Best Hot Humbucker

[Driver Blues]

I've got a single humbucker Telecaster made of basswood with a maple neck. I'm looking for a warm, thick hot humbucker. Nothing over the top, because I want it to be able to clean up. My heaviest sounds are Black Sabbath and my cleanest sounds are usually a warm bluesy overdrive. Not a big fan of modern or scoopy sounds. I play mostly rythmn, but sometimes I want to make it cry or sing. Right now it has a Jazz and let me tell you, not my cup of tea. My searches have lead me to 5 options.

The Custom Custom, Tone Zone, and Wolfgang MIA are especially similar if anyone would be able to pick out the differences between them.

I'm kind of leaning towards the Dimarzio and Lawrence offerings simply because of the double creme offerings, but I'm not big on aesthetic if one pickup is leaps and bounds ahead of the other ones.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

The Lawrence kinda doesn't belong in that category. It's the opposite of "thick", I think.

 

[Seashore]

Maybe an Invader or an alnico BKP Warpig?

 

[Mincer]

In order of hotness, from low to high, I think these are your SD choices: Alnico II Pro, Custom Custom, Invader, and SLUG. None of these sound particularly 'modern' at all, and all are ideal for doomy goodness. It really depends on how hard you want to push the input of the amp.

 

[htrd]

SLUG is an amazing pickup but it is too extreme for the doomy tones if you are using fuzz and muff pedals. I use an A-pig for this, but something less hot can work even better. You don't need an extra hot or dark signal to push your Big Muff, it will make a wooly mess even from the vintage single coils.
If the Jazz didn't work for you I'd try the Custom 2, it is warm and buttery. Also I would look at the Pearly Gates Trembucker and BKP Holy Diver.

 

[Artie]

The Perpetual Burn does a great clean. And can get dirty when called for. I think it may be my favorite Duncan pickup.

 

[Chistopher]

I'd say the top 4 definitely fit in that bracket. The L500XL is kinda out of place though.

 

[Driver Blues]

Maybe one other thing I should have mentioned, I don't play with distortion pedals, all my gain comes from my JCM800. I'll have to look into all the pedals mentioned and I'll report back

 

[Driver Blues]

*pickups mentioned

Yeah I guess the Lawrence is a little different, maybe I'll save that idea for a different guitar.
The Custom Custom seems to be in the middle between the EVH and the Tone Zone, with the Tone Zone being thicker and the EVH being brighter.
The Super Distortion seems to still be thick, but have a harder edge than the above 3 models.
I don't particularly care for the Invader because the one I tried sounded nice, but those massive hex caps reside in a spot I often pick.
​​​​War Pigs and Holy Diver sound like pretty cool options, but a little out of my price range at the moment.
I've got a Pearly Gates sitting around, I think it will still be a little too thin for this guitar.
Perpetual Burn will be researched further, it may be a winner if it gets wooly with the proper right hand technique.

As to the SLUG, is this one of those pickups that's more versatile than the marketing would have you believe? I'll definitely add it to the list of pickups to look deeper into.

 

[fretburner]

L-500XL is not warm at all. It's very bright.

 

[pkailas]

I have a Wolfgang USA EVH Signature and a Fender Player Strat with a Schaller Floyd with a Custom Custom. They both have great pickups! Since they are not on the same guitar, I can't say which is better. The two guitars sound different. Which one is better depends on which side of the bed I got out of.

 

[Mincer]

Maybe one other thing I should have mentioned, I don't play with distortion pedals, all my gain comes from my JCM800. I'll have to look into all the pedals mentioned and I'll report back

Then the last 3 on my list should be considered: CC, Invader, SLUG.

 

[Seashore]

I don't particularly care for the Invader because the one I tried sounded nice, but those massive hex caps reside in a spot I often pick.
​​​​War Pigs and Holy Diver sound like pretty cool options, but a little out of my price range at the moment.

The Invader can stand to be backed away from the strings farther than most other pickups (and IMO it sounds better that way), so if you're running into the hex caps with your pick, you can probably get it out of the way without losing anything.

BKPs are expensive, but Warpigs and Holy Divers can be had cheaper on the used market than some of their trendier signature models, and they do hold onto resale value if you wind up wanting to move them along.

 

[Ascension]

I've got a single humbucker Telecaster made of basswood with a maple neck. I'm looking for a warm, thick hot humbucker. Nothing over the top, because I want it to be able to clean up. My heaviest sounds are Black Sabbath and my cleanest sounds are usually a warm bluesy overdrive. Not a big fan of modern or scoopy sounds. I play mostly rythmn, but sometimes I want to make it cry or sing. Right now it has a Jazz and let me tell you, not my cup of tea. My searches have lead me to 5 options.

The Custom Custom, Tone Zone, and Wolfgang MIA are especially similar if anyone would be able to pick out the differences between them.

I'm kind of leaning towards the Dimarzio and Lawrence offerings simply because of the double creme offerings, but I'm not big on aesthetic if one pickup is leaps and bounds ahead of the other ones.

For those tones there is a pickup that you don't have listed you need to consider.
That is the Dimarzio Gravity Storm. Really expressive, huge sounding pickup that opens up and cleans up with touch, very well. This is one that flies under the radar but can be spectacular in the right guitar.
Very big sounding pickup that is smooth and expressive, but also has nice mid-kick and great solo voice. It is a MUCH different pickup from the other Dimarzio Vaipickups.
Would be a REALLY killer pickup for a single pickup guitar.
Demo

 

[Ascension]

Maybe one other thing I should have mentioned, I don't play with distortion pedals, all my gain comes from my JCM800. I'll have to look into all the pedals mentioned and I'll report back

And this is one of the reasons you REALLY need to consider the Dimarzio Gravity Storm bridge. I like you, don't run many pedals and rely mostly on my amps natural crunch tones. The Gravity Storm sounds like the best thick overwound PAF you have ever played but with a huge dose of steroids. Had one for a while, but it was so different from the other pickups I have, I got rid of it and went another direction. Saying that, I still miss it for some things, and they are very, very good sounding pickups. For the tones you are talking and the set-up you are running, I honestly can't think of a better pickup.

 

[Securb]

I used a Lawrence L500XL for metal and did not find it bright, it delivered the goods. Dimebag also used the same pickup, and his guitar tone has a lot of weight, grunt, and thud. Not an extreme metal player, but Nuno also is a Lawrence L500XL guy...see what I did there.

 

[ErikH]

The Perpetual Burn does a great clean. And can get dirty when called for. I think it may be my favorite Duncan pickup.

This or the Custom Custom or the DiMarzio Super Distortion.

Crazy enough, I have all 3 here at the house...LOL.

 

[beaubrummels]

My first thought was DiMarzio Super 3

 

[superpete]

rio grande bbq is warm, thick, and voiced in a classic humbucker way

 

[EmiAba]

My vote is for the good old super distortion. With a distinctive sound, thick, with enough power, good cleans. A guitar with only one pick up? No regrets, a SD