What is the BEST Bridge Pickup for a HardRock music style?

What is the BEST Bridge Pickup for a HardRock music style?

  • JB

    Votes: 77 38.5%
  • Screamin Demon

    Votes: 13 6.5%
  • Duncan Distortion

    Votes: 33 16.5%
  • Duncan Custom

    Votes: 69 34.5%
  • Full Shred

    Votes: 3 1.5%
  • Invader

    Votes: 5 2.5%

  • Total voters
    200
Re: What is the BEST Bridge Pickup for a HardRock music style?

I found that with the SH5 custom more overtones and harmonics would jump out of the guitar, also I got more response with feedback and also I could get more aggressive with it. But then switching to a lower output pickup in another guitar, It had a smoother sound (which I like) but all of the above was less present. So Id say your amp and your setup greatly affects the pickup and the guitar. For harder rock styles I like decent amount of output then u get all those subtle things I mentioned earlier at lower volumes rather than turning up your amps gain with the lower output pickups.
 
Re: What is the BEST Bridge Pickup for a HardRock music style?

I use the SH 11 in the bridge on my Parker Deluxe. Played through my Peavey XXX combo and it will rock pretty hard. In dropped E it really thumps.
Parkers come with dimarzio pickups that I found lacking. I believe that this is a very high quality pickup that will do anything you want it too.
 
Re: What is the BEST Bridge Pickup for a HardRock music style?

Custom, or if your guitar seems very bright, go for a Custom Custom. CC's sound too dark for rosewood neck/Alder body strats, but for maple it would fit nicely. I'd start at a Custom, tho. You can always change magnets for a few bucks, and turn it into a CC or C-5. C-5's sound pretty damn good on beefy sounding rosewood neck strats.
 
Re: What is the BEST Bridge Pickup for a HardRock music style?

I say C-5 or JB. I find the Custom sounds a little too hard and tight....unles that is what you want.
 
Re: What is the BEST Bridge Pickup for a HardRock music style?

JB out of all the Duncans I tried. It just screams in so many ways. Custom is a little too tight and metal for hard-rock but I could certainly make it work. Distortion is good but lacking some of the JBs nice mids.
 
Re: What is the BEST Bridge Pickup for a HardRock music style?

JB = hard rock i don't have the time to list all the great albums recorded with a JB !!!!!!!!! my sleeper pick is the FULL SHRED nice tone then again you can not go wrong with any of those pickups!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Re: What is the BEST Bridge Pickup for a HardRock music style?

Custom definitely

other than that i'll say teh distortion
 
Re: What is the BEST Bridge Pickup for a HardRock music style?

dimarzio air zone, or breed, or air norton...or you could try the custom from the sd guys :)
 
Re: What is the BEST Bridge Pickup for a HardRock music style?

Duncan Distorsion. Bass/Mids/Treble. all are there.

Ced777
 
Re: What is the BEST Bridge Pickup for a HardRock music style?

Id say just try the custom and Jb and see which one u like best u can always exhange it if u dont like it cause it all comes down to TASTE based on the posts above.
 
Re: What is the BEST Bridge Pickup for a HardRock music style?

I do not mean to confuse you but i would also consider the emg85 especially for the bridge position of a strat and after what you were saying about the JB.
 
Re: What is the BEST Bridge Pickup for a HardRock music style?

Custom out of the selection you have up there. The majority of SD's high output humbuckers seem bright in strats imo maybe to bright. Dimarzio Breed is in the same league as the SD Custom but has tamed treble that still bites and is awesome for hardrock imo.
 
Re: What is the BEST Bridge Pickup for a HardRock music style?

I went with the JB , I was wondering about putting it in my Strat thinking it would be a really bright harsh pickup so I had it installed with the 250k vol. pot. The tone was compressed so I went with the 500k pot and then the pickup came to life and it actually gets a pretty warm distorted tone with my Proco Rat and the JB sounds great clean IMO. I wanted to like the Custom when I had it installed in my other Strat but it was a tad harsh sounding to my ears(could that be because of the ceramic magnet?) so I went back to the 59!
 
Re: What is the BEST Bridge Pickup for a HardRock music style?

It's hard when you try so many of them,

Certain pickups do things better than others. Do you like a fast trebley attack or a softer 'mids' responce?
 
Re: What is the BEST Bridge Pickup for a HardRock music style?

Gearjoneser said:
Custom, or if your guitar seems very bright, go for a Custom Custom. CC's sound too dark for rosewood neck/Alder body strats, but for maple it would fit nicely. I'd start at a Custom, tho. You can always change magnets for a few bucks, and turn it into a CC or C-5. C-5's sound pretty damn good on beefy sounding rosewood neck strats.


that is exactly what i was thinking, if the custom is too bright then you can just change the magnet.
 
Re: What is the BEST Bridge Pickup for a HardRock music style?

Alder and maple strat for hard rock? I'd start with a Custom Custom. They have great tone and output, and are just warm enough to roll off the ice pick treble.
Go all out, and put Antiquity Surfers in the neck and middle, and then thank me later.
 
Re: What is the BEST Bridge Pickup for a HardRock music style?

I prefer JB's although I can understand me people's complaints about it being too trebly but i use that to my advantage... and run up the bass on the amp! ;)

But if you're dissatisfied with the JB I'd go with a Custom. If you need a smoother sound with more bass this may do it for you.
 
Re: What is the BEST Bridge Pickup for a HardRock music style?

I voted for JB on your list, but I find it too trebly on ash and alder based guitars as well.

My personal preference would be the DiMarzio Breed on ash and alder bodies on Hard Rock music. It could create deep yet crunchy palm-muted riffs, screaming harmonics, and tapped notes are well-articulated. The Breed bridge model could be too middy and bassy so try the neck model first on your bridge. However, I don't like the way it sounded clean or split. It sort of lacked character and definition.

That said, I have a Warmoth White Korina and the Breed sounded muddy. If you are not contented with the way a middle single coil sounds and prefer a position 2 or 4, the JB has more to offer on the "clean department" than the Breed. On mahogany and korina based guitars and if you like to play clean without switching guitars, the JB definitely gets my nod.
 
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