Replacement Pickup Choices on Spectrum SX

Hello all,

I'm a pretty new member of this forum- I'm amazed and thrilled at how many people care so passionately (and are so knowledgeable) about these old guitars- I thought I was just about the only person left on the planet using one... wrong!

Mine is in well-used but good condition, having been on and off the road for 27 years, and was totally original-spec, until a few days ago... and this leads me to my question...:

I've just had the pickups replaced, having found the original single coils a bit weedy and the humbucker (an MMK-45, I've just found out) a bit brash, despite the lovely ('Townshend-y' I think) tonality. I wanted to turn my old Spectrum SX (which so many people told me was old junk) into a real pro-standard guitar.

Anyway, these pickups were replaced with 2 Seymour Duncan Alnico 2 Pro single coils (flat poles), and a DiMarzio Super Distortion humbucker in the bridge position. The result: a VERY hot guitar, amazingly powerful, and a glassy, bluesy Strat-type single coil sound. My band, however, gave it a lukewarm reception. Compared to the Jackson Dinky (my main guitar currently) with Seymour Duncan JB humbucker and 2 Seymour Duncan STK-1s, I'm being told it's far too toppy and the DiMarzio Super Distortion is too wild and shouty compared with the Seymour Duncan JB. They do have a point, if I'm honest!

So, does anyone have any suggestions about any further mods I could make to the guitar to tame it a bit? (Maybe different pots?) Or, does anyone have an opinion about my pickup choice, and if there are maybe some better choices to try?

Thanks guys, and happy guitaring to all of you!

Hi 45Bodie, I also have a super distortion in an Ibanez RG570 (original version)
that I used to replace a "Fred". I love the tone of the Super D but also find that its a bit all or nuthin' and doesn't clean up very well with the volume pot. I believe that the super D was designed specifically to add extra push to the front of an amp to give better overdrive (in a time before modern vry high gain amps...and with an output of 13.75ohms (if memory serve from when I tested mine) they certainly work. pinch harmonics all the way. If I ever get round to replacing it, I would go for the Jeff Beck, Sreamin' Demon (I'm a HUGE George Lynch fan) or a PAF pro.

Cheers

Ian

P.S. am tempted to put one of the aforementioned pick-us in my strat too (single coil size)