I got curious and checked out the tone chart listed on Seymour Duncan's website. If anyone's interested, here's how a bunch of their pickups are supposedly EQ'ed: (Bass/Mid/Treble) Nazgul - 5/9/8 Pegasus - 5/7/6 Black Winter - 6/6/6 (lol) Blackouts - 6/5/8 Full Shred - 4/4/8 Distortion - 5/8/9 JB - 5/6/8 Invader - 7/8/4
+flips220 Thanks for taking the time to make this ! I'm interested in the Black Winter ones for my 8 string guitar do you recommend it or any other pick up ? :)
Krematoria France Depends on what kind of sound you're going for. But the Black Winters are one of my favorite sets from Seymour Duncan, and I would recommend them to anyone looking for some metal pickups. Very nice growl, and surprisingly versatile for being such high output pickups. They clean up very nicely. Ceramic Magnets. The bridge is like an upgraded and modified Distortion, and has great clarity and snarl. The Black Winter neck pickup is bright and clear. If you want nothing but pure aggression in the bridge, then go for a Nazgul. It's bright and sharp. High output Ceramic magnet. Won't get muddy at low tunings with tons of gain. But the trade-off is, it's a one trick pony. Basically just high gain rhythm. It doesn't clean up very well, and leads can be a bit harsh. If you want something with less output, and a warmer tone, and a little more clarity as far as string separation, then go for the Pegasus. Medium output, Alnico V magnet. Good top end and fat low end. Both the Pegasus and Nazgul pair with the Sentient neck, which is one of the best neck pickups Seymour Duncan makes. It's glassy and articulate. Very smooth cleans and leads, handles gain like a champ. Like a Jazz, but with a more filled out sound. Not like a 59', which is boomy and punchy. Not sure which other Seymour Duncans come in 8 string configurations, but hope this helps anyway. :D
But then I think people find it more interesting to hear what the actual difference between the pickups are. If I compensate on one clip you would tamper with the difference. BUT that's why I uploaded the DI-files so you can check it out yourself!
Ola Englund referring only to the sound in the video, not the DI tracks, the differences were pretty negligible all the way up until the Pegasus. I’ve been going back and forth between the Nazgul and the Pegasus, and this video sold me on the latter. With all of the gain, it seems the Pegasus sounds a little more mid-heavy and seemed to cut a little more without sounding harsh. Good work, and thank you for putting this together.
Well, I'm 8 years late but here it is, with all the tech flying around right now, it's easy to "mod" something similar, or even buy the plug but something special happens when you r standing in front of 6- 4x12 cabinets (other than erection) that overdrive cannot be matched... Jesus is that an awesome feeling..thanks Ola, I struggle to find the words to explain how much u have taught me on the website, and plus u got absolutely hooked on Solar guitars, the pinch harmonics r otherworldly...
Obviously, they sound different if you're listening on anything better than an iPhone, but the passives were all generally in the same category - but that blackout just got muddy and flabby compared to all the others!
JosephGallagher only subtle on this test because of the amount of distortion this guy is using, which is too bad unless you play this kinda stuff...but try em all on a vintage cranked marshall and the differences becomes far more apparent.
JosephGallagher i tried plugging in to my Roland Cube 30 (or you could use anything that models amp as well), and set it to model Marshall fully cranked. The differences are there to spot. Go try. Even better distinction when I use the AC 30 modelling.
+JosephGallagher Watch Keith Merrows Seymour Duncan comparison video to hear differences much clearly on these pickups. In this video I just hear irritating sound that is basicly same on every pickup.
+BetonBenni The Nazgul really isn't as hot as Duncan's literature makes it seem. I've got one in a Carvin 8-string. While it is high output, it's not as high as an Invader or Dimebucker. It's a clear sounding pickup, but just not as hot as described. I know others on the Duncan Forum agree with me.
+BetonBenni I'd say the Nazgul is warmer/darker than and 81, but still pretty tight. Then again, I'm not really a big fan of the 81 in the bridge, as I think it can be too bright at times. I usually prefer the 81 in the neck with an 85 in the bridge.
+Joseph Tamborra I love the 81 in both positions. Had the Nazgul/Sentient Set for two weeks but it didn't cut it for me. GREAT GREAT pickups: Fishman fluence modern!
+BetonBenni I like the 81 a little better when tuned to D or below, but still prefer the 85. I'll have to check into the Fishman Fluence, though! Thanks. :)
Dude, true. But I heard these reviews for over 7 years, and it looks like my hearing changed for good or for bad, but somehow I don't see the magic in Pegasus anymore. I wonder if my taste changed or if my hearing got bad 🤔
I personally liked the 59/Custom Hybrid and Pegasus the most, due to their relatively even distribution of highs, lows, and mids, as well as their agressive yet clean highs.
I'd say it just hammers home the fact that the more expensive pickups really don't make that much of a difference in extreme metal. It's all about the effects nowadays imo.
this "dumbass" has recorded and mastered several albums that have some of the best guitar tones ever, man. The eq has to b the same so that you can hear the differences in each pickup, same goes for mic placement. He also isn't using post eq and each guitar is a single track, not doubled, so you just get the output of both. I suggest you stop being a arm chair engineer, and actually go out and see what it takes to get good guitar tone.
***** I was responding to to azazel, but since you decided to show your ignorance, alright. mic choice is important, but at the same time, the most used mic for metal and rock guitars ever is the shure sm57 which is a $100 mic. placement is one of the most important aspects of the sound, and ola knows very much what he's doing. Now, no matter how good either are, you need some degree of post eq, at least a hi/low pass filter. more than that, when mixed into a song there is some degree of eq needed to get the guitars to sit right in the mix with the other instruments. As for his guitar tone, I happen to like a nice sharp guitar tone in a mix with a really thick bass guitar, just like ola, and when used properly, like ola, you get an absolutely crushing tone and mix. More than that, a single, mono guitar track will sound different than two tracks in stereo. Two tracks in stereo will sound bigger and beefier. Ola was trying to demonstrate the individual tones of each pickup so he didn't double track.
Download the DI files and run them through your setup to see which you prefer, it'll give you a much better overview of the pickups differences and which you prefer for what you do..
Take note that all the pickups have the same exact Randall Satan settings dialed in. You can always dial away thickness on the amp later. But I kept the settings the same to just give a good idea how much the pickup itself differ to the others.
I wish he laid off the pre on his amp. The excessive saturation makes it difficult to tell the difference in the distortion/output of the pickup. Still thanks for the vid
Honestly surprised. Of all those I feel the Custom Hybrid sounded best, followed by Nazgul then Distortion. I've been a long time fan of the Duncan Distortion so not too surprised. I thought the blackouts would sound better with this setup but I thought they sounded the worst of the lot.
I picked up the Pegasus sentient and the fortin nameless amp plugin and my sound went from pathetic bedroom metal attempt to MASSIVE full production Quality. Im blown away at how much clearer and aggressive it is now. All in cost about 300$ to get and instal. Highly recommend it
I was really set on pegasus or nazgul, even blackouts for my Jackson Slat 3 7 string but after hearing this to me, the Duncan Distortion sounds clearer and better than all of them, nazgul and pegasus have too much bass in them and blackouts even more so. like I said the Distortion sounds better than all of them.
To hear the difference is better to record guitar 2 times , left and right to get stereo image for better sound comparison and maybe is better to use plugin program like Line 6 Podfarm or Mercuriall to get cleaner sound then like this from the amp to mic or i dont know. But hey , this video is from 2013 , he was way unexperience then now , he had worst sound setup on Randall Satan then now. I think if he record this video now will be way better.
Talking about which pickup sounds the best for this riff. By far Distortion and Nazgul, because the other are not that extreme tight low end or extreme metal clear. The Blackouts are too over the top, too loud you have dial down the gain for that pick but Nazgul and Distortion are perfect for this kind of music about this riff and they handle grrat the tubes system of Satan Randall amp.
If you don't hear any difference maybe you don't have enough experience .. but please appreciate this mans work because it's very hard and time consuming.
The blackouts have a lot less definition than some of the others IMHO. I really dig the NAZGUl. Deep, krunchy, nice. The Pegasus has a bit more mid presence and probably would be a pinch better on lead work, but the NAZGUL's depth and character is just hard to say no to. :)
That’s mainly the difference between active and passive. The active sound is aggressive, the SH-6 is the best combo of articulation and destruction. Other pickups sway more in either direction
A lot of them sound too similar to distinguish (playing on my phone's soeakers, anyway). But, the 59/Custom Hybrid SH-16 and the Nazgul stood out to me. Especially the crunch of the pick attack with the 59.
Keith Merrow just recently did an 8-string version, and, in my opinion, the differences are much more salient. Look up "Seymour Duncan 8-String Pickups- Metal"
I liked all of them but I'll pick my top 3 favorites based on this demo (not in any order): 1. Duncan Distortion SH-6. 2. Blackouts AH-1. 3. Full-Shred SH-10. Another good demo Ola, keep up the good work.
Still gotta go with the Distortion...it just fills all the right gaps without being overpowered, underpowered, overly treble heavy, overly bass heavy or too midrange spiky. As for the Blackouts, just to put it out there, active still sounds active, no matter who makes it. Not saying it in a negative manner, it's just the way it is.
You can hear the speaker is almost dieing. The Low-end Breaking up and you hear the cone rumbling. Either the amp can't deliver enough amplitude for the bass or the cone is already breaking up.
Proof positive to me that pickups don't make much of a difference in your sound. Several times I had looked away from the video and hadn't realized he'd switched to a different pickup. I noticed a difference in the last few, with the Blackouts being the most pronounced, but it was still subtle at best. Nothing a little tweaking of the EQ wouldn't easily compensate for.
To all the idiots complaining about how they sound almost the same: Of course they do! They are all the same brand, with the same player, same amp, same guitar, same everything. What do you expect? You gotta listen for the subtle differences.
Duncan makes the best pickups. They are impossible to knock. Regardless of which pickup design you have your heart set on, be it Bare Knuckle, Dimarzio, or Lollar, Duncan makes the equivalent. Except he makes it better. While some have better ears, anyone who says they can't hear the differences either shouldn't be playing music, or needs better speakers. The guitar is ALWAYS going to sound like the guitar, lest it be called something else. Consider the lows/mids/highs independently for each.
You've gotta have a subtle ear for this... The amp tone is shallower than what I prefer but I vote for the Nazgul as first place and the 59/Custom Hybrid as a runner up, yep gonna pair up a Nazgul in the bridge of my old Epi LP with the Pearly Gates in the neck, call me crazy... really I consider it a compliment!
Very happy with my Duncan distortion bridge position with PA2 boost. Harmonics just jump out and sounds excellent for slayer mid heavy type rhythm as well
The X2N is a killer pickup. I have them installed on a 6 string and 7 string. I also own guitars with a duncan distortion and Nazgul and would pick the X2N over either of them.
Well, I always like the Distortion in your videos! Got them in my Gibson Explorer, Gibson Flying V and my LTD Alexi (F-spaced) while I have the Dimebucker in my Dean Guitars. For some reason, the Distortion sounded like shit in my heavy constructed Dean ML Warbird (therefor swithed to Dimebucker and upgraded my old LTD to be an awsome "cheap" guitar), but sounds awsome in my Gibson Explorer (also Mahogny). I guess the Floyd Rose messes up the tone or something... In general, my experience with the Distortion is 9/10, works in Basswood (LTD) as well as Mahogny (Gibson)!
I own guitars with a Distortion, Nazgul and JB in the bridge position. They all sound killer and I couldn't pick one over the other. You can't go wrong with any of them. Also, if you are looking for brutal metal tones you might want to check out a Dimarzio X2N it's my favourite pickup for metal hands down.
Man I’m lusting after the Pegasus. The Nazgûl has entered the conversation tho. I just think it might not be thick enough in the middle. Pegasus seems to have enough of everything with the lower output to give it more clarity and note definition.
The way ola has his amplifier dialed in this video, which I believe is the satan, the Pegasus definitely sounds the most balanced. Almost all the other pickups sound like Overkill except the active blackout. Active pickups sound a bit more controlled by nature
Great sounding amp! It's character kinda takes precedence overall and players pick attack as well. My 20 yr old full shred in my Barrington Foxxe (ESP) hits ACDC to gut Brutallistic and soloing exquisitely well. Thanks for video well done!
when I read “good for pop, country, blues, classic rock” and hear what I hear I’m a bit skeptical. I understand that you need to hear the same riff for every pickup to be able to compare them, but this riff only shows one aspect of the pickup, chugging the low-end with some power chords thrown in for good measure. Hope you don’t mind my criticism
To my ear it seemed that all pickups save the Nazgul, Pegasus, and Blackouts handled the low 7th string really poorly. On most of them it just sounded like a thud when it was hit. Those three pickups seemed to have a bit more definition on the low end, so you could hear the fundamental note more as opposed to the attack.
Might have been a good idea to dial in the gain a bit to compensate for different outputs since the higher output pickups get a bit mushy. Use the sh-6 as the output 'benchmark' of course.
I'm not sure why people come to this video if they don't want to hear high-gain guitar sounds. Jesus, people. I thought it was great to hear the sequence of pickups. You can definitely tell the tonal difference. I thought the 59 Custom sounded the best to me. I was surprised by how muddy the Nazgul sounded. The Pegasus was also really a highlight. I give a hard pass on the Blackouts, though. Did you dime the volume and tone knobs for these tests, or where were they set?
I think this video comes to prove that the difference in all of Seymour's hum buckers is so subtle that you shouldn't trip yourself out over it cause it's really not gonna make or break you record. Think I'll just keep my EMG's honestly. Ftw
I got curious and checked out the tone chart listed on Seymour Duncan's website. If anyone's interested, here's how a bunch of their pickups are supposedly EQ'ed:
(Bass/Mid/Treble)
Nazgul - 5/9/8
Pegasus - 5/7/6
Black Winter - 6/6/6 (lol)
Blackouts - 6/5/8
Full Shred - 4/4/8
Distortion - 5/8/9
JB - 5/6/8
Invader - 7/8/4
+flips220 Thanks for taking the time to make this ! I'm interested in the Black Winter ones for my 8 string guitar do you recommend it or any other pick up ? :)
Krematoria France Depends on what kind of sound you're going for. But the Black Winters are one of my favorite sets from Seymour Duncan, and I would recommend them to anyone looking for some metal pickups. Very nice growl, and surprisingly versatile for being such high output pickups. They clean up very nicely. Ceramic Magnets. The bridge is like an upgraded and modified Distortion, and has great clarity and snarl. The Black Winter neck pickup is bright and clear. If you want nothing but pure aggression in the bridge, then go for a Nazgul. It's bright and sharp. High output Ceramic magnet. Won't get muddy at low tunings with tons of gain. But the trade-off is, it's a one trick pony. Basically just high gain rhythm. It doesn't clean up very well, and leads can be a bit harsh. If you want something with less output, and a warmer tone, and a little more clarity as far as string separation, then go for the Pegasus. Medium output, Alnico V magnet. Good top end and fat low end. Both the Pegasus and Nazgul pair with the Sentient neck, which is one of the best neck pickups Seymour Duncan makes. It's glassy and articulate. Very smooth cleans and leads, handles gain like a champ. Like a Jazz, but with a more filled out sound. Not like a 59', which is boomy and punchy.
Not sure which other Seymour Duncans come in 8 string configurations, but hope this helps anyway. :D
Wow man you're a God of Guitar Pickups xD
Anyway Could I go with one Black Winter in the bridge position and one Sentient ?
Thx for your help !
+flips220 hey mate, I would like to go for a necrophagist kinda sound... which one would you say is the best for that?
Thanks for the work sir...
But then I think people find it more interesting to hear what the actual difference between the pickups are. If I compensate on one clip you would tamper with the difference. BUT that's why I uploaded the DI-files so you can check it out yourself!
the differences matter less with compressed high gain amps really. If you listen to the DI you'll hear a bigger difference.
Ola Englund referring only to the sound in the video, not the DI tracks, the differences were pretty negligible all the way up until the Pegasus. I’ve been going back and forth between the Nazgul and the Pegasus, and this video sold me on the latter. With all of the gain, it seems the Pegasus sounds a little more mid-heavy and seemed to cut a little more without sounding harsh. Good work, and thank you for putting this together.
Sorry,yes,this comparision is useless
Well, I'm 8 years late but here it is, with all the tech flying around right now, it's easy to "mod" something similar, or even buy the plug but something special happens when you r standing in front of 6- 4x12 cabinets (other than erection) that overdrive cannot be matched... Jesus is that an awesome feeling..thanks Ola, I struggle to find the words to explain how much u have taught me on the website, and plus u got absolutely hooked on Solar guitars, the pinch harmonics r otherworldly...
ola can i get a new site to hear the diffrences pickup?
"recommended for country"
Chugs the f*** out of it
Which pickup
In this shootout, the Distortion wins for me! Nice and balanced.
Duncan: The Custom 5 is perfect for pop, country, blues-
Ola: CHUG CHUG CHUG
Obviously, they sound different if you're listening on anything better than an iPhone, but the passives were all generally in the same category - but that blackout just got muddy and flabby compared to all the others!
The change is very subtle, but it's more noticeable in the low end and lo-mids. At least from what I can hear, they do sound really similar.
JosephGallagher only subtle on this test because of the amount of distortion this guy is using, which is too bad unless you play this kinda stuff...but try em all on a vintage cranked marshall and the differences becomes far more apparent.
JosephGallagher i tried plugging in to my Roland Cube 30 (or you could use anything that models amp as well), and set it to model Marshall fully cranked. The differences are there to spot. Go try. Even better distinction when I use the AC 30 modelling.
+JosephGallagher Watch Keith Merrows Seymour Duncan comparison video to hear differences much clearly on these pickups. In this video I just hear irritating sound that is basicly same on every pickup.
With the Nazgul you don't even need strings...
+BetonBenni The Nazgul really isn't as hot as Duncan's literature makes it seem. I've got one in a Carvin 8-string. While it is high output, it's not as high as an Invader or Dimebucker. It's a clear sounding pickup, but just not as hot as described. I know others on the Duncan Forum agree with me.
+Joseph Tamborra Yes, I know;) And it's a little bit more muddy than an EMG 81 and not as tight :)
+BetonBenni I'd say the Nazgul is warmer/darker than and 81, but still pretty tight. Then again, I'm not really a big fan of the 81 in the bridge, as I think it can be too bright at times. I usually prefer the 81 in the neck with an 85 in the bridge.
+Joseph Tamborra I love the 81 in both positions. Had the Nazgul/Sentient Set for two weeks but it didn't cut it for me.
GREAT GREAT pickups: Fishman fluence modern!
+BetonBenni I like the 81 a little better when tuned to D or below, but still prefer the 85. I'll have to check into the Fishman Fluence, though! Thanks. :)
The Pegasus just steals my heart personally. Something about that awesome clarity it gives the tone very raw, open and natural sounding.
Dude, true. But I heard these reviews for over 7 years, and it looks like my hearing changed for good or for bad, but somehow I don't see the magic in Pegasus anymore. I wonder if my taste changed or if my hearing got bad 🤔
I personally liked the 59/Custom Hybrid and Pegasus the most, due to their relatively even distribution of highs, lows, and mids, as well as their agressive yet clean highs.
I must be getting old... I don't hear any difference in any of the pick ups because the amp is over distorted... all i hear id chug chug chug..
I'd say it just hammers home the fact that the more expensive pickups really don't make that much of a difference in extreme metal. It's all about the effects nowadays imo.
Really, I can hear quite some differences.
I tried most of these pickups since my last comment... mehh... still like my emg85 in the bridge
I would say its very slight but the Blackouts stood out to me the most
Your amp tone is so compressed that these all sound the same.
+Spivonious youtube*
Kids are probably listening on crappy headphones bundled with their phones.
this "dumbass" has recorded and mastered several albums that have some of the best guitar tones ever, man. The eq has to b the same so that you can hear the differences in each pickup, same goes for mic placement. He also isn't using post eq and each guitar is a single track, not doubled, so you just get the output of both. I suggest you stop being a arm chair engineer, and actually go out and see what it takes to get good guitar tone.
***** I was responding to to azazel, but since you decided to show your ignorance, alright. mic choice is important, but at the same time, the most used mic for metal and rock guitars ever is the shure sm57 which is a $100 mic. placement is one of the most important aspects of the sound, and ola knows very much what he's doing. Now, no matter how good either are, you need some degree of post eq, at least a hi/low pass filter. more than that, when mixed into a song there is some degree of eq needed to get the guitars to sit right in the mix with the other instruments.
As for his guitar tone, I happen to like a nice sharp guitar tone in a mix with a really thick bass guitar, just like ola, and when used properly, like ola, you get an absolutely crushing tone and mix. More than that, a single, mono guitar track will sound different than two tracks in stereo. Two tracks in stereo will sound bigger and beefier. Ola was trying to demonstrate the individual tones of each pickup so he didn't double track.
Those who are complaining here still have crappy tone because their problem is now their ear.
Download the DI files and run them through your setup to see which you prefer, it'll give you a much better overview of the pickups differences and which you prefer for what you do..
I don't work for Seymour Duncan, they endorse me/send me pickups, I test them, it couldn't be more simple. :)
so much gain from the Satan it all sound the same to me
Not only can Ola make every amp he plays the same, he can do it with pickups too! Haha good stuff man.
Take note that all the pickups have the same exact Randall Satan settings dialed in. You can always dial away thickness on the amp later. But I kept the settings the same to just give a good idea how much the pickup itself differ to the others.
Thanks for keeping the same setting while playing each pickups to give the differences between the pickups
Wow you can really see how tight his rhythm chops are by listening to those DI files
I wish he laid off the pre on his amp. The excessive saturation makes it difficult to tell the difference in the distortion/output of the pickup. Still thanks for the vid
Including the DI files is so great. I'm testing the pickups through my own rig now and it's a huge help.
Honestly surprised. Of all those I feel the Custom Hybrid sounded best, followed by Nazgul then Distortion. I've been a long time fan of the Duncan Distortion so not too surprised. I thought the blackouts would sound better with this setup but I thought they sounded the worst of the lot.
I picked up the Pegasus sentient and the fortin nameless amp plugin and my sound went from pathetic bedroom metal attempt to MASSIVE full production Quality.
Im blown away at how much clearer and aggressive it is now.
All in cost about 300$ to get and instal.
Highly recommend it
59 Hybrid and the Pegasus is what did it for me. Awesome demo!!
1) Distortion 2) Nazgul 3) Blackouts
Seymour Duncan really got it right with the Distortion; total classic.
Go bug Dimarzio to send me all their pickups...
I was really set on pegasus or nazgul, even blackouts for my Jackson Slat 3 7 string but after hearing this to me, the Duncan Distortion sounds clearer and better than all of them, nazgul and pegasus have too much bass in them and blackouts even more so. like I said the Distortion sounds better than all of them.
I feel the same! I have a duncan distortion 7 on a guitar of mine and am getting a km-7 with a stock nazgul. will be replacing for a distortion.
Julian Barahona Nice
Julian Barahona play it before say it, Nazgul/sentient is a nice set up with that guitar.
I've got the km7 as well and am not feeling the stock pups. What did you end up putting in?
Disagreeing.
The fact you provide the DI's is so clutch. Don't change a thing brother, keep cranking this stuff out as is. It is MUCH appreciated and enjoyed!
To hear the difference is better to record guitar 2 times , left and right to get stereo image for better sound comparison and maybe is better to use plugin program like Line 6 Podfarm or Mercuriall to get cleaner sound then like this from the amp to mic or i dont know.
But hey , this video is from 2013 , he was way unexperience then now , he had worst sound setup on Randall Satan then now.
I think if he record this video now will be way better.
Cheers for the DI files Ola. Popped them through my signal chain and have decided to try a pair of Custom 5s in one of my seven-strings. Great idea.
Now this is how to do a pickup demo. No proccessing, drums and added bullshit like most others do.
That Nazgul has so much balls. Fantastic tone!
Ola Englund make everything sound the same but bad ass.
Talking about which pickup sounds the best for this riff. By far Distortion and Nazgul, because the other are not that extreme tight low end or extreme metal clear. The Blackouts are too over the top, too loud you have dial down the gain for that pick but Nazgul and Distortion are perfect for this kind of music about this riff and they handle grrat the tubes system of Satan Randall amp.
Cristian International Trade I agree completely
Nazgul,i also love the Duncan Distortion.Hell give me all them,i'll find a purpose for them..lol
If you don't hear any difference maybe you don't have enough experience .. but please appreciate this mans work because it's very hard and time consuming.
Pegasus was the best imo. But I'm not a huge fan of harsh tone... Little bit of roundness isn't bad for prog.
Thats why is effed to listen mixed comparsions between pickups, thats why you have to listen them personally, throught many amps.
The blackouts have a lot less definition than some of the others IMHO. I really dig the NAZGUl. Deep, krunchy, nice. The Pegasus has a bit more mid presence and probably would be a pinch better on lead work, but the NAZGUL's depth and character is just hard to say no to. :)
59/custom hybrid was so aggressive sounding, god i loved that one
Damn, thought I was going to hear Jazz tunes. lol. Actually I liked the Custom 5 and Pegasus.
Thanks for these reviews, I'm really stoked about the new SD pickups (Pegasus, Nazgul)! Also it's great that they will come in active size
Ola your pickup and gear reviews in general are amazing. Also your guitar playing kicks ass. Awesome riffs.
Blackouts are so thrash. They sound too aggressive. I prefer Pegasus and Nazgul. Both are great, in my opinion.
That’s mainly the difference between active and passive. The active sound is aggressive, the SH-6 is the best combo of articulation and destruction. Other pickups sway more in either direction
Great comparison!everytime i see this comparisons i always like the Distortion the better, altough the Nazgul sounds preety badass! Thanks Ola! \m/
SH-6 and Pegasus are the cleanest sounding pickups to my ear, The Bottom end on the others are distorted.
The way you create your videos man, like it so much
A lot of them sound too similar to distinguish (playing on my phone's soeakers, anyway). But, the 59/Custom Hybrid SH-16 and the Nazgul stood out to me. Especially the crunch of the pick attack with the 59.
In real life, sh6 distortion kill's them all..best pickup ever😍
They all sound EXACTLY the same. Exactly!
Humble recommendation: Always check out this kind of comparisons with your eyes closed the first time.
Thanks Ola.
all you did was display names of different pickups, you cant fool me. silly
You need your hearing checked. Each one is clearly different.
for me the sh-6 all the way.
Keith Merrow just recently did an 8-string version, and, in my opinion, the differences are much more salient. Look up "Seymour Duncan 8-String Pickups- Metal"
I'm glad it gave you a laugh! Have a good weekend!
wow the blackouts are more bass oriented and fuller, my speakers definitely felt those! I liked the Pegasus as well.
I liked all of them but I'll pick my top 3 favorites based on this demo (not in any order): 1. Duncan Distortion SH-6. 2. Blackouts AH-1. 3. Full-Shred SH-10. Another good demo Ola, keep up the good work.
Still gotta go with the Distortion...it just fills all the right gaps without being overpowered, underpowered, overly treble heavy, overly bass heavy or too midrange spiky. As for the Blackouts, just to put it out there, active still sounds active, no matter who makes it. Not saying it in a negative manner, it's just the way it is.
All sound the same, except the blackouts
You can hear the speaker is almost dieing. The Low-end Breaking up and you hear the cone rumbling. Either the amp can't deliver enough amplitude for the bass or the cone is already breaking up.
full shred. i love the squishy palm mute they produce!
Proof positive to me that pickups don't make much of a difference in your sound. Several times I had looked away from the video and hadn't realized he'd switched to a different pickup. I noticed a difference in the last few, with the Blackouts being the most pronounced, but it was still subtle at best. Nothing a little tweaking of the EQ wouldn't easily compensate for.
59/custom hybrid sh-16 TOP! Like the little "single coilish" sound on the end of the tone.
To all the idiots complaining about how they sound almost the same: Of course they do! They are all the same brand, with the same player, same amp, same guitar, same everything. What do you expect? You gotta listen for the subtle differences.
I'm in love with the Pegasus. Great pickup for what I play and write.
Duncan makes the best pickups. They are impossible to knock. Regardless of which pickup design you have your heart set on, be it Bare Knuckle, Dimarzio, or Lollar, Duncan makes the equivalent. Except he makes it better.
While some have better ears, anyone who says they can't hear the differences either shouldn't be playing music, or needs better speakers. The guitar is ALWAYS going to sound like the guitar, lest it be called something else. Consider the lows/mids/highs independently for each.
You've gotta have a subtle ear for this... The amp tone is shallower than what I prefer but I vote for the Nazgul as first place and the 59/Custom Hybrid as a runner up, yep gonna pair up a Nazgul in the bridge of my old Epi LP with the Pearly Gates in the neck, call me crazy... really I consider it a compliment!
Very happy with my Duncan distortion bridge position with PA2 boost. Harmonics just jump out and sounds excellent for slayer mid heavy type rhythm as well
DIs... Ola, you're the fucking best
Should definitely try a test of the DiMarzio D-activators (X) and X2N
The X2N is a killer pickup. I have them installed on a 6 string and 7 string. I also own guitars with a duncan distortion and Nazgul and would pick the X2N over either of them.
the nazgul sounds perfectly for 7 string guitar lml
Well, I always like the Distortion in your videos!
Got them in my Gibson Explorer, Gibson Flying V and my LTD Alexi (F-spaced) while I have the Dimebucker in my Dean Guitars.
For some reason, the Distortion sounded like shit in my heavy constructed Dean ML Warbird (therefor swithed to Dimebucker and upgraded my old LTD to be an awsome "cheap" guitar), but sounds awsome in my Gibson Explorer (also Mahogny). I guess the Floyd Rose messes up the tone or something...
In general, my experience with the Distortion is 9/10, works in Basswood (LTD) as well as Mahogny (Gibson)!
Great DI tracks. I just threw one into my DAW and got to test some tones with my amp sim.
I have a set of full shreds in my Carvin DC 727 and it sounds fat and angry... I love them.
I own guitars with a Distortion, Nazgul and JB in the bridge position. They all sound killer and I couldn't pick one over the other. You can't go wrong with any of them. Also, if you are looking for brutal metal tones you might want to check out a Dimarzio X2N it's my favourite pickup for metal hands down.
I liked the Distortion, Full Shred, and 59/Custom Hybrid
Those SH-16 and Pegasus sound the best to me, the SH-16 sounds so sick.. what the hell?
Man I’m lusting after the Pegasus. The Nazgûl has entered the conversation tho. I just think it might not be thick enough in the middle. Pegasus seems to have enough of everything with the lower output to give it more clarity and note definition.
The way ola has his amplifier dialed in this video, which I believe is the satan, the Pegasus definitely sounds the most balanced. Almost all the other pickups sound like Overkill except the active blackout. Active pickups sound a bit more controlled by nature
the Blackouts at the end sound pretty sweet :)
I can't hear no difference up til 480... I think I should go 720p at least, damn dial up modem.
59/custom hybrid was my favorite, Duncan Distortion is a very close second. Blackouts were my least favorite
Great sounding amp! It's character kinda takes precedence overall and players pick attack as well. My 20 yr old full shred in my Barrington Foxxe (ESP) hits ACDC to gut Brutallistic and soloing exquisitely well. Thanks for video well done!
I was surprised by how good the nazgul sounded. But IMO, the distortion and pegasus rule!
Nazgul starts sounding really bad if you play full chords and compare that to the balanced sh-6 or pegasus
I love how the Invader isn’t even included😂. When I was in high school it was the meanest pickup out there. Now, it’s like it’s just a souped-up SH4
This is the first demo where I thought the Blackouts sounded like crap. SH-6 for the win!
I don't really hear a difference, except the blackouts have a little more bass.. Great playing as always though!
The question would be: which one that you really like Ola? It's always interesting to hear your personal opinion and taste.
Pegasus is the only clearly sounding here. You can hear notes under tons of distortion. I have 8 string one. Amazing pickup, most versatile I used.
when I read “good for pop, country, blues, classic rock” and hear what I hear I’m a bit skeptical. I understand that you need to hear the same riff for every pickup to be able to compare them, but this riff only shows one aspect of the pickup, chugging the low-end with some power chords thrown in for good measure. Hope you don’t mind my criticism
To my ear it seemed that all pickups save the Nazgul, Pegasus, and Blackouts handled the low 7th string really poorly. On most of them it just sounded like a thud when it was hit. Those three pickups seemed to have a bit more definition on the low end, so you could hear the fundamental note more as opposed to the attack.
Might have been a good idea to dial in the gain a bit to compensate for different outputs since the higher output pickups get a bit mushy. Use the sh-6 as the output 'benchmark' of course.
A good comparison, although I'm kind of sad that this did not include the Invaders- probably the toughest passives ever (aesthetically, too)!
Nazgul and Pegasus are, in my opinion, the best sounding. The Blackouts are kinda muddy.
I'm not sure why people come to this video if they don't want to hear high-gain guitar sounds. Jesus, people. I thought it was great to hear the sequence of pickups. You can definitely tell the tonal difference. I thought the 59 Custom sounded the best to me. I was surprised by how muddy the Nazgul sounded. The Pegasus was also really a highlight. I give a hard pass on the Blackouts, though. Did you dime the volume and tone knobs for these tests, or where were they set?
Ola has come a ways since 2013. The settings in this video are definitely not among his better tones.
For my own reference.... Nazgul @ 1:56 Distortion @ 0:36
I prefer seymour but even though you don't do anything with them it would be cool to see a dimarzio pick up shoot out ola style
I think this video comes to prove that the difference in all of Seymour's hum buckers is so subtle that you shouldn't trip yourself out over it cause it's really not gonna make or break you record. Think I'll just keep my EMG's honestly. Ftw
Awesome comparison and thank you for the waves!!
thanks Ola..makes it very easy to hear my favourite for metal