Passive Pickup Recommendations

[barnesjd]

When I was in a band that tuned to C and I was playing an all-mahogany SG Special, I was really happy with my Tom Anderson HN3+ in the bridge. Worth a look if you decide to go with the high output route. Note that they have neodymium magnets, unlike the usual alnico/ceramic crowd.

I should point out however, that my tone preferences demanded a lot of clarity/articulation. I tried to milk as much power-tube saturation out of my DSL100's EL34s as possible while laying off the preamp gain. Not exactly what I typically hear in doom/sludge/etc tho.

If you look into lower-output pickups, you may want to consider putting a clean boost at the end of your pre-amp pedal chain to slam the amp with a hot signal. The BBE Boosta Grande does this well.

 

[NinjaRaf]

Yeah, this is a tough one. We can all make recommendations on what we like based on our guitars, but pickups tend to sound different in different guitars. You say your guitar is thick, and you want something with lots of low end and midrange, but then you're talking about being worried about BKPs being too dark...Sounds like you're kind of all over the place.

I'm guessing your guitar is all mahogany? That, along with the other questions asked about output and magnet type (if you know what magnets you tend to prefer) will help us make recommendations a little better.

Without knowing this stuff...

I would recommend checking out a Duncan Custom. Median output, big enough low end without getting bloated in a thick guitar, cuts well, nice clarity. One of my favorites.

If your guitar sounds pretty thick already, something like a Dimarzio Dominion might be a good option. The Breed is really cool, has a ton of low end, but also really thick, and MIGHT get muddy in an already thick sounding guitar.

I've just been rocking the Kiesel Lithiums that came in my Kiesels. Not sure if they would be a good option for you, though. They're really balanced over all, not huge in any specific frequency range, but they have TONS of clarity, the right amount of output that I like, and they are nice and tight.

 

[Smeghead]

oh yeah, i forgot to mention the specs of my guitar (well, the ones that matter anyways). it's got a mahogany body with a flamed maple top, mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, 25.5 inch scale, and a faber tonelock all titanium bridge. and in terms of thickness, i'm talking about the width of the body, not really the sound (although it does sound pretty monstrous). and in terms of magnets, i'm generally gravitating more towards alnico II and V. and in terms of output/voicing, i'm looking for something high/contemporary output, but sounds vintagey, if that makes any sense (imagine a PAFalike that's suited for fuzz and high-gain stuff). i was originally thinking about a bkp black dog in the bridge and a mule in the neck, but that's when i got turned on to higher output pickups.

 

[Mr. Willy]

Since you mentioned the BK Black Dog:

 

[jjcor]

I had bareknuckle warpigs and they were great for that type of stuff. But they were a little dark.

 

[VH4_BigRig]

Hi, I'm looking for a good set of pickups for Doom Metal, Stoner Rock, Desert Rock, Swedish Death Metal, Grindcore, and Powerviolence.

I need something with loads of low-end and midrange, doesn't flub out when using fuzz, distortion, overdrive, and other effects, is gritty and grimey in all sense of the words, and is tight when it needs to be.

As soon as I read this, the first pickup set that came to mind for me was an EMG 60 in the neck and EMG 85 in the bridge...is there any particular reason you don't want actives? Like chumbucket said earlier, your pedals and amp are probably the more important factors for getting the tone you want! Not into it myself, but I believe a lot of the doom guys seem to like Sunn and Ampeg amps...

 

[mooncobra]

Duncan custom 5

 

[Whatamada]

Of all the pickups I've used the one that always take the cake is the Lundgren M6.
It's fantastic in every way. Tight, articulate, clear, warm and crisp.
Check em out, the quality is great!

Cheers!!

 

[Smeghead]

thanks for the recommendations guys! i think i'm gonna get a set of custom avedissian pickups. cheers!

 

[moltenmetalburn]

Thanks for the recommendations so far! The reason why I say I'm worried about the BKP's being too dark is because the dude who recommended the Alnico Warpigs said that they can be extremely dark and not versatile at all in certain guitars. And I know that doesn't go for all BKP pickups, but I'm just worried because of how thick my guitar is.

start with the alnico nailbomb, youll like that one.