What pickups to use with a VH4?

[VH4_BigRig]

Hi guys, I was just curious what pickups you'd suggest using with a VH4? I was a diehard EMG guy for ages as they sound great with Marshalls, but they just don't work well with the Diezels.... I'd heard about this and thought I might be able to get by just by lowering the gain/volume on the amp, but this really doesn't give me the thick sound I'm looking for.

I keep reading about Bareknuckle pickups in this forum, but after looking at their website, they cost a bit too much...does anyone know of pickups that are less than $200, but work well with Diezels (primarily humbuckers for the bridge position)? I'm seriously considering a DiMarzio Steve's Special pickup because it sounds like it would be a good match...if Petrucci used them they must be half decent! Has anybody used them with a VH4?

Adam Jones is the reason I found out about Diezels, so his heavy tones on Tool's "Lateralus" album are what I'm trying to get close to (damn tough to do, considering how many amps and tracks he mixes). But that's a starting point at least (think the heavy part just before the solo in "Parabola"). My VH4 uses EL34s so it has a lot of crunch to it, though I've been toying with the idea of swapping these for 6L6s and adding Marshall tracks for the EL34 sound....

The axes I currently have are a Fender American Deluxe HSS Strat and a LTD Explorer...any thoughts would be greatly appreciated! It's frustrating to have an amazing amp with untapped potential...

 

[merlop]

Hi,

I own a VH4 and a les paul custom.
Adam uses a seymour duncan JB model.(I have this in my les paul)
I can get a dead on lateralus tone.
TOOL is my favorite band in the world.
You can usually get one of ebay for around 50 dollars or new for 79.99
For the neck I would suggest the sh-2
You can get the Seymour Duncan hot rodded humbucker set(which is the JB and the Sh-2)
for about 159.99 in musicians friend.
Spot on TOOL tone!
Hope this helps.

 

[Jaymz82]

I also went from totally EMG to totally passive a few years ago, so it was some time before I switches to Diezel but the actives just didn't do it for me anymore. I'm really glad I switched and especially with the Diezel I like the passives way better.

I currently own a VH4 and mostly use it with an Edwards LPC equipped with a Ducan JB and '59. Great sound, however my favorite pickup (bridge) is the Haeussel Tozz (XL) (http://www.haeussel.com) which I discovered about a year ago. Lots of output but also very dynamic and with lots of clarity. It has a little less mids and slightly more but very nice highs than the JB. Overall a very rich and powerful sound. Sounds great in singlecoil mode, too without losing much output.
In the neck I like the Duncan Jazz best for cleans and the '59 for creamy soloing.

 

[JackBootedThug]

I'm using a duncan custom5 and love it. Lots of punch and dynamics.

 

[KillDivision]

I also went from totally EMG to totally passive a few years ago, so it was some time before I switches to Diezel but the actives just didn't do it for me anymore. I'm really glad I switched and especially with the Diezel I like the passives way better.

I currently own a VH4 and mostly use it with an Edwards LPC equipped with a Ducan JB and '59. Great sound, however my favorite pickup (bridge) is the Haeussel Tozz (XL) (http://www.haeussel.com) which I discovered about a year ago. Lots of output but also very dynamic and with lots of clarity. It has a little less mids and slightly more but very nice highs than the JB. Overall a very rich and powerful sound. Sounds great in singlecoil mode, too without losing much output.
In the neck I like the Duncan Jazz best for cleans and the '59 for creamy soloing.

DejaVu for me here.

Also switched from EMG's to passives years ago. Own a VH4 a bought a Edwards LTC (Duncan '59/JB) some weeks ago.
I found the JB a bit to sqeecky, too much highs. This week I got a pair of Duncan Blackouts, they are active but with the dynamics of passives. Silent and dynamics, best of both worlds.


I also have a Duncan Custom 5 in a Iceman, wich I really like. Dynamic and very balanced. I feel it has so much more frequenties than a JB.

Note that Adam Jones uses very little gain.