Duncan Skolnick sig - color me impressed!

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EyesOfTheSouth!

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This V had numerous high output pups and I was never satisfied. Finally chalked it up to the guitar and listed it for sale locally for a several weeks. As soon as I got interest, I decided to pull it and try lower output with a Duncan CS High Voltage set. Sounded amazing……but I quickly remembered why I bought the guitar. I have plenty PAF types in my other Gibsons.

On a last ditch effort, I decided to try the Skolnick bridge (production model and not CS). Instant satisfaction from the first try. I’m not even a fan of Testament, but this thing rips. I think he used a JB but this pup sounds nothing like a JB to me. It’s focused and saturated perfectly with a big emphasis in mids. None of that JB in mahogany mess. It’s really perfect for this guitar to be honest. I wouldn’t change a thing. And I really wasn’t expecting much other than a JB with a rough magnet. It’s not.

FWIW, I’ve tried the following in this guitar:

Pariah Destruction 70 (a distant 2nd)
Tonenerd Sunset Strip
Tonenerd Roxy
Manlius Dirty Finger Clone
Duncan Thrash Factor
Duncan Distortion
Duncan Custom
Dean “Lights Out” Schenker sig.

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Kapo_Polenton said:
How did you find the dean lights out?
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Very similar to the Duncan Custom but a bit thicker in the mids. I had one in an Explorer a long time ago and it stayed there. But didn’t like it in this V like I remember it in the Explorer.
 
Does it still have some of the jb mids? I love a jb, but i wish it had the tightness of the nazgul or a bkp.
 
mchn13 said:
Does it still have some of the jb mids? I love a jb, but i wish it had the tightness of the nazgul or a bkp.
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Definitely. But not squishy like a JB.

One thing I noticed that I’ve never seen on a Duncan is that the slug poles are slightly elevated above the bobbins (like a single coil) and appear to have a stagger that follows the string radius. Maybe it’s just this pickup…..or maybe that’s where the advertised “mid emphasis” comes from.
 
EyesOfTheSouth! said:
Definitely. But not squishy like a JB.

One thing I noticed that I’ve never seen on a Duncan is that the slug poles are slightly elevated above the bobbins (like a single coil) and appear to have a stagger that follows the string radius. Maybe it’s just this pickup…..or maybe that’s where the advertised “mid emphasis” comes from.
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Man that sounds like i would love it! The ONLY thing i hate is how soft it can get in the lows.
 
My experience with the bridge pickup in a Charvel is similar. To me, it almost sounds like a JB crossed with a Distortion.
 
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