Blackouts/Invaders/Duncan Distortion?

i cant decide... which to choose for extreme, rough, heavy metal.. im into black, death and power metal... im confused between those invaders and blackouts or the duncan distortion?....
 
Re: Blackouts/Invaders/Duncan Distortion?

Personally I wouldn't go for the Invaders, unless you only play rythm. The other two are just better all round pickups, although for rythm the Invaders are great.
There's not a whole lot to choose between the Blackouts and the DD, both will do exactly what you want, it will just be personal preference really which you like best.
I tend to lean more towards my DD, despite the fact its in a crappy old POS guitar. It just seems to have a bit more character and is more fun to play. But the Blackouts are great, and more versatile than you might think.
 
Re: Blackouts/Invaders/Duncan Distortion?

IMO, Invaders don't cut it for power metal. They're dark, loose, muddy, fat pickups, and they work well for some styles, but they don't give the articulation that I would need for power metal. Your mileage might vary, depending on your exact needs, but I don't see Invaders as particularly versatile pickups.

Distortions are pretty bright and have fairly aggressively-voiced treble and much tighter (and less) bass than the Invaders. They might not be the best for death/doom rhythms, being 'crunchy' rather than 'grindy' (at least in E, Eb and D), but it's not my area of expertise, and I'm not sure how they sound in downtuned guitars.

Blackouts sit somewhere in the middle to my ear, as far as EQ goes. They're bassier, fatter, and smoother than the Distortions, but tighter and much more articulate than the Invaders. They're reasonably aggressive, and have a stack of gain and output, but have a much smoother character overall than the passives.

I'd probably go with Blackouts, but not everyone shares my taste, my opinion of which pickups suit a given genre, or probably even what a given pickup sounds like, lol.
 
Re: Blackouts/Invaders/Duncan Distortion?

Personally I wouldn't go for the Invaders, unless you only play rythm.

I tend to lean more towards my DD, But the Blackouts are great, and more versatile than you might think.

Dude i play those headbanging riffs and those melodic solos as well...

if you want passive Invader active go Blackouts

y is there any big difference between passives and actives... i mean in terms of output both should be equally powerful and in terms of playability shouldnt both have similar properties?




yeah ill buy a Floyd rose guitar... and well... im just confused which one to choose ....

those blackouts for the bridge and neck positions

or invaders in the bridge and something else in the neck...

or those DDs..SH6 and TB6...
...
 
Re: Blackouts/Invaders/Duncan Distortion?

IMO, actives are much cleaner and smoother than high output passives. It's hard to describe the difference exactly, but there definitely is one. The blackouts have massive output, too - higher even than Invaders, but I don't really think output in and of itself is really of much concern for most rigs.

All of the options you listed in your post are valid and would work. I'd avoid an Invader in the neck, but if you couple a bridge Invader with a more articulate neck pickup you would be able to get a lot of versatility (for metal) out of your guitar.
 
Re: Blackouts/Invaders/Duncan Distortion?

Well, what amp do you have? You won't need a high-output pickup if your amp has tons of gain, as you'll end up with a buzzing mess.
 
Re: Blackouts/Invaders/Duncan Distortion?

Invader (bridge) for headbanging riffs and Sreamin' Demon (bridge) in the neck for melodic solos, dude...
 
Re: Blackouts/Invaders/Duncan Distortion?

Blackouts. Definetely not a Jazz neck, not for metal.

Fikealox hit every nail right on the head with this:

"IMO, Invaders don't cut it for power metal. They're dark, loose, muddy, fat pickups, and they work well for some styles, but they don't give the articulation that I would need for power metal. Your mileage might vary, depending on your exact needs, but I don't see Invaders as particularly versatile pickups.

Distortions are pretty bright and have fairly aggressively-voiced treble and much tighter (and less) bass than the Invaders. They might not be the best for death/doom rhythms, being 'crunchy' rather than 'grindy' (at least in E, Eb and D), but it's not my area of expertise, and I'm not sure how they sound in downtuned guitars.

Blackouts sit somewhere in the middle to my ear, as far as EQ goes. They're bassier, fatter, and smoother than the Distortions, but tighter and much more articulate than the Invaders. They're reasonably aggressive, and have a stack of gain and output, but have a much smoother character overall than the passives.

I'd probably go with Blackouts, but not everyone shares my taste, my opinion of which pickups suit a given genre, or probably even what a given pickup sounds like, lol. "
 
Re: Blackouts/Invaders/Duncan Distortion?

Invadors, detonators sound awsome too, or I know its not something your considering but maybe an 85 from EMG. . .
<- that washburn has it, and it sounds so heavy
 
Re: Blackouts/Invaders/Duncan Distortion?

OK so out goes the Jazz model...


im remaining with 2..

Blackouts bridge n neck

Invaders bridge n PATB1 neck


most ppl suggest blackouts... they are highly acclaimed pu but i dont really want an active pu.. they requirea battery n changing battery blah blah.. thean again the floyd on the guitar require frequent setup.. im tired of SETUPS.. i mean i wanna play the instrument not always try to fix it....


thats the only thing i have agianst activ4 pu.. hence im trying to think of alternatives... when im left with no other option, ill sadly install the blackouts...
 
Re: Blackouts/Invaders/Duncan Distortion?

Depending on how often you play, and whether you remember to unplug your guitar, you'll only be changing your batteries every six-to-twelve months. If you get a guitar that has a battery box (like some Jacksons and ESPs) then changing batteries is literally a matter of ten seconds. Worst case scenario would mean taking off a trem or electronics cavity cover to get to the battery, which would mean an extra 30 seconds on top of that. Hardly a massive hassle, lol
 
Re: Blackouts/Invaders/Duncan Distortion?

Worst case scenario would mean taking off a trem or electronics cavity cover to get to the battery, which would mean an extra 30 seconds on top of that. Hardly a massive hassle, lol

are u nuts ??? remov he **** bridge again.. already u gotta change those stupid strings every month.... im so tired of hassles.... gggrrrr i may go with the invader bridge and patb1 neck....
 
Re: Blackouts/Invaders/Duncan Distortion?

No no, taking off the trem cavity cover, not the trem itself, lol.
 
Re: Blackouts/Invaders/Duncan Distortion?

If you're changing batteries every month, you're doing something stupid like leaving the guitar plugged in. If you can't remember one simple thing like unplugging when mommy calls you for dinner.....

And www.fretsonthenet.com can do cavity covers that have battery boxes built into them, for those that can't work a screwdriver twice a year.



But back to your pickup question, I say again, it depends on more than just what WE would recommend, because WE have different ideas about what sounds good and what doesn't, and what does and does not make a "good" Metal tone. You will have to make that choice. I say it can be done with a pair of 59s if you've got the right amp and know how to work the knobs on it. Others will disagree and recommend Blackouts.

Make the choice yourself. Spend some time and money on pickups and find the sound you're looking for.
 
Re: Blackouts/Invaders/Duncan Distortion?

OK so out goes the Jazz model...


im remaining with 2..

Blackouts bridge n neck

Invaders bridge n PATB1 neck


most ppl suggest blackouts... they are highly acclaimed pu but i dont really want an active pu.. they requirea battery n changing battery blah blah.. thean again the floyd on the guitar require frequent setup.. im tired of SETUPS.. i mean i wanna play the instrument not always try to fix it....


thats the only thing i have agianst activ4 pu.. hence im trying to think of alternatives... when im left with no other option, ill sadly install the blackouts...


If the "floyd" on your guitar needs sorting all the time it must be either faulty or not setup properly in the first place.
My Jackson RR3 has a licenced FLoyd and Blackouts.
I never have to setup the Floyd any more than I do any other bridge, and the batteries have never been changed in....er...at least a year. The only real hassle with actives is redoing the wiring when you fit them. But really, that's not such a big job anyway.
So don't let "setup" thoughts put you off actives.
 
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