Opinions Wanted: Best Bridge Pickup for Metal

  • Thread starter Thread starter Oblivion DC
  • Start date Start date
My 2 current favorites are the Duncan Custom and Nazgul.

The Custom is very fat and chunky. It isn't the best for speed picking, but it is a heavy chunk machine. Imagine Carcass Heartwork, or White Zombie Astrocreep type chugs.

The Nazgul is kind of the opposite, but very nice also. Not as dynamic and chunky as the Custom, but very clear, tight, and lots of upper mids for harmonics. This is the guitar I play stuff like Fear Factory on. Notes have a lot of clarity and pick attack, and I can hold harmonic squeals for like 30 seconds in my best Pantera impersonations :rock:
 
Another less common recommendation is the Gibson 500t. It is kind of somewhere between a Duncan Custom and Distortion. I have always loved it in the guitars I have where it came stock in them.

Some others I have not mentioned above...... Dimarzio Crunch Lab and Dimarzio Tone Zone. The Dimarzio Dominion looks interesting also.
 
500t is a good pickup. It's pretty similar to the PRS Tremonti treble pickup.
 
Another one to look at is the Dimarzio D Activator X. Your guitar wood looks to be pretty bright and this pickup tames that nicely. I put it in a bright guitar hoping for a more full tone and it has delivered. That said, I haven't tried several of the pickups others mentioned in this thread.
 
billsbigego":2veuwyr6 said:
mooncobra":2veuwyr6 said:
I have a Duncan custom 5 in a guitar with alder body, maple neck through and ebony fretboard and it rocks very hard, it sounds great for heavy stuff, it is tight and articulate, especially for the chuggah chggah stuff.

here is a clip I just found on youtube, you can get an idea, but it can get meaner and heavier than that and it always stays nice and tight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsAjeV2vqUM
Click to expand...

That your band man? If so, love the fucking tune and the tone :rock:

Click to expand...

Same pickup I put in my MM Reflex...crushing tone.
 
Peavey Wolfgang, Dimarzio Dominion, Dimarzio Super Distortion.
 
+1 on the MCP alnico Solution. Just a great sounding pickup: organic, open, raw, and aggressive with tight control of the low end that works very well with lower tunings. My favorite pickup for metal.

The SD Nazgul sounds epic for lead work, fluid and singing, though I still prefer the MCP Solution for rhythm work. I like the rawness and grind of the Solution pickup, whereas the Nazgul is a little smoother but still brutal. (I think perhaps the Nazgul would be better suited than the Solution for Djent style of playing, if that's your thing.)
 
Dude, I know there's already pickup overload here but I have been very happy with the PRS Metal. The guitar I played the little Cali sound clip that is posted on the 'post you Cali clips ' thread a few days ago has a PRS Metal in the bridge. I dig it a lot!
 
Holy shit! Great showing fellas. There's way more here than I was expecting. I'm going to take some time to read, research and price 3 pups. I'll swap them in and out of my project guitar and decide which one is going to be the keeper. It'll probably be the end of January before I'm ready to commit but much thanks everybody, you've given me a great place to start.
 
Duncan Distortion. I use the same combo of woods as you and love the pickup. I also have a Nazgul in a guitar with those woods and think it's a very tight, slightly less output alternative.
 
My favorite metal pickup has been the Tom Anderson HN3+. I used it tuned the same as you, but in a mahogany SG Special with ebony fretboard. Note that the HN3+ is a bit unusual in that it is neither ceramic or alnico but Neodynium.

-1 for Duncan Distortion which I also had in that guitar. Very thin in comparison. Gibson T-500 or whatever is equally unimpressive.

I had a BK Warpig ceramic for a bit in another SG with rosewood. I liked it as much as the Anderson, but pricier and cooler cosmetic options. Now days I'm playing standard with hot alnicos so not much research in this area lately. :)

Oh, and my first good metal pickup was a Bill Lawrence XL-500 in my first guitar: a plywood BC Rich Bronze Warlock lol. It had decent clarity and horsepower but nothing like the HN3+ or Warpig for that matter. Definitely won't buy again.
 
OK I've decided on the following three pickups and we'll play with each of them for a while to see which one is gonna stick:

Seymour Duncan: Nazgul
Motor City: Solution
DiMarzio: X2N

Thanks for the input fellas.
 
Probably not really metal enough but might be worth a watch anyway ;)

 
I've got Manlius Asphalts in a few guitars, and I love them. They're hot and pissed, with a big sound. Not overly tight either. Just the right amount of sag so they sound fat, and not to loose.
 
Beyond Black":3imzuutf said:
I've got Manlius Asphalts in a few guitars, and I love them. They're hot and pissed, with a big sound. Not overly tight either. Just the right amount of sag so they sound fat, and not to loose.
Click to expand...


Yeah the Asphalts are awesome metal pickups!! :rock: :rock: :rock: :rock:
 
IMO, output isn't really the most important factor as you can always get a boost that matches what you're looking for. I would be more inclined to find a tone curve that matches the sound of the guitar, the sound in your head and has the right articulation/tightness. Obviously every kind of pickup has been used for many different metal styles. IMO, medium to medium hot pickups are where it's at.
 
Purpleibby":ewj36vth said:
IMO, output isn't really the most important factor as you can always get a boost that matches what you're looking for. I would be more inclined to find a tone curve that matches the sound of the guitar, the sound in your head and has the right articulation/tightness. Obviously every kind of pickup has been used for many different metal styles. IMO, medium to medium hot pickups are where it's at.
Click to expand...

I could be way off but that's where I'm these days. I prefer my mcp detroiters and turning up the dirt on the boost a little IF i need it. Has so much more nuts and fullness than when I used high output pups.. As an example my custom with an sh-6 just doesn't have the low end of my studio with the detroiters.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top