Black Winter owner.... Feedback so far????

[BleedingFingertips]

Re: Black Winter owner.... Feedback so far????

Swapping the ceramic magnet for your choice of Alnico reduces fizzyness.

Well... hmmm... In one thread it was said the BW had 3 large ceramics. So the choice is basically between A(2-8) and ceramic spacers, isn't it?

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Black Winter owner.... Feedback so far????

Yeah that works really well actually. I have a Custom with an A8 and ceramic spacers and it still sounds organic. But with a little fizz and bite from the ceramic spacers.

 

[Dahla]

Re: Black Winter owner.... Feedback so far????

I'm torn. I like how BW sounds on my records when using my amp modeler. Through Randall Diavlo RD40C, it sounds too fizzy and harsh without additional boost. I don't think it is the matter of high output. The lower output Nazgul has the same problem, whereas PATB-2 (distortion) which is appr. as loud as black winter sounds awesome regardless of amp settings.

I need more tube amps for tests to tell for sure :scratchch

Probably not the pickups fault then. Microphone(s), microphone placement, speakers, cabinets, room and know-how greatly dictates the outcome. More so than a simple mag swap!

Start with the basics when recording, I say!


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[BleedingFingertips]

Re: Black Winter owner.... Feedback so far????

Probably not the pickups fault then. Microphone(s), microphone placement, speakers, cabinets, room and know-how greatly dictates the outcome. More so than a simple mag swap!

Start with the basics when recording, I say!


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Yeah, I have yet to find the setup.

 

[Pilatvs]

Re: Black Winter owner.... Feedback so far????

I might have to put a set of Black Winters in my Charvel with triple shot rings.

Did this to my charvel 88. Really like it. Lots of variety in tones for sure. Usable tones in all triple shot settings.

 

[Dahla]

Re: Black Winter owner.... Feedback so far????

Yeah, I have yet to find the setup.

And don’t be afraid to use eq. [emoji4]

As far as the BW go though, I would try it with 250-300k pot first before mag swap if you wanna try *something* to tame pickup harshness. I use a guitarworks 280k pot, and I vastly prefer it as opposed to the 550k pot I had in there before.


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[BleedingFingertips]

Re: Black Winter owner.... Feedback so far????

And don’t be afraid to use eq. [emoji4]

I'm not afraid of anything not involving soldering or violating the product warranty in general :cool2:

 

[weepingminotaur]

Re: Black Winter owner.... Feedback so far????

Just adding my two cents of experience to this long-running thread. Had the BW set installed in my Epi Les Paul Standard PlusTop Pro, plugged into a Marshall 30-watt practice amp, with an MRX distortion pedal. My LP has been reborn! I read tons of BW reviews before making the purchase, and they do everything advertised and more. The bridge is crisp and cutting, really brightens up my all-mahogany LP, with great definition when distorted and usable lead tones.

The neck ... man. I've never encountered a neck pickup like this one. It's crazy good / versatile / playable. Rock leads, blues leads, cleans, jazz tones, funk even ... it's all there. Splits very well too. Sensitive to rolling back the volume in a good way. I haven't even gotten into experimenting with the mid position yet. All in all, two thumbs up! I want to thank everyone here for all the insightful commentary on the Winters. It gave me a really clear picture of what they could do and they haven't disappointed me at all.

 

[Lucy Diamond]

Re: Black Winter owner.... Feedback so far????

Just adding my two cents of experience to this long-running thread. Had the BW set installed in my Epi Les Paul Standard PlusTop Pro, plugged into a Marshall 30-watt practice amp, with an MRX distortion pedal. My LP has been reborn! I read tons of BW reviews before making the purchase, and they do everything advertised and more. The bridge is crisp and cutting, really brightens up my all-mahogany LP, with great definition when distorted and usable lead tones.

The neck ... man. I've never encountered a neck pickup like this one. It's crazy good / versatile / playable. Rock leads, blues leads, cleans, jazz tones, funk even ... it's all there. Splits very well too. Sensitive to rolling back the volume in a good way. I haven't even gotten into experimenting with the mid position yet. All in all, two thumbs up! I want to thank everyone here for all the insightful commentary on the Winters. It gave me a really clear picture of what they could do and they haven't disappointed me at all.

I LOVE that you love them and I'm so happy this thread is still going strong.

I'm like...five years into my Winters and they still blow me away. That neck pickup is like a lead pickup but with all the neck tastiness you could ask for.

I'm still in love.


EDIT: I went back into the depths of this thread and I can't believe it has been FIVE YEARS!!! It seems like yesterday.

 

[weepingminotaur]

Re: Black Winter owner.... Feedback so far????

I LOVE that you love them and I'm so happy this thread is still going strong.

I'm like...five years into my Winters and they still blow me away. That neck pickup is like a lead pickup but with all the neck tastiness you could ask for.

I'm still in love.


EDIT: I went back into the depths of this thread and I can't believe it has been FIVE YEARS!!! It seems like yesterday.

So glad to hear this relationship is holding steady after five years -- no flash-in-the-pan romance!

Lucy, your posts were a huge reason I went BW. All that A/B testing, the description of tones, particularly for the neck -- you were not overselling its awesomeness. It's going to be super-hard for me to look at any future guitar purchases and not want to throw a BW neck in there right away. I have a Sentient in my other guitar (a Schecter), and I love it for the vintage output quality, but the BW neck ... truly special.

 

[Ben1962]

Re: Black Winter owner.... Feedback so far????

So glad to hear this relationship is holding steady after five years -- no flash-in-the-pan romance!

Lucy, your posts were a huge reason I went BW. All that A/B testing, the description of tones, particularly for the neck -- you were not overselling its awesomeness. It's going to be super-hard for me to look at any future guitar purchases and not want to throw a BW neck in there right away. I have a Sentient in my other guitar (a Schecter), and I love it for the vintage output quality, but the BW neck ... truly special.

I had the Winters, I guess my inexperience really bit me. I tried and tried, I just could not gel with them at all. I probably should have tried them in a different guitar, but I sold them. I thought the guitar was a dog, but I changed the pickups and now it sounds great. Live and learn(I hope)

 

[weepingminotaur]

Re: Black Winter owner.... Feedback so far????

I had the Winters, I guess my inexperience really bit me. I tried and tried, I just could not gel with them at all. I probably should have tried them in a different guitar, but I sold them. I thought the guitar was a dog, but I changed the pickups and now it sounds great. Live and learn(I hope)

Hey man, don't put it on yourself! I think the BW set really scratches an itch for a large chunk of the Duncan-buying population, but no pickup, however awesome, is for everyone. They weren't right for you, for that guitar, period. For me it was the opposite -- the Winters breathed new life into a guitar that I hadn't been able to get a satisfactory tone out of (granted, I also had to get the pots and wires changed too, but even so, the change was dramatic).


What pups did you change to, out of curiosity, and in what guitar?

On a sidenote, I'm baffled that SD isn't pushing these pickups hard, and not just in the metal category. You can do so much with the Winters, but the gothic font and the ultra-metal description will put a lot of players off. Is it because doing so would be to recognize that R&D really didn't know what they had when they made the Winters in the first place? Take advantage of alchemy and happy accidents, is what I say!

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Re: Black Winter owner.... Feedback so far????

I love my Black Winters. Took a little to grow on me, though. At first I was kind of underwhelmed, if I must be honest. I was expecting them to be sort of Distortion on steroids, but rather, they were (to me, anyway) sort of a mega super mega pissed off JB with a tighter bottom end and just a little Distortion thrown in. They really shine through the right amp, though. My Randall makes them sound alright, but man, they CRUSH through my Krank.

Really killer pickups. The bridge has an upper mid clang that reminds me a lot of the JB, but it's got a much tighter, bolder, firmer low-end without any hint of boominess. The neck pickup is nice and smooth, yet clear. I particularly like about the neck pickup that it's not your average underpowered low-wind chirpy weak neck pickup, yet it still retains clarity both clean and under tons of gain.

 

[Ben1962]

Re: Black Winter owner.... Feedback so far????

Hey man, don't put it on yourself! I think the BW set really scratches an itch for a large chunk of the Duncan-buying population, but no pickup, however awesome, is for everyone. They weren't right for you, for that guitar, period. For me it was the opposite -- the Winters breathed new life into a guitar that I hadn't been able to get a satisfactory tone out of (granted, I also had to get the pots and wires changed too, but even so, the change was dramatic).


What pups did you change to, out of curiosity, and in what guitar?

On a sidenote, I'm baffled that SD isn't pushing these pickups hard, and not just in the metal category. You can do so much with the Winters, but the gothic font and the ultra-metal description will put a lot of players off. Is it because doing so would be to recognize that R&D really didn't know what they had when they made the Winters in the first place? Take advantage of alchemy and happy accidents, is what I say!

Breeds. I just wanted to try a Dimarzio, and the guitar sounds killer now. Sometimes I think its just me, I can have a killer tone, walk away for a few hours and then it doesnt sound as good LOL

 

[Sun King]

Re: Black Winter owner.... Feedback so far????

I had done a lot of internet searching on the Black Winters, but for some reason never came across this thread until a few days ago. Lots of good info here! I initially picked up a Black Winter bridge, to replace the Nazgul in a Schecter KM-6 Mk II. Not sure i'm gonna keep that guitar though, so i'll probably leave the stock pickups in it. So i have a couple of choices where to install the Black Winter, and maybe you guys can advise?

The other choices are, a Schecter Banshee Elite-6 (ash body, maple/walnut neck-through with ebony fretboard), and a Schecter SLS Blackjack (mahogany body, maple set-neck with ebony fretboard). Yea, i like Schecters! ;D
The Banshee currently has a 59-A4 neck/ Custom-8 bridge, while the Blackjack has a Jazz neck/Full Shred bridge. I play anything from classic rock, (Rush, Dokken, Nugent), to alternative and metal, bands like Incubus, Seether, Alice In Chains, Mudvayne, Tool, etc. I'm playing through a Marshall DSL-40cr.

So, i might have to do some pickup-swapping, but which guitar do you think would benefit most from the Black Winter Bridge? Also, which neck pickup (Jazz, 59, and possibly another Sentient) would be a good match for the Black Winter?

 

[weepingminotaur]

Re: Black Winter owner.... Feedback so far????

I had done a lot of internet searching on the Black Winters, but for some reason never came across this thread until a few days ago. Lots of good info here! I initially picked up a Black Winter bridge, to replace the Nazgul in a Schecter KM-6 Mk II. Not sure i'm gonna keep that guitar though, so i'll probably leave the stock pickups in it. So i have a couple of choices where to install the Black Winter, and maybe you guys can advise?

The other choices are, a Schecter Banshee Elite-6 (ash body, maple/walnut neck-through with ebony fretboard), and a Schecter SLS Blackjack (mahogany body, maple set-neck with ebony fretboard). Yea, i like Schecters! ;D
The Banshee currently has a 59-A4 neck/ Custom-8 bridge, while the Blackjack has a Jazz neck/Full Shred bridge. I play anything from classic rock, (Rush, Dokken, Nugent), to alternative and metal, bands like Incubus, Seether, Alice In Chains, Mudvayne, Tool, etc. I'm playing through a Marshall DSL-40cr.

So, i might have to do some pickup-swapping, but which guitar do you think would benefit most from the Black Winter Bridge? Also, which neck pickup (Jazz, 59, and possibly another Sentient) would be a good match for the Black Winter?

Damn, you have the guitars I want! Particularly that Banshee, which I'd like to get sometime in the next couple of years, when I can afford it.

My first thought is that the BW bridge might be a bit too bright in the Banshee, and a better fit in the Blackjack.

As for neck pickups to pair, you should seriously consider the Black Winter neck. It's amazingly versatile, and (as others have said) not weak and chirpy. I think it could handle the range of lead tones you want very nicely. I own a Sentient, so that wouldn't be a bad choice at all either.

 

[Sun King]

Re: Black Winter owner.... Feedback so far????

Black Winter neck does sound like a good call, especially with all the feedback on this thread. So the Jazz seems like it could be a poor match-up, since it's output is pretty low in comparison, might be hard to balance with the Black Winter bridge. Really leaning toward Sentient then. I do have a Sentient (with A-2 mag), in the KM-6 II, which I like- but if I end up selling it I don't want to be cannibalizing off it. Doubt anybody's gonna want a Jazz/Nazgul set!
That Banshee is a damn nice guitar. That and the Blackjack have kinda similar necks, just right for me, but the Schecter website seems a little off. Supposedly the Banshee Elite and KM-6 II have the same neck dimensions, but the KM feels significantly thinner. Having a hard time getting used to it, which is why I might part with it. (Although in all other respects the KM is an exceptionally-well made, high-spec guitar.) Thanks for the recommendation!

 

[Lucy Diamond]

Re: Black Winter owner.... Feedback so far????

So glad to hear this relationship is holding steady after five years -- no flash-in-the-pan romance!

Lucy, your posts were a huge reason I went BW. All that A/B testing, the description of tones, particularly for the neck -- you were not overselling its awesomeness. It's going to be super-hard for me to look at any future guitar purchases and not want to throw a BW neck in there right away. I have a Sentient in my other guitar (a Schecter), and I love it for the vintage output quality, but the BW neck ... truly special.

Oh man...thank you so much.

I was initially invited to this forum by a Seymour Duncan rep on Facebook. I had a good feeling about these pickups even before they were released. I can honestly say that I went through all the posts and tests because I genuinely wanted to and because I stand behind the gear. Since I joined here, I have actually fielded some VERY hateful private messages from members who actually thought I was a BOT and I can guarantee you I am a living, breathing, guitarplaying DUDE who supports what he loves.


I freakin LOVE these pickups \m/,

 

[Lucy Diamond]

Re: Black Winter owner.... Feedback so far????

I had the Winters, I guess my inexperience really bit me. I tried and tried, I just could not gel with them at all. I probably should have tried them in a different guitar, but I sold them. I thought the guitar was a dog, but I changed the pickups and now it sounds great. Live and learn(I hope)

What kind of amps do you use?

I ask because during my initial first 6 (or so) months with these pickups, I played them through pretty much every amp I could get my hands on and The Winters and The Mesa/ Boogie Stiletto HATED eachother. I mean...if that was the only amp I had, I would have sold them too. I mean...it was awful. I could only make it better with pedals and if you sound is RELIANT on pedals...that's not really a good situation to be in...especially live.

So I'm curious what kind of amp and the style of tubes you played through.

I'm hesitant to call it "an el-34 thing" because both of my EL-34 Marshalls sound pretty good with the Winters.

Any input you can add would be terrific. No pickup is perfect. No combination is perfect. If we can weed out the bad combinations, we can help even MORE of our people out.

Talk to you soon,


~LD

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Re: Black Winter owner.... Feedback so far????

Nothing wrong with pedals, IMO. My Black Winters get along great with my Duncan 805.