H
HELSTRUME
New member
These are my two picks. Which one, and why?
sixstrings
New member
I've only heard the Aldrich pickups in videos where Doug plays them so I can't offer a whole lot of info on them. You'll probably be hard-pressed to find many who have because the Evo 2 is much more common. Now the Evo 2 is a bad-ass pickup. I like it better than the original Evolution which was pretty good but still lacked a little something. Now the Evo 2 has improved on that sound and really become a totally cool pickup.
I'm a big fan of Dimarzios. I've litterally bought and installed almost every Dimarzio and Seymour Duncan pickups there are, as well as several other brands. I used to think Seymour Duncan was the shit because of all the hype and because they were the first pickups I experimented with, but over the years I've really learned to respect Dimarzio pickups more.
I personally love the PAF Pro, 36th, Norton, Air Norton, Super Distortion, Evo 2, Breed and several of their single size humbuckers. I only really like 3 Seymour Ducans: Custom Custom, PATB 1 and Full Shred, but none of which I like more than Dimarzios.
All that said, let me tell you more specifics about the Evo 2. I've come to the conclusion that the original Evolution pickup is very well suited to basswood guitars. To my ears, basswood kind of dulls out some overtones. The Evolution, as I've heard it in alder body guitars, can be a bit harsh. The output is pretty damned high, more than I typically like to use. It's a cool pickup, but not as balanced as I'd like and a little too powerful for my tastes. I also just can't seem to find a neck pickup to go with it that I like 100%.
The Evo 2 on the other hand, is one hell of a pickup. It sounds better in other types of guitar woods and isn't as high-output as the Evolution. It sounds more balanced and seems to give you more control of your tone. It does clean up pretty well and sounds more organic than the original Evolution in my opinion. It also goes great with the Evolution neck pickup and a few others.
Your question though is too vague. I think there's a lot more to pickup selection than just "which one and why?" because there are factors like the type of body/neck/fingerboard wood, direct mount/pickguard, les paul/strat/superstrat/hollow type, musical style, amps, etc... Then you have to consider what neck pickup you'll use it with.
Plus, if you're going with high-output pickups like that, be prepared to work more for clean sounds or start considering a low-output middle pickup you can switch to for clean sounds.
I really liked the sound of a Super 3 but man it's so damned high-output that it really pushes the amp. I don't like pickups that are too powerful unless I'm specifically going for that kind of thing. The Evo 2 is a nice choice.
I'm a big fan of Dimarzios. I've litterally bought and installed almost every Dimarzio and Seymour Duncan pickups there are, as well as several other brands. I used to think Seymour Duncan was the shit because of all the hype and because they were the first pickups I experimented with, but over the years I've really learned to respect Dimarzio pickups more.
I personally love the PAF Pro, 36th, Norton, Air Norton, Super Distortion, Evo 2, Breed and several of their single size humbuckers. I only really like 3 Seymour Ducans: Custom Custom, PATB 1 and Full Shred, but none of which I like more than Dimarzios.
All that said, let me tell you more specifics about the Evo 2. I've come to the conclusion that the original Evolution pickup is very well suited to basswood guitars. To my ears, basswood kind of dulls out some overtones. The Evolution, as I've heard it in alder body guitars, can be a bit harsh. The output is pretty damned high, more than I typically like to use. It's a cool pickup, but not as balanced as I'd like and a little too powerful for my tastes. I also just can't seem to find a neck pickup to go with it that I like 100%.
The Evo 2 on the other hand, is one hell of a pickup. It sounds better in other types of guitar woods and isn't as high-output as the Evolution. It sounds more balanced and seems to give you more control of your tone. It does clean up pretty well and sounds more organic than the original Evolution in my opinion. It also goes great with the Evolution neck pickup and a few others.
Your question though is too vague. I think there's a lot more to pickup selection than just "which one and why?" because there are factors like the type of body/neck/fingerboard wood, direct mount/pickguard, les paul/strat/superstrat/hollow type, musical style, amps, etc... Then you have to consider what neck pickup you'll use it with.
Plus, if you're going with high-output pickups like that, be prepared to work more for clean sounds or start considering a low-output middle pickup you can switch to for clean sounds.
I really liked the sound of a Super 3 but man it's so damned high-output that it really pushes the amp. I don't like pickups that are too powerful unless I'm specifically going for that kind of thing. The Evo 2 is a nice choice.
H
HELSTRUME
New member
Thanks for the reply. This guitar is an Alder Strat/rosewood board, and I don't really care about the cleans. I want a pickup with good treble, and high mid crunch. But low on the bass side. I loved the first EVO in my LP. But, it was too brittle/harsh in my Strat. I've been through a bunch of pups lately, and the ones that are left are
Dimarzio EVO 2
Dimarzio Steve Morse
Suhr Doug Aldrich
Anderson HN3
I've tried most everything else from Gibson, Duncan and Dimarzio. I thought the Dimarzio D Activator would do it, but it has a weird singlecoil twang to it. I don't like that.
Dimarzio EVO 2
Dimarzio Steve Morse
Suhr Doug Aldrich
Anderson HN3
I've tried most everything else from Gibson, Duncan and Dimarzio. I thought the Dimarzio D Activator would do it, but it has a weird singlecoil twang to it. I don't like that.
sixstrings
New member
HELSTRUME":1wj69dgp said:
Hmm, well alder has a naturally accentuated midrange to it so I don't think that should be a concern. Dimarzios are typically very midrange heavy. I think that's why they have that musical vowel like quality to them. If you thought the Evolution was too brittle/harsh in your strat then you should fit right in with the Evo 2. That's something that has been improved in that pickup. I had on in my American Deluxe Strat and it was awesome.
The Evo 2 sounds like your pickup but you also might want to check out the Fred or PAF Pro. They're kind of bright with less low end and a really great midrange and their output is not that high so they're pretty versatile too. I think either of those, the PAF Pro being my favorite, would do the trick.
Good luck and let me know how it turns out.
ShredHeadJHJ
Member
Let me resurrect this old ass thread 
Can anyone else compare the EVO to the EVO 2? Would the EVO 2 also work well in a basswood body / maple top guitar?
I need something to put in my guitar as opposed to Aldrich's. I want Bareknuckle's but just can't spend that much money on pups, and I loved the EVO's in my old guitar. I take it that the EVO 2 is only made in a bridge pup? Decisons...
What BKP is closest to the EVO's?
Can anyone else compare the EVO to the EVO 2? Would the EVO 2 also work well in a basswood body / maple top guitar?
I need something to put in my guitar as opposed to Aldrich's. I want Bareknuckle's but just can't spend that much money on pups, and I loved the EVO's in my old guitar. I take it that the EVO 2 is only made in a bridge pup? Decisons...
What BKP is closest to the EVO's?