Seymour Duncan SH-2 Jazz & SH-8 Invader Demo Gear Experts

[GuitarAvenger1]

Is this a good combination of pickups

[6chicken6wing6]

very good review

[MrGuitar144]

i find the dimebucker has a better bass end than the invader

[FirePower3006]

ok so i got a duncan distortion in a basswood guitar and it completely sucked dick, so im looking for a bridge pickup with the heaviest palm muting possible for thrash/death and a neck pickup with a very smooth solo sound guitar is a epiphone les paul, like the shittiest one they got and im thinking about the invader bridge and a full shred or screaming demon in neck or a dean dmt tyrant and dimetime pickup, im getting a schaller les paul trem for it also

[theNINE6661]

@FirePower3006 honestly, basswood is more for actives. the best wood for passives is alder, it reacts with the pickups in a very "real" sounding eay

[sUiSid3]

What if you play with both pickups not just bridge or neck? any problems? I read something bout pickups not going well together, I'd really hate it.

I was thinking bout sh-6 and sh-2 and also have thoughts bout sh-8 invader set. You brought up a balance sh-8 and sh-2.

Please lemme know! I wanna buy new pickups in near future cuz mine does not produce enough power(it sucks completely).

[xunderxdosedx]

The bridge position Invader is my favorite pickup of all time. I play punk, classic rock, metal, and a little jazz, and this pickup has never once disappointed me. Even the twangy clean sound everyone hates just reminds me of a Telecaster. Eats gain for breakfast and always sounds crunchy and well-defined

[1AfterParty]

I've got the same combination of SH-8 and SH-2 and I thing it's a great set, like heaven&hell;). I have installed them in my old Yamaha SG and my axe sounds really great now. BTW great playing mate as well as the review.

Greetings from Poland!

Marcin

[incipio241]

hey man coincidence i was planning on purchasing the same pu's because of the price and they are SD pu's but yeh, thanks for this it really helped me in my choice :)

[DarkLordNagash]

I'm looking for a bridge humbucker for melodic metal playing, but I need it to handle both (distorted) rhythm and lead, and not as brutal as a Blackout. How is the SH-8 for that ?

[Parosa55]

@DarkLordNagash This pickup's the next hottest right after the blackouts, I'd say this is perfect for you, but pay attention to the wood in your guitar. It may make a mahogany body sound muddy; all in preference of course.

[Ps1locyb1n]

wow, fuckin sick talent man!

[Forgeth3Bulletz]

HAHA the perfect review for what i was looking for:D

im thinking about getting the same set for my new schecter

[ShippudenRox]

i have a Jazz neck and an Invader Bridge in my custom ibanez. Epic combo. I use the invader for all my distorted rythyms and pinch harmonics. The Jazz REALLY shines when used as a lead, especially in th neck position, when combined with a high gain distortion. I play hard rock and metal, and i LOVE this combo

[InvisibleMasquerade]

Do you think the jazz is a powerful enough pickup? You have yours in the neck right?

[kamikaze2800]

Lamb of God Picups XD

[1HeavyMetalSamurai]

I m planning on doing the same combo for my Dean Vendetta 4.0 original model with the razor wire inlay on the fretboard.

[lowceilingrecording]

I'm considering this exact combo for my Ibanez...great vid.

[gtjumper]

this does not sound like a "expert" review???

[landlordsmachiavelli]

@gtjumper It isn't, it was for a competition

[volcomnater11]

i have a rg3exfm1 and i want to get new pickups because the stock ones are getting really muddy, i am stuck between emg-hz h4's and the invader, please help!

[johannmartinangelo]

thanks for the reply man! another question man, what is the ideal distance from the pole pieces to the string when fretted at the highest fret? does making it too close to the string produce microphonic feedbacks or unwanted squels? thanks man!

[johannmartinangelo]

did the invader has a specific spacing like trem-spacing or f-spaced?

what is a good string to pickup distance in the bridge position?

[Sozos9038]

@johannmartinangelo as per makers, the invader can be used to hardtails and trem equiped guitars because it has huge polepieces and therefore spacing is not a problem

[rizzometal92]

@johannmartinangelo less distance will give you more volume,more distance equals more tone clarity (think about the distance of the single coils in strats and their different sound). but it will also depend from your sound taste, obviously. however, i generally think about less then 3-4 millimeters from the string pushed at your last fret. sorry fot my bad english. i hope to have helped you.

[myucussman]

As per Seymour Duncan, they say that anywhere from 1/8th of an inch to 1/16th of an inch is ideal.

[dasnake1234]

so these pickups could go in a epiphone les paul and still sound good right? that guitar has a mahogany body

[ExadusX]

Yes.

[denukio]

u dont have feeling in your fingers, i think all metal guys have the same problem...

[rgjmce666]

not all metal but most

[landlordsmachiavelli]

@denukio I'm not actually a guitarist, much less a metal one. And this was when i'd just been teaching myself guitar for a couple of years. But thanks for your input

[givemeajackson]

@denukio stfu, please

[supergerble]

@denukio check out out Michael Amott from Arch Enemy and see if you still think that



[someone0209]

@denukio fuck you

[PrsFenderJackson1980]

Is it wired in parrell? The invader.

[videomurf]

Cheers for the demonstration, I'm considering putting them in my Gaskell Classic II (lefty Explorer, essentially).. May well put them in my SG too!

[wallmethod]

Man that's very insightful! Thanks! I also like the idea of a guitar that can be a monster and with just a "click" tun into cooooool jazzz. yeah!

BTW what gauge of string did u use in this video. Do u think its okay, and would it sound 'rock' if i'll use .10 - 47 gauge?

[landlordsmachiavelli]

thanks. i think this was with .11 - .52 or something around that area. it depends what you're after, if you want a really fat, chunky sound, heavier strings are the way to go, but you'll be slower. If you want to focus more on speed, go lighter, but you'll lose some good tone

[wallmethod]

Thanks man! .11 - 52 in this video really sounds great. Tone perfect!! :) I think I'll go for .11 for the next string change. ROCK ON! :))

[wims09]

i reccomend d'addarios that are "heavy top, lite bottom". They are like .12 gauges on the 6, 5, and 4th strings, but they are .10 gauges on the 3, 2, and 1st strings for speed.

[AllanHP]

lousy funky and jazz groove, i can see you are a metal guy ^^

[landlordsmachiavelli]

i'm a funk/groove bassist, i taught myself guitar listening to strung out, so that's where most of my guitar influence came from, it's more karnivool/closure in moscow influenced now. Just trying to show some different sounds

[Daemonfury1]

i play metal/down tuned. do you think i should get this pickup, the sh-6 distortion, or the custom custom? thanks

[antimaatter]

Depends what type of guitar you're using. Invader works best in basswood or alder bodies that naturally have a treble-y tone to them. Distortion will only work in bass-heavy guitars, mainly Les Paul models.

[ReeceLiamAllsop]

i too am getting these pickups in an sg and seeing yours has persuaded me to get 1 blk and 1 white

[AngelKiller197]

is the sh-8 recomended for thrash metal/heavy metal?

[OnkelJackson83]

yes highly!!! it is an extremely powerful pick up, which delivers an extremely fat aggressive sound??

[AngelKiller197]

I was thinking of the sh-8 or the sh-4 what do you think would be the best?

[LetThemEatRiffs]

for heavy/ thrash metal, definitely the invader sh-8

[stewie9793]

yeah it a pretty powerful pickup...definately intended for metal

[YSSLionPride]

yes omg I love my invaders on my custom that I built with my dad. tones of metal players use them, and they have a great clean sound. crystal clear

[landlordsmachiavelli]

@AngelKiller197 definitely, pretty brutal

[Britton529]

@AngelKiller197 Yeah man. Its what Synester uses.

[headka24]

i have in my ibanez sh-7-6 distortion in bridge and Sh-2 jazz on the neck, coooool sound:)

[bcshredder909]

how do the pinch harmonics sound with the SH-8?

[landlordsmachiavelli]

@bcshredder909 they sound pretty good to me

[PrsFenderJackson1980]

Did you wire the invader in parallel? Now if I put a set of invaders in. Would I need to wire them both or would one do? Noobie need the info. lol

[deathskeleton23]

Im thinking about getting the alnico pro II neck p/u and then getting the seymour duncan invader bridge p/u. Is it possible to put them together in a guitar?

[kotekotekitty]

love the power ballad tone

[Mamothman89]

is that a epiphone sg special thats what i have! im getting a seymour duncan jb in my bridge and invader in neck

[landlordsmachiavelli]

It's an ESP LTD Viper 100FM, sort of ESP's equivalent to an epiphone sg, maybe a slightly higher end epiphone, i like this one a lot, it feels pretty good, and with a pickup change, it sounds pretty damn good too. Yeah, one of my other guitars has a jb, it sounds pretty good too, but i've never played an invader in the neck. Let me know how it goes

[kotekotekitty]

is the sh-2 really that great sounding :O

[landlordsmachiavelli]

It sounds pretty good, better than it does on this video, it's not great sound quality through this

[carrierpidgeon07]

Im putting in a Sh-2n in my neck for my ibanez rg. and deciding whether to put a SH-6 or SH-8 in the bridge position. I play heavy dropped tuned stuff and don't want to deal with active pick up batteries. Any suggestions?? btw my rg has a basswood body.

[landlordsmachiavelli]

I'd go with the SH-8 if you're after a really fat thick sound, when you've got the gain cranked hard, it has more bottom end than i've in other pickups, but once you start pulling back the gain, it gets pretty thin

[rockingrugger]

invaders or blackouts for metal, and hard rock?

[landlordsmachiavelli]

i'm not sure, i don't hear many invaders around, blackouts seem to be the preference for metal and hard rock, maybe because they're active and thats what they're after. Mick Thompson uses them, he gets a pretty brutal sound

[rockingrugger]

ok, thanks.

[ihavenoname93]

well how heavy is this metal, and how hard is the rock?

[rockingrugger]

loads of different kinds, but the metal would be stuff like bullet for my valentine, killswitch engage, avenged sevenfold, LOG, and COB

[ihavenoname93]

well i would go for blackouts in that case, even though im not a huge fan of active pups

[rockingrugger]

k, thanks

[meah941]

If I were you, I would go with an SH-6 distortion, which is great for metal and on clean you even get an overdriven sound. But, the SH-4 is really good for anything from heavy blues to heavy metal.

[rockingrugger]

oh, ok. never tried the SH-6, but i have the SH-4 in my epiphone les paul

[landlordsmachiavelli]

i tried to make it sound alright, but really, the invader is pretty weak for clean playing, at least the bridge one is, i haven't played a neck invader

[Bulldogs74840]

i really want an invader. but i am afraid about how the cleans are on it? like for something like tom petty. i play a lot of blink-182 and that's why i want it. please can someone tell me how the clean is on it? i don't really like how he played it on here.

[VenoMxDeathcore]

what do you guys think is better for Deathcore playing? [Droped B and A] (for stuffs like Suicide Silence and Emmure)

Sh2 with Sh6

or

Sh2 with Sh8 Invader

???

[VenoMxDeathcore]

if do you guys know another diferent pickup set good for this, tell me.

[StreakingInJanuary]

Does this have a good clean sound?

[landlordsmachiavelli]

It all depends on what you would consider good. The invader has a really bright clean tone, too bright for my liking, it kind of sounds weak and thin, there's very little presence. the Jazz sounds a lot more full, it's got a decent amount of body to it, but again, it's all just about what kind of clean you're after. A decent amp won't hurt either, i bought a Blackstar Ht-5 Combo, run it through an Artisan 212 cabinet, the clean sounds incredible

[StreakingInJanuary]

Well, I'm running my current guitar through a Laney TF200 Tube Fusion 65W Amp, with a DigiTech Grunge Pedal. I like, the type of clean that, is bright, and thin and weak, I don't care really. As long as it doesn't overdrive my clean channel.

[dastful777]

ummm u shredding on the jaz pickup was f#$%in epic awsome i want the invaderes for my shcecter and the jazz for my lp

[Moofie11]

Hey guys, I want to buy the invaders pickups.

I have a Schecter c1-classic and it has Seymour duncan Sh4 pickups and the sh2n jazz thing.

I want to replace the jazz pickups with the invaders,and put the invaders in the neck position.

is that a good choice?

Thanks in advance.

[Rak411]

invader is good. i just installed it to my tokai les paul :D

and it sounds awesome.

it can sound like almost everything between death metal, groove metal to old school rock n roll

[tigersrule6]

skaterdude if they sounded bad do you think synyster gates would be using them and putting them in his custom guitars

[RalliM5]

Just because a famous guitarist doesnt make them great.

[landlordsmachiavelli]

they're pretty good for the music he plays, but the body would contribute to the sound, not to mention his rig, which probably isn't simple. So what you're hearing isn't just invaders. But i still think it's great for distortion

[hhoomba]

His rig is really simple according to an interview in Guitar World. He runs his Schecter Synyster Custom through a Boss CS-2 Compression Sustainer, to a Marshall JCM 800. Thats it.

[latinqueenslander]

Great, I don't know why people go to the extense of saying they play from Metal to Jazz. Sorry but the clean sounds does not sound like jazz here nor not even in China. We need a proper demo of clean sounds. Distorted stuff could be anything really. Thnks for the video anyway.

[landlordsmachiavelli]

It's just the kind of clean sound i want, i'm not a huge jazz player so i can't really say "yeah, this is THE jazz sound", but for me, it's a lot closer than my other pickups in my other guitars. Do you have any suggestions of a more jazzy pickup i could put in another guitar?

[skaterdude104]

i hear that those invader pickups sound pretty bad

[landlordsmachiavelli]

depends what you're after really. It's just about what tone you want

[MattSynysterRx20]

Dude im' using a cheap ibanez Grx20 guitar, and I'm thingking of changing its stock pickup with an SD invader on the bridge..is it possible to get the synyster gates custom guitar sound???

[AshISMusicallyHungry]

i think its with the invaders and high gain settings/amp and your done with a bit of tweaking

thats what ive heard anyway

i too search for his unique tone

[landlordsmachiavelli]

i don't know if you'll be able to get his sounds just by installing invaders, his guitar may have different woods to a GRX20, plus his amp settings. But if you're going to be playing lots of high gain distortion, the invaders will be a big step up from standard ibanez pickups anyway

[Spocksbrother]

hows the full shred, for lets say, a van halen type rhythm sound and a shredding satriani/vai sound.

[Chubbs1955]

thats a such a awesome pickup combo that im gonna put that combo in my jagmaster that im fixing up, thanks a lot you have helped me greatly.

[rockonyabitch]

Dude awsome tone man, I have an ESP/LTD Viper 200fm with a SH-8 and a distortion in the neck and it a good setup. got to try me one of thoes SH-2 tho.

[RoC1909]

Even throughout all the compression on your end and when uploading a video to YT, it sounds pretty cool. I was thinking on updating my PRS Standard guitar and it's a toss up between EMG's and the SD Invaders. Thanks for the vid!

[soccerkarer]

it just your camera or something right? because it sounds muddy

[landlordsmachiavelli]

it's on a fairly cheap camera, plus i didn't have a video editor, so i had to go get a demo version and the sound was massively compressed and the quality was reduced heaps.

[muzaqqir1]

would it be a good idea to put both invader pickups one on the neck and the other on the bridge ?

[landlordsmachiavelli]

thats what synyster gates uses in his guitars, it seems to sound pretty good, even on clean, but i can't give a first hand opinion because i've never played an invader in the neck, and so far i haven't seen a guitar besides Synyster Gates signature guitar that has it.

[AzzMan2k6]

I'd like your opinion, I'm switching pickups in my Ibanez S470L which currently has stock AH1 AH2 and AS1, and my previous consideration was the JB but I'm looking for something to get a good distortion tone for metal and hard rock, from Lamb of God to Breaking Benjamin and Queens of the Stone Age... and this seems like it might be a better choice. For cleans I'd probably get a Jazz for the neck but are there other good options? Thanks!

[landlordsmachiavelli]

SD Distortion or Full Shred pickups can give you a fairly intense sound for metal as well as the invader. The JB sounds good at low level distortion as well as high levels, while the invader kind of loses it's quality with less gain, which is a shame. The Jazz is the best neck humbucker i've heard for clean, it sounds full and has a good presence. The only pickup i like more on clean is a Strat neck pickup. The SD Seth Lover has a pretty good sound, but it's more vintage soudning than the jazz

[88dreamer88]

do you like the set: sh 6 bridge sh 2 neck?becose i'm afraid about the 'thicken sound ' of the invader...

[axiluss]

what you play on sh-8 sound heavily stoner/southern metal influenced ;]

[landlordsmachiavelli]

my main influence is strung out, so thats probably where that comes from. protest the hero's pretty high in my metal influences too

[rockononly]

Hey im getting a jackson kvx10, im upgrading teh pickups and i am already getting sh-8 invaders at the bridge, what would be a good neck pickup so i could play nice clean crunchy sounds but woudnt get blown away from the invader?

[landlordsmachiavelli]

i hear a lot of good things about the SD 59 in the neck

[88dreamer88]

does this set work well on a les paul, in your opinion? anyway, awesome vid

[landlordsmachiavelli]

i think it would sound pretty good with a les paul, this is a mahogany body, so a mahogony les paul should sound pretty similar

[janispreiss]

cool vid only quality isnt so gut and its to dark ..but great video :)

[GorillaSalsa]

How do they sound when you use both pickups together?

[landlordsmachiavelli]

i'm not a massive fan of the sound when they're played together, but thats just me, i like the definition and attack of the invader and the smoothness of the jazz, but together, i just feel like they lose a lot of the qualities that make them sound good individually

[CHROMEPHENIX]

cool vid man. i just had Invaders put in on my Jackson rr3 and now im just waiting to get it back from the repair shop

[mxskmg4]

im bout to get this set up i just need the jazz

[inagod]

thanks for posting

[goldmaste78]

awesome pickups

[TheGamingGuitarist]

The Invader looks and sounds very intimidating.

[DefYankeesFan06]

Are these the best seymour duncans for thrash? I want seymour duncans but im not sure which ones to get im between this or the duncan distortions any suggestions from people who have either??

[xGuNcaNDyx]

Here's an idea

You could get a seymour duncan JB for the bridge (for clarity's sake) and when you want a boost for solos get a distortion in the neck.

Its a pretty sick combo

[DefYankeesFan06]

lol i wonder how that would sound maybe i should just get the jb and the jazz cause im a rhythm guitarist

[landlordsmachiavelli]

The JB is definitely a good way to go, it can handle the distortion but it's tone is slightly less bassy, so it seperates you from your bass player and kicks ass for solo's. I got one in my new guitar, i love it

[DefYankeesFan06]

thanks but what about the duncan distortions do you know anything about those?

[jfdd43]

Hey does that setup work well?

i wanted to do the same on my guitar

your video show that they sound nice on their own how do they sound together?

[landlordsmachiavelli]

They sound pretty good enough together, but personally, i'm not a fan of phasing these pickups, just because i like to use them for their individual qualities, and in some circumstances, some ofthe good tones get cancelled out. For instance, the distortion can just sound a bit muddy, but the clean playing can lose a lot of it's presence. Butthat's just my opinion

[GoodOlPunkeye]

what pickups would u guys recommend for a punk musician such as myself?

[landlordsmachiavelli]

I'd go with the Invader, it can actually sound pretty good for punk, Tom DeLonge used one for ages, i'm not sure if he still does

[thtguitardude45]

awsome video dude... love the end

im thinkin about gettin the invader my self but would i be too big to put on the bridge along wit a floyd rose floating tremelo

[javier7high]

i think is the same zize of any pickup but get some measures to ensure

[karlb1]

it's fine with a guitar with a floyd rose.. i have a Schecter Synyster Gates guitar which comes with invaders and has a floyd rose and it's awesome.

[JewDirte]

Ok, can anyone comment on this as opposed to the DiMarzio Evo 2? I'm torn between the invader and the evo 2, but it's harder to find info on the evo. Just wondering if anyone has done an A-B with the two.

[evhgl87]

the evo 2 is not as powerfull as the evo. ive got the evo in my ibanez jem with an alder body and dislike its in person tone but love its recorded tone. your choice there. seymour all the way imo.

[JewDirte]

Thanks for your response. I already ordered the evo 2, so hopefully i'm happy with it. What particularly do you dislike about the evo. It's kind of shrill from what some people say, but i think the evo 2 shouldn't be quite as bad about that. Anyhow, thinks for the advice. I may throw a invader in my les paul.

[godkonx]

evo originals are still used by vai there very shrill and loud and respond instantly to teh lightest touch evo 2s are not as loud or screamy there toned down for a smoother tone more punchy and fat as for the invader dont bother with em get either emg actives if you want a good bridge probably emg 85 active

[JewDirte]

emgs are good for metal, but I got the evo2 cause I wanted something more diverse. I don't like the clean sound with most actives.

[godkonx]

i wud say you made the right choice no one knows more bout guitars and tone than steve vai so you have a winner

[JewDirte]

Ya, since you can't really test-drive pups, that was kinda my philosphy, too. If Steve uses it, it has to do something right. It has forced me to clean up my playing some, but that's a good thing, right?

[project8sk8er]

I want an Invader pickup but i have a Floyd Rose Tremolo and is the Invader gonna hit the strings if i pull the Whammy bar back?

[shawnmilke]

no well, if you set your pick ups very high like mine yoou get a beefyer tone but i dont have a whammy on mine so i have em very high , but since your have the whammy just make sure that their set low or adjust it as you play

[thtguitardude45]

i don't think it would hit if u set it up right cuz synystet gates uses invader pickups and a floyd rose

[tonkpill1]

so would you recomend the invader? cuz i've been thinkin about getting it...but i don't want it to suck

[landlordsmachiavelli]

i would recommend it if the majority of your playing will be distorted. I love the sound of invader with distortion, especially hi-gain metal kinds of playing, because the invader is the most brutally heavy pickup i've found so far, but it can be great for any kind of overdriven playing. The clean sound is a bit thin and weak, which is why i bought the SH-2 to balance it out. So as long as you either have a pickup to balance the clean, or if you won't play clean a lot, get the invader

[sexpistolio]

btw. you're insaine guitar player, hehehe! great job! ;)

[sexpistolio]

Great video!