Pickups for metal?

[Masta' C]

I'd love to hear more about these ideas. This perspective is what I'm so darn curious about. How do you use them in a way that makes you love them? Things like that.

High output pickups (in general) have a little more inherent compression and more even response from string to string, note to note. In other words, they can still be very expressive, but the response is typically more direct feeling and the output of softer played notes is somewhat closer to that of stronger played notes. Things like tapping tend to be a little easier on "hotter" pickups and come across more even, for example.

There are other qualities that emerge as winds get "hotter". At a certain point, harmonics become more prominent and things like pinch harmonics have more body to them...less "twang" or thinness, if you will. Not that you can't easily achieve great harmonics with vintage or lower-output winds, it's just that there's a quality of the harmonic that feels and sounds a bit different. That said, some high output winds seem to squash harmonics, rather than enhance them.

The other difference is how hot pickups interact with your amp and effects. High output pickups "drive" things a lot differently than lower output winds. You often don't have to dig in nearly as much to get a strong response or added breakup. But, that can come at the cost of subtlety.

I think the love for lower output pickups in metal is simply the added nuance and openness that they provide. With modern amps, pedals, and multi-effects, it's easy to compensate for any shortcomings of a low-to-medium output wind. With a truly "hot" pickup, you generally can't "dial it back" as easily.

Now, there are exceptions to every rule and there are bound to be a myriad of anecdotal examples that differ from what I described above, but that's a quick n' dirty rundown.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

FWIW, I had a phase where I was using vintage-output pickups for metal thinking they were better.

Honestly, they aren't. They are just different.

Right now, I dig higher output pickups a lot better. They're EQ curve tends to lend itself more to high-gain riffing. They tend to be less twangy, and more chunky. The feel is also better, and they tend to lend themselves to super aggressive more machine-like fast palm-mutes.

Each to his own. I can make both the '59B or the Black Winter work for me for high gain. But I honestly don't see the "objective" benefit of a '59B. What you gain in clarity and dynamics is usually negated to an extent by having to raise the gain on your amp which compresses and muddies things up.

Then again, I'm the kind of guy that likes 90's and early 2000's metal tones better.

I think the people who say “boost a PAF” when the subject of metal tones comes up are visiting that world rather than living in it.

There are obviously exceptions, like Joe Duplantier, but the overwhelming majority of the metal tones I grew up on and use as a basis for my tone were EMG 81s, Distortions, JBs, XL500s, etc…

 

[Bogner]

I am a big fan of the Holcomb set. I love the articulation, feel and response of the pickup in a mahogany/maple body and rosewood board.

Another thing we have to remember is that there is less gain and bass on recorded tones than we may think. There is also no substitute for amp volume. The speed/response/clarity of a pickup is very important for metal. Just like you wouldn't want a saggy bottom end on your amp, you don't want a saggy responding pickup. You can get all the gain you need from amps now a days. The key is finding a pickup that responds well to your playing style and technique. A lot of the "heavy" dynamics these players get is picking technique and aggression.

For fun, palm mute your low E and downstroke only on it and increase your intensity and lighten up etc back and forth and listen to the difference. Now, alternate pick the same rhythm and hear how much softer it sounds. Granted, on real fast stuff you may have to alternate pick it but alternate picking will never sounds as heavy as downstroke only if both can be played on the part.

 

[Demanic]

Was just playing my V which came stock with a D-Activator set. Very powerful pickups, but they don't seem overly compressed. Or maybe they really are, but don't have a midrange hump so they don't seem to be. They sound great clean or with heavy distortion. I eventually swapped the bridge with an X2N, because I wanted bridge tone that is just over the top. The D-Activator bridge is definitely more articulate. Sweeps stand out much more clearly. Chug is tight and dry. The X2N cares much less about collateral sonic damage. Very old school in that respect.

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[alex1fly]

Clarity is an interesting feature. I was chugging along with my SG that has 57 Classics/Classic+, and playing with my 10 band EQ. Cutting 500 khz instantly cleaned up the sound - all of a sudden I could hear all the notes in complex chords, and my palm mute technique was so much cleaner. Sounded awesome, just with the single EQ cut. I do like to cut 125 khz and below for sure, and then listen as I adjust the remaining low mids up to like 500 khz. Bass is extra noise, low mids can be add mud... but both sound nice when you want a full and fat room-filling sound.

 

[Masta' C]

Rule 1 of Pickup Club: Don't talk about Pickup Club

Rule 2 of Pickup Club: Don't discuss the tonal shaping power of a multi-band EQ to make most pickups sound exactly how you want them to

Rule 3 of Pickup Club: Don't discuss the benefits of using a clean boost for added output...hotter pickups are *always* better

 

[risingforce]

Crazy how? Crazy good? Makes you play exactly like Ola?

Even if I'm a fan of Death Metal, I'm not playing this kind of music. "Crazy" means sustain, to feel the power and not muddy sound with the amp or with the modeller.

 

[Cynical]

Rule 1 of Pickup Club: Don't talk about Pickup Club

Rule 2 of Pickup Club: Don't discuss the tonal shaping power of a multi-band EQ to make most pickups sound exactly how you want them to

Rule 3 of Pickup Club: Don't discuss the benefits of using a clean boost for added output...hotter pickups are *always* better

This is going to sound dumb -- and to an extent, it is dumb -- but I frequently find that more options frequently just makes it harder to find the sound I want, and ends up with a worse sound than fewer options does. I have a ridiculous number of boost pedal options that are all extremely flexible, yet these days, I most often find myself playing with a hot pickup straight into the amp. Could I theoretically get a very similar sound out of a low-power pickup with one of my boosts, and then have more flexibility and options available? Sure, but sometimes versatility is a drawback rather than a strength if it makes it harder to immediately zero in on the sound I want.

 

[Securb]

While I have some "metal" pickups like my Dimebucker I use WLHs most of the time for metal. Even when I was playing in the post-hardcore band the WLHs did the trick.

 

[alex1fly]

I used to think that high output burners were it. Now I think that the clearest tightest medium gain pickup is the way to go.

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Just to circle back. This thread is nearly 8 months old and I've played a LOT of metal in that time. Experimenting with different guitars, pickups, string gauges, tuning, amps, pedals. Here's my findings.

Amp, amp, amp. Yep. Crucial to dial this and also have a hot signal coming in whether its from a boost pedal or a hot pickup so that crunch is big even with a soft attack.

For further refinement with pickups, my best success has been with the clearest tightest medium gain pickup I have, as stated above. The 85/15s stock pickup in my PRS SE Custom. I've complained about it a lot, but dang, now that I have more guitars to cover the remainder of my tonal bases the 85/15 really shines. It's naturally clear and tight, and I took this further by swapping the filisters for hex screws. It's wired with a resistor to do a partial coil split, which is just stock PRS SE wiring. However, here's the crazy part. I swapped a Jazz (also w/ hex screws) into the neck position and it was out of phase with the 85/15 in the bridge. This ended up being MAGICAL for metal. The middle position now has TONS of pick attack for palm mutes. Very djenty without being too throaty. You hear this kind of sound in metal tracks when all the instruments drop out except one guitar as like a lead-in to a verse - but now no need to EQ it specially in the DAW, it's just in the middle position! So this guitar now has a great tight bridge HB sound, an even tighter bridge SC sound, a djenty middle OOP sound, a fusion-ey neck HB sound, and a brighter neck SC sound. All positions crush it in high gain - bright, tight, clear, crunchy, powerful, musical. The Jazz neck can certainly pound some riffage too. This has been useful in writing and recording because I can leave my amp and pedal settings as-is and just flip switches until I get something that fits in the mix and/or tells the musical story.

Anyways, hope this is helpful for somebody some day!

 

[Cdwillis]

It's hard to beat a Duncan Distortion or Custom. Both are great chugging metal pickups. Heard good things about the Black Winters, but I haven't tried them yet. JBs rock, but they can be a little loose in the low end.

I've noticed of some of the more contemporary humbuckers aimed at the metal crowd having slightly lower winds than they used to typically and ceramic magnets. It keeps some of the characteristics like the clarity of the lower wind and pairs it up with the bigger output of a ceramic magnet. Combined giving you that tight chugging ability too. Look at the Nazgul being around 13k or the Dimarzio D-Activator 11.4k. Not sure what wire gauge either of those uses, but I don't think they're maxing out the bobbins.

 

[alex1fly]

It's hard to beat a Duncan Distortion or Custom. Both are great chugging metal pickups. Heard good things about the Black Winters, but I haven't tried them yet. JBs rock, but they can be a little loose in the low end.

I've noticed of some of the more contemporary humbuckers aimed at the metal crowd having slightly lower winds than they used to typically and ceramic magnets. It keeps some of the characteristics like the clarity of the lower wind and pairs it up with the bigger output of a ceramic magnet. Combined giving you that tight chugging ability too. Look at the Nazgul being around 13k or the Dimarzio D-Activator 11.4k. Not sure what wire gauge either of those uses, but I don't think they're maxing out the bobbins.

One of these days I'd like to try a Custom. Pretty happy with my pickups currently. The Nazgul is also discussed in metal crowds for full-frequency clarity, especially for low tunings and extended range instruments.

I had the same experience with the JB in an SG and the SE Custom. Couldn't quite chug the way I wanted. But it's now quite happy in the neck position of another guitar, which is already has a looser bottom end. It hits hard, for sure.

 

[JamesPaul]

I still usually lean on my Custom or Distortion, but these days I can dial back the gain on my amp. I need to get a Black Winter in something, as I keep seeing it can really clean up compared to a Distortion.

 

[UnderTheFlame83]

This is my top 7 pickups for metal. The X2N is possibly my all time favorite:

1. D Activator
2. X2N
3. Nazgûl
4. Duncan Designed Detonator
5. EMG 81
6. Dirty Fingers
7. Black Winter

I can put any one of those in any guitar and play through my Randall RG and achieve killler metal tones all day everyday with no pedals.

 

[skelt101]

Just to circle back. This thread is nearly 8 months old and I've played a LOT of metal in that time. Experimenting with different guitars, pickups, string gauges, tuning, amps, pedals. Here's my findings.

Amp, amp, amp. Yep. Crucial to dial this and also have a hot signal coming in whether its from a boost pedal or a hot pickup so that crunch is big even with a soft attack.

For further refinement with pickups, my best success has been with the clearest tightest medium gain pickup I have, as stated above. The 85/15s stock pickup in my PRS SE Custom. I've complained about it a lot, but dang, now that I have more guitars to cover the remainder of my tonal bases the 85/15 really shines. It's naturally clear and tight, and I took this further by swapping the filisters for hex screws. It's wired with a resistor to do a partial coil split, which is just stock PRS SE wiring. However, here's the crazy part. I swapped a Jazz (also w/ hex screws) into the neck position and it was out of phase with the 85/15 in the bridge. This ended up being MAGICAL for metal. The middle position now has TONS of pick attack for palm mutes. Very djenty without being too throaty. You hear this kind of sound in metal tracks when all the instruments drop out except one guitar as like a lead-in to a verse - but now no need to EQ it specially in the DAW, it's just in the middle position! So this guitar now has a great tight bridge HB sound, an even tighter bridge SC sound, a djenty middle OOP sound, a fusion-ey neck HB sound, and a brighter neck SC sound. All positions crush it in high gain - bright, tight, clear, crunchy, powerful, musical. The Jazz neck can certainly pound some riffage too. This has been useful in writing and recording because I can leave my amp and pedal settings as-is and just flip switches until I get something that fits in the mix and/or tells the musical story.

Anyways, hope this is helpful for somebody some day!

An out of phase middle position can also work wonders for leaning out an overly bloated fuzz, like a Fuzz Face or Big Muff can be. My Les Paul's pickups are (magnetically) out of phase and perfect for that! The new Fender J Mascis Telecaster also has out of phase pickups. :fing2:

 

[weepingminotaur]

For metal, I have guitars with Black Winter, Nazgul, and Custom 5. All work well for the chugging.

The Black Winter is more of an icy, vicious metal sound, with a weird and cool level of grind underneath the distortion. Excellent for solos, cuts through the mix without shrillness. Very articulate, very nasty, perfect for thrash, death, etc., but also really, really versatile for other genres. For example, split the Winter bridge and you've got good funk and blues tones at your disposal. Split with the Winter neck and you've got Strat quack.

The Custom 5 does old-school classic metal well. Not quite as sharp for anything super-fast with lots of palm-muting, but it definitely has cut and definition. I didn't like it initially and was looking to swap it out, but now I've grown quite fond of it.

The Nazgul is Mr. Chug. Despite its lower output (relative to the Black Winter), it punches above its weight in the chug department. Lots of definition to palm-muted riffs. The mid spike is to my taste, but may not be to yours.

At the end of the day, though, amp and EQ make a lot more of a difference to your metal sound. If you use the right boost (whether in-built or pedal), EQ out the bass flub, don't overdo the distortion, you'll end up with something usable more often than not.

 

[Cynical]

It's hard to beat a Duncan Distortion or Custom. Both are great chugging metal pickups. Heard good things about the Black Winters, but I haven't tried them yet. JBs rock, but they can be a little loose in the low end.

I've noticed of some of the more contemporary humbuckers aimed at the metal crowd having slightly lower winds than they used to typically and ceramic magnets. It keeps some of the characteristics like the clarity of the lower wind and pairs it up with the bigger output of a ceramic magnet. Combined giving you that tight chugging ability too. Look at the Nazgul being around 13k or the Dimarzio D-Activator 11.4k. Not sure what wire gauge either of those uses, but I don't think they're maxing out the bobbins.

My understanding on the D-Activator is that it's a 42 and 43 AWG hybrid, so it really does have a ton of wire on the bobbins.

I have a hard time imagining anything surpassing the Bare Knuckle Ceramic Warpig for metal palm-mutes. I always thought the BK hype was just empty hype until I tried a C-Pig in my Jackson... it's unbelievable. I don't understand how it manages to have so much output and so much thickness while still having incredible clarity on chords -- it seems almost paradoxical -- but it does.

 

[Iron1]

+1 for both the Distortion & Custom. And, honestly, with really high gain the guitar itself doesn't make much difference, tonally. Another thing that's a must for me is a 10-band EQ in the loop.

 

[Demanic]

Mark Morton used to use a 59 set. And Michael Ammot used a JB. So did Mustaine for quite a while.

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[Overlord]

Since you already have some vintage style pickups, I would also suggest the Duncan Distortion.
You plug it in, and it just has that metal sound and feel to it. I keep going back to it, as I'm sure others will agree.
I would also suggest either the Custom or maybe even the Nazgul if you want something a little more modern and not as hot as the DD.