11 Humbucker Pickup Shootout - Bare Knuckle, EMG, Lollar and more!
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- Опубліковано 12 лип 2024
- In search of a pickup for my Suhr Koa Reb Beach guitar, I test out 10+1 of the best pickups around.
EMG 85, EMG 81, DiMarzio PafPro, Bill Lawrence USA L500XL, Blackstock Northern Lights, Friedman Classic +, Bare Knuckle Holy Diver, Seymour Duncan JB, EMG 85, EMG 81, Tom Anderson H3, Suhr Aldrich, Lollar Imperial
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00:00 Intro
06:10 Disclaimer
06:24 ACDC Style
08:23 Ratt Style
12:10 Vai Style
11:48 Weezer Style
17:36 Nuno Style
19:56 Metallica Style
21:53 Direct
#Guitar #Pickup #Shootout
Great vid! I was really impressed at how well some of the old standbys like the JB, PAF Pro, & XL500 held up with a bunch of new improved boutique pickups. Interesting!
You’re the boss, man.
Thank you for all the great content- absurdly valuable for us musicians!
What a labor of love. Thank you. Many of the pickups sounded quite similar - my favorites:
Holy Diver 1st choice …..closely followed by Bill Lawrence L500XL, Northern Lights, Lollar Imperial.
My favs-Seymour JB, Friedman,Time Anderson,great vid Michael,thanks for doing these,much appreciated 👍
Really enjoyed this!
Was surprised how small the differences are, yes they all have their own characteristics, but none were night and day 🤘👍
Agree. And how some sounded better to me for some riffs than other riffs.
Superb video👍
That direct clip in the END was a great touch.
There was 3 that stood out for me. Friedman,blackstock and Tom Anderson.
Michael, that was a huge undertaking. I "watched" the video by playing it and browsing other websites so I wouldn't be listening with my eyes. I would flip back when a tone jumped out as me as "right". Very often it was the Friedman Classic +, other times is was the Tom Anderson (I saw in one of your comments that the H2 might be interesting bc the H3 was a little "much" at times). Finally the EMG 81 sounded big, bold, and tight. I have a SD Full Shred in my Charvel, and it is a ceramic pickup too. Its funny how when I play that guitar with gain it smokes my other two guitars (stock Wolfgang Special, and a Fender American Special with a SD JB). Ceramic has its own thing when you are going high gain that the alnico pickups can't manage. If you are planning on using the guitar in that application, I was surprised, but the 81 sounded the "best". If you are going to use it for AC/DC tones too, the Friedman had a better overall tone. My (more than) two cents. Awesome job.
Got my PT Shur Sig a few months ago and yes, it is amazing. True what you say, it only takes a couple of seconds to bond with a guitar. Love at first sight :) Good video/test, informative.
Lollars my favourite. Clear, dynamic and open with less output 👍
Amazing content as usual Michael 🤘🏻
Really liked those blackstocks… go Phil! One of the best comparisons I’ve seen.
To my ear those Black stock northern lights are sounding amazing. Great vid btw Michael.👍🏽
The Blackstock one sounds great !
Dimarzio PAF Pro is my fav. Big sound. Great, now I need a Lollar, thanks dude😆
Thanks for taking the time and effort for this - really helpful. Currently looking out for Humbucker options for a couple of Les Paul style guitars and after this I am even more interested in the Lollar Imperials! I recently put Lollar P90's into my Epiphone Casino. The Northern Lights jumped out for me, and, despite the output level, the Bare Knuckles . . . I mainly play 'clean' and have been researching this brand online where I can. Not in this vid but Monty's from UK also making nice stuff if anyone's interested - ordering their Underspun PAFs this year.
Never heard any Suhr pickups and was surprised I preferred them to the others. Thanks for the work you put into the video.
Hey Michael, this is a really awesome comparison. Your channel rules and I always appreciate stuff like this. As far as the shootout goes, it's so tough because they're all good for different things. I can say that I don't like the EMG's and that's no surprise as I never really have. I hear what you're saying about the Aldrich pickups and agree. I'm actually surprised how much I like the Duncan JB's compared to the more boutique options. That said, I also like the Lollar Imperials.
I currently use and am a big fan of the PAF pro for many years and i have to admit the Blackstock Northern light bridge p'u
really impressed me! For a unknown model (compared to those others)it had exceptional clarity,chime and was very open sounding. I think i will be trying a set. 🤘
They did sound good !
There's definitely some well established Brands to compare to each other . 🥰🙂
#knowyourgear
#northernlightspups
#humbucker
#pafpickup
#tonenerd
Dude, great stuff. Was really impressed with the Tom Andersons and Blackstocks between all the sample these seemed to stand out for what I like the most. Had a tight but full low end and mids without too much high end sizzle. The holy diver and Suhr were also pretty good. IMO. Ive played the Lollar in a les paul before as well, enjoyed them through a Friedman Dirty Shirley
After listening I really like the Dimarzio PAF Pro, the Blackstock Northern Lights, and the Suhr Aldrich. They all sound the best in all applications to my ears. I was expecting the BKP to win, but truth be told I didn't care for it really. Great shootout here!
Exactly my call as well.
I the Suhr Aldrich was one of the least noisy ones demoed here, especially when compared to the Friedman Classic+.
I liked all the ones mentioned, and I might even throw in the EMG 85 into the mix.
But, I’m my humble opinion, I thought the Suhr Aldrich was the clear winner. Hands down.
Just found this video and oddly enough I liked the same three pickups. Good stuff.
I actually enjoyed the 85 way more than i thought i would and the paf pro was a surprise too
Thanks! Lots of surprises here I must say.
Man, your studio setup is f-ing Epic!
I can see why you benchmarked the Lollar Imperials, they are unbelievable pickups. Obviously some of the scenarios highlight some pickups more than others but if I had to pick three that did the best overall, I’d go (in no particular order) Bill Lawrence, Tom Anderson, and EMG 85. Kinda biased as I’m a huge Luke (EMG 85) and Nuno (Bill Lawrence) fan but there’s a reason why they play those. They just work. And was pleasantly surprised by the Tom Anderson’s, super wide dynamic applications. Now if only I wasn’t a damn drummer and a guitar player instead…..
Thanks for the great content!
I just ordered your MLB smashing the V ala Michael Schenker on the Built to Destroy album cover shirts. One of the best album covers ever. One of the best T-shirts ever!
Thanks for this Michael, very interesting with the different amps and styles!
What did not surprise me because I already tried:
-EMGs. never bad, just boring
-Bill Lawrence : still one of the best affordable humbuckers, if you can manage its awesome attack and punch. Love it!
-Anderson H3 : never really stand out on its own but got enough of everything so you really can do everything with the amp settings
-Suhr Aldrich : quite good, but it annoys me... Too tight, makes me feel the sound never breath
-Duncan JB: well, it's the JB, got a snarl no other pickup got, either love it or hate it
The boutique pickups (lollar, bare knuckle, friedman, Blackstock) are really really good but that was just expected.
But the big surprise to me is the DiMarzio PAF pro... never bothered to try one even if I liked a lot of Dimarzios (Transition & The Breed are great!) but man it sounds really good!
Thanks mate! You did a really great job. 👍👏
Thank you for doing this, Michael. I know it was a lot of work. I think the Northern Lights pickup works best in this guitar!
Just can’t go wrong with the standby JB and 81! Lots of great pickups out there but those are great starting points like they have been for 40 years.
This came at just the right moment; humbucker hunting right now and am stuck between a thornbucker and a pariah Pasadena red. Something about lower resistance and output that just give me the vibes. Now I gotta maybe look at a few more
Blackstock for me. Had a growl,warmth and great tone.
What a hard choice! Personally I would probably go for the Friedman Classic+ followed closely by the PAF Pro and the Bill Lawrence.
This is an excellent comparison. I was surprised at how my preferences for a certain pickup varied with the different styles of playing. That said I consistently liked the Blackstock set, the Suhr Aldrich, and the DiMarzio PAF Pro in these examples.
"Going to town in the back...hmmm..." You're the best, Michael!!
This was a fantastic video and one of the most useful on youtube. I watched it very carefully listening for differences and will watch it many times because there are so many subtleties and I learned a lot. Thank you
Biggest surprise was that I liked the Tom Anderson h3 in every clip and would rate it top 3 in every clip but I have barely ever heard of that pickup.
No surprise that I liked the sound of the EMGs and Jb and PAF Pro and Bill Lawrence.
Surprised that I liked the sound of the 85 over the 81 in every clip and sometimes a lot.
I liked the blackstock northern lights and have never heard of it.
The Friedman had some nice harmonics in one of the clips that I didn’t really hear in the other pickups.
None of them sounded bad ever. They all sounded great with those fantastic amps.
Blackstock, Lollar and the Tom Anderson were my favorites. I was surprised by the Bare Knuckles. Not the output I was expecting.
The Bare Knuckle sounds slightly compressed more focused and fuller in all the tests, I feel as a bridge pick up you would have much more control and and great voicing! My vote.
Friedman classic + to my ears! 👍
Thank you so much! Makes it possible to chose one!
Really impressed by the PAF Pros and the blackstocks
I really appreciate the raw DI's at the end I might try to reamp them to my rig.
I hadn't heard of Blackstock Northern Lights but I am now a fan
loved the Dimarzio PAF the most, i also liked the BIll Lawrence! They are the only 2 of this group that i would purchase.
This was awesome! In no particular order but I liked the Dimarzio PAF Pro, Blackstock Northern Lights, and Friedman Classic +. I would definitely have to listen again, but those are the ones I liked. Trying to be unbiased, but I’m sure some seeps in! Probably was trying to figure out what would sound good in my guitar as well and that may influenced my picks! Like some said, some of them are very close sounding and really difficult to pick out differences.
Thanks for all the work you did here... Tom Anderson and Suhr sounded close to what I am looking for, I think...
Blackstock, Emg 81
Sounded very clear and articulate.They are all top shelf choices.
Suhr Aldrich is my favorite humbucker pickup of all time for an LP. Sounds great with an aluminum tailpiece, opens it up more.
Lot of great pickups here. The EMGs and the Blackstock were the ones that personally stood out from the pack though.
Favorite channel!
For my taste the Friedman Classic + sounded the best for all styles followed by the Bill Lawrence. Didn't care for the BL in the Metallica chugging though. I have JBs in many of my guitars but thought it sounded a bit muddy. Going to have to buy one of the Friedman's and try it out. Thanks for the great content!
My favorites were the Friedman, the PAF Pro and the JB (sometimes one, sometimes the other). The Friedman sounds like a mid-heavier PAF Pro, the JB has that character we’re all used to. The Aldrich is as you described it. The Bareknuckle and the Tom Anderson didn’t impress me at all. The Blackstock sounds like a cheap Chinese pickup. The 85 was my favorite between the two EMGs: it sounds good, but it doesn’t have any oomph or character. The Bill Lawrence is interesting, but it’s got too much presence.
Bill Lawrence sounded best for me. I also really liked the Friedman classic plus. JB was pretty good too....it has a grind. Now I want a Bill Lawrence L500XL. It has something really cool about it.
Amazing work dude
I'm glad you put the DI's at the end because they are perfect for doing a tonematch on the axe-fx III to replace my pickup tone and allow me to try all of these pickups. tonematch block goes at the start of the chain.
Email me and I’ll send you the wav file
I was surprised how dark the JB sounded compared to the others. Liked the Aldrich more than I expected.
One of the closer pickup comparisons probably because they are almost all hot wound, alnico 5's in the same guitar.. But strangly enough I like the Lollar Imperial the best overall in the Les Paul..) The best others imo were the Suhr Aldrich, the L500XL, EMG 81 and the Holy Diver had tone for days.. Cool video... 😎
Great comparison!
Wow. Did not expect the 85 to be so pleasing.... ...really pleasantly surprised.
always prefered the 85 to the 81 in the bridge spot.
Friedman Classic + really jumps out with mids as does DiMarzio PAF. EMG's give me ear fatigue. The Bare Knuckle Holy Diver is fat which I like in a fat Strat. Thanks for taking the time to demo all those pups.
I highly recommend the Seymour Duncan 78. In my humble opinion, it’s the perfect bridge humbucker.
Top 3 : Lollar, Tom Anderson H3, Paf Pro
Great comparison video
Another informative video! Check out the Pariah pickups some time. The Pasadena series is great for VH and 80's stuff in general!
With all the custom and boutique pickup makers out there, the JB and PAF Pro were my favs.
I was surprised when the paf pro showed up, but seems to match your new suhr! Sounded full and sweet and not annoying!
My fav’s in order are 1) Blackstock 2) EMG 81 & 3) is hard to say, maybe the Anderson H3 or Holy Diver
Loved the JB's. Great mix of agrassion and clarity.
I own and use a couple of those: DiMarzio PAF (first series), OBL 500L ('80s version) and a new SD JB. Especially the latter one is very sensitive for pickup height I found out recently. Already served them off as too hot and ordered a different set until I lowered them which did the trick.
I have a Les Paul I bought 40 years ago that came with Dimarzio PAF pros and it sounds amazing. I have been putting these pickups in other guitars ever since. Now I know why.
Blackstocks sounded great, On my list now to grab one
Dimarzio PAF Pro for me. They seam the most constant with all the different styles.
I love this channel. Topics that l can connect with. I cant get the Aldrich pups either. I need to replace them from a Suhr modern l have. I recently replaced Thornbucker + pups from another Suhr guitar. I keep striking out with Suhr Humbuckers. I actually have the ML set singles neck and middle in 2 guitars and l really like them. I keep looking at Pariah pickups but hot damn they will not accept phone calls to ask unique questions. I ordered from a fella called Sheptone pickups for a bridge Humbucker and he was very nice and built a great pickup for me.
I agree Michael, I didn't bond with my Suhr either. And ditto on the ML single coils...no thank you. The SSV humbucker was amazing though.
And, you know where every penny went with a Suhr guitar as far a build quality goes. Utterly mind blowing the one I had.
Damn that Reb Suhr! So sweet
Listening through laptop speakers on an old Dell computer, I have to go with the Dimarzio PAF Pro. That pickup is super versatile in series, split, and parallel configurations. But like you said, it all depends on the guitar and the player. Thanks for the video.
Dude!
SD Screamin Demon. You’ll love it
Obviously this is a tone test only, so the listener is judging by the sound alone. But the feel of these pickups is enormously different, which (in my experience) leads you to play differently. For example, the low output pickups are going to be much less flattering and revealing, while the more compressed (EMG's and higher output pickups) will feel more effortless and flattering to play. Something to keep in mind before rushing out to buy the one that sounded the best to your ears in this test.
Excellent video Michael, thanks for taking the time to make this!
Hi Dan. Yes. 100%.
Top tier stuff man
For me, the Bill Lawrence and the Duncan JB's were my favorites. Would be a tough choice between the two. Exactly the sounds I want.
H3, Northern Lights, and the Aldrich get my vote,
Man, that Suhr is beautiful! And this demo has come at a great time for me as I just ordered a custom Suhr a couple of weeks ago and spec’d EMG X series pickups in it - SAX, SAX and 89X. The X series EMG say “bridge the gap between active and passive pickups”. Based on what I’m hearing here, I’m still happy with my choice! The cleans are maybe not quite as “clear” sounding as the passives, but the combination of X series plus the fact the 89X is the “two in one” pickup and can either sound like an 85X or “split” and sound like a SAX should overcome this to an extent. And coincidentally I’m selling my current Suhr Pete Thorn model to pay for it. It is indeed a great guitar, which is what prompted me to get my own custom made. Great work as always Michael!
Awesome! Please let me know what you think about the X's when you get them
@@BigHairyGuitars I will do - I’m planning on putting a comparison video up on my channel, although I’m not expecting the guitar for maybe 9 months depending on the current Suhr build times.
Good call on the X series! I haven't tried any of the 6 string versions, but the X series I have tried in the 7 string are great. I think EMG's description is spot on with them. You get the goodness of EMG, but with a better feel. I am also very curious about their Retro Active pickups, specifically the Fat 55 set.
@@colejustesen yeah, they really sound like a “best of both worlds” pickup, which is why I chose them. There seems to be very little out there in the way of reviews and demos on them unfortunately. Great to hear you like yours!
I think the best sounding ones were the PAF Pro, JB, and the L500XL. I’m partial to DiMarzio, but that’s just me lol
Paf pro for me. Have it in the neck position of my Jackson Jack Butler. Very musical pickup. Doesn't sound so pissed but more gentle
The Dimarizo PAF Pro !!!
The L500, PAF Pro, and Blackstock all stood out. The rest of them sounded the same, except the Les Paul sample. I was really surprised how much I liked the PAF Pro.
the JB is so versatile its amazing for the cost.
Tom Anderson H3 was impressive in every clip!
Thanks for the most level comparison. That DiMarzio *PAF Pro* was the one for me, the *Suhr Aldrich* too, but then I did like the *Seymour Duncan JB* even though it was darker and in the end I was surprised with the *EMG 85* . Was the EMG's 9v, 18v or the 24v battery mod, I have heard them come alive and open up with more voltage.
Hah, also my top 3!
Loved the Paf pro and the Friedman. With the lead playing your fingers made the sound, so the differences diminished.
Friedman+, Blackstocks, PAF Pro depending on application. IMO. Studio monitors here & 50+ years of playing. Thanks for the PIA work :)
Hi Michael! Great stuff
I loved the Duncan JB above al others.
Suhr Reb Beach model
Nuff said. 🤟
DiMarzio PAF PRO sounds amazing, especially clean but also with distortion, so my personal #1 for versatility. The Suhr Alrich sounds pretty nice, with heavy distortion having nice overtones. Seymour Duncan JB is very good too, (especially in the Vai - Blues example) Friedman Classic, Tom Anderson and Bill Lawrence fall in the middle, but all still nice. Blackstock Northern Lights is ok, the EMG's are kind of dull in comparison. The Lollar Imperial and the Bare Knuckle Holy Diver sounded the worst. Still depends on what you are aiming though....
I have a JB but I was surprised with the Blackstock Northern Lights which I didn't know. Great sounding pickup with lovely presence and high frequencies... At least, for me! =)
Blackstock. Never even heard of them, but have to look them up.
That was crazy but damn that lp just sounds less compressed and so damn good
The PAF pro for me but i am biased since that is what is in the majority of my guitars.
I like it because it is extremely Balanced across the frequency range and has a medium output.
No mud what so ever. Great harmonics and a Micheal schenker set wha lead tone.
I did really like the Blackstock a lot though. it came a close second for me. great p'u for a unknown!
To me there was a frequency in the Friedman I didn't care for. I preferred the Suhr, Blackstock and the EMG 85. In the 80s, I had an RG550 that I outfitted with EMGs - 85, SA, 89 with a push pull split for the 89 at the bridge. Great combination.
To me, the Tom Henderson H3 is the best : most balanced, best clarity. You can hear each string equally.
Second place : EMG 85, BILL LAWRENCE and Friedman classic+
I preferred the DiMarizo PAF Pro the best, both crunch and clean.
Although i do lean towards a higher impedance pickup, say around 13 to 15k