N(ew) P(ickup) D(ay)

As threatened in an earlier post, my replacement pickup for the bridge position of my '84 Ibanez Destroyer DT-555 (Associated with Phil Collen) arrived and has been suitably installed.

Here's some pic's (new pickup is Zebra)
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= … amp;type=3

Here's some comparrison audio samples (apologies for the playing)
http://soundcloud.com/why-not-now-1/set … p-upgrade/

Well, I'd always wanted a DT-555 from the day they came out and I managed to get hold of this slightly road weary example (with huge buckle rash and an absolutely perfect neck) roughly ten years ago, literally 2 days after I obtained my brand spanking 2002 LP Standard!

I've never liked overwound pickups (although they have their uses) in heavyweight guitars and so the guitar has had little use and was heading for the part of my brain that says I made a nice investment but maybe a new guitar was in order....then I thought, stuff keeping it original, try a new pickup.

So, I like "Irongear" pickups and really wanted to try their "Blues Engine" (http://www.irongear.co.uk/irongear_016.htm) - 42 AWG enamel wire, Alnico IV mag reading about 8.6 on the resitance scale. I also swapped the cap for a Sprague .022 Orange Drop. (I think the Zebra look adds a bit of RnR class to the affair)

As a control element I recorded the T-Top in my 73 LP Custom to compare the quality. I am, frankly, stunned.

The Blues Engine in the Destroyer sounds really similar to the T-Top in the LP Custom. Honestly, I'd say the T-Top is less compressed/has more dynamics, a clear low end and a sweeter high end but at a cost of a quarter of what I would have had to pay for the usual high end PAFalikes I'm happy and have a new toy back in the fold.

It does bring into point that the Basswood/Birch body on the Destroyer may be encouraging the pickups low end and that the mahogany/maple LP body could be contributing to the virtues of the T-Top - and lets not forget the slightly lower powered Alnico IV vs the stronger Alnico V magnet. (BTW, didn't Gibson use Alnico IV mags in the replica of Randy Rhoads 74 custom to get the T-Top sound? Hmmm)

Bottom line.....it works for me. First gig of 2013 on 26/1, guess which guitar is going to get an outing that night?

For info: The non dry recordings were made through a Line 6 PODxt using the JTM45 model. All the settings were kept the same for all recordings.

Cheers, I'm off to play just a little bit more..........................