BC Rich Mockingbird pickups

[spawn802]

Figured I would get the experts advice here,

I picked up an import BC Rich Mockingbird STC w/ a floyd rose special and want to throw some better pickups in it. They need to have 4 wires for the coil split/reverse phase/ varitone mess that is in the guitar. I play a wide variety of rock but I would be using this guitar live for Gnr, Zeppelin, Billy Idol, VH, ect. My amp is a Mark V 25 if that influences any decisions.
My front runners are listed below, but I'm open to suggestions:

- Dimarzio Super Distortion bridge with the 36th anniversary PAF neck
- Dimarzio 36th anniversary bridge and neck
- Duncan hot rod set (Jazz neck/Jb bridge)
- Duncan Alnico Pro II set

I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts, thanks.

 

[cardinal]

Can't really go wrong with any of those. The classic BC Rich set up was the Super Distortion and PAF.

 

[bish0p34]

Can't really go wrong with any of those. The classic BC Rich set up was the Super Distortion and PAF.

I can't argue this setup. I've used it before. It works beautifully.

I will say the 36 anniversary set in my LTD is killer too.

Those are my top two.

 

[ChurchHill]

Yep. Can't argue with the classic setup of DiMarzio Super Distortion and PAF. IIRC, I've seen a handful that came with 2 PAFs, but I can't verify that, just my impression from many years back. Another option for the bridge might be the Tone Zone.

If you're thinking about SDs, the JB's a good bridge pup. I'd also consider the Distortion or Custom Custom. For the neck, I'd really recommend the Alnico II Pros. Those are just great sounding neck pickups.

I'll throw out a few BKPs, too, which would be my choice. Actually, I'm still debating this question for a Mockingbird I picked up last week. What follows is the list that I've been narrowing down.
1. Nailbomb Alnico or Ceramic for the bridge. High output, modern"ish" sounding, covers a lot of ground.
2. Holy Diver for the bridge - BKP's take on "80s hot rod pickups" (a.k.a. their take on the SD JB). High output, definitely geared toward 80s sounds.
3. Crawler for the bridge - Moderate output, cleans up well, vintage"ish" flavor but can handle modern sounds as easily as vintage. Extraordinarliy versatile.
4. Mule for the bridge - Vintage output, but it doesn't sound like it at all. Loves hard rock and 80s metal (including early thrash). Will *definitely* cover all the music you mentioned.

5. Stormy Monday for the neck - The only thing I've found that sounds like the SD Alnico IIs, but does it so much better.
6. VHII for the neck - Not terribly different than the Stormy, but with a little more output.
7. Any of the bridge pups above also come as calibrated sets. 2, 3, and 4 are all variations of the Mule (sometimes a little hotter or with a different magnet, but no significant differences). I can't speak for the Nailbomb neck, as that's one that I haven't tried.

Just BTW, for my Mockingbird, from the above list, I'm leaning toward a Nailbomb Ceramic (I have one laying around), or the Holy Diver (I have one in another guitar). For the neck, I'm definitely going with the Stormy. I just love that pup.

Good luck on your search! Let us know what you end up going with, OK?

 

[Jack Luminous]

Duncan SH6 bridge paired with SH2 neck is what I have in my 96 Mock. I ordered it like that from the factory after discussing with the local BC Rich importer. I tried different configs in his shop before ordering and preferred this one. Haven't felt the need to change anything since. It works great. At the time, I played with a Triaxis/2:90 rack rig, so it was not too far off your Mark V.

 

[spawn802]

Thank you guys for the thoughtful replies. I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the 36th anniversay/super distortion set. ChurchHill, you might have me sold on trying out some BKPs next though. They sound awesome. Thanks again, Rig-Talk rocks

 

[ChurchHill]

Excellent choice! Classic BC Rich combination there.

As for BKPs, I got my first one about 11 years ago after going through lots of DiMarzios, EMGs, almost all the SDs, then onto Fralin and Lollar. Lollar makes some great pups. Really nice guy, too. They're just too "polite" for me, for lack of a better word, but have great character. I read an interview with Steve Stevens where he was talking about having BKP build a custom pup, and I'd never heard of them before. So, I looked them up, eventually ordered a Rebel Yell, and just fell in love. It had character, a unique voice, could go from vintage to modern with just a twist of the volume knob, but most importantly, they had tons of clarity AND balls, even under high gain. Most other pups seem, to me, to either lose definition when they're pushed or they lose their punch, their drive, their balls. After that, it took me about 5 years to make it through almost all of their alnico fueled HBs, several ceramics, several SCs, and what are IMHO the best Tele and P90 pups I've ever heard, better (to me) than any of the originals I've heard.

They're not for everyone, but they're still my favorites and in almost every guitar I own. Their customer service has been great, very quick responses, although I've only asked questions and requested opinions before a purchase. I've never had a problem with any of them. Oh, and just for the record, I'm not affiliated with them in any other way than being a customer. I got most of mine from The Music Zoo in NY.

Anyway, let us know what you think of the SD/PAF set you went with, OK? It's a great sounding set!

 

[The Traveller]

Duncan SH6 bridge paired with SH2 neck is what I have in my 96 Mock. I ordered it like that from the factory after discussing with the local BC Rich importer. I tried different configs in his shop before ordering and preferred this one.

I have this combo in my 10 string Bich. They sound great in that guitar

 

[Jack Luminous]

Duncan SH6 bridge paired with SH2 neck is what I have in my 96 Mock. I ordered it like that from the factory after discussing with the local BC Rich importer. I tried different configs in his shop before ordering and preferred this one.

I have this combo in my 10 string Bich. They sound great in that guitar

Pics please ! I'd love a 10 string Bich ! It's on my list...

 

[The Traveller]

Duncan SH6 bridge paired with SH2 neck is what I have in my 96 Mock. I ordered it like that from the factory after discussing with the local BC Rich importer. I tried different configs in his shop before ordering and preferred this one.

I have this combo in my 10 string Bich. They sound great in that guitar

Pics please ! I'd love a 10 string Bich ! It's on my list...

Here you go. It's the cheaper Korean made Perfect 10 model they put out a few years a go. But don't let that put you off. I have a couple of the Korean made BC Rich's and they are fucking killer guitars. The fit and finish is great. They feel and play awesome. It's just that the pickups and electronics are crap but I change those out on any guitar I get anyway. So I sent it off to Neal Moser and let him work his magic on it. He upgraded the nut, electronics, set up, etc... it plays like a dream and screams like a demon. Click on the pictures to see it in it's full glory

 

[ChurchHill]

Nice! I've always wanted one of those, too. Did you have Moser replace the bridge with a Kahler Quad while he was doing the rest of the work? Just curious... I've been seriously considering getting one of his pre-wired harnesses for my Mockingbird. Noticed he had those new Quads, too. And yeah, I bet it does scream! The SD SH6 is one of my favorite SDs.

Thanks for posting the pics!

 

[The Traveller]

Nice! I've always wanted one of those, too. Did you have Moser replace the bridge with a Kahler Quad while he was doing the rest of the work? Just curious... I've been seriously considering getting one of his pre-wired harnesses for my Mockingbird. Noticed he had those new Quads, too. And yeah, I bet it does scream! The SD SH6 is one of my favorite SDs.

Thanks for posting the pics!

No I think he got those right after he sent it back to me. If I had known he was going to get some in so soon after, I would have had him keep it and put one on for me. But I'm pretty sure he did tweak the bridge a bit. I did have an issue with it breaking strings before. I told him about it and he said he would fix it. I've had no problems since.
The new electronics he put in is like a night an day difference. The varitone circuit is now totally usable. The old one sounded like crap, all the settings were really muddy except for the one that bypassed it So if you want all the bells and whistles that his harness has, I would go for it. And that boost that's wired in the harness is crazy. If you have it turned all the way up, it's like you have a fuzz box built into your guitar. It's awesome

 

[Jack Luminous]

Really nice guitar !!! Thanks for the pics !

 

[psmith68]

Can anyone shed some light as to which pickups are in this guitar?

PAF’s or super distortion? Or a combination of both?

Thx.

 

[spawn802]

I have to agree that the korean Bc Rich guitars are way nicer than I would've expected. I bet the Duncan Sh6 sounds awesome in that guitar. I have one in and old frankenstrat and it rips. Hopefully I get the Dimarzios today. Should be awesome!

 

[Jack Luminous]

Can anyone shed some light as to which pickups are in this guitar?

PAF’s or super distortion? Or a combination of both?

Thx.

Difficult to be sure without testing the guitar but the pickups look original and the standard config at the time was Super Distortion/bridge and PAF/neck. Also maple neck with koa wings is early 80s config. Nice Mock !

 

[cardinal]

^ that neck pickup doesn't look like a PAF because of the hex pole pieces. Hard to say what it would be, though.

 

[ChurchHill]

^ that neck pickup doesn't look like a PAF because of the hex pole pieces. Hard to say what it would be, though.

I've seen more than a few 80s BC Rich with neck pickups with all hex poles that measured around 8k DCR. My guess is that these were either early PAF Pros or special ordered PAFs with poles to match the Super Distortions. They used the standard stamped "DiMarzio" baseplates. I have a few floating around somewhere, if anyone needs more exact measurements.

Difficult to be sure without testing the guitar but the pickups look original and the standard config at the time was Super Distortion/bridge and PAF/neck.

Yeah, really difficult to tell from just looking. I agree, they look original. It'd be simple to measure them with a DMM. A Super Distortion should read between 13k-14k DCR and a PAF should be between 7k-8k, maybe 9k. Combined, they should be around 10k-11k, if measured while installed in the guitar that any series/parallel switching was set to series, any coil-taps were turned off, the phase-reverse was set to normal, and the built-in pre-amp and varitone were set to bypass.

Oh, just thought of something. I think when they had the serial/parallel or coil-tap switches, they were technically called Dual Sound, which is just DiMarzio's name for a Super Distortion with a 4-conductor lead. Same pup, though. Think I remember reading that in some old BC Rich or DiMarzio catalog back in the day.

Anyway, yeah, psmith68, that is one heck of a Mockingbird! Beautiful!

 

[ChurchHill]

No I think he got those right after he sent it back to me. If I had known he was going to get some in so soon after, I would have had him keep it and put one on for me. But I'm pretty sure he did tweak the bridge a bit. I did have an issue with it breaking strings before. I told him about it and he said he would fix it. I've had no problems since.

The new electronics he put in is like a night an day difference. The varitone circuit is now totally usable. The old one sounded like crap, all the settings were really muddy except for the one that bypassed it So if you want all the bells and whistles that his harness has, I would go for it. And that boost that's wired in the harness is crazy. If you have it turned all the way up, it's like you have a fuzz box built into your guitar. It's awesome

I think he's still got a few. Kahler still has them on their website, too. I just picked one up for mine and it's great... so much better than the bridge that came on the guitar.

Thanks for letting me know about his electronics packages, too. I'd figured they'd be pretty good, but it's always nice to hear it from someone who's actually using it. I can sense an upgrade in my near future...

 

[spawn802]

After more difficulty than it should have been, I finally got the dimarzio 36th anniversary and the super distortion installed. Im really enjoying them. They are definitely a different flavor than anything else i have, but they sound great for a 80s rock type thing. Thanks again for all the advice on pickups. As usual rig talk rocks!