What Did You Do With Your Guitar(s) Today?

[la szum]

Trust your gut then.
I definitely like them for their tightness and unforgiving nature compared to Alnico variants.

More experience than gut feeling.

I'll still keep my eyes peeled for an Steve's Special Sauce.

The other Pickups in the guitar are Alnico-based. If I stay on the Bridge and
treat it like a 1 pickup guitar it is great. No probs! It's when I switch Pickups, or blend
the Bridge with the Middle.... or try rolling the Volume back on the Dreamcatcher
where the tonal shit hits the fan, so to speak.

That's the other thing with Ceramic---the cleanup and dynamics are not as effective
as they generally are with an Alnico based Pup.

 

[FuzzyAce]

Do you not even like the PAF Pro or Super Distortion @la szum ?

 

[FuzzyAce]

More experience than gut feeling.

The other Pickups in the guitar are Alnico-based. If I stay on the Bridge and
treat it like a 1 pickup guitar it is great. It's when I switch Pickups or blend
the Bridge with the Middle.... or try rolling the Volume back on the Dreamcatcher
where the tonal shit hits the fan, so to speak.

That's the other thing with Ceramic---the cleanup and dynamics are not as effective
as they generally are with an Alnico based Pup.

Looks like the Dreamcatcher is hyped in the low mids, so probably doesn't clean up well for sure.
I don't usually mix alnico and ceramic but my last guitar I put in the Air Classic neck and Fred bridge. The 2 balance extremely well in that guitar.

 

[Rock Chalk]

Never heard that one before.

Apparently........

 

[megametal7]

I recorded my jam

 

[Spaced Out Ace]

Yeah, not my first rodeo with the ceramic dead-end.

I appreciate the thought.... but I ain't dipping my toes in them waters
more than what I already have.

I feel the same way about the Evolutions I have in a guitar.

What works for some will not work for all. This just reaffirms what
I already knew about ceramic mags in Pickups. I'll save the ceramic
for coffee cups, and magnets in speakers.

If it is ceramic, but might get closer than currently speaking with a magnet swap, that is something would looking into. I don't think the Dreamcatcher is your thing due to the output, but a medium (say Custom level) output pickup with a magnet swap (if needed) could suffice.

 

[la szum]

Do you not even like the PAF Pro or Super Distortion @la szum ?

First used a PAF Pro in Hot Pink in my Ibanez RG in 1990-93---because Satriani.

I have another I picked up last year but have not installed it. Also have a set of SDs
but am waiting to put them in a Les Paul Custom because Di Meola.

The Dreamcatcher is white and matches the Duncans in the Charvel. I am just going
to roll with it for now. It is super dark and thiccccc. There are some things I love about it,
but is not the most diverse pickup I have ever used, and not sure it fits my playing style
as much as an 8k-11k PAF style Pup does.

As far as I know the Dreamcatcher was designed specifically for the Majesty line, so maybe
that is a really bright guitar.

 

[la szum]

Looks like the Dreamcatcher is hyped in the low mids, so probably doesn't clean up well for sure.
I don't usually mix alnico and ceramic but my last guitar I put in the Air Classic neck and Fred bridge. The 2 balance extremely well in that guitar.

Nice! I was thinking about an Air Classic. We'll see.

Also thinking about an AT-1.

 

[FuzzyAce]

Nice! I was thinking about an Air Classic. We'll see.

Also thinking about an AT-1.

AT-1 is nice too.

 

[Jarick]

Trying to keep vibing with the Dreamcatcher I put in a Charvel DK24. It's ceramic,
and, as a result, I am struggling with the limited nature of it. Ceramic can be plinky
and plunky. Has that great tight attack for chugging, and immediacy for ripping leads,
but outside of that it lacks diversity. The split coil sounds on it are and the
output is so hot I don't dare do anything clean on it.

I'll leave it in for now, but I am not wowed by it. The change of pace is fun, but I am definitely
more of a slightly overwound PAF guy when it comes to Humbuckers. I can go more places
on a guitar with that kind of pickup. The Dreamcatcher kind of locks me into a more narrow
range of tones and possibilities.

What about Dimarzio Transitions? They are the Steve Lukather pickups he did after EMG. They are ceramic but not high output, and are supposed to be really dynamic.

 

[spawnofthesith]

I haven’t used many ceramic pickups, but I did quite enjoy the Nazgûl’s I put in an old schecter 7 string, and I believe those are ceramic. I was actually considering grabbing one of the new rail versions to put in one of my guitars

 

[6CA7-A]

 

[TJontheRoad]

Cool stuff.

FYI, You may want to delete the guitar pic that also has your real name and address on the Bell helmet letter framed on the wall.

 

[duzie]

Chugga chug chug !

 

[la szum]

What about Dimarzio Transitions? They are the Steve Lukather pickups he did after EMG. They are ceramic but not high output, and are supposed to be really dynamic.

I haven’t used many ceramic pickups, but I did quite enjoy the Nazgûl’s I put in an old schecter 7 string, and I believe those are ceramic. I was actually considering grabbing one of the new rail versions to put in one of my guitars

Thanks guys. I'd be shocked if I dipped my tones in the ceramic-infused waters again. I only did the
Dreamcatcher because Petrucci, and it tends to get rave reviews across the board. I don't doubt that
it is a great pickup. It sure does a thing. I just tend to demand a bit more versatility from a pickup---
and have found that you can make a pickup tighter and have a bit more output with an overdrive or
boost, but you can't make a pickup sweeter or softer if it wants to snarl the moment it wakes up in
the morning.

Like you guys, I tend to know what I like and what works for me. This is my first ceramic PU install
since the Evolutions in like 2009 or so. So maybe in another 15 years I'll forget all this happened and
install another set of ceramic-based PUs.

Caveat emptor.

Disclaimer: It's a fun pickup if you want to do that chugalicious thing with some legato leads.

 

[JiveTurkey]

I haven’t used many ceramic pickups, but I did quite enjoy the Nazgûl’s I put in an old schecter 7 string, and I believe those are ceramic. I was actually considering grabbing one of the new rail versions to put in one of my guitars

I watched a Kyle Bull IIc vid the other day with some no name Explorer with a Nazgul in the bridge and it sounded fantastic

 

[PLX]

I got Steve Slate Drums 5.5 and a new bass pre-amp for Christmas, so I'm trying them out.

 

[la szum]

Ok, after playing with it some more I am going to do a 180 and force myself to keep
the Dreamcatcher in. I can experiment with dialing in some heavier tones, adjusting
the pickup height, and pole pieces.

It really is fun as fuck to play into an Engl, EVH Stealth, or JVM.

Too easy to default to my tried and true ways and get stuck in my own stuckness. This
is a healthy push in a different direction than I normally go.

 

[FuzzyAce]

Ok, after playing with it some more I am going to do a 180 and force myself to keep
the Dreamcatcher in. I can experiment with dialing in some heavier tones, adjusting
the pickup height, and pole pieces.

It really is fun as fuck to play into an Engl, EVH Stealth, or JVM.

Too easy to default to my tried and true ways and get stuck in my own stuckness. This
is a healthy push in a different direction than I normally go.

That's the spirit -- Feel the pain of the ceramic coursing through your veins!

 

[la szum]