Guitar pickups and amplifiers for industrial music?

Sentience

Sentience

Bluelighter
Joined
Oct 15, 2009
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OK. I have been getting back into playing guitar and I have decided that my current set up sounds like shit. Some asshole who borrowed my guitar years ago stole my stock Ibenez humbucker pickup and put an even crappier one in there, thinking I wouldnt notice. He is long gone now. I also have an am that I am not quite satisfied with. I want to get some new pickups for my guitar and a new amp.

The style of music I like to play combines darker sounding industrial (low tones, some buzz/crunch but more industrial and less metal), but I also play some melodic non power chord stuff, and go back and forth between heavy distortion and almost errie clear channel with chorus effect.

Can anybody recommend some pickups for me? I have not decided between active or passive pickups yet.

I have a humbucker on the bridge and a single coil along the neck. I want something for industrial sounding music for the bridge humbucker and something more melodic for errie sounding clear channel stuff with chorus on the neck, single coil. They need to be compatible with each other.

For an amp, I dont want to spend more than $300, unless its just a spectacular dealer for not much more. I was looking at this amp.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Kustom-...Combo-with-Digital-Effects-481245-i1145541.gc

I was also looking at a few pickups, and not sure if they would suit my purposes or not.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/humbucker/progressive/sh6_duncan_dist/

http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/humbucker/progressive/sh8_invader/


I have no idea what I want for the single coil.

Anyone have any good suggestions for me?
 
I've always been a pretty hardcore fan of SD pickups...their site is pretty user friendly, what sound you looking for, you can find it....quality is top notch.

Darker sounding/low tones makes me think of down-tuning, and that has so much more to do with string selection and guitar setup...

Sentience said:
...my current set up sounds like shit...
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what is your current setup again?
 
I dont even know the name of my current pickups. They were a generic brand that somebody installed in hopes that they wouldnt notice them stealing my Ibanez stock pickups, so they are shittier than stock.

I am sure the amp is also to blame. The amp is just terrible. I used to have a 200 wat fender chorus, and while fender puts out a lot of crap that fender chorus was an amazing amplifier. I currently have an ibanez tone blaster 25 wats. Maybe not the worst, but combined with the crappy pickups its not pretty.

I might also need a good distortion pedal. Any tips for industrial music sound effects? Something cheap and cost effective that offers chorus + distortion?

What is your opinion between the Duncan SH-6 vs the SH-8? One is an active pickup and the other is passive.
 
This isn't really related, but you definately don't have the worst amp haha. I'm currently stuck with a 5 watt Washburn practise amp. Ugh.
 
Are you wanting a gigging amp or something for recording? Head and cab or a combo?

I loooooooooooove vintage Fender amps. Their newer stuff is kinda hit and miss. I used to have an old '70's Fender Bassman. God, I loved that amp. It could get extremely loud without distorting. If you're looking for tube, you might try to track down an old Music Man. They're virtually identicle to Fenders and usually 50-70% of the price.

But then of course, you'd have to buy the effects seperately.

You might consider EMG pickups.
 
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The Duncan SH-8 has been dubbed by some the "EMG killer". I have never heard one myself, but supposedly it does everything an EMG should only with richer tone through the entire spectrum.

There is a link to it in the OP.
 
sounds good, your genere is out of my area for recommendations...EA-1475 questions are good ones to begin considering your quest for gearz though :D
 
Maybe this should go in electronic music instead of non electronic music. Industrial is sort of a form of electronica, though guitars and rock are not.

I might get better responses there. Any mods want to move it for me?
 
Sentience said:
Maybe this should go in electronic music instead of non electronic music. Industrial is sort of a form of electronica, though guitars and rock are not.

I might get better responses there. Any mods want to move it for me?
Click to expand...

I don't know about that, but perhaps you will find more musicians that have more direct experience with guitarist who play your style???? I still have to doubt it, but I'm a crotchety old bastard anyway....guitar are not "electronic music"...electronic musicians just find samples and put you out of business.

I think you're on the right track here, but you've kind of not been very forthcoming with what you are trying to accomplish in the end.

It'd be easy for me to write you off and tell you to "go get some EMGs and a Dual Rectifier and you're set".........but I was hoping to help.


.

.

.

Put EMGs in it and get you a Dual Recto. Problem solved. :\
 
Have been in bands with industrial-minded folk. I can't help with the pickups, though the advice given sounds reasonable. Personal recommendations:

Effects: DOD Buzzbox. Out of production, but fucking wicked. It makes your amp sound like it will explode.

Amps: My best advice for amps is to go to shops with your guitar and check them out, but to point you in the general direction, I would say trade the Fender in for something more sterile like a solid state, perhaps a Randall or Crate amp. Again, by all means, try before you buy.

To read up on the Buzz Box:
http://www.noiseguide.com/product_info/dod_buzz_box_fx33
 
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Not forthcoming? I assure you I am not intentionally trying to deceive anyone. I just want to play some music. lol.

I will check out the buzzbox.

Anyone ever compared an SD active pickup to an EMG?
 
Sentience said:
Not forthcoming? I assure you I am not intentionally trying to deceive anyone. I just want to play some music. lol.
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"play some music"

still kind of generic...

you just dicking around in your bedroom? ditch the whole "which pickups for my guitar, and oh, by the way what amp?" bit, and get you one of these Line6 Pod thingys and a set of headphones. you can play any guitar through it and sound metal.

So where you at?

Gigging with industrial band? Get you some EMGs and a Dual Recto.

Dicking around in your bedroom? Get you a pod and some headphones.

Sooner or later i think we can get to the bottom of this and get you the right setup. :thu:
 
I am not doing live gigs, but I am planning on making music with a drum machine and computer programs, so I plan to be something of a 1 man band occasionally working with other musicians and taking samples to mix into my songs.

I dont need anything loud enough for large performances, but it does need to sound good enough for recording.
 
Sentience said:
I am not doing live gigs, but I am planning on making music with a drum machine and computer programs, so I plan to be something of a 1 man band occasionally working with other musicians and taking samples to mix into my songs.

I dont need anything loud enough for large performances, but it does need to sound good enough for recording.
Click to expand...

alright, I'm still on the hook brother....

You don't need anything loud enough for anything...

what you need is a modeler and an interface...and you may not need the interface...

You got a drum machine, and you got computor programz....if your drum machine is external, then you already have an interface....

you got 300$ to spend on an amp? Get a pod, or similar modeler for recording. You can probably get the pod AND some sweet software plug-ins for that.

Now you are set. guitard, drum machine, computer softwarez, you are ready to record.

rock on man, you can do it.
 
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I still think I want to change pickups.

If I ever get some songs finished I will be sure to share them on here.
 
Right now I am trying to figure out what amp I should get. It would be nice to get an amp with some of the basic effects I already want vs needing to also get pedals, but eventually I will probably need pedals as well.

Does the Kustom amp in the OP look like it would be good for my style of playing?


the link didnt work.



My style of music is not really heavy metal as much as it is industrial. While they have similar roots, metal tends to be louder with screaming lead guitar and overpowering bright crunchy power rifts. Industrial guitar is a little darker and subdued, and the electronic drums and basslines are a little easier to hear over the guitar.

I cant wait to start playing again and actually sounding good. My current set-up sounds like crap.
 
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metal, industrial, that song I referred you to is probably equally distant from either genre :o

Okay then dude, I am going to give you my advice based on experience then:

If your guitar is routed for active pickups, then put some EMG in there. If it's not routed for a battery, then get some SD.

Look for a GOOD used amp, tube amp would be best, but not necessary. Get the best you can afford on the USED market.

Go and demo pedals at the store. Pedals are cheap and you can buy/sell/trade pretty easy with them.

That Kustom amp has what you want...so do every other amp manufacturer in that product class. You'll have way more flexibility with a good amp and pedals.
 
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