Pickup suggestions for modern metal

[mchn13]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I bought a Juggernaut over the weekend. Should be here by the end of the week hopefully! I will report back.

How did it work out? I’ve been bouncing back and forth between my Jackson’s lately. I changed the tuning a little and now I think I prefer the nazgul.

 

[D-Rock]

Dimarzio D-Activator excells fast tracking detuned high gain.
Also look at the SD Black Winter.

 

[slaveunit]

Dimarzio D-Activator excells fast tracking detuned high gain.
Also look at the SD Black Winter.

Exactly the 2 I was going to mention. The D Activator tracks well but sounds big at the same time.

 

[JerEvil]

Painkiller or SD Nazgul would be cool. Both work well with my Gemini. Haven't tried other of the BKPs listed

If you are considering Dimarzio 36th anniversary. You may want to look at Surh Thornbucker +. I have one in a LP and it sounds great for what you are looking for.

Good to know as I believe this is in the bridge of my KM7!

 

[Exo-metal]

I gotta say I can and have been getting the heaviest tones for years w/o any new trend names like black winter, painkiller or nazgul. Old school Seymour Duncan pu's put out. A distortion or JB maybe a custom custom but my angle for heavy is what else is after that in the chain i.e. amp, speakers? There so many high gain amps and paired with the right cab the rest is in your attack not the latest trendy names for pickups. That is no BS, but if u want bs there's plenty out there.

 

[glip22]

I would not look at Black Winters. Those pickups have a crazy amount of magnet pull which will make your strings buzz on your neck. I am not the only one that has seen this. One I spoke to had the same issue. Very poor design.

 

[Fitrocker33]

I can’t speak for others but I’ve got a Nazgul in my horizon III and it’s been like/hate (mostly hate) since I got them. I had a Nazgul in a 7 string I used to have that sounded wayyy better to me. I think there is a tonal difference between 6 and 7 string models...

I myself am getting in spitting distance of going with some juggs more than likely.

 

[D-Rock]

I would not look at Black Winters. Those pickups have a crazy amount of magnet pull which will make your strings buzz on your neck. I am not the only one that has seen this. One I spoke to had the same issue. Very poor design.

What about the many, many users who have not experienced what you describe at all?

 

[MetalHeadMike]

I would not look at Black Winters. Those pickups have a crazy amount of magnet pull which will make your strings buzz on your neck. I am not the only one that has seen this. One I spoke to had the same issue. Very poor design.

What about the many, many users who have not experienced what you describe at all?

Yeah, how low was your action for that to have occurred?

I didn't experience anything like that when I had one in the bridge

I will say that in the particular setup I was running at the time I had a BW: (Walnut neckthrough superstrat>TS>Peavey Triple xxx2) it seemed that anytime time I tried to play with a lower gain setting on the amp, it sounded like ass. It seemed to be a very self distorted pickup. I typically don't play with a shit ton of gain for the stuff I play, but for some reason that setup w/ the BW bridge it just didn't sound good with lowerish gain. Could have been it just wasn't a good match for that amp for me. I hated that amp with a passion

I actually just picked up a DD, and I'm actually really excited to try it. At some point I plan on definitely getting another Black Winter to try with my current rigs.

 

[stratjacket]

I gotta say I can and have been getting the heaviest tones for years w/o any new trend names like black winter, painkiller or nazgul. Old school Seymour Duncan pu's put out. A distortion or JB maybe a custom custom but my angle for heavy is what else is after that in the chain i.e. amp, speakers? There so many high gain amps and paired with the right cab the rest is in your attack not the latest trendy names for pickups. That is no BS, but if u want bs there's plenty out there.

It’s fun to try different pickups, I’ve gone through my share of so many. I do have some old reliables though. I have a Caparison and Ibanez both with a bridge Dimarzio Evolution and a 7 String Blackat I loaded up with a bridge Evolution and they all slay. The Blackat was loaded up with BKP Painkillers and I was selling it, but after the swap to Evo, I kept it. I think the Evolution is just one of the best metal pickups of all time, haha.

 

[Detroit1973]

I'm Interested in The Bare Knuckles Ragnarock....Has Anyone Tried one?

 

[thegame]

It’s fun to try different pickups, I’ve gone through my share of so many. I do have some old reliables though. I have a Caparison and Ibanez both with a bridge Dimarzio Evolution and a 7 String Blackat I loaded up with a bridge Evolution and they all slay. The Blackat was loaded up with BKP Painkillers and I was selling it, but after the swap to Evo, I kept it. I think the Evolution is just one of the best metal pickups of all time, haha.

I recently swapped Painkillers for a set of Evolutions in one of my guitars. I prefer the Evolutions as well.

 

[psychodave]

Wow, lots of Bare Knuckle love. I tried 4 of their pickups and hated them all.

 

[D-Rock]

↑↑↑ Have either of you guys tried the Evo2? ↑↑↑

 

[mchn13]

I gotta say I can and have been getting the heaviest tones for years w/o any new trend names like black winter, painkiller or nazgul. Old school Seymour Duncan pu's put out. A distortion or JB maybe a custom custom but my angle for heavy is what else is after that in the chain i.e. amp, speakers? There so many high gain amps and paired with the right cab the rest is in your attack not the latest trendy names for pickups. That is no BS, but if u want bs there's plenty out there.

It’s fun to try different pickups, I’ve gone through my share of so many. I do have some old reliables though. I have a Caparison and Ibanez both with a bridge Dimarzio Evolution and a 7 String Blackat I loaded up with a bridge Evolution and they all slay. The Blackat was loaded up with BKP Painkillers and I was selling it, but after the swap to Evo, I kept it. I think the Evolution is just one of the best metal pickups of all time, haha.

Agreed. I just like trying shit out. I already know that I love the evo and the Duncan custom for modern metal (2 of my faves), so I try stuff out that fall in a similar category... ceramic mag, 13-14k output, etc...

 

[the4thlast1]

I also like the Fishman Fluence KSE alot, I have them in my Jackson and they kick all sorts of ass.

 

[ChurchHill]

Wow, lots of Bare Knuckle love. I tried 4 of their pickups and hated them all.

Just curious... which ones did you try?

 

[psychodave]

Wow, lots of Bare Knuckle love. I tried 4 of their pickups and hated them all.

Just curious... which ones did you try?

Rebel Yell, Painkiller, Nail Bomb, Juggernaut, Holy Diver and Mircle Man. No joke, I hate them all. I ordered the Nail Bomb with a ceramic magnet so I could change it out to an alnico 5 if I didn’t like it...welp, BK wires the pickup differently for ceramic magnets with no mentioned on their website. I explained to them that I’m handy and can work on electronics and wanted them to explain how to wire it up for alnico. They refused and wanted me to send it back for them to rewire for alnico. It would have cost me another $65 with shipping. I ended up selling it for a 50% loss...since nobody wanted it. Seriously, I don’t get the love for them.

 

[ChurchHill]

Thanks for letting me know. That's interesting about the different wiring between ceramic and alnico pickups... why would they do that? Anyway...

From those, I wasn't a fan of the C-Bomb or Miracle Man, either. I haven't tried the Juggernaut or the Painkiller, not really sure they'd be my kind of pickup. I do like the Holy Diver, but I have to re-EQ my amp when I use it. I like the Rebel Yell, too, but I think it's very guitar dependent.

OK, enough hijacking the thread from me tonight. Back to our regularly scheduled programming...

 

[D-Rock]

Oh, and I recommend SD Blackouts as well. Great mids, response, clarity, tracking...loud too. Not hi fi sounding or artificial feeling like some say about EMGs. They have great cutting but not harsh presence and deep, tight lows.