Heaviest Pickup Available?!!?!?

[kitkat]

I recently got an RG560, still with the stock pups. I'm looking new pickups that will suite my metal needs. I've been playing tons of metal latley due to my new band, and I need the right pickups to help me. I currently have a Duncan Distortion in the bridge in my Schecter C-1 Plus, with a Jazz in the neck. It sounds ok, but my amp does suck. Its a peavey bandit 112. But I hear sound clips of kids and there bandits, with active emg's and they blow my tone away. I'm looking to stay away from Emg's though. First of all I dont trust single coil Emgs, heard bad things. My guitar has 2 single coil slots, soo... Also I hear basswood + active pickups = a thin weak sound.

So is there any Duncans available to suit my metal needs? Preferably a real good metal pup for the bridge, and a nice single for the neck to suit my blues/clean playing. Thanks guys.

P.S. Sound clips of your suggestions would be great to

 

[Loserchief]

Re: Heaviest Pickup Available?!!?!?

no idea about singles but if you want really beefy and Heavy sound go for Duncan invader.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Heaviest Pickup Available?!!?!?

Don't be afraid of the EMG SA. I have a full set of them in my MIJ 62 RI (basswood) and they sound fantastic for every kind of music, even 80's shred and metal.

I think a 81/SA combo with the SPC control would rip.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Heaviest Pickup Available?!!?!?

Yes...I'd say the Invader or Dimbucker if you want a super heavy sounding Duncan bridge pickup. Lew

 

[Imp]

Re: Heaviest Pickup Available?!!?!?

distortion will get you all you want from a heavy setup, it's the amp you need to work on

remember clips can always be tinkered with, especially if you're looking to impress people on the internet..

check out the randall 50w tube combo.. that + a decent bridge pickup will go as metal as you like

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Heaviest Pickup Available?!!?!?

Invaders sound great in basswood.

However, whoever told you active + basswood = thin is full of crap.

 

[Kommerzbassist]

Re: Heaviest Pickup Available?!!?!?

Invader or Dime in the bridge like others said
and for the other positions HOT RAILS! Wooooohooohooooooo!!!!!

 

[Jester700]

Re: Heaviest Pickup Available?!!?!?

Most of your heavy stuff will be on the bridge bucker anyway, so I don't necessarily think the other pups need to be slammin' - or even match the bridge one in any way. You COULD have a slammin' bridge pup, and 2 mellow PAF types for use with other music.

Anyway, the Invader or other high output pup will work, but you could do similar things with a stomp box. In fact, maybe all you need is to adjust the pickup height; have you checked that? Really, you're just talking about giving the amp a lot of signal to work with. A clean boost pedal will do that. Or, for some overdrive, a Tube Screamer or similar. Or, to blow heads off, a Metal Zone or similar. There are $30 cheap knockoffs of these available, so I'd take my axe & amp to a store & try out a bunch. See if any work for you.

 

[Jeroen]

Re: Heaviest Pickup Available?!!?!?

Not a Duncan, but I guess the heaviest pickup available would be a Bare Knuckle Warpig :bowdown: . Its looks live up to its name, it's absolutely hideous (as is its output level). Those pickups really are just frightening! They're handwound in the UK on order.

Duncanwise, I'd say the SH5 Custom. It's not as much the heaviest pickup Duncan makes, but it's one hell of a metal monster nonetheless, that still retains definition.

 

[Mephis]

Re: Heaviest Pickup Available?!!?!?

If EMG's sound fine in alder they should sound heavier in basswood...
Who ever told you that they would sound to thin in basswood needs a monkey wrench to the head.


I'm not fimiliar with duncan very much so I can't speak for it. But I can say an emg 85 will sound heavy in it.

Depends what you want, 81 is more trebbley and sharp, the 85 is more smooth and bassier.

 

[theodie]

Re: Heaviest Pickup Available?!!?!?

If you want balls to the wall and a huge sound for metal, the Invader should do you well. I would use a Hot Rails in the middle and a cool rails neck with it. IMO, the Invader sounds ALOT bigger than anything I have ever played including EMG's.

 

[kitkat]

Re: Heaviest Pickup Available?!!?!?

Thanks for the replies. I'm not exactly sure on how pickup height works. I mean, I know how to adjust it, but is there some kind of chart to show where it should be? I don't want to mess anything up. I have very little experience with guitar mechanics and pickups and all that.

 

[pinto79]

Re: Heaviest Pickup Available?!!?!?

If you want ot make other guys sound like they're using cheap singles in comparizon, try a Heavy Metal Livewire.

Absolutely unreal...

 

[3'scompany]

Re: Heaviest Pickup Available?!!?!?

Not a Duncan, but I guess the heaviest pickup available would be a Bare Knuckle Warpig :bowdown: . Its looks live up to its name, it's absolutely hideous (as is its output level). Those pickups really are just frightening! They're handwound in the UK on order.

Holy crap. That is an ugly pickup. And its DC resistance is insane: 22.55k!?!?! If it didn't look so horrid, and probably cost way too much, I might try one just to see what kind of ungodly heat that thing produces.

 

[Jester700]

Re: Heaviest Pickup Available?!!?!?

Thanks for the replies. I'm not exactly sure on how pickup height works. I mean, I know how to adjust it, but is there some kind of chart to show where it should be? I don't want to mess anything up. I have very little experience with guitar mechanics and pickups and all that.

Basically, the closer to the strings the higher the output; the only thing is, TOO close and you may start to pull the strings out of tune. This is less apparent at the bridge and with buckers, so I'd say if you're further than 1/16" on the bridge pickup, move it closer and see what you think. You can always move it back.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Heaviest Pickup Available?!!?!?

I'd get a custom custom bridge / SSL1 middle / li'l 59 neck. Basically cover all of your bases...hotter bridge pup for good distortion, vintage-style single coil, single-coil sized vintage humbucker...

I think having 'the most metal' pickup is unneccessary, especially if you still play a lot of clean bluesy stuff. Having a pup that sounds good under distortion but can still clean up is a lot cooler in my opinion...unless you're into constantly flippin switches.

Oh yeah. And upgrading that Bandit is probably a little more urgent.

-X

 

[Nate]

Re: Heaviest Pickup Available?!!?!?

How about a JB and a pair of DiMarzio SDS-1's? Jake E Lee swore by that setup.

 

[theodie]

Re: Heaviest Pickup Available?!!?!?

He wants the heaviest pivckup to be had not just a hot pickup gentleman!!! The JB and the Custom Custom are mildly heavy IMO but, not a ball buster by any means! The Custom is heavy but, its not even close to the Heavy-ness of the Invader or Livewires Metal pickup!

 

[Pecan]

Re: Heaviest Pickup Available?!!?!?

Basswood and Active pickups make some of the best metal guitars out there, whoever told you otherwise was incorrect IMO
I would upgrade the bandit first, but if you dont want to do that for a while...
I hear that hot rails are seriously cool in neck position, I think someone on this forum even plays blues with it.

 

[Jester700]

Re: Heaviest Pickup Available?!!?!?

The problem here is, some of us are equating "heaviest" with "highest output" and some are not. Really, why does output matter in a pickup? You can throw a clean boost pedal (or onboard preamp) on ANY old PAF knockoff and it'll SMOKE the loudest passive pup you can buy. So I guess the question is, "do you feel that you MUST get your tone from *guitar straight to amp*?"