Guitar Pickup Comparison Shootout (DiMarzio, BKP, Lundgren) more to come

[Whammy]

Hi all,

I've starting an on going pickup comparison shootout (bridge humbucker).
I'm trying to keep it as accurate as possible in order to eliminate any variables so I'm always going to use the same guitar (Ibanez RGR465m) with a brand new set of strings each time and tuned down to drop B to help encompass 7 string users too (I am aware that 7-string versions will sound slightly different from 6-string versions but it will at least give you a rough idea of what it will be like)
All recording settings will be the same along with the mix settings so any difference you hear through comparison is strictly the pickup (and also my playing haha).
The mix will also have drums and bass so you will be able to judge how the pickup holds up with the other elements in a band.
But each pickup will have a link in the description to a guitars only version
Everything is done by myself so I can only move so fast but I hope to update this regularly enough.

I've already done BKP Aftermath, BKP Blackhawk, DiMarzio D Activator & DiMarzio CrunchLab with the blade facing the bridge & neck.
Next I'll be doing a DiMarzio Evolution & Lundgren M6.

I hope that this will help people choosing pickups for the own purposes as I found it so hard to find examples without the added variables of amps and woods etc.

Anyone who has pickup recommendations please let me know, I'll see what I can do ...

Pickup Comparison Shootout (Set)

Also for anyone who likes shinny blue things here is the guitar I'm using

 

[Leevious]

Sounds great dude, what amp set up are you using? Wouldn't mind hearing how the BKP Miracle Man and DiMarzio Dominion compare...
Cheers man!

 

[kylendm]

I'm actually mostly interested in the Duncan SH-6. Keith Merrow makes it sound killer anytime he uses it.

 

[MarcusGHedwig]

I'm actually mostly interested in the Duncan SH-6. Keith Merrow makes it sound killer anytime he uses it.

+1, pretty sure it'd at least place in the top 3 if you included it in this test! And more importantly, it's a tone many are familiar with, so it'd make a good control

 

[Robert W]

Personally think the BKP Warpig sounds better for lower tunings.

 

[Whammy]

Just got the Lundgren back yesterday.
I originally got the Lundgren M6 before Christmas thanks to my fiancée but had issues installing it.
The screws that came with it were too big to fit through the metal pickup ring on the guitar and the ring didn't take well to drilling through it.

Lundgren offered to replace the legs on the pickup with smaller threads so I could use my normal screws.

Just got it back yesterday. With a free t-shirt too
Awesome customer support thanks to Johan Lundgren

Got the pickup installed and will get recording it tomorrow.
Replaced the bridge with a Lo-Pro Edge over Christmas so I will be re-recording all the other pickups I've done so far to keep everything the same. Plus it gives me a chance to get all recording takes to a higher standard. Playing is a bit sloppy on some tracks and it makes the pickups sound bad.

Anywooooooos heres the pickup installed and my free t-shirt

Sounds great dude, what amp set up are you using? Wouldn't mind hearing how the BKP Miracle Man and DiMarzio Dominion compare...
Cheers man!

I'm interested in trying the Dominion too. Loads more BKP's I'd like to try but I'm buying these pickups and a few BKP's will put a large hole in my pocket, haha Got to save more money up for them.

For this I'm using all in the box. Just to ensure the setting are all the same.
I can't really leave a cab set up with a mic in the exact same position for months on end
In the box there's a Tube Screamer emulation fed into a Sansamp PSA-1 distortion followed by RedWirez cab simulation. Can't remember the cab type of the top of my head.

I'm actually mostly interested in the Duncan SH-6. Keith Merrow makes it sound killer anytime he uses it.

Yeah that and the SH-4 I'm looking at.

 

[Clark Kent]

Dare I say it? I think the difference is so small that I wouldn't waste too much time worrying about which of these sounds better. I think the Aftermath or the Crunch Lab with blade towards bridge sounded best. But the biggest difference must be in the feel when playing.

SOUNDS GOOOOOOOOOD!

 

[Whammy]

^
I'd agree that the difference is small.
The reality is I'd be happy with any one of the pickups I've tried so far.
But I'm looking for a pickup that ticks all the boxes from me. I want to have pride in my tone I would have to say I haven't found the pickup that suits my sound yet.
The more I do this the more I realize what I want from a pickup.

A general overview of the pickups would only show up frequency curves differences.
However a more in depth listen should reveal differences beyond that.
Is the pick attack exaggerated, blurred or natural.
Does the pick attack effect chords from sounding as full?
For example a chord should sound like one big note but if the pick attack is exaggerated the individual notes in the chord won't gel together very well. Essentially it will choke the chord.
Take output levels and also compression of notes from hot pickups and you have more variables that change sound.

Some hear them, some don't.


All the pickups sound good but there are small areas that they shine at.
In my opinion none of the pickups are a healthy balance of all the elements I need.

My ideal pickup:
Lows full, low mids a little back and high mids a little forward. Highs to cut through in an aggressive way but not enough to take away from the other elements.
Pickup attack a bit exaggerated. Solid but hopefully with the low mids being cut a small bit, the chords will still sound clear.
Hot output but not super hot. Subtle compression on the notes due to over winding but only a subtle amount.

All the pickups are great. None fit my ideal pickup.

 

[Whammy]

The Lundgren M6 has been recorded and added to the set.

If you wanna hear just click the link in the first post

I was surprised by this pickup. I was expecting a one trick pony along the vibe of Meshuggah.
Thankfully I was wrong.

If you don't want to read my thoughts on this pickup stop reading

I know differences are small between most of the pickups but for the diligent listener there are things that stand out.
I though the pickup was going to be mid scooped but that's not quite right.
It has lower midrange growl which helps give the low end a more aggressive tone rather that a polished low end.
The mids just above that growl is pulled back which does effect note clarity & pick attack to a certain extent.
Just as the midrange was split into a upper and lower midrange so is the high end.
The lower register of the high end is also pulled back like the upper midrange but the upper register of the high end, although not foward still cuts through, in a smooth way.
This quality seems to only shine during typical lead sections and tapping parts which is quite nice for making the lead stand out.

I'm only giving my thoughts because it's the closest pickup I've found so far that suits my style (a few tweeks bringing up pick attack and I'd be a happy man haha), plus there is not much detailed information about this pickup online.

 

[Whammy]

DiMarzio Evolution and BKP Blackhawk AlnicoV (neck pickup in bridge position) have been added to the set

I also re-recorded all the older versions with the new tremolo and made sure that all pickups were set to the same height.

Sound be getting my hands on a Seymour Duncan or two from a friend to record.

I was also thinking of adding some stock pickups like the dimarzio/ibz etc.
Would be nice to see how they compare to most pickups that people replace them with.

Don't know how many times I restrung my guitar in the last few days

 

[kylendm]

I gotta admit the main thing this particular test has proved to me is pickups don't make that much a difference in sound when putting the rest of the instruments in the mix. I've owned an Aftermath 7, C-Nailbomb 7, C-Warpig, a SD JB-7, DM Evolution, DM X2N and yeah they all sound vastly different when playing solo but once in a mix it's really super minor. But even still I heard more of a difference in the pickups than this test. Maybe it's just this particular mix.

 

[Whammy]

The reason the differences are small is because I've done my best to eliminate every other variable. Even trying to keep my playing as solid and similar to previous takes as I can to minimize that being a factor in audio differences.
It really pushes your ears to pick up on the only variable left, the pickups. Some people can hear differences, some can't.
No pickups I've tried on the test yet sound like the JB or C-Nailbomb which IMO will have a bigger difference to the others on the test. The JB being quite raw while the C-NB having an obvious mid scoop.

 

[Whammy]

Added a "control" pickup to the set.

The DiMarzio/ibz taken from the bridge of an Ibanez RG.

 

[Rex Rocker]

Sorry to necrobump this thread, just wanted to say that I found this shootout very useful. I hope Whammy still posts here. I can't believe so few people replied.

 

[Soul Forlorn]

I went through a pickup experimentation phase a few months back...mainly just because it was fun.

I really think that the differences pickups make in tone is generally highly exaggerated, as long as you're comparing 2 pickups in the same "class" (2 hot humbuckers, for example). With a lot of pickups, it's tough to hear the difference. We, as musicians, will hear a slight change. Most people would never notice. Furthermore, these slight tonal differences can be easily compensated for if you have tools at your disposal such as an Axe Fx, DAW plug-ins, EQ hardware, etc.

However, there are still pickups that I gravitate toward, simply because their tone is immediate (little tweaking required), so I still think the right choice in pickups is an important one. Also, the feel varies greatly from pickup to pickup and that's difficult to adjust for. For example, the Dominion seemed really "stiff" to me and made playing seem more difficult. A lot of people love it but it just wasn't for me.