Esp Horizon NT-II Pickups you've tried? results?

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camer138
Im finally swapping out the stock JB/59 in my nt II, i replaced the 59 with a Duncan Distortion and LOVE it. and i have an Alnico 8 magnet in the mail to replace the Alnico 5 in the jb for a cheaper alternative to a pickup swap. what have you guys tried? and should the bridge pickup be f-spaced(trem spaced) or standard?
JonCurcio

DiMarzio should be F-Spaced in the bridge, but Duncan should be normal. A trembucker will be too wide on the poles. I've tried it with the NT-II. I currently have an X2N in the bridge and an EJ custom in the neck and they work well. I use the Evolution in a lot of guitars and I imagine it would work well too.

5150-Viper

i tried an sh-6 distortion in the bridge, but went back to the JB in my NT-II.. preferred the articulation of the JB. Was thinking about trying the SH-5 at some point but decided to stop messing with the guitar and kept it in its original stock form. The 59 i already loved and the JB grew on me..

camer138

thanks Jon! that question was killing me and esp never responded to my email.

the sh6 is apparently a bright pickup, and with a bright guitar like the horizon i couldnt see it being too great

jsp

Currently I have a Tone Zone/PAF Joe set. I've also tried the JB (obviously), Tom Anderson H3, Duncan A8, and DiMarzio Super3 in the bridge, and the 59 (obviously again) and PAF Pro in the neck. I'm not sure if this is typical of all NTII's, but mine is really bright sounding and works better with warmer sounding pickups.

Spoonylove

Is that the PAF Joe I sent you in our trade?

camer138

jsp, how was the anderson H3? I'm looking for something to fall back on if the JB8 doesnt work out. im also thinking of a duncan parallel axis patb-2 or a duncan custom

edit: nevermind the Parallel axis pickups.. they are only in trembucker versions

jsp

Is that the PAF Joe I sent you in our trade?

Yes sir:)

jsp, how was the anderson H3? I'm looking for something to fall back on if the JB8 doesnt work out. im also thinking of a duncan parallel axis patb-2 or a duncan custom

edit: nevermind the Parallel axis pickups.. they are only in trembucker versions

I love the H3, it is one of my favorite pickups. I just wanted something thicker on the low end for my Horizon but I have the H3 in an SRC now. I've always said that it's best balance of tight and clear, and big and brutal that I've heard from a pickup.

camer138

well i ordered an H3, as my jb8 went slightly microphonic when i replaced the magnet, had a tough time with that.. oh well. i'll get it re waxed some day and use it else where. the jb8 sounded great for rhythm i thought but pretty lacking for leads.. maybe its cause i slightly destroyed the thing..

anyhow. i hope this h3 does it for me, i want to stop buying pickups and buy other stuff!

camer138

hey jsp did you prefer the h3 with 500k or 1 meg pots?

jsp

I only tried 500k. The Horizon is too bright for a 1meg pot, IMO.

camer138

okay thanks.. yeah thats what iwas thinking but i saw everyone was saying it needs 1 meg pots.. porbably cause theyre putting it in their LP

JonCurcio

I use a 1 meg in mine, but mine is dark and the X2N is very high output.

Mr.Dahl

I've only tried the FR-II DBSB with EMG's (81/85). And dude!!!! That shit totaly blew my away! If you're about to swap the pickups, you better put in some EMG's. You wont regret it at all.

camer138

got my h3 today bringing it in to get installed in an hour. i talked to roy on the phone at Anderson Guitars and he said it isn't recommended to use 1meg pots with these pickups but i can give it a shot if i desire a bit more brightness out of it. so anyhow, ill let you guys know how i like it in about 5 days or so(thats when the band practice is)

Nitrobattery

I'm digging dual 85's in mine

Mr.Dahl

dual 85's? cool :hat. how does it sound in bridge position compared to the 81? gotta try it out!! :eek:

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Ignoramus

I've been on a pickup hunt for my NT-II forever. The best solution was ordering a custom set from Mad House Designs, a somewhat new pickup winder. Got the Hollywood Douchebag set with an A8 in the bridge. Hell, part of me bought these just because of the name. :lol But they are, without a doubt, the best tonal match for this guitar, and I was getting close to selling it because I couldn't get the right sound out of them. Neck's super clean/warm, Bridge is a firebreather.

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