Please talk to me about Duncan high output passive Humbuckers

[Rabelais]

Duncan Custom, Duncan Distortion, Invader, JB, Nazgul, Pegasus, Black Winter (am I missing any?). Which one would pair best with a bolt on, Basswood Body, Maple neck, 24.75 scale angle cut guitar? (The bolt on construction makes it brighter)?. Which one would help me to get the most drive out of an Orange Micro Dark?. The amp has a lot of gain, but is a very fat, fuzzy and kind of loose gain, and I would love to tighten things up. The focus is brutal chug and tremolo picking Metal.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Please talk to me about Duncan high output passive Humbuckers

I don't think the JB has enough bass tightness or quick attack to excel at what you want. I have minimal experience with the other pickups on your list other than the Distortion, which I think would work better.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Re: Please talk to me about Duncan high output passive Humbuckers

I agree, the JB is more about gritty old-school tones when it comes to metal. As much as I love it, I'd rule it out as well.

The Duncan Distortion is pretty tight to me. It's grindy and gritty like the JB, but it tracks faster with a more pronounced attack, and a deeper, yet tighter bottom-end.

The hottest out of those, however, would probably be the Invader (which is more about low-mid grunt than fast modern attack, IMO), and then the Black Winter, which is great and somewhat of a Distortion on steroids.

 

[gregory]

Re: Please talk to me about Duncan high output passive Humbuckers

In addition to the JB I'd nix the SH-5 Custom. Which do you want, a razor or a sledge hammer?

If I were interested in playing what the OP described, I'd choose either the BW or Nazgul from the Duncan roster.

I'd ditch the amp too, but that's a different ball of wax.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Please talk to me about Duncan high output passive Humbuckers

Perhaps the Custom or Custom 8 might help you. But I don't know if any pickup can change the character of the gain that much.

 

[Rabelais]

Re: Please talk to me about Duncan high output passive Humbuckers

Perhaps Sledgehammer. You can dial lots or treble with The Micro Dark (it has a lot of everything, I would say). I’ve tried it with active Humbuckers, and those tighten almost anything.

 

[6stringerguy]

Please talk to me about Duncan high output passive Humbuckers

Since you said trem picking and also that the amp is pretty fuzzy I’d recommend the black winter and try playing with the shape knob on your micro dark to take away some excess bass.
Also another suggestion may be to get a high gain distortion pedal for your tighter sounds, I did this with my micro dark to decent results with the invader pickup.

 

[gregory]

Re: Please talk to me about Duncan high output passive Humbuckers

To me sledgehammer spells Invader.

...but seeing as I think they are crude, I'd go with the BW.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Re: Please talk to me about Duncan high output passive Humbuckers

Sledgehammer pickup to me would be the wrong direction if you want tighten things up, I'd personally say.

The Invader still has that ceramic immediacy to the tone, but if you want active-like tightness, I'd probably say the Nazgul or the Black Winter would be better suited. JMO.

I'm going to go ahead and throw the Dimebucker in the pool as well.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Please talk to me about Duncan high output passive Humbuckers

Don't forget the Dimebucker.

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

 

[6stringerguy]

Re: Please talk to me about Duncan high output passive Humbuckers

To me sledgehammer spells Invader.

...but seeing as I think they are crude, I'd go with the BW.

Yeah the invader isn’t exactly the tightest pickup, hell anything below Drop D sounds like mush on those things from my experience
The BW is one of the tightest pups in the range but has enough trebly grind to give you some cut, I also recommend turning the gain down if you want a tighter sound

 

[gregory]

Re: Please talk to me about Duncan high output passive Humbuckers

...if he had said razor I would have suggested the Nazgul.

BTW, I think a clarification on the meaning of tightness by the people using it is in order; its definition is not universal.

 

[Rabelais]

Re: Please talk to me about Duncan high output passive Humbuckers

Since you said trem picking and also that the amp is pretty fuzzy I’d recommend the black winter and try playing with the shape knob on your micro dark to take away some excess bass.
Also another suggestion may be to get a high gain distortion pedal for your tighter sounds, I did this with my micro dark to decent results with the invader pickup.

I do have a Boss SD1 for that. Now that’s being mentioned, I already have a sledgehammer pup (Super Distortion). It’s an excellent pup by all means for classic rock and classic metal, but it’s focused on bass and low mid frequencies, and it’s not the tightest HB either. I already have more than enough of those frequencies with the amp. I’m not sure if the Invader would be a good match.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Re: Please talk to me about Duncan high output passive Humbuckers

Yeah, I'd go Nazgul or Dimebucker if you want sharp and tight.

 

[gregory]

Re: Please talk to me about Duncan high output passive Humbuckers

Don't forget the Dimebucker.

Don't forget the PATB-2.

Don't forget the Omega.

Don't forget the Slug.

Don't forget the ...

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Re: Please talk to me about Duncan high output passive Humbuckers

Omega is probably pretty tight and sharp too!

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Re: Please talk to me about Duncan high output passive Humbuckers

Don't forget the PATB-2.

Don't forget the Omega.

Don't forget the Slug.

And the Thrash Factor, lol.

 

[Rabelais]

Re: Please talk to me about Duncan high output passive Humbuckers

Ok, for me at least, looseness equals a Big Muff PI. You cannot get anything remotely resembling chugging palm mutes, or fast tremolo picking response with it. Obviously it wasn’t designed for that. So tightness for me would be quick response, clarity (and brightness in the low strings), great string to string definition, and bass response where you need them (palm mutes). The Micro Dark is nowhere near as loose as a Big Muff, but it certainly requires specific pickups.

 

[6stringerguy]

Please talk to me about Duncan high output passive Humbuckers

Omega is probably pretty tight and sharp too!

Oh yeah man I forgot about the omega,
My SE has an Omega in the bridge and it’s super tight but the sharpness isn’t as present as the BW, The BW is like the Omega with more filth and high end grind to it
It really depends on what you want to do, for more precise and staccato riffing with some trem picking then omega however if you’re looking for something a little more balls out filth and aggressive then BW (the BW is also super versatile)
The omega also has the best chord definition of any Duncan I’ve played

 

[Rabelais]

Re: Please talk to me about Duncan high output passive Humbuckers

Sooo it should be either the Omega or the Black Winter ... choices choices