What are the hottest passives you've tried?

[Rex_Rocker]

For me, my top 3 would be:

1. X2N
2. Black Winter
(those two are tied)
3. 500T

It's been ages since I've tried the Invader. Maybe that one is around the X2N level?

Gotta say... I didn't like the X2N at all. So higher output certainly doesn't mean better. But it's fun to know which pickups are more over-the-top.

I know the Slug is probably hotter than any of those.

What are your experiences?

 

[Seashore]

BKP alnico Warpigs. Maybe I didn't have them in the right guitar but they didn't have the bite I was looking for. I didn't really expect them to, I just got them at a very good price. I'm going to try the bridge with a ceramic just to see how it goes before I move them along.

I like the Invader in a bright guitar, down away from the strings.

 

[ICTGoober]

The X2N's were without a doubt the most obnoxious pickups I ever used. I had them loaded in a 3 pickup Les Paul and the only tone available was angry roar. It was fun, but not versatile enough.

 

[skelt101]

I used to have a Flying V ‘98 with the 496R/500T combo, and those were hot pickups. Currently, it’s probably the Old Boy pickups in my JayDee:

 

[Rex_Rocker]

BKP alnico Warpigs. Maybe I didn't have them in the right guitar but they didn't have the bite I was looking for. I didn't really expect them to, I just got them at a very good price. I'm going to try the bridge with a ceramic just to see how it goes before I move them along.

I like the Invader in a bright guitar, down away from the strings.

Are the A5 Warpigs hotter than the usual Ceramic suspects? Becuase IME, stronger magnet usually yields to a hotter output than high DCR. Evidence of that, is the D Activator is only like 11K, and it's HOT.

Not saying you're wrong. Just curious.

 

[Seashore]

Are the A5 Warpigs hotter than the usual Ceramic suspects? Becuase IME, stronger magnet usually yields to a hotter output than high DCR. Evidence of that, is the D Activator is only like 11K, and it's HOT.

Not saying you're wrong. Just curious.

It's pretty hot. Not unworkable, but at the higher end of what I would like to use. Judging by how it interacts with my rig, its output is at least as high as the hot ceramics I have (distortion, Invader). I don't have any measuring equipment but I can go by where I need to set the input gain on my head and how easily the clip light on one of my pedals gets triggered. That's with it lowered away from the strings, too. Shallow bobbins - the wire must be very thin - a single thickness magnet, no flankers.

 

[Securb]

In no particular order

Black Winter
Fralin SHO
Colossal Incantation

​

 

[xxxplorer]

Jim Wagner Iron Man (My favorite pickup of all time lol)
Duncan SLUG
Motor City Nukes
Duncan Distortion
Gibson 500T
Fluence Fluff Bridge
Bill and Becky 500XL

All fantastic pickups

 

[Supernautilus]

You didn’t specify only humbuckers so…

I just bought, and promptly returned, a QP Tele bridge model. Unusable. Way hotter than I expected and super dark, even with 500K pots. Lesson learned.

 

[Inflames626]

Invaders. Actually Duncan Designed copies. Don't like super hot pickups unless they're bright and tight.

 

[misterwhizzy]

Distortion. As soon as I bought a Custom, I realized medium (medium hot?) output is a much better fit for my playing style.

 

[80's_Thrash_Metal]

X2N, Dimebucker, Invader, Black Winter.

They all slay!

 

[beaubrummels]

Black Winter
500T
Distortion
JB, JB/A2

 

[Rex_Rocker]

You didn’t specify only humbuckers so…

I just bought, and promptly returned, a QP Tele bridge model. Unusable. Way hotter than I expected and super dark, even with 500K pots. Lesson learned.

You found it too hot?

I have one and love it. But yeah, if you were expecting Tele twang, probably not.

It is hotter than a PAF-type, that's for sure. But I wouldn't say it's hotter than a Custom or a JB. It is kinda dark for a single coil, though. I run mine with a single 500K volume pot. I bet with two vol/tone 250K pots it would be unusable.

 

[Mincer]

I have a hard time with high output passives. A Custom Custom is about as hot as I will go. It isn't the tone of the high output pickups I don't like, it is the compressed feel.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I have a hard time with high output passives. A Custom Custom is about as hot as I will go. It isn't the tone of the high output pickups I don't like, it is the compressed feel.

Some of them feel pretty open granted you adjust your amp settings to compensate.

Distortion, Black Winter, JB, and something along those lines are indeed somewhat compressed. Which I kinda like. But also, adjusting amp settings helps (for me). If set an amp up for a '59B, then yeah, no way plugging in a Distortion is going to work.

But I'm actually surprised how open the DiMarzio D Activator is. You'd think it would be super compressed with the active association. But it isn't.

I haven't spent all that much time with either, but I wouldn't think the Nazgul would be more compressed than the Custom Custom (granted you adjust input gain accordingly).

 

[Cynical]

The Black Winter and Bare Knuckle Ceramic Warpig are probably the hottest two I've played with. The X2N actually didn't feel as hot as those two. Also, it may have just been how it interacted with one particular amp, but the Dimarzio Evo felt *really* hot; almost like it had a Tube Screamer built into it.

 

[Inflames626]

I have a hard time with high output passives. A Custom Custom is about as hot as I will go. It isn't the tone of the high output pickups I don't like, it is the compressed feel.

I keep some guitars for soloing only. That's where I think the bright, compressed, high output passives really shine--when you need something that cuts through and soars over the rest of the mix. I just have to mind my cymbal wash and synths in that frequency range.

To be honest for every day stuff a Full Shred, Custom 5, or Custom is all I need. I haven't used the Parallel Axis pickups very much but I love the Original. For me it's like a Distortion that's easier on the ears.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I used to have a Flying V ‘98 with the 496R/500T combo, and those were hot pickups. Currently, it’s probably the Old Boy pickups in my JayDee:
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Are those Tony Iommi sigs?

 

[ErikH]

DiMarzio X2N
Gibson Dirty Fingers

I liked the X2N. It was in a cheap guitar that needed some help and it certainly took care of it. Big, fat, crunchy, which is what I needed from it at the time. These days, the hottest I go is the Super Distortion and Custom Custom.

While the Super Distortion is still a hot pickup, it's way more flexible than one would think. Lower wind plus double-thick magnet. A great recipe for that one.