I've been doing some questioning and research for new pickups, and my list comes down to this: X2N in the bridge and either the Dimarzio Evolution in the neck(i hear it's good for soloing) or the Dimarzio PAf pro OR the Air norton. Sorry if there is already a thread on this, i did some searching and i didn't find an exact match for my question. any help would be much appreciated, I'm trying to decide before christmas rolls around so i can tell my pops. Like i said, my bridge pickup has been decided on, now I'm just puzzled on what p/u to put in the neck. thanks

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Well they are equally as good,but different.What guitar,what wood is the body,what do you play,what do you want to use it for,ect.

OK, I have a BC Rich NJ Beast. The guitar is made of mahogany, I play stuff like Dying Fetus, Suffocation, Necrophagist etc... I want to use the neck p/u for sweeps and some solo work, Necrophagist in particular, I don't know if that's what you meant by "what do you want to use it for?" I read that Muhamed uses the Seymour Duncan SH-5 in the neck position, but I kinda want to stick to Dimarzio. Hope this helps you to help me.

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Yeah that what i ment,as people may use the neck p/u for leads,rthym,cleans,ect. Mahogany is relatively bassy,so i would go in the direction of a p/u with less bass.Most pickups sites come with tone charts,wich will show you attributes of each particular pickup.For Muhammed's lead style tone,nice thick smooth,medium output humbucker id recomend,like a PAF or a FRED.I use a PAF pro,in a mahogany bodied guitar,and its excellent for that style.Oh,and he recorded his leads with a PAF loaded jem.

Hey man thanks a bunch!! I'm gonna go with your advice on this one, because personally, I was leaning toward the PAF and I heard from a handful of others that it would be the best choice too. thanks again

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Thanks for the gratitude.

I'm thinking of getting an X2n and PAF Pro for my alder-bodied Jackson Kelly too, but since you reccomended the PAF for mahogany... should I get something else for the neck pos. instead of the PAF? I've thought of the FRED since it's like a PAF but more mids, and in the neck, that means more clarity instead of a warm sound.

For the neck pos, I want a humbucker that can give me the chug stuff like the bands he mentioned, but also something that can acheive a very good clean sound, preferably not very warm(or if so, maybe something that's coilsplittable). I've seen this seymour duncan humbucker that has one coil like a regular one, and the other coil is like miniature of the two bar magnets in an X2N. I figure that's to avoid hum if you coil split the humbucker. What's the name of this pup and is it any good for br00t3l stuff as well as clean spacey sounds?

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I suggested the PAF,as it suits mahogany.But,they would be fine in alder bodied guitars also.Its important to match pickups to the personality of the guitar wood.The FRED would also seem to suit you.I recognise the second pickup you mentioned,but cant think about any constructive information about it.But yes,i would suggest something along the lines of a PAF,FRED,or an evo.

What about basswood? I wanna do the X2N in the bridge. Been told to get a PAFpro for the neck, but does go well with basswood?

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What is the Evo neck pup like? Sorry for my ignorance, but is the evo a SD or a Dimarzio pick uo? I want something that can get middy open sounds, but become naturally warmer by being used in the neck pos(I have the x2n to take care of the middy rythm grind).

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paf pro is a great pickup, id go for that. i use it in me neck pos, basswood guitar

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Awesome tone with basswood,also recomendable is the Dimarzio 'Breed' pickups,quite different,bit higher output than the PAF.The breed is more bassy,and erm thicker?Though the PAF's have an awesome thickish,evenly balanced tone,feels perfect.You definately wont go wrong with a PAFpro,though consider your options.And im guessing you want to stick with Dimarzio to match the X2N(another awesome pickup).Hope this is any help.

Yeah,Dimarzio Evolution.Evo's are more tight,er less middy/bass,more high end.FRED or air norton are both quite middy,both pretty similar.But,again i will recomend PAF's,as they are the 'standard' for these types of tones,FRED's or Air Nortons for more mid orientated pickups,and the evo for a tighter,more high end and general fat tone.Dunno if thats helpful,pickups are one of my favorite parts of gear and shit,ive been through my share,but opinon is opinion.

I have the X2n - Invader combo. Never been more satisfied

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Perfect! Much Appreciated.

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Haha nice avatar.

im most likely gonna get a x2n/sd distortioncombo.

personaly i think the paf pro hasnt got enough output ,but thats imo

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thanks

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I think someone posted a clip playing the solo from Decapitated's "Nihility" using a PAF Pro, it sounded pretty nice to me. Besides it's a neck pup so you don't need much power on it, just learn to balance the height of both of the pickups and their volumes.

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wat about a rose wood neck (basswood body) would those go with it?

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whahaha i made that clip ur right, it was recorded with a paf pro, through an engl savage 60.

but i prefer high out[put pickups, iev had 2 sd's in my jackson, wich were much higher output and sounded way better, alsthough the pu's didnt have enough mids for my taste, man life is hard

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Excellent combination.Perfect Necrophagist tone.


What are you talking about?

I'm pretty keen on a Super 2 in the neck position. They retain a clarity that some other pickups lose when switching to the neck pickup. They also clean up nice when you roll off the volume. Also check out High Order pickups. You can get a custom wound to your specs pickup for $55 shipped. They take a while (I think 3 months was the last lead time I heard), but it is a custom wound pickup.

Does anyone use a X2N in the bridge of their guitar with a solid state amp? If so, what does it sound like? Are you happy with the tone your getting? I was informed from another forum researching the X2N and found that I'd be dissappointed in the X2N with a solid state amp (which I have). Just trying to gather opinions (data) to make my decision. Also, i was told that the PAFpro sacrifices tone for clarity, and was recommended a air norton. Never heard of these. Anyone have one of these in their guitars? Which position? What does it sound like? Thanks!

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I actually tried this setup in my les paul studio, they sounded great together.

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i have a x2n paired with Humbucker from hell. made by dimarzio. i like the sound i get from it but i only got a shit amp to play from.so it should only be better. also ive seen it with an evo and paf pro

only an evo if ur more of a solist then a rythm player

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I like the PAF more for lead.