Black Winter or what?

Rex_Rocker

Rex_Rocker

Well-known member
Hi!

I just got an Epiphone Les Paul Custom. It plays greats, and sounds nice and loud acoustically. I like it.

The stock pickups are alright. They're not very metal, though. They're bright and weak. The neck pickup is OK, I guess, but the bridge pickup leaves me underwhelmed. Don't get me wrong. I like PAF types just fine, but I've never really fallen in love with Alnico II pickups. I want a pickup that will get me a crushing metal rhythm tone. I play mostly Gothenburg-y Melodeath.

I have tried and loved the Black Winter set before. However, I also like to try new pickups. I wonder what you guys recommend I try next. I like an aggressive, cutting upper-mid emphasis, kinda held back lower mids for added clarity, and a chunky, fast, tight, modern low-end. I also like the Duncan Distortion, but in all honesty, I prefer the Black Winter by just a bit.

What other pickups fit this description? Or should I play it safe and get a Black Winter for the bridge?

Thanks!
 
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I just put a BW in my Strat and I am thrilled. I also have a Dimebucker in another guitar that is great at "Delivering The Goods".
 
I have the Nazgul/ Sentient combo as standard issue in my Schecter Banshee. Everything in black, the logo, the base plate, even the screws. Looks as but not sound as Gothenburgisch as the Duncan Distortion. Must be the lower DCR.
 
I'd say go for the BW if you already know you love the sound. Sentient/Pegasus if you want something different, but still heavy yet versatile. Sentient/Nazgul if you only ever plan to play heavy stuff with tons of distortion always and forever.
 
Nazgul seems to be the top runner up. It's a pickup I've always wanted to try, especially for the LOTR reference, LOL. I don't ever play cleans on the bridge pickup, so the lack of versatility doesn't bother me.

I'm not sure about the Pegasus. From the clips I've heard, it sounds a bit too tame and round. Not got the ferocity of the 'Winter or the Nazgul. Then again, haven't heard it in person.

I remember seeing someone got a Custom Shop one with a gold cover and the Ring's inscriptions engraved. Does anyone remember such a thing? That'd look badass in my Epi.
 
You'd be fine playing it safe with the Winter bridge, since you know you'll like the sound. I have the Winters in an Epiphone Les Paul PlusTop Pro, and they sound massive and killer. Having said that, if you're looking for a mid-favored EQ curve and plenty of bite in your pickup, and you don't care about versatility, the Nazgul would be ideal. It's a chug monster, it's got the upper-mid spike you're looking for, and the low end is tight and controllable.

Flip a coin if you can't decide. :D It's a good problem to have. If you do go Nazgul, as others have said the Sentient is a good neck pairing.
 
Nah, probably not going to swap the neck pickup. The Probucker 2 sounds fine, and TBH, I rarely ever use it.

Definitely not interested in the Sentient, TBH. It's often described as a mix between the Jazz and the '59, and, in all honesty, I like neither, LOL.
 
Rex_Rocker said:
How about the DiMarzio X2N? How do you guys think it compares to the 'Winter?
Click to expand...

It's wider and flatter sounding than the BW. Ease-of-play (feel) is similar though.
If you did go X2N it would probably need a shorter neck pickup ring to mount so that you could get it away from the strings far enough to make clear notes all the way up the board.

IMO with the full-mahogany neck and body guitars, the pickups with lower dcr (but still high output) tend to produce a cleaner more percussive feel to the lows.

If the guitar had a maple neck I would probably try the BW first.

Going for the tones that you are, I think the Nazgul's slightly lower output and lower dcr will help the lows have more body and weight, and the Nazgul's clankier upper-mid spike would inject more cut.

Never can tell though with wood, and of course string tuning, brand, and tension are big factors also.
 
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I have never played the Nazgul but have always been interested in that pickup. I can't wait to hear about your experience with both.
 
Rex_Rocker said:
…
I like an aggressive, cutting upper-mid emphasis, kinda held back lower mids for added clarity, and a chunky, fast, tight, modern low-end. …
Click to expand...
sounds like a dimebucker to me!
or maybe too over the top?
or maybe that new jupiter model?
 
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Alright, reporting back!

I tried both pickups for a couple of days each. I tried the Nazgul first. I really like it! It's bright, aggressive, and surprisingly high output (I was expecting something kinda mid-output based on the DCR, but it's pretty hot!). At first I thought, "yeah, it's gonna be hard to beat this."

But then I tried the Black Winter. Man, this is my pickup. It's ridiculously hot, but still very very clear. It's also chunkier and less harsh. It's VERY aggressive, but I feel the mids are placed just right. The Nazgul had a bit of a honk and clank that was inherent. The Black Winter has a bit of that clank as well (I feel that's kind of a Duncan thing that I've found in all of their ceramic pups), but it seems more even in while still maintaining aggression and focus. It's just the perfect pickup for me.

Probably going to keep the Nazgul to keep in another guitar, but for now, the Black Winter beat the Nazgul. I don't regret ordering the Nazgul, though. Like I said, it's a cool pickup, and it was definitely worth trying. But I think the 'Winter is my favorite pickup!
 
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