Nazgul vs... Alnico 2?

[Sparky DeLong]

I've been looking for a Duncan replacement for a Humbucker in a Schecter I recently picked up, cheap. It's not bad, just a little too... muddy(?) for my taste. I prefer something a little tighter, although the music I'm making lately seems to trend towards stoner metal(?) - think Fireball Ministry. I recently made a personal demo of all the Humbucker bridge pickup guitars I have (7) and I was surprised to find that my two favorites are the Charvel with a JB in the bridge (actually no surprise there) and the stock Alnico II bucker in the MiM Player HSS Strat (very surprised).

So, back to the task at hand; what to put in the Schecter. It's my "D-tuned with a Floyd" guitar, to complement my D-tuned Solar hard tail. I really want to try the Nazgul, if for no other reason than it's the best named pickup ever. I've seen some demos online and I like its balance - heavy but not as "harsh" as the Black Winter. But maybe a Pearly Gates or Alnico II Pro JB would work. It's all so subjective lol.

To be clear, I'm just using these guitars to do home recordings, using virtual amps... mostly Amplitube, for what it's worth. Is there any validity that a low output bucker works just as well with a software amp as a high output? I'm really just trying to figure this all out. Pretty sure in the long-run I'll end up getting both, but I don't have a lot of space for a guitar with every pickup. If only!

[Calsip]

Nazgul is phenomenal, I personally prefer the Pegasus though. I have one in my HSS MiM Strat (Pegasus that is). Nazgul is more mid ranging if my memory is correct. I play a lot of pedal riffs and metalcore styled guitar so that may be why I prefer the Pegasus’s crunchiness and versatility. The Nazgul seems to be more of metal focused and is way tighter. Don’t think that doesn’t mean the Pegasus isn’t... Tight and metal Nazgul, more versatile and bigger low end Pegasus. If you want to ever go clean... Pegasus is my preferred of the two. Both fantastic and can not go wrong.


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[Sparky DeLong]

Ah yes! I love the Pegasus. I put a Pegasus/Sentient pair into a cheapo ESP (with a good neck) and it's my C-tune beast. Really impressed with the clarity of each string when you play a bar-A chord anywhere on the neck, with the lower 4th on the e-string. It really growls without losing the individual notes. I should have been clearer about what I already have. In the bridge, I have a Pegasus (c tune), unknown Korean 57ish (e tune), JB (e tune with Floyd), Solar (Custom 5ish?, d tune), MiM Strat Alnico II (e tune), Tele w/TB6 (e tune), and the Schecter (d tune with Floyd). So, with the Schecter, looking to complement the existing herd with something different. Now you have me thinking I need to get a Pegasus for the current Schecter and then get another guitar for a Pegasus (or Nazgul!) in d tune with a hard tail LOL. I'm going to need a bigger room. Don't tell my wife.

[weepingminotaur]

I'd vote Nazgul. It handles lower tunings really well, chugs like a beast, and has all the mids.

[Mincer]

The Pegasus has more of a broader reach, if you decide you want to do anything more than just super gain. The Custom is also a more classic choice, which sounds great at a multitude of tunings.

[Bogner]

For versatility and tightness, the Pegasus is tough to beat. For downright Chug only the Nazgul is tough to beat. The Black Winters are great at everything in my book. All of these pickups are nice when dialed in properly height wise.