Best pickups to put in a Les Paul for metal?

[Triangle386]

What are the best Duncan’s to put in a Les Paul for metal?

I have 2 Les Paul Standards that I’m looking to put a couple different sets in. I mostly play 80s and 90s thrash metal and my amp is a Mesa Boogie Mark VII with a JCM800 1960B cab. The only Duncan pickup I’ve used in the past is the Distortion and I loved it. Planning putting it in one of them.

For bridge pickups I was thinking about a Distortion in one and a JB in the other. Also considering an Invader but have heard mixed reviews about them being muddy in a Les Paul.

For the necks I’m having a hard time deciding what to pair with them but I’m leaning towards a Jazz in one and ‘59 in the other. Also looked at getting the Hot Rodded set and the Mayhem set to make it easy but not sure about the high output Distortion neck.

Any recommendations you guys have would be awesome! Thanks​

 

[jeremy]

welcome to the forum!

i love the custom in the bridge of a lp, matches up great with a 59n

 

[Securb]

I have a Black Winter set in my Les Paul. The bridge is what you would expect, and the neck was a pleasant surprise—beautifully clean, with a lot of bloom, and very musical. Here is a clip of me playing the bridge in my LP.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Honestly, lots of great options that can work depending on what you want.

• JB is a good place to start. It's very mid-focused and takes distortion well. It's not got as much of an aggressive voicing as some other options, but I mean... Testament, right?
• Custom also pulls off Metal great. It's more scoopy than the JB with more lows and highs, but it can still be dialed in to sound tight and cutting. Great aggressive high-end voicing too. Exodus!
• Distortion is pretty much a JB on steroids. Bigger low-end, more aggressive raspy highs, and a similar high-mid emphasis.
• Black Winter is an even more over-the-top than the Distortion. Great aggressive attack, super tight low-end (tighter than all the previous options), and super focused midrange. Killer pickup.

I think the Jazz or the '59 match great with the JB or Custom, but I think the '59N or the Jazz N are a little underpowered for the Distortion and up.

Another option I'd like to throw out there is the Gibson 500T. KILLER pickup for Metal in a Les Paul.

 

[Seashore]

I think the Distortion is a great choice for the sounds you want. Distortion neck model is also a cool bridge pickup, it's nice and gritty with some bite on the pick attack.

A JB could be a great choice if one of those LPs is on the brighter side. If they both tend to be on the warmer/darker side, the JB might come off as a bit muddy. Same with an Invader, it can work but it's not guaranteed to be the best match. I like the Invader in a bright guitar and it can be backed away from the strings a good bit farther than most without sounding like crap.

I am a big fan of Bare Knuckles. For the sounds you like, a Cold Sweat (bright/scooped, good for a dark guitar) or ceramic Nailbomb (more midrange) would be my first guesses for your sounds.

If you want to be a guinea pig for the rest of us, check out the new JB Rails and tell us what it's like. I'm pretty eager to try it but I can't swing it right now.

 

[weepingminotaur]

I've had Black Winters in my Les Paul and highly recommend. They'll do anything you want, from the most vicious metal to cleans and blues. The neck pickup, as Securb mentioned, is a treat.

JB-Jazz (or JB-'59, depending on whether you like brightness or warmth in your neck pup) would be fine too. So many classic metal records were made with JBs so you'll be in the ballpark for lots of bands instantaneously.

 

[80's_Thrash_Metal]

Distortion or Black Winter are also my choices. They are ballsy and rich with harmonics.

 

[Mincer]

There are a lot of choices! The Mayhem set is great in an LP, as are the Black Winters and the Pegasus/Sentient combo. Honestly, look at all the results in the high output pickup search and narrow them down to the type of metal you want and the EQ you are shooting for. Someone here is bound to have experience with ones you narrow it down to, except the very newest ones.

 

[Seashore]

I would stay away from the Pegasus for thrash. It's a nice pickup but it's not aggressive.

 

[orpheo]

I would stay away from the Pegasus for thrash. It's a nice pickup but it's not aggressive.

I am of a differing opinion. I think the Pegasus is a great pickup for thrash (megadeth, if that's still considered thrash). I enjoy its open character, the bite, the growl, and how it flows in the leads. I think the Pegasus and Sentient is one of SD's best combinations. Makes me wanna play play play and not stop.

 

[Seashore]

I am of a differing opinion. I think the Pegasus is a great pickup for thrash (megadeth, if that's still considered thrash). I enjoy its open character, the bite, the growl, and how it flows in the leads. I think the Pegasus and Sentient is one of SD's best combinations. Makes me wanna play play play and not stop.

It's nice for leads. Nice tone overall. It doesn't have the pick attack or metallic top end of the Distortion, or the heft of the JB. I liked its character for cleans to medium gain, but it's lacking to my ears and hands for high gain sounds, just doesn't hit hard enough no matter how I set my amp or dig in.

I tried it with a ceramic and with shorter pole pieces and it got closer to what I wanted but farther away from what made it a good pickup in the first place, if that makes sense. And still not quite enough teeth. I tried it back to back with a DDn and a Distortion and both of those were better fits. My Pegasus is actually pinch-hitting in the neck spot of a guitar with a Distortion in the bridge at the moment. Since the OP already knows he likes the Distortion, I think he'd be better served by something with similar output and attack and so forth.

 

[orpheo]

I understand your point, Seashore, but I play through a Revv Generator 120: that amp has all the girth and gain and chunk I need it to have. The Pegasus for me, works like a charm for heavy stuff, even/also downtuned stuff (I play in C standard with this thing), because it is clean, open, and my picking hand does the tightness. I have an insane aversion against pickups that are more than 10K in the neck position. Too fat, too sludgy, not airy enough, not clear, clean enough.

It lacks sizzle, what the SH6 has, and that's exactly why I like it. It feels to me like a supersharp Japanese knife made with Hitachi blue #2 steel. Maybe not to everybody's taste, but it works for me. I pick super-lightly, use thin gauge strings, and an amp that has all the drive and tonal options one could wish for.

 

[Seashore]

I understand your point, Seashore, but I play through a Revv Generator 120: that amp has all the girth and gain and chunk I need it to have. The Pegasus for me, works like a charm for heavy stuff, even/also downtuned stuff (I play in C standard with this thing), because it is clean, open, and my picking hand does the tightness. I have an insane aversion against pickups that are more than 10K in the neck position. Too fat, too sludgy, not airy enough, not clear, clean enough.

It lacks sizzle, what the SH6 has, and that's exactly why I like it. It feels to me like a supersharp Japanese knife made with Hitachi blue #2 steel. Maybe not to everybody's taste, but it works for me. I pick super-lightly, use thin gauge strings, and an amp that has all the drive and tonal options one could wish for.

My head is a VHT (Fryette) Pittbull 100CL - not lacking for gain with clarity, but there's still a point at which initial note definition starts to soften up with a lot of pickups. I felt like the Pegasus was plenty tight, it was just nowhere near attacky enough for me. I use thicker strings and tend to pick pretty hard; like I said, the bite just wasn't there. I could imagine it working better in a snappier guitar with more natural "bite". Some LPs do that, but some don't. I guess it would come down to the individual guitar (and amp and playing style) as to whether or not it would be a good fit.

I don't love it in the neck position but it's ok. Sort of Jazz-like. I will replace it at some point but it's not a priority. Incidentally the guitar that I first bought it for finally came to life with a BKP Rebel Yell in the bridge. Not miles away from what I wanted the Pegasus to be when I first got it, but more in-your-face.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I have not played a Pegasus, but there are some pickups that have a rounder attack. Honestly, for me, the JB is almost on the edge of not having an aggressive enough attack on some guitars for me. That's why I tend to like it more with the Boss SD-1 which brings out the attack a bit more. However, I do think the JB works well on Gibsons because they have the bridge pickup closer to the bridge itself than may other brands.

The Nazgul also comes to mind. I honestly didn't recommend the Nazgul becuase I felt it's a tad too fat in the low mids and polite in the attack when I tried it on my Gibson, but I'm sure the right boost could bring out the attack and focus it a bit more.

I am not saying the Pegasus is like that. I have not tried. But I do think some pickups are more aggressive than others.

 

[weepingminotaur]

The Nazgul also comes to mind. I honestly didn't recommend the Nazgul becuase I felt it's a tad too fat in the low mids and polite in the attack when I tried it on my Gibson, but I'm sure the right boost could bring out the attack and focus it a bit more.

That is maybe the first time I've seen the word "polite" used to describe the Nazgul in any way!

I find the Nazgul has lots of attack and snarl, beyond its stated DCR.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

That is maybe the first time I've seen the word "polite" used to describe the Nazgul in any way!

I find the Nazgul has lots of attack and snarl, beyond its stated DCR.

When I made the thread about the Nazgul, I think there was someone agreen with my assertion of the Nazgul's high-end. It's a cool pickup, but I do find it's got a very modern and refined voicing compared to the more old-school dirtier-sounding options like the Distortion.

JMO, of course.

 

[MetalMark]

I would consider not limiting yourself to Duncans. Personally, I would have a duncan distortion in one guitar for sure. The other could be a dimarzio super distortion (my second choice which also covers hard rock) or a EMG81 (if you're into that more modern sound).

 

[EmiAba]

All good suggestions here. I'd like two add a couple more. The thrash factor set and the old good super distortion with a paf in the neck

 

[Hiwatts and Gibsons]

I don't have a lot of experience with Duncan Humbuckers, so I won't speak to those. I do love their single coils I have put in guitars. Otoh I have played through most of Gibson's Humbuckers and imo it is hard to beat the tried and true 490R/498T set up for all things hard rock and metal. Slayer riffs sound mean af with that set up in a LP or SG.

 

[Bill Dennis]

What are the best Duncan’s to put in a Les Paul for metal?

I have 2 Les Paul Standards that I’m looking to put a couple different sets in. I mostly play 80s and 90s thrash metal and my amp is a Mesa Boogie Mark VII with a JCM800 1960B cab. The only Duncan pickup I’ve used in the past is the Distortion and I loved it. Planning putting it in one of them.

For bridge pickups I was thinking about a Distortion in one and a JB in the other. Also considering an Invader but have heard mixed reviews about them being muddy in a Les Paul.

For the necks I’m having a hard time deciding what to pair with them but I’m leaning towards a Jazz in one and ‘59 in the other. Also looked at getting the Hot Rodded set and the Mayhem set to make it easy but not sure about the high output Distortion neck.

Any recommendations you guys have would be awesome! Thanks​

Most amps these days have more than enough gain for any output level a guitar has. The world is your oyster as they say. I like JB's and Customs generally for higher output.