Replacement pups for a Dean ML Warbird

[Schwef]

Hello! New to the forum and my first post - I am in the process of getting a mint Dean ML Warbird...one thing I always do is pull the pups out of all the guitars I get and replace them, usually w/ EMG 85/60 & 81's.

For the Dean I am torn though...I play metal, love Dime's sound but don't necessarily want to replicate it either, but I want something a bit different as well! I just want the full-out metal assault of Dime's...you know...all the gain, all the sustain, and all the squeels! :dude

So what's your opinion on my dilemma?

1 - Do I stick my usual EMG's in it?!?
2 - Do I go with the Sey Dunc Dimebucker & Dean Dimetime?!?
3 - Or should I go a different route and put it the Sey Dunc SH-6 Distortion Mayhem set?!? Which I am leaning towards especially with the price! :AOK

I have a set of Sey Duncs in one of my Epi Les Paul Std's, Jazz-2 in the neck and the SH-4 in the bridge.

Any ideas or suggestions welcome!!! Thanx in advance!

[oldguy]

Welcome to TheFret, schwef...........stop by the Fret Player's section and tell us a little about yourself when you get time.




As to your dilemma, tough question to answer w/o knowing more.
Replicating Dime's sound would involve more than choice of pickups. It would also depend on amph used, playing technique, etc.
You usually stick the EMG 85/60 & 81's in most of the guitars you get, so you'll know what they sound like if you go that route, but do you want this guitar to sound the same, or are you ready for a change of pace?
There is no short answer w/o knowing what music you'll likely be playing, whether you plan on using the guitar for other styles/genres, what kind of amph you're playing through, how much you plan to spend, etc.
I have an Agile LP copy loaded w/ WCR Crossroads humbuckers, and it can cover a fairly wide variety of styles from blues to hard rock, and some jazzy sounds as well. It could push the metal boundary w/ the right amph, but sound being such a subjective thing, I would not be able to recommend the same pickups to you w/o knowing more about what you expect from your setup. It seems most players have an idea of "the sound" in their head, and what one person aspires to, another simply doesn't care for.
Another thing to consider is the fact that while some really like the sound of active pickups, others just don't think they explode off the strings with the same attack. So it really depends on the end result you're looking for. With some more info as to what you want your guitar to be, I think you'll find folks here more than willing to offer suggestions.

Of course it would be easy to just give a smug answer.......(e.g. " i use such and such, man, and they rock, everything else sucks.....)........ but that's not how we do things here

[marnold]

Hmmm . . . is this the same Schwef that I know? :)

I'm not a big student of Dime's sound, but I'd suggest going with the original pup that he used, Bill Lawrence L500XL. I'm not sure what he used in the neck, but a L500R would do the trick, I'm sure. The best part is that you can get them from Aamps for $99 FOR BOTH, instead of ~$95 for just the Dimebucker. Actually it's even cheaper than that because Aamps is offering 6.5% off. If you call them, talk to Bruce and ask about which one might work best in the neck. He's well known on the Fender forum. I called and talked with him when I was thinking about getting Lace Sensors for my old Floyd.

http://www.aampselectricguitarstore.com/bill_lawrence_pickups/index.html

[Schwef]

Well I ended up finding some EMG 81's (in chrome to go with the stock hardware) still in the package for under $90 ea. w/ FREE shipping & handling!!!

Can't go wrong with that!!! :dude