I'm looking to replace some Jackson stocks, but kind of having buyers paralysis on deciding which pickup I should get. I've been listening to pickup comparisons for the last week on youtube, watched all the Keith Merrow videos, and have been reading a lot of these forums and others. Finally deciding to make a post and see if anyone here can give me a little more insight.
Here is the guitar I just purchased. https://www.jacksonguitars.com/gear/...exq/2919904587
It has poplar body, which I hear is close to alder, and I mainly play out of an Engl Powerball 2 and Engl Savage 120. I play different kinds of metal (power, thrash, groove, modern) and hard rock dropped to C#, and also play in a cover band as well, doing stuff like ACDC, Metallica, ZZ Top etc.. I have a JB in 2 of my other guitars, one is a Jackson RR5FR with an alder body and it sounds great in it. So I'm very accustomed to the JB, but just wasn't sure if I should play it safe with what I know or try something new. I also have an EMG-81 in another guitar which I also like.
After watching videos for endless hours my gut instinct tells me to stick with the JB, but I've been hearing a lot of good things about the Black Winter which is my second choice, and have been trying to look into it a lot. People say that it's also versatile, but some say too aggressive and ice-pickey. I hear it being compared to an Sh-6, which is a pickup I don't really like, but cuts better and not so thin sounding. The Sh-5 Custom also sounded pretty good from the '6 String Shootout Metal Bridge Comparison' video. I've also considered a Pegasus/Sentient combo, but that might be a little too scooped and afraid it might not cut that well in a mix.
Having a tighter low end might spruce up my recordings and be a little more modern sounding, but it seems the JB has the best lead work, and solos are pretty important for me. So hard for me to choose. These 3 pickups seemed to stand out for me though.
Here is the guitar I just purchased. https://www.jacksonguitars.com/gear/...exq/2919904587
It has poplar body, which I hear is close to alder, and I mainly play out of an Engl Powerball 2 and Engl Savage 120. I play different kinds of metal (power, thrash, groove, modern) and hard rock dropped to C#, and also play in a cover band as well, doing stuff like ACDC, Metallica, ZZ Top etc.. I have a JB in 2 of my other guitars, one is a Jackson RR5FR with an alder body and it sounds great in it. So I'm very accustomed to the JB, but just wasn't sure if I should play it safe with what I know or try something new. I also have an EMG-81 in another guitar which I also like.
After watching videos for endless hours my gut instinct tells me to stick with the JB, but I've been hearing a lot of good things about the Black Winter which is my second choice, and have been trying to look into it a lot. People say that it's also versatile, but some say too aggressive and ice-pickey. I hear it being compared to an Sh-6, which is a pickup I don't really like, but cuts better and not so thin sounding. The Sh-5 Custom also sounded pretty good from the '6 String Shootout Metal Bridge Comparison' video. I've also considered a Pegasus/Sentient combo, but that might be a little too scooped and afraid it might not cut that well in a mix.
Having a tighter low end might spruce up my recordings and be a little more modern sounding, but it seems the JB has the best lead work, and solos are pretty important for me. So hard for me to choose. These 3 pickups seemed to stand out for me though.
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