Rock":csb78n3u said:
Hi all, I am currently in a quandry in chosing the right pickup for my guitars. I have 3 Ibanez's (2 RG's and 1 S) with DiMarzio D-Activators installed. I liked the sound and was making it my pup of choice until I picked up a used RG Prestige with SD Balckouts installed. I think the Blackouts blow the D-Activators away with their crunch, killer sustain and warmth when playing lead. The D-Activators have good crunch but are more ice-picky and quickly lose their sustain. I find the SD's to be so smooth when playing and effortless while the DiMarzio's require much more accuracy when picking notes. This is just how it feels to me anyway. I'm running my guitars through an Engl Powerball II and play a progressive style with more aggressive riffs and leads (ex. Nevermore). Anyway, I'd really like to find a passive pup that sounds like the Blackout (if that's even possible). I hate the look of active pickups (plastic case) and they would look even worse in my Ibanez HSH configurations. I was thinking of trying the DiMarzio CrunchLab and Liquifire combo (Petrucci) but am afraid they won't have the grit I'm looking for. Any suggestions are welcome. Please send your comments as I'm looking for additional knowledge on the subject. Thanks.
I don't think you will find what you are looking for with passives. What you said you liked about actives is pretty much the massive output and compression they provide.
If you really want to start using passives you will have to stop relying on gain and compression which can be hard. I used EMGs for years and eventually switched back to passives. I realized that high gain and active pickups allowed me to become sloppy, lazy, and less precise. Over the years I have been consistently lowering the gain and striving for more accuracy with my playing. Actives can be great, but like you noted they make things easier because they can hide sloppy technique and require you to dig in less.
With that being said, I would definitely not try Bare Knuckle Pickups, at least for now. Some of them are very high output, but they are a lot clearer and less forgiving than what you are used to in actives. I think that is a reason why people don't like them. I love them, but they will expose your flaws.
For passives you will probably want to look at pickups that are super hot right now like the De-activator X, X2N, Dimebucker, and things like that.
In the end though I think I will be more beneficial to get rid of actives, lower the gain on your amp, and focus on playing more accurately. Making things easier to play and hiding your flaws isn't really going to help you in the end.
