Interested in Tonenerd Pickups. Can i get a brief rundown?

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romanianreaper

romanianreaper

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I'll give you guys a bit of a vibe of what tones I dig and if anyone can give some insight into pickup choices, it would be great! I really want to support a fellow forum member, especially making kickass gear!

Here are my guitars and current pickups:

- Charvel with JB (sounds excellent with my 5150-III)
- Gibson LP Studio with Clasic 57'
- Gibson LP Standard with Burstbuckers
- Gibson LP Classic with Motor City 2nd Degree Blackbelts
- Chubtone with JB
- Fender Strat (stock humbucker)

I like a nice, solid hard rock tone and although I'm pretty happy with all of the pickups above and they do great, I wish the 2nd Degree Blackbelts, Classic 57' and Burstbuckers had more gain.

For reference, I'd say the tones I spend the most time with sit between ACDC and Alice in Chains or Metallica. I don't really do anything these days that is heavier than that.

I've been playing a long time and over the years I'd say that the pickups I have found myself most comfortable with is the JB, Aldrich, Rio Grande BBQ, and Duncan Distortion. Since I play a lot of Les Pauls, I really like a heavy tone, but clear, and with tight low end. When I hear Warrant"s "Uncle Tom's Cabin", Alice in Chains "We Die Young", Metallica "Sad But True", and Anthrax "Among the Living", etc. That chug and tight sound is what I like but also like early Van Halen tones.

I was wondering if Scott or anyone has a list of the pickups and kind I'd a breakdown of how they differ, etc? I'm really interested in one of them in a Les Paul and leaning towards the Psykes for my needs. Thanks everyone!
 
The Pskyes might be a little too much for what you are looking for. I would say the Sunset Strip would fit your needs pretty well, maybe the Roxy. The Sunset Strip can cover a lot of ground for me. I would contact Scott, there are a lot of options and choices he could help you with.
 
The Roxy is on the tighter spectrum with a higher resonant peak, immediate low end response and a kerrang vibe on the top end. The Whiskey is in the high output category as well, but has a flatter midrange than the JB and Aldrich. It has more give under the fingers than the Roxy so feels more saturated and polite, it has a lower resonant peaks than the JB but still lots of clarity and harmonics.
 
scottosan said:
The Roxy is on the tighter spectrum with a higher resonant peak, immediate low end response and a kerrang vibe on the top end. The Whiskey is in the high output category as well, but has a flatter midrange than the JB and Aldrich. It has more give under the fingers than the Roxy so feels more saturated and polite, it has a lower resonant peaks than the JB but still lots of clarity and harmonics.
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Thanks Scott and everyone else! So would you say the Roxy does a great Aldirch vibe?
 
Scott, I listened to clips and all of them sound awesome but the "Sunset Strip" sounded like my sound.
 
For an AIC or MCP Afwayu vibe definitely get a Psyches. It's got that low mid grunt in spades. The SS or Roxy both will get you a nice JB type tone, without the sometimes 'too much' midrange spike. The Whiskey is another great choice that reminds me more of a Duncan Custom; great all around pickup.
When I say 'reminds me' I mean that similar to, but Scott's pickups take all the compared pickups and put them to shame IMO..better clarity/articulation, tighter lows, just better in every way. Only pickups that 'might' sound better are vintage pickups but most of those are unpotted and will squeal easily under high gain.
 
Racerxrated said:
For an AIC or MCP Afwayu vibe definitely get a Psyches. It's got that low mid grunt in spades. The SS or Roxy both will get you a nice JB type tone, without the sometimes 'too much' midrange spike. The Whiskey is another great choice that reminds me more of a Duncan Custom; great all around pickup.
When I say 'reminds me' I mean that similar to, but Scott's pickups take all the compared pickups and put them to shame IMO..better clarity/articulation, tighter lows, just better in every way. Only pickups that 'might' sound better are vintage pickups but most of those are unpotted and will squeal easily under high gain.
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That is awesome!! More of everything!!
 
I just got a Whiskey for my Les Paul and its killer. Really is a fun pickup to play and it can cover those tones easily. Going to go for the Wicked 8 for my Chubtone soon.
 
Roxy- great for retaining high end, clarity, and tightness under high gain situations. Tight low end and an immediate attack. Rhythm oriented pickup and has a kerrang in the upper mids and highs that help cut through the mix. 6k resonant peak


Whiskey - More lows, more dynamic under the fingers, better harmonic content, and more bloom on single notes. I think great for rhythm and leads, but recommend this for lead work. I bit more balanced. 4.9k resonant peak
 
romanianreaper said:
Scott, I listened to clips and all of them sound awesome but the "Sunset Strip" sounded like my sound.
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Hard to beat the Sunset as a do it all kind of pickup for the stuff you named. Tight edge, great output, gnarly sound. Love it in my hss strat. Quite possibly my fav pup of Scott's.
Roxy is like a Sunset+, with maybe a bit more low mids and output.
It helped a particularly tight and middy Charvel type guitar, alder body, sound more open and bigger than the A2 JB that was in there. Made it sound closer to a mahogany body maple top guitar.
Wicked 8 is like the next level of this type sound, a bit more compressed and modern, yet still articulate, open and super responsive.
Whiskey has same traits, but a bit more forgiving, not so thrashy tight on the low end. Killer lead pup.
All of these are perfect for replacing a JB to have a more versatile and articulate pup. All are an upgrade in every way, and I'd be happy with any of them for the music mentioned.
Psykes is a different kind of beast. Feels different under the fingers. More output, less mids. Great for pushing an amp into higher gain territory. Def more of a ballsy pup. Cleans up better than you'd imagine.

Either way you go, can't imagine you'd be disappointed.
 
Thanks all!! Is a testament to Scott's work if all sound killer!
 
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