Please talk to me about Duncan high output passive Humbuckers

[6stringerguy]

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

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

I’ve played both for extended periods of time in various tunings so if you could give me more info on your tuning and perhaps more detail on your play style/genre I may be able to give you more definitive answers if they’re a good option.

 

[Rabelais]

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

I’ve played both for extended periods of time in various tunings so if you could give me more info on your tuning and perhaps more detail on your play style/genre I may be able to give you more definitive answers if they’re a good option.

Sure. I play in standard E. Anything lower than that loses definition in the low strings with my current setup. So clarity in downtuning is definitely a plus. I really love playing Black Metal and straight ahead Death Metal, not technical Death Metal, I’m not there yet. I use the neck pup for cleans.

 

[6stringerguy]

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

Sure. I play in standard E. Anything lower than that loses definition in the low strings with my current setup. So clarity in downtuning is definitely a plus. I really love playing Black Metal and straight ahead Death Metal, not technical Death Metal, I’m not there yet. I use the neck pup for cleans.

Well both are great for drop tuning, the Black Winter would have more balls in E but has a little less chord definition than the omega.
The omega isn’t the best pickup for E but it will definitely get the job done.
My current favourite tuning for blackened death and stuff in that style is drop D and D standard.
Also it depends what type of black metal you play? (Ambient, LoFi, atmospheric, industrial, melodic, symphonic)
The black winter at the end of the day is the best pickup for that style in the Duncan range from my experience but if you want to jump into more technical stuff like djent, progressive death metal (like cynic) or tech death like (dying fetus/necrophagist)
I used my black winter for E and Drop D
I use my omega for Drop C, D standard and Drop D
On the terms of your setup I would really recommend a nice distortion unit like a DOD Boneshaker, Wampler Dracarys.

 

[Rabelais]

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

Well both are great for drop tuning, the Black Winter would have more balls in E but has a little less chord definition than the omega.
The omega isn’t the best pickup for E but it will definitely get the job done.
My current favourite tuning for blackened death and stuff in that style is drop D and D standard.
Also it depends what type of black metal you play? (Ambient, LoFi, atmospheric, industrial, melodic, symphonic)
The black winter at the end of the day is the best pickup for that style in the Duncan range from my experience but if you want to jump into more technical stuff like djent, progressive death metal (like cynic) or tech death like (dying fetus/necrophagist)
I used my black winter for E and Drop D
I use my omega for Drop C, D standard and Drop D
On the terms of your setup I would really recommend a nice distortion unit like a DOD Boneshaker, Wampler Dracarys.

Thanks. I love old school, second wave Norwegian Black Metal (Darkthone, Mayhem, etc.), and I also like to play every now and then some Dimmu Borgir (Spiritual Black Dimensions era) and some Ruins Of Beverast (Rain Upon The Impure), although I’m afraid I would need a sustainer for the latter. It’s considered Ambient/Atmospheric Black Metal, bit for me it’s more Doom than anything else.

 

[6stringerguy]

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

Thanks. I love old school, second wave Norwegian Black Metal (Darkthone, Mayhem, etc.), and I also like to play every now and then some Dimmu Borgir (Spiritual Black Dimensions era) and some Ruins Of Beverast (Rain Upon The Impure), although I’m afraid I would need a sustainer for the latter. It’s considered Ambient/Atmospheric Black Metal, bit for me it’s more Doom than anything else.

if you want to sustain just use a overdrive/fuzz/distortion on top of you already dirty amp to get feedback, if you’re doing the really dark clean passages just smother it in reverb and a bit of delay.
But yeah I’m not that well versed in more modern black metal stuff, I’m mainly stuck in the first and second wave stuff but they’re few awesome blackened death projects out like Shylmagoghnar and a few straight up black metal projects so Taake, destroyer 666, Eternal Valley And Krallice
Doom sustain is usually just feedback from lots of volume and gain, sunn o))) being prime example of that

 

[Rabelais]

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

if you want to sustain just use a overdrive/fuzz/distortion on top of you already dirty amp to get feedback, if you’re doing the really dark clean passages just smother it in reverb and a bit of delay.
But yeah I’m not that well versed in more modern black metal stuff, I’m mainly stuck in the first and second wave stuff but they’re few awesome blackened death projects out like Shylmagoghnar and a few straight up black metal projects so Taake, destroyer 666, Eternal Valley And Krallice
Doom sustain is usually just feedback from lots of volume and gain, sunn o))) being prime example of that

Taake is terrific. And if you haven’t checked out Rain Upon The Impure by The Ruins of Beverast, please give it a spin. It’s a one man project by Alexander Von Mellenwald. Atmospheric/Ambient récords are, frequently, very long and meandering, but this guy knows how to keep everything dynamic, focused and, (at least by Ambient standards), short.

 

[6stringerguy]

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

Taake is terrific. And if you haven’t checked out Rain Upon The Impure by The Ruins of Beverast, please give it a spin. It’s a one man project by Alexander Von Mellenwald. Atmospheric/Ambient récords are, frequently, very long and meandering, but this guy knows how to keep everything dynamic, focused and, (at least by Ambient standards), short.

Has kind of a burzum/bathory vibe but also a bit of Darkthrone really cool stuff though
Burzum has always been my gold standard for ambient/atmospheric stuff

 

[Van Noord]

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

This is a review from Seymour Duncan on the Black Winter installed in a Basswood bolt on neck Ibanez...

https://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/product-news/the-versatility-of-the-black-winter-bridge-model

 

[Rabelais]

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

Has kind of a burzum/bathory vibe but also a bit of Darkthrone really cool stuff though
Burzum has always been my gold standard for ambient/atmospheric stuff

Taake is unique. He manages to throw completely unexpected odd curve balls (banjos, mandolins, Country & Western Guitar solos), and at the same time remain true to Second Wave standards. And, of course, create his own sound.

 

[6stringerguy]

Please talk to me about Duncan high output passive Humbuckers

There’s so much good black metal out there:
Burzum, Darkthrone, mayhem, bathory, Celtic frost, hellhammer, dissection, silencer, krallice, destroyer 666, taake, the ruins of beverast, eternal valley, shylamagoghnar, behemoth, emperor, deathspell omega, Watain, xasthur and agalloch
Many more
Oh Leviathan, ANCST, panopticon and abaddon, scour and Ne Obliviscaris

 

[STLMTLHD79]

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

Don't forget the PATB-1 Parallel Axis original. It is somewhere between a JB and Custom 5 in terms of output but very tight on the low end. A very versatile pickup that goes under the radar most of the time.

I would also suggest a Full Shred. With that said, it has very little low end but it can cut like a razor blade in terms of its attack.

Black Winter is very good but seems to have a very big mid hump. I had a set in an Ibanez Prestige and while they can take C# tuning pretty well, they didn't have the cut that I was looking for.

Maybe I would go custom shop on this. The El Diablo (the hot-rodded version of the Screamin Demon) maybe the perfect choice. There is one for sale on the trade forum right now. Go check it out!

 

[6stringerguy]

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

Don't forget the PATB-1 Parallel Axis original. It is somewhere between a JB and Custom 5 in terms of output but very tight on the low end. A very versatile pickup that goes under the radar most of the time.

I would also suggest a Full Shred. With that said, it has very little low end but it can cut like a razor blade in terms of its attack.

Black Winter is very good but seems to have a very big mid hump. I had a set in an Ibanez Prestige and while they can take C# tuning pretty well, they didn't have the cut that I was looking for.

Maybe I would go custom shop on this. The El Diablo (the hot-rodded version of the Screamin Demon) maybe the perfect choice. There is one for sale on the trade forum right now. Go check it out!

I’ve played the full shred in a mahogany body ibanez and that ripped too but may be a bit too shrill in E

 

[Rabelais]

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

Of all the pickups mentioned, the Seymour Duncan selector recommends the Distortion, the Invader, the Dimebucker and the Black Winter. I can always dial the amp’s shape knob on the scoped side of things. But I will take any hump into account, since this amp seems to have humps all across the spectrum.

 

[6stringerguy]

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

Of all the pickups mentioned, the Seymour Duncan selector recommends the Distortion, the Invader, the Dimebucker and the Black Winter. I can always dial the amp’s shape knob on the scoped side of things. But I will take any hump into account, since this amp seems to have humps all across the spectrum.

Out of those 4 in order id go for
Black winter (again a wonderful extreme metal pickup)
Dimebucker (has a very sharp high end response and large low end)
Distortion (slightly tamer black winter but with more low end)
Invader (overly muddy in my opinion for anything other than E)

 

[Toejam]

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

The PATB-2.

 

[elelpe]

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

With that amp, I'd go with one of these: Pegasus, Distortion, Dimebucker, Black Winter, Alt8.

 

[Van Noord]

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

Personally, I would not choose a Dimebucker or Black Winter for a lightweight, bolt on neck guitar...both those pickups sound their best in heavy, darker sounding guitars with a lot of wood to them.

 

[Demanic]

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

Personally, I would not choose a Dimebucker or Black Winter for a lightweight, bolt on neck guitar...both those pickups sound their best in heavy, darker sounding guitars with a lot of wood to them.

I'll bet that you could put one in a brighter guitar with a 250k pot and it would tame it just enough.

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

 

[Despair]

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

Of all the pickups mentioned, the Seymour Duncan selector recommends the Distortion, the Invader, the Dimebucker and the Black Winter. I can always dial the amp’s shape knob on the scoped side of things. But I will take any hump into account, since this amp seems to have humps all across the spectrum.

I'd go with a PATB-2 Parallel Axis Distortion over the Invader. More controllable bass, but it's got a growl that I don't think is what you are looking for. With an amp that has more controlled bass, it'd be a great choice. I love Parallel Axis pickups, but the PATB-2 is gonzo metal mayhem, more a wrecking ball than a razor. Amazing for fat riffs and singing/screaming leads, and generally tight enough for thrash rhythm [moreso than the Invader, generally], but it isn't even in the top 10 tightest metal pickups Seymour Duncan makes.

I don't think the PATB-1b is what you are looking for, either. It is tight enough for thrash, but it depends a lot on your picking hand, it loosens up with softer attack.

For tight, high output with your tastes in tone, I'd look at Black Winter, Omega or the original Distortion.

 

[Van Noord]

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

I'll bet that you could put one in a brighter guitar with a 250k pot and it would tame it just enough.

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

For some maybe. That is an easy go to compensation. But it doesn't equate having the pickup in a setneck/neckthru 9-11lb guitar made of mahogany.