neck humbucker recommendation needed

[appar111]

I think I've decided to replace the neck pickup on my SUB1. I currently have a Duncan JB pickup in the bridge, which I love for clean and rock/metal stuff, but the neck pickup sounds a little muddled sounding by comparison. I'm looking for something that sounds good on the clean stuff for funk, but something that sounds flutey yet ballsy for distorted stuff... something that handles distortion well and can still sound articulate with alot of gain, something a little brighter and less muddy sounding than the stock pup. And obviously something that will match up well, volume-wise, with the JB in the bridge.

I'm thinking of the following choices:

Dimarzio Humbucker from Hell
Duncan Jazz (the most traditional pairing with the JB)
Dimarzio PAF Pro
Duncan Full Shred (a little less bass and treble than the Jazz)

Any other options that would fit the bill? I kind of like the idea of putting a Dimarzio w/ the JB instead of another Duncan, and the Dimarzio's are about $20 cheaper, too so that helps in the decision making (trying to keep this relatively inexpensive).

Also, I'm thinking of switching the 250K pots to 500K. Would that alone give me back enough treble to keep me happy and possibly avoid me having to get a different neck pickup? It should tighten/brighten up the JB too. Since I'm not doing the install myself, I'd probably have the new pickup and pots installed at the same time. It would be nice if the pot swap got me there, because it would be alot cheaper than a new pickup ($10 for new pots, versus about $60 for a new pickup).

Advice or recommendations?

thanks in advance,
J.

 

[Bluealba]

Pearly Gates neck or Jazz neck. Seymour Duncan recommends 250k pots for the JB

 

[jaxadam]

SD 59/Jazz hybrid.

The hybrids are some of the best pickups I have ever heard.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/forum/showthread.php?t=81050&highlight=hybrid

 

[tommyindelaware]

dimarzio air classic dp190....or eric johnson dp211......

 

[Music Man]

Dimarzio Air Norton. Great all around neck pick up.

 

[Roubster]

I second the Air Norton, but the Breed Neck is also great.

 

[candid_x]

PAF Pro is tightly focused in the upper mids, which would un-muddy the tone of a neck position p’up. I also like the Virtual Pro in the bridge, but not sure how it would sound in the neck position. Personally, I like the clean of the Virtual more than the clean of the PAF Pro.

No experience with some mentioned here, yet.

Everything’s a compromise.

 

[Jonny Dubai]

Anything by bare knuckle. Or here is one from left field... how about a seymorized mini hb. I had one and it was great in the neck.


Jonny.

 

[jaxadam]

SD 59/Jazz hybrid.

The hybrids are some of the best pickups I have ever heard.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/forum/showthread.php?t=81050&highlight=hybrid

Dude, trust me on this one. I'll buy it for you.

You won't believe your ears...

Air Norton is a great pickup, but nothing like this...

 

[robelinda2]

i had an air norton in my Ibanez S series J custom, and it sounds nothing like the Axis pickup!!! Not even close.

 

[jaxadam]

Get a hybrid, don't do anything less.

 

[peterd79]

I worked with a local guy and bought some boutique pick-ups and they are amazing... i helped design my neck pick-up... to really give me that "Jazzy" sound...

He will work with you to see what you need and will build them based upon the body and neck material and will let you swap them out if you don't like 'em...

 

[beej]

Bill Lawrence 500R or 500C. Very even, articulate pickup, sounds phenomenal and will only set you back $50.

 

[appar111]

jaxadam-
Gee, do you think I should go for a hybrid? Seriously though, they do sound like an interesting option, and not too expensive, especially if you buy it for me So it's an actual offering from Seymour Duncan? I wasn't sure from the link you provided.

I have an Air Norton in the neck position on my tele "partscaster", and I'm looking for something brighter than that, something better for funk when on the clean channel, which is what keeps steering me towards the Dimarzio Humbucker from Hell. Haven't heard alot of talk about it, but it may clean up & thin out my sound a bit, which is more where I'm headed w/ this guitar, rather than having a real thick sound out of it.

 

[Jonny Dubai]

Again "Bare Knuckle" fabby pups.


Jonny

 

[jaxadam]

jaxadam-
Gee, do you think I should go for a hybrid? Seriously though, they do sound like an interesting option, and not too expensive, especially if you buy it for me So it's an actual offering from Seymour Duncan? I wasn't sure from the link you provided.

I have an Air Norton in the neck position on my tele "partscaster", and I'm looking for something brighter than that, something better for funk when on the clean channel, which is what keeps steering me towards the Dimarzio Humbucker from Hell. Haven't heard alot of talk about it, but it may clean up & thin out my sound a bit, which is more where I'm headed w/ this guitar, rather than having a real thick sound out of it.

No, they are not something that SD makes, but there are people on the forums over there that make them, and if you know how to solder at all, you can make them yourself. Sometimes its easier to buy one from somebody, instead of going out and buying two pickups just to make the one hybrid you need (well, technically you could make two hybrids, but I'm assuming you only need one).

It is one coil from a '59, and one from a Jazz. The slightly different properties really make these interesting sounding pickups.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22538&highlight=hybrid+tutorial

I have a JB/Custom in the bridge of one of my guitars, and it sounds absolutely amazing.

Bare Knuckles sound great, too.

 

[beej]

It is one coil from a '59, and one from a Jazz. The slightly different properties really make these interesting sounding pickups.

Interesting idea. Isn't the differences in the coils going to result in less hum being cancelled, though?

 

[jaxadam]

Interesting idea. Isn't the differences in the coils going to result in less hum being cancelled, though?

Well, yes, that's kind of the idea in a way. The differences are small enough that your ear cannot tell from the hum-cancelling aspect, but your ear can tell when you hit notes or chords.

Immense additional harmonics, and honestly, when I hit some types of chords, it sounds like there are these little mysterious notes that come out of nowhere and blend right in.

I really like the EMG 81, and this sucker is right behind it as far as output and tightness. There is just something super-mysterious about it.

So in essence, it does kind of defeat the "hum-cancelling" criteria (which you can't even notice AT ALL) and adds some lushness to it.

 

[appar111]

So in essence, it does kind of defeat the "hum-cancelling" criteria (which you can't even notice AT ALL) and adds some lushness to it.

I don't know how one wouldn't notice the lack of hum-cancelling... especially if they played w/ alot of gain. Do you mean that it still cancels the hum, but not with two matching coils, so perhaps it's not a "perfect" hum cancelling?

 

[jaxadam]

I don't know how one wouldn't notice the lack of hum-cancelling... especially if they played w/ alot of gain. Do you mean that it still cancels the hum, but not with two matching coils, so perhaps it's not a "perfect" hum cancelling?

I just hooked up the guitar with this pickup in it, and cranked it. No compressor or noise gate, and this thing is absolutely quiet. Dead quiet. Hooked up a guitar with an 81 in the bridge, same settings, and I was getting a bunch of noise and feedback.

I really don't know how to describe it. Inherently, one would assume that the make-up of these pickups alters some of the characteristics that make up a humbucker. I just think that these new properties add to the depth of sound, and not losing the benefits of a humbucker.

I just learned that Dimarzio has patents on these types of ideas.

I don't really know what more I can say. It is a dead-quiet, awesome sounding pickup.