Seymour Duncan Pickups - Metal (Blackout, Invader, Full Shred, Duncan Distortion etc.)

[robert199594]

alternative 8 is too bright and a lot of midrange..best one is the invader..perfect combination of tight low end and crystal clear high tones

[TerryMaq]

Wow the alternative 8 is briiiiiiight.

[mmkengur]

I liked the most Invader it has that something heavy sounds like dimebucker and distorsion for me that is :D

[mecdawg]

I'm too shit to tell the differnece

[DJ7tringGuitar]

Man those Alternatives sound terrible

[Dudezup]

i cant decide between the blackouts and the invaders...both sound awesome

[Dudezup]

i cant decide between the blackouts and the invaders...both sound pretty sick

[darkdeviltj101]

My favorite tone was the Dimebucker. Had an aggressive bite when you chug! \m/

[borisajordanov]

@darkdeviltj101 Alternative 8 sounded very good to me also

[Yenasty5]

Those Dimebuckers make me wanna throw em on a jackson rhoads and play a fcking ton of thrash, while the alternatives sound evil and scare teh fuck out of me

[Thrasher854]

Alternative 8 trembkr tb-15 EEeeeewwww

[TheSonsofHorusx]

WHERE DID YOU GET THAT JOHN PETRUCCI GUITAR

[SinsAscendant]

@TheSonsofHorusx its just a skin over his MTM2

he gives a link to the website:

/watch?v=ZCH8iWifgU4&feature=c­hannel_video_title

[biloxi1314]

@TheSonsofHorusx he made it. you can buy the design on ebay

[CarlosSaulRodriguezA]

this video sucks, really, you have no idea right?, best pickups: Seymour Duncan Alnico, Seymour duncan hot rodded, dimebucker and EMG HZ F-H2.... enough...

[ecorona21]

Damn.. now I know I should got the Blackouts instead of the distortion ones for my 7 string... great vid man.

[cmzangetsu1993]

a better home for that Dimebucker would have been in a Dean ML where it belongs.



[CarlosSaulRodriguezA]

@cmzangetsu1993 you are right :D

[Goingdownforthekill]

I could listen to this riff forever man. It only lacks one thing upon it, and that would be a fucking DIMEBAG or ZAKK SOLO XDXD GREAT JOB DUDE, KEEP ROCKING!!!!!!

[xXMatthewCoreXx]

Ola check out Polish hand made pickups - Merlin Pickups. They'll rock you out of your socks, trully!

[vulgarjack]

The Alternative 8 sounded radically different from the others. It seemed to have an inherent twang to it in this demo. Not bad sounding, just different.

[256guitarhero]

SH-6 is the best man!!!

[mrbuddha2026]

How can you come with such riffs? I try to make riffs like this but to no success. Any help would be appreciated :)

[JMcLane90]

So I'm getting new pickups in my guitar for the first time. I decided on getting the Invader, but I'm not sure what to pair with it? Another Invader or..? (noob question I know) Any feedback from anyone would be appreciated, thanks!

[givemeajackson]

@JMcLane90 i'd personally pair it with an sh2 jazz or a dimarzio liquifire. the neck pickup should be smooth and creamy for lead stuff, it doesnt need chug and hi output. that's the job of the bridge PU

[JMcLane90]

@givemeajackson Awesome. Thank you very much!

[rockergod789]

@JMcLane90 an Invader in the bridge position and a Pearly Gates in the neck position will give you any tone you'll ever need.

[vannimal2]

its kind of unfair to test pickups with the axe effects 2 cuz that makes anything sound awesome

[Rouwiinator]

not really that kind of metal i like but i have to say this is a damn brutal sound ... love it and your picking technique is awesome

[joshlasseigne]

Fuck all the negative shit they giving you this is some badass riff from hell man!

[HeavyMetalMasterSid]

Sorry but sound quality doesn't make a demo... All the pickups in this vid sound pretty much identical and it's also bad that you drop tuned the guitars ( anything D standard and above is still ok and doesn't demonstrate the following complaint ) because this decreases string vibration and resonance dramatically thereby getting a more generic sounding tone. For your next comparison if you do one 1. stay in standard 2. play a simpler song 3. use a less common and much heavier tone.

[FtaCapoeiraWoot]

@HeavyMetalMasterSid how does one make a tone heavy? Surely it's what's being played, and not the tone?

[givemeajackson]

@HeavyMetalMasterSid dude, the pickups sound nowhere near identical, and when you use thick strings the downtuning doesnt really matter, and since a lot of metal is downtuned these days a lot of people wanna know how it sounds downtuned. and the song is perfect for a demo. one slow chugging part, one faster palm muted part, and some powerchords. that's all i wanna know of a bridge PU

[acledfloyd]

I was amazed by that low end and how it was still clear. How did you see the highs?

[nunocarmona]

All sound pretty much the same except for the Alternative 8. With these amp settings it's difficult to listen the difference between pickups.

Very well done video. Congrats.

[TheDerbyD]

Theyall sound the same. Like Shit!!!!!! This is not music. Just a bunch of noise on the low end strings. It really don't matter what your using for a pickup if this is the only garbage your gonna play. I rank it with RAP music. They are both short for C - R - A - P!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!

[valdivia562]

holy fuck! the blackouts sound so beast like

[aurelioreset]

hey mate, great video! just a question: which programme did you use for the drum sound? sounds pretty realistic...

[Necrosalvation]

HOLY SHIT I JUST SAW OLA ENGLUND PLAYING ON SIX STRING!!! OH MY JEESUS!

[MrJemCem]

I must say that guitars definitly not a mtm its a jpm

[SteelSkin667]

@MrJemCem It's actually an MTM painted to resemble a JPM.

[mcstabbey]

I'm looking for a passive alternative to my stock VFL actives and I was wondering which pickup would be best suited to my musical tastes (Parkway Drive, August Burns Red, Veil of Maya, Within The Ruins, Sucide Silence, The Human Abstract, etc) as I play in a progressive metalcore band. I was considering the Invader coupled with a '59 in the neck or a Dimarzio D-Sonic + '59. Thoguhts or recommendations? Looking for a crispy, brutal tone.

[FMGProductions100]

lol and they say the pickup is the most important part of tone... There was such a subtle difference between most of them, the only one that really stood out decently well was that Alternitave 8 TB 15.

[kotsos213]

BUT NICE TRY ANYHOW....

[IsaacDeanMusic]

@kotsos213 Please be quiet in the future

[kotsos213]

i watched this video cause im interested in sh8 and sh10 on 6STRING GUITARS.USING 7STRINGS WILL SOUND CHUNKIER ONE WAY OR THE OTHER!!!!!!!!!!!!

[swedisheinherjer]

Really, really nice riffing but the humbucker that really seperates itself from the rest (at least for me) is the Alternitave 8 TB 15. Sounds almost idenitcal to a Dimarzio Blaze 7, because it has a very low midrange. It makes the pickups to sound cold and hard, there is barely any warmth in it. The rest of the picksups sound pretty much the same. The only difference is that some pickups has a bit more bass and thickness. But that's just my opinion :)

[robotsforever]

Dude I realize you are showcasing a variety of pickups, but you're demoing them through a variety of different guitars.

[rosenbluntz]

@robotsforever why play a pickup in an alder body when it was designed for basswood?

[Denleavy]

@robotsforever Why's that a bad thing?

[thpc]

@robotsforever Hahahaha, you're joking, right? As far as I can see all 6-string pickups are mounted on the same guitar, as well as all 7s are on the same 7 stringer and... well 8s are on the same 8 stringer. Oh, maybe he should cut a big hole in the 6-stringer and mount all 7s and 8s there? :D

[MegaFretboy]

@robotsforever well its kind of hard to put a seven string pickup into a six string guitar, now isn't it?

[masterofmorphine92]

@robotsforever he had passive and active, 6 & 7 strings pickups, isn't that obvious?

[DmitriSkif]

That's stupid and useless to test them on guitars different like two pieces of cheese..

[psyckla5]

the alternative 8 and the full shreds are the only ones with their own voice really

[SegataSanshiroRule]

awesome and very informative :)

[sxesamuel]

Does anyone have experience with the Full Shreds? I'm choosing between them and Blackouts.

[scarfamelly]

EMG ALL THE WAY lol but no i like the black outs the best

[GRTrickTip]

I play with a 6 strings guitar, dropped in B, and i got the Invaders... well, they have soooooo much gain, sometimes too much, anyway i'm happy with them but now i got to change my amp because it can't stand up the bass XD

[brkndstrng14]

@GRTrickTip is it true that the invaders cancel buzz well and hav good sustain? cuz im debating between getting a pair of invaders or a jb and 59' set

[GRTrickTip]

@brkndstrng14 Well, i have got only the bridge invaders, anyway, yeah, it's true, they pratically doesn't buzz and they have a great sustain (the harmonich on the 3° fret lasts 30 seconds!), but, notice that they have A LOT of bass, and the sound it's quite dark (i like it :P), so if you like more mid-high maybe the dimebucker it's better, anyway invaders really rocks... ah, they have a lot of gain too, so you must be very clean when playing :)

[brkndstrng14]

@GRTrickTip hmmm yeah i hear ya. i really like the low-end of the invaders. the main reason i was looking into them is cuz im a huge A7X fan! but the dimebucker didnt really appeal to me tho lol. anyway thanks for the reply :D

[GRTrickTip]

@brkndstrng14 NP :) I hope the old A7X (waking the fallen), anyway :D

[brkndstrng14]

@GRTrickTip i love that album! but to be honest i love all their stuff! thats why im a huge fan! \m/

[mercuryfaith]

I love this pickups but my favorites are Seymour Duncan Jazz and JB

[MrRonGuitar]

Hmm... I've been debating on the invader 7's... would've liked to see more LoG style stuff because that's the tone I'm into.

[levisnotjeans]

I was argueing with myself over the alternative trembucker and the dimebucker but then I really heard those uncontrollable sounding highs on the trembucker so I think the dime is my favourite, it feels inbetween that blurryish growl of most djent but not treble city either

[guitarsehole]

OK, now I'm up to the second half of the video...I can hear a difference now.

[5150VanAlien]

Too much chug chug and not enough feeling...

[page041]

Really good demo, you made it easy to compare the pickups :)

[SteveChandlerFTW]

I think it's a decent demo but I really wanna know more about like pinch harmonics,lead tones,shit like that we all know blackouts sound good when palm muting and chugging

[XONhXc]

4:59 Seymour Duncan- Full Shred SH-10b by Ibanez RGD2127z .......is PERFECT!!!!!

[RobHSpark]

Maybe he just wanted to try these pickups out for rhythm purposes. While a lot of guitarist love leads, there are indeed some who like to just play a good rhythmic pattern. I love both and I don't mind which way these pickups are tested.

[psymon1981]

Why have you multi tracked this??

[jagstang4ever]

dimebucker sounds best to me^^

[Thorn137666]

I switched to Blackouts a month back, put em in my Epiphone Les Paul, and to all the people complaining about the lack of treble demo in this video, I have to say, the highs on the blackouts are insane. I'm pretty sure I almost made myself bleed from it all. The blackouts are my new standard.

[luc93luc]

hmm the dimebucker kinda sounds a bit hollow and fizzy, was thinking about buying it but this gives me second thoughts

[calibanman]

GREAT video, thank you! I wanted to hear the alternative 8's for quite a long time. Didn't really like the sound, but I really liked the sound of the pickup I use most of the time, the distortion :). Looks like I made a decent choice there.

And I was glad this video isn't full of lead wankin', like the clips a lot of people on youtube make. Love your work, Ola. Btw I would really like to hear an ENGL SE playthrough :).

[TheTyrantRaptor]

@meimyself55 Duncan distortion has angry mids best for thrash metal. The invader is best for real death metal, florida style

[TheTyrantRaptor]

@skylinrg Are you joking? I hope you are.....

[DYZSYX]

i wonder how long it took to shoot this video, only 3 guitars are used, the 6 string used different pickups, and it's that a 6 string with FR? that would be a pain in the ass. no duncan custom 5? i think blackouts and invader are the shit!

[101DIGITAL010]

they all sound the same to me. and it needs more cowbell

[BringerOfBloood]

Good: He showed like the same riff on all, so you can hear the differences

Bad: Didn't show any leads or solo stuff...

[Adamshredsify]

blackout invader and full shred sound best to my ears 

[PoetryEmotion94]

the alternative 8 TB-15 sounds terrible IMO. too twangy, not tight.

[DerJust661]

I'm glad I receive my sh-6 tomorrow ^^

[AnOldShooe]

Could someone maybe help me with guitar? I want a Ibanez with SD pickups. I think I want Blackouts. The guitar should have 6 strings and also a whammy bar. My budget is around 1000-1200 dollars.

Someone who has any recommendation? I play death, doom and thrash metal. :D

[kajgod58]

@AnOldShooe there is no ibanez like that, but chek out schecters

[killwhitneyhalfdead]

@AnOldShooe Schecter BlackJack ATX C-1 FR

[metalballs2010]

@AnOldShooe Ibanez with SD pickups? Check MTM1, it's equipped with SD EMTY

[MyGreatFall]

How did you get the paint job done on your MTM2? Looks so badass!

[Tviruskillu]

I have Invaders in my Syn Custom guitar. They're great :)

[tangleone]

its a tie between the DD tb-6 and the dimebucker. the alternate 8 is the worst sounding for what i want to play

[GRTrickTip]

Hmmm.. i really don't know... Dimebucker SH-13 or Blackouts 8 AHBI?

[GRTrickTip]

@GRTrickTip /facepalm! Blackouts 8 AHBI is only for 8 strings! XD so, i think Dimebucker wins... :P

[metalballs2010]

@GRTrickTip But I think the 7 and 6 string version of Blackouts is not really different from their 8 string cousin

[GRTrickTip]

@metalballs2010 Hmmm... i Don't know... Dimebucker, Invaders or Blackout? I got a Ibanez GRG 270....

[LiamDarkCross]

Alternative 8 Trembucker sounded pretty well, also the Invader 7 got a nice kick. But i would choose the Trembucker, sounds a bit like a chainsaw :P

[TheReaper0218]

You have a very interesting picking technique Ola!

[Gabriopunk77]

Dimebucker is SO sick!! I think I need to switch.

[mustang517]

would the TB-15 bee good for technical death metal in drop A? theres nowhere i can test this out.

[371jon]

wow someone really put dimebuckers in a petrucci

[givemeajackson]

@371jon that is an mtm2 with a petrucci guitar skin and a dimebucker. TRIPLE SIGNATURE FTW!!!

[meimyself55]

Too me, the Invader just sounds like the Blackout, only it's passive.

[Ninja1Zombie1Master]

Didnt really demo the trebles at all. Call me crazy, but I sometimes use more than 3 strings...

[timjatomnee]

@Ninja1Zombie1Master It's a heavy sound demo, i also use cleans but the clean tones also aren't demonstrated

[Ninja1Zombie1Master]

@timjatomnee I know its heavy, but you can stay heavy and demo trebles. My point is this doesnt give much of an idea how it handles Metal Leads, only low rhythms and riffs.

[TheHipsterholocaust]

@Ninja1Zombie1Master We live in an era where breakdowns and chugs matter more than riffs and interesting leads. Sad, unfortunate shit really.

[Draceius]

@TheHipsterholocaust or this might just be for a rhythm guitarists point of view

[TheHipsterholocaust]

@Draceius Then this implies that rhythm guitarists don't have much to show for themselves...

[Draceius]

@TheHipsterholocaust True say, and I've seen bands use interesting and treble leads for rhythm, I'm actually being a hypocrite because in fact one of the songs I've written incorporates a tapping arpeggio as a main riff. So I have no choice but to agree with you.

[Esupano3]

@TheHipsterholocaust If you really cared to look around for shit, the best bands today combines all of those elements in those songs. Look at Parkway Drive for example. Just saying...

[TheHipsterholocaust]

@Esupano3 Awwwww hellllllll no, that band is buns as fuck.

[planescapeshock]

@Esupano3 no offense but Parkway Drive is an example of a band with generic breakdowns & chugs. August Burns Red, Veil of Maya, Meshuggah, Misery Signals, Ion Dissonance, Periphery and alike are good examples of how breakdowns should be

[Esupano3]

@planescapeshock As far as I can tell, August Burns Red is good, but more generic then Parkway Drive. Veil of Maya, Meshuggah & Periphery are djent, where the breakdowns are just a whole other thing... You would probably be surprised that Parkway Drive have influenced most of your "breakdown champions" over the time. Horizons got tons of great breakdowns and chugs, as well as their older stuffs (including the split with I Killed The Prom Queen). But hey, the bands you mentioned are also great!

[guitarsehole]

@TheHipsterholocaust Nah, only to some mate. It's all about the fuckin riff!! Anyone can chugga with a low tuned guitar...just some do it better than others and make whole songs out of it.

And maybe it's my bad hearing, but all the pickups sounded the same to me.

[xxbrkdwnxx]

@TheHipsterholocaust true, but i fear falling back to a time where over the top solos and virtuoso musicians reign supreme. i hate yngwie malmsteen and MAB. solos should serve the music. not the other way around.

[TheHipsterholocaust]

@xxbrkdwnxx, I don't care for any of that too, where it's all nothing but leads, and nothing but a total focus on leads, shreds, and solos. You got to have a balance or at least be interesting with one or the other. Music isn't ripping scales, on-going flurries of notes, or never ending chugs.

[xxbrkdwnxx]

@TheHipsterholocaust amen to that. the only music i like that contains that quite over the top guitar playing is like children of bodom. but they make it sound good.

[CiscoMcLovin]

@TheHipsterholocaust FML....FMG....

[thelordofdarkcheese]

@TheHipsterholocaust I hear ya, I'm getting really sick of it.

[hhcave]

@TheHipsterholocaust you sir, are a biggot: you are caught up in another era or style of music. just like fashion or art, music changes over time and just because you dont like a certain style doesnt mean you can put forward a seemingly 'objective' statement like that

[TheHipsterholocaust]

@hhcave By definition of bigoted I am "Obstinately convinced of the superiority or correctness of one's own opinions and prejudiced against those who hold different opinions." That's probably true to an extent, though other's opinions sometimes catch my respect but your's does not. I'm very much open to new things and ideas, but they can't SUCK. Take Disco for example; disco fans were saying the same thing you're saying years ago and Disco went belly up before or around 1975.

[TheHipsterholocaust]

@hhcave, Mark my words: Deathcore, "Djent", etc. won't be around much longer.

[lagiator]

@Ninja1Zombie1Master FFFFFFFFFU I pressed like when your comment has 69 likes.

[Ninja1Zombie1Master]

Needs more metal.

[darthinfurnus]

Blackouts and Full Shred!

[PainfulPenetration]

Hey Ola, I need your help! I've just watched your Seymour duncan pickup video, my ass is bleeding, but i was so good! I need to put some Distortion pickup on my 7 string guitar! What is da best combo? a SH7 distortion on the neck and bridge or a SH7 on the brigde position and an other pickup for the neck(TB7)? thx !

[skylinrg]

ALTERNATIVE 8 TREMBUCKER - TB15 sounds good

[m4ssee]

@skylinrg

Haha, it is so squishy but I think I like it most, too!

[meimyself55]

I need help: I mostly play thrash, I have a guitar with a floyd rose, and I can't choose between the invader or distortion!

[2009korte]

hmm.. they sound the same?

[MrInsanity335]

which pickup is better for basswood guitars?

[metallica5252]

@MrInsanity335 The RGDs are basswood bodied guitars...listen from 1:44 on and decide for yourself..

[TheVymroth]

IMO, Invader sounds the best, then Full Shred. Alternative 8 Trembucker the worst, too much treble. Now I know what to go for. Thanks for this!

[halofan1945]

do u think the dimebucker is good for low tunning such as drop b?



[metalballs2010]

@halofan1945 I think so

[furbiscuit916]

O ok....i was gonna say thats a 2,500 ibanez.

[furbiscuit916]

Go for a crunch lab and liquifire.....

[givemeajackson]

@furbiscuit916 true. dimarzio = epic triple win

[furbiscuit916]

How dare you put dimebuckers in a JPM Ibanez.....you should have Dimarzios...

[wrathchild269]

@furbiscuit916 That isn't a JPM Ibanez....It's an MTM2 (Mick Thompson) with the JPM paint job on it

[FirePower3006]

Honestly the dimebucker sounds NOTHING like it does here, and I find it hard to believe that the alternative 8 could sound THAT different because a alnico 8 magnet. I think he should of changed the settings for certain pickups and did the custom and jb as well.

[GuitarELdominator]

Can i have that strand of hair at 5:13 ? >=] hahahahahaha!!

[Dimeist]

I love that Ibanez RGD2127z. Too bad i can't find it anywhere.

[rjsmith452]

Go invader

[nabob2233]

im having a tough time choosing which set of pick ups for my epi les paul. im considering:

1) blackout metal ahb-2 with a normal blackout in the neck

2) a set of normal blackouts

3) invaders

4) jb with a jazz

[Madbutcher305]

@nabob2233

Go for the duncan distortion IMO.

[dan95brantner]

which of these pickups sounds the tightest?

[Deathrash241]

Out of all, i prefer de SH6 /,,/ btw, the trembucker has an interesting sound, its like a neck pickup.

[elsalvador702]

no jb :(

[pivetlord13]

I'm more of an emg player, but I'm sold on the invader. Btw: the Alternative 8 sounded horrible. Is it a single coil just in a humbucker casing? That's what it sounds like.

[carlosvillarreal1000]

sh-8 invader for my gibson sg : )

[TheGeronimo322]

Hi Ola

Thanks for superb pickups demo, 1st class!!!! I love your yt channel. This is exactly what I was going to listen and see.

I am going to put new pickups to my RGA 7, factory ones are sh..t.

[klogg4]

Don't like the comparison, because guitars are different. MTM2 is mahogany and RGD is basswood, that is the biggest difference that actually makes sense, even though MTM2 is a lower class guitar. For me TB-6 in MTM2 sounded much better than SH-6 in RGD (if talking about mix), but I know from practice that these pickups sound absolutely the same, just different spacing and that's all. Anyway, thanks for interesting comparison!

[parkourmetal123]

this is the best review I've ever seen of duncan pickups O.O

[MatKiller1197]

i like invaders, sh6b, sh10b and duncan distortion trmbkr tb-6

[MatKiller1197]

please do the gus g fire blackouts

[anewkirk1]

What song are you playing?

[Xaederaz]

Seymour Duncan Blackouts ordered...

[jckbainbridge]

Strangely enough I don't want any of these pickups...I want Ola...In my basement, forced to play metal for all eternity

[metalballs2010]

@jckbainbridge I want Ola to be in my band, so I can play Metal for eternity

:)

[hoffman4]

This is probably one of the best pickup comparisons I've seen. Thank you.

[TheTyrantRaptor]

Definately the sh6 is the best

[CIAmrx]

Looking for a new bridge pickup for an Ibanez RG, considering the Full Shred or the Alternative 8. Thoughts between the two?

[givemeajackson]

@CIAmrx full shred. i'm pretty sure that the alt 8 is not wired properly in this vid, but i think you cant go wrong with the full shred.

[justishawkins]

are the invaders too bassy? i want either the invaders or the distotions

[Madbutcher305]

@justishawkins

I'd go distortions. Invaders sound a little muddy.

[justishawkins]

@Madbutcher305 thanks man

[givemeajackson]

@justishawkins what body wood in your guitar? for alder/ash i'd take the invader, for mahogany the sh6. for basswood i'd go for a dimarzio crunchlab.

[justishawkins]

@givemeajackson its basswood