I'm in the middle of a guitar rebuilding project, turning a mostly forgotten and very distressed strat copy into something that I might actually want to play. There is a whole woodworking and refinishing thing also going on which I won't get into (long story short; finishing guitars by hand is hard) but of course there is the much more exciting bit with the electronics.
This guitar is routed for HSS, but I have replaced the pickguard and will be fitting her out as just a single humbucker. The question is which humbucker, and that is what brings me to you.
This guitar is definitely not going to versatile; it's going to be my Drop C guitar for playing metally metal and nothing else. I almost feel spoilt for choice when it comes to that kind of pickup these days, but also a bit out of my depth. It's hard to make a confident choice when it seems everything would be pretty good. If I'm going to drop £100+ then I want something that fits well, ******.
I am looking for chuggy rhythm with clear definition at the bottom end. I am not a lead player, but I play some fills and easy/short solos, so the top end needs to be reasonable but isn't my biggest concern. I'm much more of a modern metal kind of guy - Bands like Chimaira and Machine Head, rather than your black metal.
I don't know what wood the body is by the way; when I got the finish off I found a very pale, very hard wood and a lot of black epoxy/grain filler. Make of that what you will.
Black Winter or Nazgul both seem appropriate, but I am a bit uncertain because I can't really tell the difference from how they are described and/or reviewed. They both seem to be “good”. And then Bare Knuckle Pickups make about 7 different pickups that they swear are great for downtuning (Aftermath, Ragnarok, Painkiller, etc) but which I again cannot begin to tell apart, and which also cost a premium.
Many swear by actives – A Blackout Metal would seem an obvious choice, but so would an EMG81. I am not opposed to active at all, and in fact I'm tempted because I like the extra clarity, but choosing one or another is still a problem. Oh and then there are these Fluence things I have heard about, which are apparently good but versatility isn't my goal here.
I have too many choices – Someone for the love of god help me narrow this down.
This guitar is routed for HSS, but I have replaced the pickguard and will be fitting her out as just a single humbucker. The question is which humbucker, and that is what brings me to you.
This guitar is definitely not going to versatile; it's going to be my Drop C guitar for playing metally metal and nothing else. I almost feel spoilt for choice when it comes to that kind of pickup these days, but also a bit out of my depth. It's hard to make a confident choice when it seems everything would be pretty good. If I'm going to drop £100+ then I want something that fits well, ******.
I am looking for chuggy rhythm with clear definition at the bottom end. I am not a lead player, but I play some fills and easy/short solos, so the top end needs to be reasonable but isn't my biggest concern. I'm much more of a modern metal kind of guy - Bands like Chimaira and Machine Head, rather than your black metal.
I don't know what wood the body is by the way; when I got the finish off I found a very pale, very hard wood and a lot of black epoxy/grain filler. Make of that what you will.
Black Winter or Nazgul both seem appropriate, but I am a bit uncertain because I can't really tell the difference from how they are described and/or reviewed. They both seem to be “good”. And then Bare Knuckle Pickups make about 7 different pickups that they swear are great for downtuning (Aftermath, Ragnarok, Painkiller, etc) but which I again cannot begin to tell apart, and which also cost a premium.
Many swear by actives – A Blackout Metal would seem an obvious choice, but so would an EMG81. I am not opposed to active at all, and in fact I'm tempted because I like the extra clarity, but choosing one or another is still a problem. Oh and then there are these Fluence things I have heard about, which are apparently good but versatility isn't my goal here.
I have too many choices – Someone for the love of god help me narrow this down.
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