more open sounding, but it was still quite distorted. Jacob has a D Sonic in his JP7 too, but we've yet to sit down and compare all of our JPs.

I know that just from in store playing verses what I know about my D Sonic in my BFR JP6, I prefer the D sonic. But, the differences are easily adjusted around in most cases. I just like a bit less compression in my pickups because I already use so much amp gain. I like the openeness at the guitar and the squish at the amp. Some people prefer it the other way around and they're not wrong. It's just what you like.

JP's change in pickups is reflecting a couple of things. He initially had the DSonics for the Roadkings. When he went to the MKIVs he wanted some of that recto gain with the MK sound. I think his development in pickups reflects this. You can hear on BCASL that his tone is more compressed and glassy than ever. To me it's less dynamic as a tone, but that's not to say it's making him less dynamic a player. I just like his 8V tones or back to his older MKIV tones better.

 

[Hendog]

I dont think so.

I loved my D Sonic equipped JP's.

 

[ScoobySteve]

The pickups alone won't sound that different given other variables remain te same. But as Brad said above the totally
Different woods in te BFR make the changes that more apparent. Basswood is a far more open and bright wood than alder and mahogany. So without the punched mids and tightened response of the Crunch Lab I can definitely see how it'll start sounding harsh when you start pushing the gain. I never used my JP with a Mesa Boogie amp. Mostly Blackstar Amps. And I never put gobs of gain either. I liked warm, full bodied and open sounding distortion and my Jp6 sounded fabulous.

 

[jakedawgwhite88]

love my jp7 with crunch lab and there is much less low end and a tighter sound comparing my jp7 to mesavox's jpx7 on my mark III and the bar is facing the bridge..... since that seems to be a factor in the pickup sound.

 

[BrickGlass]

I wouldn't say that the D-Sonic is lacking for distortion, but I would say that compared to a Crunch Lab a D-Sonic sucks pretty freaking bad IMO. I really disliked the D-Sonic. Tried it both ways in the bridge and didn't like either one of them. Now the CL on the other hand, that is one hell of pup there. Just my experience though.