Hey man . I have the Duncan Distortions in my new Charvel So-cal and Afwayu's in my Les Paul. The clarity comment is interesting. The Afwayu's are SO MUCH more clearer than the Distortions it's not even funny. For years here I've heard people rave about the distortion , and I can't wait to rip them out! I mean they aren't terrible, but sound like they have a blanket on them compared to the Afwayu's.
The Afwayu is not a dark pickup at all. I have grown to really like them. My only complaints are that they probably have too much bottom end (I didn't think this would be possible!) and maybe could use a little more grit in the mids for my tastes. It probably doesn't help that they are in a Les Paul for bottom end, however its not "flubby" bottom. But they do sound really good. They sound great split. The neck pickup is so clear for a hum bucker.
Wade really likes the Blackbelts - so I bought them, and end up returning them. Not enough balls for me. They are super clear sounding too - to a point of fault for me. When hitting cords, and playing fast I could hear the individual strings ringing out. At first it was really cool, but after a while it was weird sounding - like you were playing individual strings and not the full sound of the chord. I couldn't get over that, and wanted a bit more output so they went back. For lighter styles of music besides hard rock / metal they sounded great - but that's not me.
I will say I've been very interested to try a set of Detroiters , but been a bit shy of the output being half of the Afwayu and wondering if it would work for me. If I could find a used one I'd probably get it and give it a spin.
Good luck with your decision!
