Thanks! Just ordered the Super 3 for the bridge of my ESP because of your video. UPDATE: Got it; love it! This video is the most accurate representation of the sound of the Super 3, and I watched every video I could find. The pickup growls in the midrange just like in gwEmbassy's video. It's compressed, punchy and has great sustain. Easy Megadeth, Metallica and Slayer sounds. It's ideal for metal!
Me too! bought a pair for like 60 bucks like 10 years ago and have been sitting in a drawer! Last year i put them on a les paul and couldn´t believe what i´ve been missing. They can do everything and retain a certain vintage flavour, even on bridge.
I remember when the Super 2 came out, it had a solid black plastic cover for it's first few years. I got the full color catalog that came in the mail - this was about '79 or '80. It said it had a sound "more similar to a Firebird or Stratocaster". I can hear the differences here, good video. Garcia did most of his last 15 years or so one in the middle position of most of his guitars and it really sounds strat-like. My next guitar build I think will be a Tele with a pair of these.....whee!
Just recently installed the Super Distortion on my Epi Les Paul Custom, I love it! I play Rock/Hard Rock/ Heavy Metal and this SD can cover it. I have an EMG 81 on a Gibson Explorer it’s absolutely Metal, period. The DiMarzio with gain adjustment from amp can jump on any style of mine, its a very Versatile pickup.
I have both, the Super 2 in the neck and Super 3 in the bridge, and love the combination. In the middle is an SDS-1, keeping true to original Super Distortion theme. They are currently in my Music Man Silhouette, but I will soon put them in an SG that I am building.
I have an Epiphone Les Paul Studio and I run a Super 3 in the bridge and an Air Norton in the neck (inverted installation to brighten it up a bit). Under high gain, the guitar is a monster for metal riffing. Switch it to clean and it has that smoky jazz sound to it.
Ive got several Duncan's, EMGs etc, one of the best tones for me is from the Pearly Gates and thats got an output like the super 2. Probably cause i play super saturated and its giving me some clarity. Dont overlook the Suhr Doug Aldridge is youre looking at the super distortions.
I have 3 guitars with various super distortions, and they are by far the most versatile pickups I've come across. From boutique, to Gibson, or Duncan, none sound better to me. I have a super 2/SD in an EC401, a super 2 / x2n in an EC1000, and a super 3 neck / super D bridge in a Fernandes Ravelle and they all compliment each other well.
Update: swapped the super 2 from the neck in my ltd to the bridge in my Tele and holy shit! It's literally a perfect match with the PAF pro in the neck, and might just be my favorite axe now! Thx again for taking the time to make this video, as I found myself really digging the super 2 more and more each time I heard it. It's certainly not just a neck pickup, and in mahogany brings the guitar alive!
Of the three Super Distortion models I think the original is a classic for a reason, and that reason is its very high level of adaptability. It's far more versatile than its name would imply. It can clean up fairly well with a volume roll, coil split very well, and sounds good parallel as well. It plays nice with most guitars and most styles of music. As for the Super 2, it's always considered a good neck pup for pairing with the Super D or Super 3, although I'd rather pair a DiMarzio PAF with the Super D. The Super 2 is just too bright to work well in the bridge, but works well as a high output neck pickup. The Super 3 is the darkest of the three. It sounds so different from the previous iterations that it's really its own thing entirely. I recently learned that they wanted to call it the High Gear, and perhaps make it a Greg Howe signature pup when it first came stock in the Greg Howe endorsed Fender HM Strat in '88. I heard it actually was sold in Japan as the High Gear. It's a great, ultra high output pickup, but it does not clean up as well or coil split as well or sound as good parallel as the original Super Distortion. The difference in output between the Super 3 and Super D is negligible. It's much more about the voicing. I own a number of Super 3s but I find myself using my Super D's a lot more often these days, paired with an Air Norton or PAF. I also highly recommend the Air Zone and Steve's Special. Not as high output but they can still handle the gain if you have a high gain amp. While high output pickups used to be designed with the idea of hitting the front end of an amp hard to generate distortion, modern high outputs are designed with the idea of shaping the gain in a particular direction. The Super 3 will focus gain to a darker spectrum, while the old Super D generally mixes well with a wide variety of amps. Most amps have a master volume and the Super D was designed at a time when they did not. Once master volumes became common players were able to get more gain, and a pickup like a Super D paired with a distortion pedal through a cranked master volume Marshall because the formula for heavy metal. That's all over the classic Maiden and Priest albums.
I still haven’t found a home for my Super 3. I guess I’m just not a fan of that extreme compression. You are right that the Super D is versatile and works more often than not.
Ok I got a question. What type of pickup would get me close to vinnie Vincent’s tone??? Someone told me a super distortion or a super 2 would do it. Thoughts???
I agree with you. All have something different. I think i don’t like S2, I prefer the original because it’s different. I’d play S3 if I was in a metal band but SD is the one for someone like me who tends to be a loner. But for some reason the S3 makes me smile.
@@gwEmbassy surprisingly if you raise the pole pieces closest to the bridge on the super 2 it will thicken up, go little by little and you will find a nice balance.
Im struggling between the Super 3 an the Deactivator X for the Bridge Position in a Yamaha Pacifica or a Ibanez Rg, Neck Pickup will be a Di Marzio Norton Middle Singlecoil I don't know
@@gwEmbassy What do you think which have more Compression X2N or Deactivator X Bridge? I have the following Neck Humbuckers: Illuminator, Titan, Liquifire and Norton, which do you think will fit the best to the Bridge Pickups?
Hey. I own a heavy ass LTD Viper 301. It's currently equiped with an EMG 81 at the bridge position, but damn this thing is too damn muddy. I'm thinking maybe a Super 2 at the bridge could counter the already bassy sound of this guitar? thx
Oh man that's a tough one because they all have their positives & negatives. I want to say the super 3 had a bit more clarity- but at the same time the other two sounded pretty raw & hefty with their lack there of. TOUGH 🤔🧐??? I'm gonna get crazy and pull a Nicola Tesla here to help speed things along 3-6 & 9s. Make it real simple because they all have a uniqueness about them that you can't easily separate. So lets say you want go with the Super 3. The part # on that is Dp 152. So if you happen to know what the part # is on the one in the pickup in the neck- so let's say that part # for the one in the neck is a PAF pro Dp 151 ok- hypothetical. 1+5+1= 7. Then you take you're super 3 part # Dp 152. 1+5+2=8. Now add 7 & 8 = 15. 1+5 = 6. So you would go with the super 3 😊😎🌮. But lets say the part # comes out tobe a 3 and it's 2- 2+8 & you get 10 😒. Then what ever part # gets you closet to a 3, 6 or a 9. Then you would go with that pick up. B in But let's say their all perty close. Go with the one that would get you closet's to the 9. 9 is completion. 😊🤫✅. For instance if your last #ers were 2- 5- 8- You'd go with 8. 9+8= 17=8. Anyway a little bit complicated but I can try & answer any of your Q's.😉
@@gwEmbassy I love the NWOBHM era. DL's first two albums are still my favorite. Some good, raw, Gibson through cranked Marshall tone. Even Phil Collen gave big props to Pete Willis for the bang up work he did on OTTN, H&D and Pyromania. Pete completed a lot of work on Pyro before he was fired. Phil is also a great player. Mutt Lange is a brilliant producer. Here's a cool video of Phil talking about how he laid down the tracks for Pyro in which he mentions Pete. He's got a Super 3 on his signature paint splatter Jackson. ua-cam.com/video/fxrEZ_MvDyg/v-deo.html
@@gwEmbassy Speaking of Schenker, you can hear his influence all over Pete's style. One thing I've always loved about European style players is they were more likely to know how to incorporate classical scales into rock, while it wouldn't occur to most American players. While Schenker certainly had a big following in the States it paled in comparison to his following in Europe and Japan. But he did influence Randy Rhoads who was the first American player to mix neoclassical and rock. Blackmore may have introduced classical influence to rock but players like Schenker and Uli Roth and Jan Akkerman took it a lot further.
Super 2 may sound too bright in some applications. Depending on the wood in the guitar also. Probably will sound too shrill in an alder body guitar. Sound okay here. Super 3 may be too high an output for some older rock music. Can be overwhelming. 25 K output is a lot. Sounds great with Def Leppard, though. Super D original is the best all-around choice. Also sounds great here. Just what I’m hearing.
Thanks for your observations Chris. I did actually try that Super 2 in alder recently and it wasn’t too bad. But the original is still the best all rounder indeed
@@gwEmbassy well...I did it !!! Super 3/evolution neck on a charvel ash...tomorrow I'll pick it up from my luthier !!!...1st option 4 the neck was a gravity storm neck but...di marzio didn't deliver...I'll keep U posted 🎸🔥🤘!!!
Thanks! Just ordered the Super 3 for the bridge of my ESP because of your video. UPDATE: Got it; love it! This video is the most accurate representation of the sound of the Super 3, and I watched every video I could find. The pickup growls in the midrange just like in gwEmbassy's video. It's compressed, punchy and has great sustain. Easy Megadeth, Metallica and Slayer sounds. It's ideal for metal!
I hope you enjoy it :-)
@@gwEmbassy Thanks, me too! I'll update once she's installed.
I have the Super distortion in the bridge and Super 2 in neck. Great video, I SUBSCRIBED.
thanks, classic combination!
Love a pair of Super2 in my LP. Lots of bite and exciting freq curve. I just have more scope with the tone controls too. Fab review!
Thanks! Cool setup :)
Me too! bought a pair for like 60 bucks like 10 years ago and have been sitting in a drawer! Last year i put them on a les paul and couldn´t believe what i´ve been missing. They can do everything and retain a certain vintage flavour, even on bridge.
I remember when the Super 2 came out, it had a solid black plastic cover for it's first few years. I got the full color catalog that came in the mail - this was about '79 or '80. It said it had a sound "more similar to a Firebird or Stratocaster". I can hear the differences here, good video. Garcia did most of his last 15 years or so one in the middle position of most of his guitars and it really sounds strat-like. My next guitar build I think will be a Tele with a pair of these.....whee!
I liked the Super 2 in that video too. Never tried it in the bridge position until then and I was pleasantly surprised!
I prefer the Super 3 with a Super 2 in the neck.
Good combination!
Just recently installed the Super Distortion on my Epi Les Paul Custom, I love it! I play Rock/Hard Rock/ Heavy Metal and this SD can cover it. I have an EMG 81 on a Gibson Explorer it’s absolutely Metal, period. The DiMarzio with gain adjustment from amp can jump on any style of mine, its a very Versatile pickup.
Hey Mike! It’s a fun pickup :) Glad you enjoy yours.
Love, love, love the Super 3!!! Great mids!
It’s a good one :)
I have both, the Super 2 in the neck and Super 3 in the bridge, and love the combination. In the middle is an SDS-1, keeping true to original Super Distortion theme. They are currently in my Music Man Silhouette, but I will soon put them in an SG that I am building.
The Super 2 is very good in the neck. Here I tried it in the bridge ‘just because’ and quite liked it too :) Thanks for watching!
I have an Epiphone Les Paul Studio and I run a Super 3 in the bridge and an Air Norton in the neck (inverted installation to brighten it up a bit). Under high gain, the guitar is a monster for metal riffing. Switch it to clean and it has that smoky jazz sound to it.
Thanks for testing. Differences is really big.
Hard to describe which is I liked more. I would use different pups for different genres.
Yes, you really hear the difference!!! Hope you are good 👍
Ive got several Duncan's, EMGs etc, one of the best tones for me is from the Pearly Gates and thats got an output like the super 2. Probably cause i play super saturated and its giving me some clarity. Dont overlook the Suhr Doug Aldridge is youre looking at the super distortions.
Good suggestions. I have wanted to try the Pearly Gates for a while.
I have 3 guitars with various super distortions, and they are by far the most versatile pickups I've come across. From boutique, to Gibson, or Duncan, none sound better to me. I have a super 2/SD in an EC401, a super 2 / x2n in an EC1000, and a super 3 neck / super D bridge in a Fernandes Ravelle and they all compliment each other well.
I agree!!! you can’t go wrong :)
@@gwEmbassy yeah the only knock is that they buzz like an SOB with the gain cranked too much, so as long as it's dialed back, you can play anything.
Update: swapped the super 2 from the neck in my ltd to the bridge in my Tele and holy shit! It's literally a perfect match with the PAF pro in the neck, and might just be my favorite axe now! Thx again for taking the time to make this video, as I found myself really digging the super 2 more and more each time I heard it. It's certainly not just a neck pickup, and in mahogany brings the guitar alive!
@seanmetal4138 that’s excellent Sean!! I hoped to show it works well in the bridge :)
@@gwEmbassy you should also demo a DP160 Norton in the neck. Absolutely killer pickup with surprisingly nice cleans and handles gain well!
In your LP I’m a big fan of that super 3
Cool! In the end I went a different direction and fitted a D-Activator
I like the Super Distortion and Super 3.
Thanks for watching Barry. There was something nice about all of them I thought. I still can’t decide my favourite!
Def Leppard riff! Tks for the test!
You are the first to spot that :) thanks for watching!
Of the three Super Distortion models I think the original is a classic for a reason, and that reason is its very high level of adaptability. It's far more versatile than its name would imply. It can clean up fairly well with a volume roll, coil split very well, and sounds good parallel as well. It plays nice with most guitars and most styles of music. As for the Super 2, it's always considered a good neck pup for pairing with the Super D or Super 3, although I'd rather pair a DiMarzio PAF with the Super D. The Super 2 is just too bright to work well in the bridge, but works well as a high output neck pickup. The Super 3 is the darkest of the three. It sounds so different from the previous iterations that it's really its own thing entirely. I recently learned that they wanted to call it the High Gear, and perhaps make it a Greg Howe signature pup when it first came stock in the Greg Howe endorsed Fender HM Strat in '88. I heard it actually was sold in Japan as the High Gear. It's a great, ultra high output pickup, but it does not clean up as well or coil split as well or sound as good parallel as the original Super Distortion. The difference in output between the Super 3 and Super D is negligible. It's much more about the voicing. I own a number of Super 3s but I find myself using my Super D's a lot more often these days, paired with an Air Norton or PAF. I also highly recommend the Air Zone and Steve's Special. Not as high output but they can still handle the gain if you have a high gain amp. While high output pickups used to be designed with the idea of hitting the front end of an amp hard to generate distortion, modern high outputs are designed with the idea of shaping the gain in a particular direction. The Super 3 will focus gain to a darker spectrum, while the old Super D generally mixes well with a wide variety of amps. Most amps have a master volume and the Super D was designed at a time when they did not. Once master volumes became common players were able to get more gain, and a pickup like a Super D paired with a distortion pedal through a cranked master volume Marshall because the formula for heavy metal. That's all over the classic Maiden and Priest albums.
I still haven’t found a home for my Super 3. I guess I’m just not a fan of that extreme compression. You are right that the Super D is versatile and works more often than not.
I play heavy metal so I like the sound of the super 3
🤘🤘
Ok I got a question. What type of pickup would get me close to vinnie Vincent’s tone??? Someone told me a super distortion or a super 2 would do it. Thoughts???
I’ve just listened to some Vinnie Vincent. A very bright tone with a good amount of attack. I would try a Super 2.
Good video comparison. Nice vid
Thanks Grigz!
I agree with you. All have something different. I think i don’t like S2, I prefer the original because it’s different. I’d play S3 if I was in a metal band but SD is the one for someone like me who tends to be a loner.
But for some reason the S3 makes me smile.
Thanks for the comment, that’s a nice way of putting it!
Super 2 for neck, Super D for bridge.
Classic combo!
The 2nd sounds a little thiner against the others. I'm torn between the 1rst and 3rd.
I know what you mean. I quite like the thin sound of the Super 2 as well.
@@gwEmbassy surprisingly if you raise the pole pieces closest to the bridge on the super 2 it will thicken up, go little by little and you will find a nice balance.
Actually Super 2 made as neck pickup.
It is, but nothing stops you from experimenting
@@gwEmbassy Yes. I often do opposite thing by putting bridge pickup into the neck slot.
thank you for the comparison. Good job
Appreciate your comment!
Oh...I prefer the Super 3 in the bridge, followed by the Super 2, with what I hear from your guitar.
Thanks, I’m kind of leaning towards the Super 2, just because it would be an unusual choice.
I have an early unpotted super 2 I’m looking a place to put it. Maybe neck with another super 2 in the bridge?
sounds like a good plan to me! treasure it!!
Im struggling between the Super 3 an the Deactivator X for the Bridge Position in a Yamaha Pacifica or a Ibanez Rg, Neck Pickup will be a Di Marzio Norton Middle Singlecoil I don't know
I prefer the Deactivator X
@@gwEmbassy What makes the Deactivator X better than the Super 3 in your opinion?
@punkwaf24 I just find the Super 3 has a bit too much compression. I have two D-Xs as bridge pickups now.
@@gwEmbassy What do you think which have more Compression X2N or Deactivator X Bridge? I have the following Neck Humbuckers: Illuminator, Titan, Liquifire and Norton, which do you think will fit the best to the Bridge Pickups?
Thanks, but it would have been nice if you announced which pup u were demoing before you play.
Fair point, though it does say it in the time codes
Hey. I own a heavy ass LTD Viper 301. It's currently equiped with an EMG 81 at the bridge position, but damn this thing is too damn muddy.
I'm thinking maybe a Super 2 at the bridge could counter the already bassy sound of this guitar? thx
I would start with an EMG60 since that will be an easy swap.
But yes, I think the Super 2 would work well too.
Super 3 all the way!
One day I will get into the Super 3
Oh man that's a tough one because they all have their positives & negatives.
I want to say the super 3 had a bit more clarity- but at the same time the other two sounded pretty raw & hefty with their lack there of. TOUGH 🤔🧐???
I'm gonna get crazy and pull a Nicola Tesla here to help speed things along 3-6 & 9s. Make it real simple because they all have a uniqueness about them that you can't easily separate.
So lets say you want go with the Super 3. The part # on that is Dp 152. So if you happen to know what the part # is on the one in the pickup in the neck- so let's say that part # for the one in the neck is a PAF pro Dp 151 ok- hypothetical. 1+5+1= 7.
Then you take you're super 3 part # Dp 152. 1+5+2=8. Now add 7 & 8 = 15. 1+5 = 6. So you would go with the super 3 😊😎🌮. But lets say the part # comes out tobe a 3 and it's 2- 2+8 & you get 10 😒.
Then what ever part # gets you closet to a 3, 6 or a 9. Then you would go with that pick up.
B in But let's say their all perty close. Go with the one that would get you closet's to the 9. 9 is completion. 😊🤫✅.
For instance if your last #ers were 2- 5- 8- You'd go with 8. 9+8= 17=8. Anyway a little bit complicated but I can try & answer any of your Q's.😉
🤣🤣
Super 3 👍
It sounded good!
I love the Super 3. It's not the easiest pickup to use in every situation but for hard rock and metal it's brilliant. It's a wild beast of a pickup.
The Rock Brigade!
I love the first couple of Def Leppard albums, the NWOBHM era.
I just noticed the note run in the Rock Brigade solo sounds like it’s Michael Schenker lick from Strangers in the Night
@@gwEmbassy I love the NWOBHM era. DL's first two albums are still my favorite. Some good, raw, Gibson through cranked Marshall tone. Even Phil Collen gave big props to Pete Willis for the bang up work he did on OTTN, H&D and Pyromania. Pete completed a lot of work on Pyro before he was fired. Phil is also a great player. Mutt Lange is a brilliant producer. Here's a cool video of Phil talking about how he laid down the tracks for Pyro in which he mentions Pete. He's got a Super 3 on his signature paint splatter Jackson.
ua-cam.com/video/fxrEZ_MvDyg/v-deo.html
High and Dry is my favourite from them
@@gwEmbassy Speaking of Schenker, you can hear his influence all over Pete's style. One thing I've always loved about European style players is they were more likely to know how to incorporate classical scales into rock, while it wouldn't occur to most American players. While Schenker certainly had a big following in the States it paled in comparison to his following in Europe and Japan. But he did influence Randy Rhoads who was the first American player to mix neoclassical and rock. Blackmore may have introduced classical influence to rock but players like Schenker and Uli Roth and Jan Akkerman took it a lot further.
Super 2 may sound too bright in some applications. Depending on the wood in the guitar also. Probably will sound too shrill in an alder body guitar. Sound okay here.
Super 3 may be too high an output for some older rock music. Can be overwhelming. 25 K output is a lot. Sounds great with Def Leppard, though.
Super D original is the best all-around choice. Also sounds great here. Just what I’m hearing.
Thanks for your observations Chris. I did actually try that Super 2 in alder recently and it wasn’t too bad. But the original is still the best all rounder indeed
Super 3 in ash body ???
Might be something I should try!
@@gwEmbassy well...I did it !!!
Super 3/evolution neck on a charvel ash...tomorrow I'll pick it up from my luthier !!!...1st option 4 the neck was a gravity storm neck but...di marzio didn't deliver...I'll keep U posted 🎸🔥🤘!!!
Let us know how it sounds Mark! I have a feeling it might be a good combination.
super 3 + 1 meg pot + treble bleed
That combination just might work! I should try it.
Super 3
Nice choice! Thanks for watching!
2 neck. 3 bridge
Good combination
Which is which
I added chapter markers, so you can see which pickup is which based on that. In the description you can also click between the different sections.
Wasted!! Def Leppard guitarists use super 3s and super distortion.
I prefer super 3 with a 59
I want to like the Super 3, but have never so far found a guitar where it works. I’ll keep trying though.
The Super D is great though :)
Super 2 or original,super 3 sound sooo shi**y
I recently rewatched this video myself. I kind of agree. The Super 3 is rather too compressed sounding for me.