Best all out metal pup with decent cleans?

Chazzy

New member
So recently i had the chance to play an invader in a schecter, And i really liked it alot, except, that the clean sounded kinda bad. I saw a video on youtube of the jb and jazz combo and it really sounded great, and the cleans also sound great, but does it have the heaviness that the invader does? does it cut through the mix well in a live situation? What about the seymour duncan distortion, how is that pup, would that in the neck and invader in the bridge sound any good? plz give me some recommendations, theres so many options and i just cant decide on any pickups....Id also be doing a coil split and it would be important if the neck pickup had lots of sustain for aggressive shredder solos

edit: id be playing thrash metal and heavy metal, but also a little jazz and classic rock cleans, that kinda stuff
Bands i play :Metallica, slayer, pantera, iron maiden, avenged sevenfold, guns n roses....
 
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Re: Best all out metal pup with decent cleans?

Welcome to the forum

If you want a pup that can do heavy but still have a decent clean than you might want to try the Alternative 8.

Also the Blackwinter set gets rave reviews for having a great clean sound along with a doing well under distortion.

Outside of Duncan look into wilde pickups the L500 series.
 
Re: Best all out metal pup with decent cleans?

I don't know if the JB would be described as being as heavy as the Invader, but I can attest to the fact that it certainly cuts through the mix. I second the motion of the Alternative 8, because it sounds like a JB on steroids and the Distortion makes a fantastic neck pickup. Never tried a Black Winter, but keep hearing great things about them. If I ever get tired of the 59/JB set in my Schecter, that's probably the set that I will replace them with.
 
Re: Best all out metal pup with decent cleans?

so a jb in the bridge and a distortion in the neck? altho something wouldnt seem right in that, the jb would be kinda smoothe sounding for rythm and the distortion would sound sorta harsh
What about the invader in the bridge and distortion in the neck? maybe combining the treble of the distortion with mids and bass of the invader could make for a decent clean? what do you think?
 
Re: Best all out metal pup with decent cleans?

so a jb in the bridge and a distortion in the neck? altho something wouldnt seem right in that, the jb would be kinda smoothe sounding for rythm and the distortion would sound sorta harsh
What about the invader in the bridge and distortion in the neck? maybe combining the treble of the distortion with mids and bass of the invader could make for a decent clean? what do you think?
No an Alternative 8 in the bridge with a Distortion in the neck.
 
Re: Best all out metal pup with decent cleans?

My philosophy is, though versatility is good, compromise is not.

Before trying a different bridge pickup, that is if you're really digging the Invader, why not change the neck pickup instead? Try the Jazz, 59, or Alnico Pro 2, and they should provide nice cleans. Jazz being the brightest, AP2 being the warmest. You could even split or parallel it with a clean boost. Plus, IME cleans in the neck pickup are more musical sounding than the bridge.

IME, bridge pickups usually have a signature sound/application/a certain mojo to it, but something thats an all-rounder will be mediocre across the board.
 
Re: Best all out metal pup with decent cleans?

If you really like the way the invader sounds keep it in the bridge and use a lower output pup in the neck to get a good clean.
 
Re: Best all out metal pup with decent cleans?

Distortion

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It is the DEFINITION of all out metal with decent cleans.
 
Re: Best all out metal pup with decent cleans?

PS - for the range of music; Metallica to jazz cleans? One pickup will be FAIL.

You should consider say a 59 or a Pearly Gates set with one helluva an amp and fx setup if you want good Jazz AND metal out of the same place.

Basically, you want EVERYTHING and one thing that can do it. That really doesn't exist anywhere in anything.

I'd go Jazz on the neck and save my metal for the bridge;

59 neck, with KILLER tone control, for Jazz & classic Rock cleans, (and Sweet Child under distortion)
Distortion Bridge for Metallica, Slayer, etc..…

Play a different style on each pup.
 
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Re: Best all out metal pup with decent cleans?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYqM_cIPzWM check out that link, jb and jazz combo, im not a fan of the jazz for soloing, its too smoothe, how would a full shred compare? i assume its harsher, maybe slightly more articulate, ive hear that it can get very good cleans, and im sure in combo with a jb the cleans would shine, what do you guys think? also what would the sustain be like with full shred, when i solo i really love high sustain
 
Re: Best all out metal pup with decent cleans?

Sustain comes from your amp and how good the wood your guitar is made of. I'm just assuming the Jazz would have a better clean than the full shred.
 
Re: Best all out metal pup with decent cleans?

Use low/mid outputs and an eq pedal.

off u see did MRSAge, I m on tapa talk and auto correct is hating on me
 
Re: Best all out metal pup with decent cleans?

its likely but i find that the full shred still excels in clean just as much as the jazz, its a lower output bucker in the neck so it wont drive my amp on the clean channel, its also alnico which i find has smoother and typically nicer cleans
 
Re: Best all out metal pup with decent cleans?

Don't forget the Custom 5 and C/59 Hybrid. With the right amp, those bridge pickups have a lot of range between clean and super high gain.

The Jazz neck is one of the few neck pickups that a metal guy would actually use for clean rhythms as well as being really articulate with high gain.
 
Re: Best all out metal pup with decent cleans?

jazz vs full shred? i find the full shred similar in output and stuff, ive heard it cuts through and solos well, which do u like better for sustain, cutting through the mix, high gain, and cleans
 
Re: Best all out metal pup with decent cleans?

I also think you should get a bridge pickup, like a Distortion or Invader, in the bridge, and a lower output wired to split, like a Screamin Demon or Jazz or whatever, in the neck. You will be very happy.
 
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