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My Final Pickup Shootout - 8 Models Compared (MagFrag, Dimarzio, Duncan, and more)
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- Опубліковано 8 сер 2024
- My last pickup shootout, and I've finally picked a winner for my Suhr Koa Modern!
Thank you to MagFrag and BlackStock for sending me their pickups to try. Thank you to my wallet for buying they Dimarzio and SD and ebay pickups.
Test includes:
MagFrag Riot
MagFrag Riot Studio
MagFrag Praxis
Dimarzio Breed (neck)
Dimarzio Andy Timmons AT-1
Seymour Duncan Warren Dimartini RTM
BlackStock Northern Lights
Unnammed ebay pickup
Original Pickup Shootout: • 11 Humbucker Pickup Sh...
Overloud THU: www.overloud.com/products/bhs...
00:00 Suhr Koa Modern
00:45 The Winner (Riot Studio)
03:54 Opinion AT-1
04:36 Opinion Breed N
05:30 Opinion RTM
06:26 Opinion Northern Lights
07:48 Trash?
08:35 The Amps
10:23 Shootout 1
14:06 Shootout 2
17:11 Shootout 3
21:08 Shootout 4
23:49 Shootout Direct
#Pickup #Shootout #guitar
Your channel is pretty much becoming one of my favorites... great content and always good and clear explantions. And your playing is top notch!!
those third power pickups are the clear winner here! The RTM did sound kickass in shootout 3 for the lead stuff along with the frag mags. But as a whole I think you made the right decision. The studio model excelled in all styles
Wareen de Martiny is very complex in the mid ranges, love it!
That $19 eBay special was surprisingly nice! Clear, punchy, yet not too bright. It certainly kept up with pickups five or six times the money.
Yeah, hahah it didn't suck badly like I was hoping for! I do think the Northern Lights is the refined version of that sound, very clear but not harsh.
If nothing else that $19 no name import p'u proved to me that "Brand name" pickups really do not mean all that much when it comes to the guitar sounding good. I agree about it sounding just as good as those others.
@@These_go_to_eleven_1959 the pickup has to go with the guitar, and your playing. pickup technology it good 👍
It does sound surprisingly good, but it's through a very good guitar with a good rig. Try that thing in a Gio...
Cool stuff Michael. 👍 Nice job on the Reb solo, too. One of my all time favorites
Thanks for including the commentary. It's a struggle for me to stay objective on these shootouts. No matter how hard I try, my eyes influence what my ears hear. :(
Saw the Koa and clicked immediately without even reading the video title. Stayed for the content. Excellent video quality as always. Based on what I’m hearing in this video, I’d have to agree with your findings and choices on favorite pickups in that guitar.
If you ever get time, check out Gravelin pickups, small builder out of Minnesota named Josh Gravelin. His pickups are amazing and he’s a fantastic guy to deal with. I have multiple sets in various guitars and they all sound great.
You are a very musical and creative person, your reviews are some of the best ever created
Hi Alexander. Thank you so much for the lovely kind response!
always love your videos, hope all is well, keep up the great work!
Wow the Mag Frag Studio pickups sound as good as you described...great choice
When Reb Beach joined The Dokken, he changed his pickups from the EMG set to Suhr DSH and Suhr Noise Free Single Coil pickups.
I realize what we miss here is the feel. In terms of sound, my favorite in all clips but the Pantera was AT1 . It really seemed to compliment the guitar in most styles. Least favorite was RTM by quite a bit. The rest, even the eBay trash had their own cool thing going on and would work for me. The eBay sounded really cool on the solo stuff. That was a surprise, lol. Of course, also have to remember these pickups are in a koa Suhr gonna be tough to make that one sound bad. Really enjoy you vids!
I really liked the clarity of the Phil McNight Blackstock pickups
Yeah on that first shootout the Blackstock and the PAF Pro were the top two IMHO.
Blackstock Northern lights had the most note separation (definition, clarity) and top end sparkle.
DiMarzio Breed pickups are still available from DiMarzio by special order. DP165 - The Breed™ Neck - Available from DiMarzio Custom Shop
DP166 - The Breed™ Bridge - Available from DiMarzio Custom Shop
Yeah dimarzio still offers many pu's that are no longer listed with the main models.
The steve's special. double whammy among others from the past as still available.
You went with the right choice, the Riot Studio had more punch & sizzle than the rest, this was apparent on all clips to me but especially the Pantera section as that's the kinda sound I use more. The Duncan was my other fave hear.
Man, This is a little off subject but related. I have a les paul guitar i have played for four years and always knew it is a little brighter than my others. so i would have to eq a little if I played it live, one day changing the strings I noticed the previous owner had put a gotoh stop tail piece and bridge, I switched the light gotoh bridge for a stock heavy epiphone version and it took the brightness away,I play it live alot now. but was amazed and noticed the difference right away, I was gonna swap the pickups. pretty wild but it is what it is. thanx for all the great conten .love your channel.
Dimarzio AT-1 is an incredible pickup in the right guitar. As you noted, it is a bit fat, so in a brighter guitar (Strat or Ibanez S series for instance) it absolutely slays. Love that thing.
I believe you did the right choice! It’s the best sounding of the bunch yo my ears, followed by the DeMartini.
Myyyyy WORD that guitar is gorgeous!
wasabout time :) great demo as usual
Now have Dylana send you a Kitchen Sink 6VEL to review.
@MICHAEL NIELSON, Not sure if you are even aware of it but the Dimarzio PAF Pro was designed for the exact reason
you mentioned about it! It has a extremely balanced EQ with no gimmick's or tricks and uses the classic Gibson PAF character as it's foundation. it is made to let the guitar's natural tone not sound processed or dark.I love them and use them in several guitar's because they do exactly what they are supposed to.The PAF Pro will allow the guitars tone to still be clear and singing even if using a lot of modulation effects. The core tone does not get lost in the mud of the effects chain.
That cheap pickup had a spongy kinda cool thing going bug Mag Frags models killed it! The Duncan Warren DiMartino was somewhat dry? Not enough overtones for some reason. The one Mag Frag somewhat reminded me of a Duncan SH-11 Custom Custom but the SH-11 is potted so the Mag Frag had nicer overtones and nuances
I've had a Riot Bucker in my LP for about three years, game changer IMO.
You ever try the Jason Becker perpetual burn from SD? They sound pretty darn good. Love the channel.
Unfair test. You make everything sound good mate..
I too must confess to be a bit of a pickup corksniffer and have experimented endlessly for too many years. And we are def living in the golden age of pickup choice. As much as I somewhat hate to admit it....if you find a good pup that feels good to you, a nice quality eq pedal at the start of your chain can give you the power to dial in or out the nuances between diff pups. To keep myself from going pup-insane and minimize solder burning and inhalation....DiMarzio PAF Master (a pup very few ppl mention, tight and even sounding) with a parametric EQ as my first pedal and I am want for nothing. Since doing that, no more swapping, wondering, questing...
I agree! i found that when i started using the PAF pro's which also have a very even EQ. My search was over.
I can play any style and get so many tones with those and just adjusting the EQ.
I've heard nice things about that
Are we talking a Boss GE7 EQ for that?
@@timothy5974 hey Tim, I tried that but really needed a higher quality parametric to do the hi shelf eqs necessary for adding an 'airy-glassy' vibe and a proper high pass for tightness. Also, if there is something gnarly you want to dip, a graphic eq tends to be too wide and not tight enough per band to knock out something you don't like without affecting things you do like. Alot of times when doing those high shelf boosts you need to cut some hi mids right at the corner freq of the shelf. Wampler equator, tech 21 Q strip, empress parametric have all worked great for me. Hope that helps. 🤘👍
@@These_go_to_eleven_1959 hey Marshall,,,the paf master is a little different from the paf pro. I also really like the paf pro, I can use them interchangeably. But yes, both are a great baseline to build off of with EQ as they both have plenty of everything and not too much of anything.🤘👍
HFS that FragMag is awesome! I think they're on to something. It's full of flavor & I hear the overtones you're talking about, Mikey. Makes the rest sound dull. The eBay pup didn't sound bad ether, but how consistent are they? You may have just gotten lucky. Buy a few more & see.😉
For me it is the same as it was before, I liked the Blackstock "Northern lights" and IF it were still on the list the PAF Pro.
These both have the clarity/dynamics/bloom/EQ and output i like. Both the northern lights and the PAF pro are not real compressed like most of these others. I tried that Breed neck,AT-1, and went right back to the PAF Pro.
I have the Pro's in several of my Charvels and my two RG's and will probably be getting the Blackstock "Northern lights"
to install in myLP.
paf pro is indeed something special.. what neck pickup do you usually pair it with? I noticed it's a bit boomy in the neck position.
@@ibzmav Try the PAF joe. it was made to be a Pro with a touch less lows to get rid of that "boom" for the neck.
I also really like the bluesbucker in the neck.
@@These_go_to_eleven_1959 i keep reading about the paf joe lacking some bite or pick attack, what's your opinion about this?
@@ibzmav I have not experienced that at all but i do not have any tone control pots hooked up. I just a 500K volume pot.
This gives more bite and attack to any p'u i use.
Just ordered a MagFrag Riot Studio. There wasn't a comment place on the order to say I ordered after watching Michael's video, so leaving it here as a comment in case they see it! It's going in a Stratocaster Elite with a maple neck - should be a good complement. With Wilkinson WL130 locking bridge saddles the guitar can dive bomb with no tuning loss, so this should make it a good Eddie guitar.
Hi David, Hey thanks! That's great to hear, and I hope your enjoy it! Please report back once your Strat is up and working! 🤘
@@BigHairyGuitars Will do!
@@BigHairyGuitars It's pretty great! It doesn't rip like the 11K pickups on my 70s Destroyer, but is way better than the stock Shawbucker the guitar came with. Much more VH approved, and it blends well with the Lace Sensor Golds I have in the middle and neck positions. Thanks for the recommendation and demo of the pickup! I did tell Dylana that you sent me there 🤘
No name/cheap pickups: Some amazing sounds out there.
I haven’t got to the end of the vid yet but so far that MagFrag Riot Studio sounds very good. Too bad they’re super expensive.
Great choice of pickups, but IMO that cheapo rocks!
Yeah thanks!…you made me buy the pickup!…cheers…
I think 11.5k is a sweet spot and no wax potting obviously makes a huge difference. I thought your main problem was fitting in the pickup cavities as they were cut for Dimarzio/Suhr type legs. I have exact same problem with a Steve Morse model, and I hate to butcher pickups, esp expensive ones. Did you custom order all this stuff, other than the Dimarzios, to fit in?
I love your shootouts, dude! Quick question: do ya have any experience with the Doug Aldrich sig. from Suhr? I've always toyed with the idea of putting one in one of my LP's, but I've never had the opportunity to test one out.
I would like to see one of the power station depth and precense modes vs the stereo 2:90
This is a month late but I just came across this. I bought through Amazon which got from pro audio land a set of Suhr Aldrich pups. I always have kept things stock but wanted to try them. Well after the first repair guy put them in the bridge pup was dead. Brought it back asap got recharged for their mistake. A few yrs passed by and again the bridge pup started having issues. Found a different repair guy. So he said where r the Suhr Aldrich pups? I said in the guitar. Nope they were a matched set of fender enforcers both bridge pups. I had loved the neck sound too. So my new repair guy fixed the horrible wiring from the first guy. And they sound great. So I know first guy is honest. I wish he had noticed it said fender on the back. Soooo I call Proaudioland and said although it’s been years you sold Aldrich pick ups to someone I believe, and they took them because they look exactly like their zebra pick ups and put them in their guitar and sent you back two fender bridge pick ups. You knew they had been open why didn’t you check them? He said well it’s too late now. I said well you can be sure I’ll never deal with you again. That is what I think happened. The were then sent to Amazon where. Bought them. Moral of my story. I’m keeping everything stock.
Sounds awesome. I was never sure what pickups to put in my Reb. I have had 2 Rebs and they had a slight nasally upper mid thing, (due to the Koa I am guessing) it sounded great though! I liked the EMG and the Passive Suhrs I used in it but wanted a cleaner and more neutral tone. Might try this set, was thinking of a Friedman Classic Plus or the new Thornbucker plus for the bridge.
IF you are after "neutral try the PAF master pickup.
The Friedman Classic Plus is great, but it has that offset magnet thing (I don't know if I'm calling it the right thing) that is sorta like EVH, almost into the direction of a single coil. It can be overly bright sometimes. Great on warm guitars where you want some extra chime and clarity and cut.
i always come back to the JB. have them in most my guitars. i've tried tons of pickups
I have tried unpotted pickups, liked the added sparkle, but found that they seem to feedback too easily for my tones…..(hot rodded jcm800 rock tones). 🤘🏼
How do you like koa body and pau ferro neck? Do you like it better than alder body
Blackstock northern lights sound great all around.
I bought a used Epiphone Led Paul custom that was set up and it plays like a dream. The stock pickups were just a bit dark, not really muddy. I was wondering if it was me, so I used a spectrum analyzer and found there was an abrupt cut off at 6k. Other pickups had a lot of low level info going on, some up to 20k.
I used to think pickups were the least effective part of the tone equation, but I've learned there is a huge difference, especially with the output level of the pickup. You might not be able to tell a huge difference in many situations, but there is that sweet spot where it becomes very evident.
@fastguitar I didn't feel like soldering in a set, so I am giving the EMG H2 and H2A set a shot. They are passive, and output is 8.4 KOhms so they should be really nice. I have to solder in a set of Duncan '59's in a semi-hollowbody, so I wanted a break on this set LOL!
I guess I’m a lazy bum, I don’t think I could handle swapping pickups on my guitars more than once. Thanks for the comparison!
What amp and speaker are you playing them through? Thanks!
I recently put a Kinman Astound pickup in one of my guitars. It's absurdly good. I'm telling everybody.
I have a set of Kinman's in my NoCaster for 15+ years. Unreal great sounding... and no noise. It's the benchmark for Tele tones for me. Unfortunately, they're website is really hard to get around. Not user friendly, so hard to dive in and find what you need.
This is really cool. Very curious about he MagFrag. So; just curious, have you ever done a string shootout? What are your favorite strings? Ernie Ball, D Addario? Gauges? Most people don't ever take that in to account. Maybe you have done a video on that and I have not found it?
Hi Kurt, I haven't done one specifically. I have changed strings and loved or hated the change. I pretty much only buy D'Addario NYXL now. They always sound great to me, and last a long time.
@@BigHairyGuitars Wow; very cool. It seems to me that a lot of people are starting to switch to those. Even long time Ernie Ball users. Do they ever seem to bright on some guitars? I heard one person say that about a Strat they have.
The best sounding pickup I have ever played is not listed...the Fralen Pinnacle. Neither is the EVH WG pickup or the EVH Frankenstein pickup. These are the best sounding rock pickups of all time.
Just a heads up 3rd Power makes singles that will fit those routes.
ha! Yeah, she told me that too, but I had already settled on this v60's months ago.
What single coils did you use? I have an HSS guitar with EMGs, and I'm looking for a set of passive pickups that will fit in the EMG single coil routes. Thanks!
They have to be custom ordered. These are Suhr V60LP. I also know that 3rd Power MagFrag pickups will do pickups that fit that route.
@@BigHairyGuitars Thanks for the reply! I assume I would have to contact Suhr directly? I was thinking about ordering the new Thornbucker II and a set of V63s like in Pete Thorn's new signature guitar.
@@FirestormAudio I haven't heard the 63's. They sound good in Pete's vids though. You have to contact Suhr, then they'll work with you through a dealer.
@@BigHairyGuitars Got it! Thanks for all your help!
Awesome video dude. I'm shopping for pickups to replace the ceramics in an Ibanez, so this is timely for me. I'm actually leaning Praxis now. Thanks for turning me on to MagFrag, was not familiar. All the pickups sounded good though. With some things, there really are no wrong answers. After listening again, I really like the Northern Lights too. Interesting stuff...
"because I'm a Alnico 5 LIKER" you and me both brotha 😁😎
SO PLEASE ANSWER 🤔 does the unpotted MAGFRAG PICKUP cause problems for you with computer monitors?
I haven't noticed anything like that. It's still a quiet hum bucker
Great video Michael, but now my more pressing question to you is, are you a fellow Crespi Celt?? And, how did you manage to get a black hoodie instead of the standard issue “dirt brown”!?
Hi Mark! My son is! I know that shade of brown is never great. This is a baseball one, so they get to have a little artistic license with the colors. :). Nice to meet you!
Ok, I can't really reject your choice, as that's always gonna be personal, I do think it's the best sounding of the Magfrags with the stuff you play in this video. The Timmons just wasn't for this guitar, too much bass, too muddy like when you played Tom Sawyer. It sounded amazing when you did Lighter Shade of Green tho. I do love the Northern Lights in all the samples. I really missed the H3 from Tom Anderson from your original shootout. Curious why you eliminated it? They can be too bassy as well in the wrong guitar. and have a unique sound, but I felt it was the 2nd best to the Northern Lights in the 1st video.
The Dimartini was intriguing. Not a pickup I'd put in my everyday guitar, but man I can see how with the right riff or song, that pickup could kill it. It kind of even did that "hollowed out" Pantera sound well. I'm super curious how that one would bring a cheap guitar to life. The Breed neck sounded good in most applications, but a little too smooth like it's really meant as a neck pickup. Fun vid!
The Dimartini went into a pine tele bridge that was bright, and it really sounds awesome in there. The Northern Lights might go into my 2HB Friedman T, I think they'll be amazing in there. I really like the Anderson H3, but It doesn't do that VH high end crunch for me. I think it's a super interesting pickup. I didn't bring it back because it was too warm for this guitar, for what I was looking for. I do like it very much though.
@@BigHairyGuitars Yeah, I can totally see that. It reminds me of the northern lights but not as balanced when it comes to the lows Their whole range of the h2+, h3, h3+ and the hn pickups of the same are all really unique sounding. Thanks for the vid!
the cheap one was the best in the DI comparison
Love the Riot Bucker Studio in your clips but it seems it's pretty much unobtanium at the moment.
I know she's been really busy designing a new amp for Satriani. It's a pretty good excuse in my book! 😁🤘
Apparently I need to get my hearing checked... Because that $20 pickup sounded as good as the rest of them, IMO. I don't think I could've picked that pickup out of a blind "taste-test", with a gun to my head. That's a big OUCH! to the other companies, and an equally large learning experience to us players trying to figure out how to get that perfect tone.
still no Kloppmann Burchart?
👍🇨🇦🇺🇲❤BUZZ'S HUMBUCKER PIC'S :
🎸PARIAH BRIDGE ( A2 ) 9.13K
🎸FENDER BRIDGE ( A2 ) 9.81K
🎸GIBSON 490R NECK w / nickel cover ( A2 ) 😁
Seymour Duncan SSL 5 and 6 have straight bobbins.
Praxis +
The AT-1! Not even close! Funny how we all hear things differently
What is that beeping sound?! I know it shouldn't drive me nuts, but it did...
That bridge pickup sounds interesting, but I didn't see the company? Anyone?
I love the idea of mixed magnets ♥️🤘
Thanks. Great videos. I just recently found you. I had to sub. ♥️🤘
Thanks. 3rd Power is the company that makes Magfrag pickups
@@BigHairyGuitars Thank you kind sir. Appreciate it. I will check them out. I have a strat I am building that will have a humbucker in the bridge and single coil in the neck and it might be the perfect guitar for that pickup.
Tha ks again kind sir. ♥️🤘
@@hoosierdaddy2308 the MagFrag single coils are fantastic too.
Mike, I like you and your channel, but I honestly don’t understand why you went the software route for picking up testing unless sim amps are your main amps. Like you said, software tends to color even more, so I am confused as to why you would do this since you want to reject the null hypothesis (all pickups sound the same) with the greatest confidence level possible? I mean, doesn’t seem like the results are very reliable for anyone that wants to take a honest look at these pups and their differences. This isn’t a slight though, just my thoughts stat-wise.
Yeah i agree for me a real tube amp all the way for this type of thing. preferably the Soldano or a friedman
Thanks. I understand. It can be hugely time consuming to do all of these 7x tests. If I re-amp, I never get to feel what the pickup actually feels like. If I play through a live amp, then I need to leave the amp cab mic setup in the exact same position for weeks. If I change 1 thing, then the whole test gets thrown out the window. Software was the most practical way for me to make a video of it. I don't have much time for videos this year, so I have to make adjustments to make them happen.
@@BigHairyGuitars That makes perfect sense. If you don’t have the ROI you need to take this endeavor when doing it with tube amps but do when you use sim amps, that is perfectly understandable.
And yeah tons of independent variables with their own unique correlations. Analyzing any one single item in a rig is usually too complex.
The analysis is great though
That's not a Suhr Modern. That model is the Standard.
🤷♂️ OH. In my head, when I see Koa Suhr with HSS and Floyd with gold hardware, I just think, "it's a Reb Beach model"
@@BigHairyGuitars It is the Reb Beach model, but it is the Standard body shape, not the Modern body shape. The Modern model is a bit more like an Ibanez whereas the Standard is like a slightly smaller Strat.
I have a Dimarzio AT in a super strat vuild and I find it to be thin and harsh. To hear you day that yours was fat and full was shocking to me. Did I get a dud?
Wow, that sounds very uncharacteristic of that pickup. My first guess is to make sure it’s installed right and is boil coil tapping or coil paralleling in some way
@@BigHairyGuitars Thanks for the reply. I got it in a pre-wired 920d Pickguard with the Cruiser single coils. Those are my favorite Single coil pickups ever. Have a great night, Michael.
It makes you realize how good your eyes sound 🤭
The $19 cheapos were the hands down winner of the clean category
I think you might feel that way, because it kindddda is like a single coil. Feels like the it's almost 50% coil tapped, and does have some nice sparkle to it.
the cheap ebay one sounds pretty decent lol
MAGFRAG for the win!
: / HEY MIKE, I HAVE TO TELL YOU.. ALL OF THESE PICK UPS SOUNDED ALMOST IDENTICAL! INFACT, THEY ALL DID SOUND COMPLETELY IDENTICAL! THAT HAS TO BE BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU ARE PLUGGING INTO.. IF YOU ARE USING SOFTWARE FOR YOUR DISTORTION? TRY JUST USING A TUBE AMP. IF YOU ARE USING A PARTICULAR INTERFACE OR WHATEVER YOU ARE USING TO RECORD THESE VIDEOS AND UPLOADING THEM WITH? THERE IS ALOT OF COMPRESSION IN THE AUDIO TOO.. ALL OF THESE THINGS MUDDY THE ORGANIC SIGNALS. ALSO, ALOT OF GEAR TODAY USES DSP.. WHICH TEND TO MAKE EVERYTHING YOU PUT THROUGH THEM, SOUND EXACTLY THE SAME. I HAVE DONE MANNNNNNNNY PICK UP SWAPS MYSELF AND I CAN HEAR THE DIFFERENCE OF EVERY PICK UP I TESTED. BUT THAT IS DONE LIVE IN PERSON WITH A TUBE AMP AND A CABLE. NOTHING IN BETWEEN. AND THE AMP IS A REAL TUBE AMP NOT A SIMULATOR OF ANY KIND.. ANOTHER THING IS THE TONE WOODS! THERE IS A DEFINITE DIFFERENCE IN THE SOUNDS OF PICK UPS IN DIFFERENT GUITAR WOODS. AND LASTLY, LETS NOT FORGET THE SPEAKERS OF THE CABINET YOU ARE USING! SPEAKERS ALSO HAVE A DEFINITE AFFECT ON THE SOUND OF YOUR GUITAR AND PICK UPS.
That $19 pickup did not sound like a $19 pickup! Just goes to show you these days, players on any budget can get great performing gear, regardless of price.
He has an expensive signal chain lmao
Did a blind test and have stated the eBay one was the best. Now tell the truth
oh yes, a bit of microphonics for me, thank you
Praxis +