Replacement for Dimarzio Evo's in a Ibanez Jem7VWH?

[darrenw5094]

I never really liked the Dimarzio evo's, so i will be pulling them. I hate the gold hardware, so that will be changed for black too. 8)

Anyway, i want a hot output pickup like the EVO, but a bit more clearer. I have narrowed it to the Cold Sweat set or Nailbomb Alnico set. Not fully sure about the Cold Sweat, as it might be mid scopped too much. I prefer balanced sounds rather than strange Seymour/Dimarzio tones.

[Arthurus]

Hi there !
First things first, and I think everyone will agree with that, the Cold Sweat is nowhere near as hot as an EVO. However, I'm sure it will be a ton clearer. In fact, almost every bare knuckle will be a ton clearer (I know, I used to have a D-Sonic).

If you prefer balanced sounds, well… Everything will sound balanced once you pull out these EVOs  :lol:
The Nailbombs could be the answer. I'd rather have the C-Bomb than the A-Bomb (better balanced and more aggressive).
You could also go for the Holydiver/Emerald set. Less aggressive, more creamy, and every soloist's dream  8)
The Cold Sweat may be a bit bright for what you want.
But if you really want a clear hot pickup, you should check the Black Hawks.

[darkbluemurder]

My first thought for the bridge pickup was Ceramic Nailbomb. Should be the exact middle ground between the Cold Sweat an d the Alnico Nailbomb, and probably a bit hotter than both.

When I asked for a brighter hotter neckpickup as a match to the Cold Sweat bridge I also got recommended the Painkiller neck - have not tried it though. C-Bomb/PK neck would make the killer shredder combo. Output should be similarily hot compared to the EVOs.

Cheers Stephan

[darrenw5094]

Funny enough dudes, i looked at the eq chart and the Alnico NB looks more balanced. The ceramic mag seems to scoop mids  slightly and add some highs. I already have a HD in my Jap Charvel, so i would prefer a change to that.

The Nailbomb seems to be the one to go for, although i always was curious about the Cold Sweat.

The neck was an open book too. I never would have guessed the Painkiller neck though.

[Slartibartfarst42]

I think you'd find the A-Bomb fine as it's as tight and aggressive as most ceramics I've ever used and seems to have the EQ you're after. It's a surprisingly open sounding pickup so that will be very different from your current pups. The Cold Sweat is certainly not as hot and is also quite open sounding but isn't anything like as scooped as the EQ chart suggests. It's bright for sure, but also has enough bottom end. I never noticed that any mids had 'gone missing' when I had a Cold Sweat set, though I would avoid it if your guitar naturally lacks mids anyway.

[miguelbatalha]

Holy Diver is an option but I think you should try listening to some Black Hawks and Nailbomb demos. Black Hawks has a different note definition so it should be easy to make a decision.

[darrenw5094]

Holy Diver is kicking in my Charvel, so i would like to try something different, although it is tempting.
The Alnico Nailbomb seems my preference at the moment, as it's more balanced which i think suits me.
Now if the Cold Sweat is not as scooped as i think, then that could be an option all over again.  :lol:

The blackhawk just looks so wrong in a Jem7VWH really. :lol:

[Arthurus]

Anyway, whether you get the Cold Sweat or Nailbomb set you should get them with the black covers as you are going to swap the gold hardware for a black one. Black covers look awesome.

[Slartibartfarst42]

Keep in mind that the A-Bomb is a very different proposition to the Holydiver; they have very little in common in my experience. The Holydiver is all about smoothness, warmth and a very organic feel whereas the A-Bomb is much more abrasive with all that extra aggression and a lot tighter. I prefer an A-Bomb when there's a good chunk of mahogany to tame that aggression.

I certainly didn't find the Cold Sweat overly scooped but then I had it in a maple neck-thru so the guitar was middy anyway. If you like the Holydiver, I'd take a serious look at the Miracle Man. Again, it's nothing like as scooped as the EQ chart suggests, it's just that the mids are more focused on the lower mids while the Holydiver has mids across the board. I found it to be like a Holydiver on steroids in many ways.

[darrenw5094]

Keep in mind that the A-Bomb is a very different proposition to the Holydiver; they have very little in common in my experience. The Holydiver is all about smoothness, warmth and a very organic feel whereas the A-Bomb is much more abrasive with all that extra aggression and a lot tighter. I prefer an A-Bomb when there's a good chunk of mahogany to tame that aggression.

I certainly didn't find the Cold Sweat overly scooped but then I had it in a maple neck-thru so the guitar was middy anyway. If you like the Holydiver, I'd take a serious look at the Miracle Man. Again, it's nothing like as scooped as the EQ chart suggests, it's just that the mids are more focused on the lower mids while the Holydiver has mids across the board. I found it to be like a Holydiver on steroids in many ways.

Soooo many choices. Really want to try the Cold Sweat, then there is the Miracle Man and A Bomb. Probably the Holy Diver is the right one to go for though even i have one a Charvel.

As for the Black covers to match the hardware, no way man. Have to go with white coils to match the evo's. Think anything else would look wrong.

[Slartibartfarst42]

If your gut says the Holydiver is the pickup for you but you already have one in another guitar, I'd go with the Miracle Man. It will give you all of the things you like in the Holydiver but in a tighter and more aggressive package. You'll find my review of the Miracle Man if you look in the review thread.

[darrenw5094]

I think the boss even suggets the MM for Vai tones actually. Might side with the MM then.

Gonna check the review. :)

[Lucas]

Wouldn`t MM (especially bridge pup) be a bit too bright for that alder Ibanez Jem? I was going by website EQ chart.

[darrenw5094]

Wouldn`t MM (especially bridge pup) be a bit too bright for that alder Ibanez Jem? I was going by website EQ chart.

Not sure. I haven't had a problem before about brightness with BKP. But the EQ charts can be deceiving with some pickups.

[Dave Sloven]

In my experience the brightness of a pickup can be toned down with a pot or EQ, whereas you can't add clarity and brightness to a pickup.  It's also almost impossible to get rid of the dreaded mid-range honk.