Ok, here's the deal. I pulled an old charvel out of my attic the other day. Needs a lot of work; new pick-ups, probably a new tremelo, and paint job.
I'm not going to do the paint job, but is it worth my time and effort to try to get the pick-ups and tremelo and install them myself, or have a professional do it? I also really don't know what kind of pick-ups to throw in there. I was thinking about the dimebuckers, but I heard they suck. I have a humbucker in the bridge, then two single coils?

Any ideas? Any suggestions?

This might help...
I have a great rack system that even a piece of shit would sound good through. Great distortions and cleans. Tons of effects. I usually play PRS's, LP's, and Music Man guitars through them, so I'm used to that kind of tone.

This guitar is going to be my new project guitar, and I'm probably gonna have it as my drop C tuned with some 11's on it.

Any suggestions at all would help. Thank you.

Well if you really dont know what you are doing then I would have a professional do it for you. Although on a guitar like this it is good to start learning such things as Pickup installation and other things. So if I were you, I would try to learn how to do these things myself. Good Luck.

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Whoever told you the Dimebucker sucks is obviously a bad source of information. I hav 1 in my Ibanez and it is fucking heavy. It sounds pretty damn close to an EMG 81 actually....makes any other non-active pickup look like shit if you ask me.

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Meh, the Dimbucker is pretty Mediocre compared to some other Seymour Duncans.

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the dimebucker is just the usual crap signature stuff, its nothing compared to a sd invader or a dimarzio x2n

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Im not really pleased with my SD invader in my jackson, when i get the funds ima switch it with an Emg or an X2N

If you say so....I have produced many a heavy fucking sound with it

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i got a question but i dont want to make a new thread. what do you guys think of puttin a Duncan JB in my bridge and a Jazz in my neck? i played a guitar with that combo and it was amazing. i used the JB for my distortion and the jazz for my cleans

the Dimebucker is crap.. get a Bill Lawrence XL-500, their only $50 and Dimebag acually uses them.

As for the JB/Jazz combo.. sound good, their a perfect match imo.

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This is what I would get.

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If it was me i would definately run duncans. in an old charvel i would go with an original sopt tail piece. That would be the bes sound it would have to offer in my opinion. as far as a paint job goes it's not hard to get a proferssional quality finish. all you have to do is paint it what ever color or design. Then go to any wallmart and pick up polyurithane spray (like spray paint) and apply many coats. I would suggest around 6. between coats rub the guitar down with #0000 steel wool to get that perfectly smooth finish. when you give it the last coat rub it down with the steel wool and pollish out with a good polishing cloth. Just allow for plenty of dry time for polyurithane i would suggest one coat a day.

how come you dont like your invader?

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Yeah, I think I'm gonna do the duncans. I'm thinking I'm gonna put either a Custom 5 or Blues Saraceno in the bridge, a JB jr. in the middle, and a Lil '59 in the neck. It's got a JB in the bridge and two JB jr's in the top right now, but they are shot, seriously. As for the paint job, I've got someone doing it for me right now, cobalt blue faded to a black (I'll try to put some before and after pictures up).

Question for you: Did you mean an original stop tail? It's got a Jackson licensed Floyd on it right now (a cheapo) but I'm thinking about getting an Original Floyd Rose, or maybe the OFR Pro, and throwing some DR 11's on it.

But I think I've pretty much got it figured out, now I just gotta find this stuff somewhere cheap...

Do you have any other suggestions on the duncans? I was thinking about Dimarzio's, but my Petrucci Music Man has them, and I'm not incredibly wild about them.

Sounds like you have you head on you shoulders man. that pickup line would be a good setup i would go woth the custom 5, most pickup web site have sound lips you can check out before you buy.ya i meant stop tail but a rose is much better. rose 1 is a nice choice if you can find one i also suggest an edge pro free floating. dr's are nice but try some 60-10's for the tone you might like them. as far as good parts for a fai rice try www.projectguitar.com
or www.guitarpartsusa.com.

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