Favorite Pups

[Deng]

It seems like most of the guitarests in the world seem to have a brand/model of pickups that they see as the go-to item. I was wondering, what are your guys' favorite pickups? For distorted or for clean, just looking to see what people like.

Personally I am a fan of SD.

-Deng

[brandondrury]

I got into the metal thing hardcore in the late 90s. I did the EMG 81 thing for a while. I loved it. Then when I had my awakening and started appreciating songwriting, I found that I fell in love with guitarists that were using passive pickups. You simply can not get the tones of Boston, Guns N Roses, Living Color (Cult of Personality) or early Van Halen with an EMG 81. The EMG 81 has tremendous attack and sustain. It's easy to get the metal chug thing happening. In other words, it's easy to get a good tone, but I don't think it's possible to get my idea of the one great tone with this pickup.

I started playing an Ibanez Superstrat and I truely love the Dimarzios in it. Very cool pickups. I don't know the exact model.

To be honest, I don't think the difference between Dimarzios is all that high. I know that some do sound different, but I don't know anyone with the time to install 40 different pickups just to try them out.

To me you either have active or passive. You can get great tones with any of them.

Brandon