Need pickup for heavy metal!!

[Green Bastard]

yo, sorry its another pickup thread
I just got a new 20th ann RG, as you probably know the pickups suck
my old RG is loaded with 81's and i enjoy it but was thinking about mixing it up and getting passive in similar vain of tone

I have used the search and found multiple topics asking the same question, but not many dudes actually listed styles and rig....
so i play traditional 80s heavy metal style, with a bit of 80s thrash influence too,
going to be RG through some boosts into either a redbear (jcm800ish) or laney GH

I play rhythm so mostly want something to give some good girth and big balls and stay tight with fast riffing on the E

heard some good things about dimarzio d activators, or d activator x's
seen many suggestions on here for motor city and suhr aldrichs.
also possibly keen for BKP miracle man, but have a few bareknucles already and slowly losing the love for the painkiller in one of my other guitars, just doesnt suit the rest of my setup

so any support for these or any other pickups out there let me know

 

[JackBootedThug]

lace deathbucker looks pretty cool.

 

[Lead_sound]

Seymour Duncan Invader or Dimebucker
https://www.seymourduncan.com/

 

[noob_pwn]

Seymour Duncan Invader or Dimebucker
https://www.seymourduncan.com/

I've tried the invader in 2 basswood ibanez's and in both it sounded like total ass.
Muddy as hell with overbearing low-mids.

I really dig evo's in basswood, I actually found i could roll the tone back slightly, about 10% on them to get a chunkier rhythm sound without the pickup losing definition because it is so bright and clear. Totally 80's thrash sound right there. Never ever ever has this worked with any other pickup I've used

 

[Green Bastard]

Had an invader about 8 years ago and hated it, was in an LP though, do they work better in basswood?

 

[noob_pwn]

Had an invader about 8 years ago and hated it, was in an LP though, do they work better in basswood?

not really from my experience. They only work well in brighter guitars with less low mids, they would work well in ash i would assume

 

[Botch]

Before I'd even seen you mention the Miracle Man I was going to recommend that to you. It's very tight, fat, articulate. High output but not insane. Great pickup.

 

[rupe]

You want classic 80's metal tone, use a classic 80's metal pickup...Duncan Distortion

 

[Js90Lx]

I have several sets of BKPs, Duncans, and Dimarzios. By far my favorite is the C-Pig in my RG550. While it is not as tight as say a painkiller it just works in that guitar! It is the only pickup I have not had second thoughts about. I will say this though, height is critical. I had to play around with it to find the sweet spot.

 

[JackBootedThug]

not sure what the similarities are between basswood and alder, but i have a custom 5 in my jackson and it rocks hard. almost has a percussive attack.

 

[ericsabbath]

miracle man

maybe a ceramic nailbomb

 

[glpg80]

Seymour Duncan Invader or Dimebucker
https://www.seymourduncan.com/

I've tried the invader in 2 basswood ibanez's and in both it sounded like total ass.
Muddy as hell with overbearing low-mids.

+2 my 1988 charvel came with an invader pickup and it sounded like total shit - i owned that pickup all of maybe 3 days - i couldnt take it - the pickup was that bad.

 

[glpg80]

not sure what the similarities are between basswood and alder, but i have a custom 5 in my jackson and it rocks hard. almost has a percussive attack.

basswood is a much softer wood, alder is alot harder and heavier - but depends on the grade of the alder to be honest. basswood resonates great in the mids and responds to rolled back volumes MUCH better - it also responds to string guage changes very well. basswood guitars are very very easy to ding - i found this out the hard way with my wolfgang in a few very small places. alder tends to be less of a resonate wood and more of a solid type of sound - more precussive and balanced - responds to pickup changes better - wider tonality pallets available due to it being more of a neutral sounding wood. alder is also brighter than basswood.

 

[oldmanmetal]

Suhr Aldrich pickups sound great in 1 of my Hamers, and in my Suhr Moderns. My favorite passive pickup for metal.

 

[Bogged]

I used to have SD Blackouts in my Carvin DC127 and they really sounded good. Later I decided I want to go back to passives but still have the sound of actives so I put in the Dimarzio D'Activators. Whether they sound like actives I can't really tell but I like 'em.

Sometimes I think about putting the Blackouts back in cause they're pretty sweet but I put it off. Bugs me to be caught between these pups.

 

[Ventura]

BKP...

Painkillers are off the hook.
Miracle Man's are decent and will sound growly.
Warpigs if ya wanna go large.

BKP will have you covered, give Tim a quick email at BKP with the specs and he'll tell you EXACTLY what you want and need.

Peace,
V.

 

[Spaceboy]

If you're going BKP, Painkillers are awesome. I'm playing a DiMarzio Evo in my 7-string, but I play death metal, however the pickup is also great for some 80's thrash. I'm not too sure what generic 'heavy metal' really means.

 

[JakeAC5253]

Had an invader about 8 years ago and hated it, was in an LP though, do they work better in basswood?

I agree with what the others are saying about the Invader, it's just too bassy and muddy. I just swapped mine out and now my Marshall head doesn't sound like a Recto anymore haha. The guitar is a Fender Strat and I've got a Duncan Custom ceramic mag in it right now, huge improvement. My Jackson with Alder body has got a Duncan Distortion. The Alder body on it can get a bit muddy with a recessed top, but the Distortion is the best pickup I've had in it yet, could be a keeper. Great balance between chunk and body and clarity in that pickup.

For some reason the Custom strikes me as really thrashy. Not sure why, but that was my first impression. If your guitar is Basswood you may want the strong low mids that the distortion provides. In my experience anyways. I'd never recommend something I wouldn't use myself.

 

[9ball]

i have the SD blackouts in one of my V's (mahogany)and they are all about 80's metal tones.
i turn the treble up a hair when i play that guitar to match the set of medium output passive dimarzios i have in another guitar.
the blackouts though are really good sounding p/u's i think and clean up nice rolling the volume down. take a good look at them man they might be right up your alley.
i had a duncan distortion in another guitar, and i like the blackouts better. more responsive/organic. the distortion just seemed like it was all high output and nothing else.

 

[gibson5413]

Don't forget about Anderson pickups. The H3 or H3+ does metal or heavy tones in spades.