the quest for a 7 string pickup

[Keven]

Hey guys

new guy here, i've been reading these forums and you people seem very honest and careful with your comments and opinions, that's neat!

I've recently gotten a schecter loomis7 (maple fretboard and ash body, fixed tune-o-matic bridge) and it comes with EMG707's. i don't fancy these pickups but it was the only 7 string i could get with maple fretboard in my price range so...

well, usually i always grab a set of dimarzio's for my 6 strings, been happy with their vintage output PAF type pickup. but when i look at their 7 string selection, meh, lots of high output pickups. now, i'm a metal player, but i'd much rather have a good warm sounding pickup that will let my pick dynamics come through (if you guys know dimarzio, PAF Bridge, Air Classic.. etc..)

 I sent an email to tim about this earlier today but i also wanted to ask the community. from the description, a matched set of Mule7 would be pretty much what i want. i also read on these forums that the splits and parallel's on most BKP's are really nice so I'm sure i've got a few usable tones. my band plays heavy metal covers (Gamma Ray, Iced Earth, Nevermore,Racer X, etc..) but i work in a music store and teach and record for some local artists (metal or rock or pop) and my main love of the past years is fusion. and i'm used to picking hard when it comes to metal so i just need 'that fine gain threshold' that will overdrive when you pick hard. okay, enough ranting..

what do you guys think? a good raunchy bridge with a nice midrange but that will hold the low B well and a nice tubular neck that won't get muddy on the low B but will still keep the high strings warm. I know the Nailbomb and Cold sweat seems to be a popular combo for 7 strings and maybe they aren't as high output as i may seem to think, but you guys know the product more than I do.

greetings from Quebec!  :D

[Roobubba]

Mules might be a little *too* low output, perhaps? Probably okay, depending on your amp/pedal setup, though. I use a baritone with Black Dog in the bridge for very heavy downtuned stuff, and I love the open and dynamic sound you can get (still with extreme aggression) through a 5150-II crunch channel boosted with Bodenhamer bloody murder. Stick it through the lead channel with the extra compression, and boom, you've got more gain on tap than you could possibly use, even with the relatively low output black dog.

When discussing pickups with WezV (the luthier who made my guitar and who hangs around these forums regularly) and Tim, we came down to looking at the Black Dog, VHII and Mule, and of these, Tim's favourite from his time working with Iced Earth was the Black Dog for this kind of music.

And the cleans are superb (when played through a Fender amp, that is!).

So all of this rambling leads me to my suggestion:

Black Dog. (Pinch of salt required here, I have not tried the Mule or VHII! My understanding is that Mules are more rounded and warm than Black Dogs, though).

I can't advise on the neck position, because I never use a neck pickup. But if I did, I'd get a matched set of Black Dogs :)

Welcome to the forum.

Roo

[Fikealox]

Great buy, dude. I've gassed for a Loomis more than a little bit, myself. Personally, I'd probably go with the Cold Sweat set, of those you've listed.

[Keven]

yeah, i was also thinking of getting a Black dog or VHII Bridge and mule neck exactly for the reasons listed!

as far as gain goes, my rig is pretty versatile (the new traynor YCSH100 triple channel all tube head + 4x12 vintage 30 cab and a GT-10 in the loop for EQ's and stuff) and one of my main guitars in the metal band is actually loaded with hum canceling singles (V.Vintage Heavy blues) so less-more gain isn't actually so bad. my humbucker 6 strings have a D-Sonic which i don't really like so much because of the gain, and that above mentionned paf pickups, both are mahogany however and i think the PAF is a little too boomy without an EQ in front of the guitar.

I've never thought about getting a cold sweat in the bridge though. is it -that- screamy? i think ash is a brighter wood and i like a relatively dark bridge with a bright neck.

from reading some more, looks like it could be Black Dog Bridge + Mule Neck or Calibrated Black Dog set. you're right about making me think about the overall roundness of it though, i don't want a pickup that's so vintage it'll make the Low B Fart.

[Roobubba]

you're right about making me think about the overall roundness of it though, i don't want a pickup that's so vintage it'll make the Low B Fart.

I can tell you from personal experience that the Black Dog won't fart out on a low B (or A) :)

Roo

[Keven]

Hmm. looking at specs for ash they describe it as a scooped midrange, strong low end and sparkling highs. sounds like spruce on an acoustic guitar.

I still haven't held the guitar in my hands yet, i've ordered it from schecter in last may and it's bound to arrive soon, (i'm very patient for a maple fretboard 7 string, let me tell you that...) the only good thing about waiting so long is that i'm getting the guitar at the price it was last year :D

i'll get a better idea of the amount of midrange i need to add depending on how the wood sounds... right now i'm juggling between Black Dog or VHII for the bridge. though i'm tempted to try the nailbomb cold sweat combo as it seems fool-proof... but i'm a strange metal player, i'm afraid of too much high output  :( though after snooping around the site for so long in the past days, i WANT a BKP set, :D and being the pickup whore i am (must've tried out a dozen or so dimarzios and duncans in the past years) I'm almost afraid of being addicted to them

as far as neck goes, still nothing.

[psy]

One thing to bare in mind is that the EMG707 is a non-standard size.  It comes out wider than the strings. 

[Keven]

Yeah. I'm thinking i'll screw the pickups right into the body and either leave it there with the gap around it or find some way to fit mounting rings. but then, i've fitted one of my godin's exit 22 with a humbucker at the neck of a Single coil so it's not like i'm afraid of chopping wood to get the tone i want :D


(edit) okay. after much thought, (the VHII steve stevens demo sold me) i'm thinking of going Bridge VHII, any suggestions for neck?

[Keven]

and from the suggestions here and from tim's advice, it'll be black dog7 bridge and mule7 neck. and i figure, since i'll use the low B on the neck mostly for walking basslines... i want it to be round

now comes the waiting game, oh money how you torment me!!

thank you very much guys. i'll be sure to post clips once i get those settled in.