Seymour Duncan 6-String Bridge Pickups 2015, 15 Model Comparison, Metal Rhythm
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- Опубликовано: 8 фев 2025
- The "NYANCAT" of guitar videos returns! Uploaded by request- I've updated the Duncan pickup shootout for 2015 to include some of the newer pickups they offer.
As before, I used the same guitar, same amp tone, same mix, and same riffs. All of these pickups would most likely sound great if I were to dial in the amp according to how the pickup reacts to the guitar. But, for the sake of consistency, the amp settings are exactly the same on every clip so you can hear the tonal variations between them IN THIS GUITAR.
Keep in mind- These pickups are all going to sound different depending on the guitar and amp you're using. A pickup that sounds good (or not good) in this guitar, might sound completely different in yours. The result: a couple of the models clearly aren't a good choice for this guitar. However, a few of them compliment the guitar quite nicely . Which ones are your favorites?
Pickups-
Seymour Duncan
www.seymourdunc...
TIME STAMPS-
Full mix-
Full Shred 0:11
Distortion 1:08
Aternative 8 2:04
Nazgul 3:01
Invader 3:58
Omega 4:55
Pegasus 5:51
JB 6:48
Custom 7:45
Custom 5 8:42
EMTY 9:38
Blackout 10:35
Dave Mustaine Livewire 11:32
Dimebucker 12:28
Black winter 13:25
Guitar Only-
Full Shred 14:23
Distortion 14:34
Alternative 8 14:44
Nazgul 14:55
Invader 15:06
Omega 15:17
Pegasus 15:28
JB 15:39
Custom 15:50
Custom 5 16:01
EMTY- 16:12
Blackout 16:23
Dave Mustaine Livewire 16:33
Dimebucker 16:44
Black Winter 16:55
Signal chain-
Schecter Keith Merrow KM6- Duncan 805 OD- 5150 amp- Two Notes Torpedo Studio- UA Apollo Quad- Presonus Studio One Pro
Stalk me-
/ keith.merrow1
www.keithmerrow...
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Checked my riff-o-meter... Yup! Still the most badass riff. \m/
Ola Englund Totally agree!
Ola Englund Hey Ola! Man, you should update your studio and go through your tones and stuff! That'd be so cool!
Ola Englund i agree totally......
Ola Englund You and Keith are such great musicians and complete yourselves great, you should do more stuff together because the results are so awesome ! ;-)
Solar part 2!!!!
Full Shred 0:11
Distortion 1:08
Alternative 8 2:04
Nazgul 3:01
Invader 3:58
Omega 4:55
Pegasus 5:51
JB 6:48
Custom 7:45
Custom 5 8:42
EMTY 9:38
Blackout 10:35
Dave Mustain Livewire 11:32
Dimebucker 12:28
Black Winter 13:25
You're Welcome
😇
Guitar Only-
Full Shred 14:23
Distortion 14:34
Alternative 8 14:44
Nazgul 14:55
Invader 15:06
Omega 15:17
Pegasus 15:28
JB 15:39
Custom 15:50
Custom 5 16:01
EMTY- 16:12
Blackout 16:23
Dave Mustaine Livewire 16:33
Dimebucker 16:44
Black Winter 16:55
Denver Williams THANK YOU!
Description
There goes our hero! Thank you sir
I bet, that after 20 years SD will still compare their pickups with this riff
*Keith moves to Fishman...
hands down, the most killer advert for SD, EVER !!!!!!!
Like nr 200. This riff will outlive us all and million years more.
Amen! Where's the tab for this riff lol
Just watch his hands bruh, he plays this riff for like 10 minutes straight
This is literally the most perfect pickup comparison for metal guitarist.
The song is Pillars of Re-Creation, by Merrow for anyone wondering.
Epic! thanking you 🤘
I never get tired of that riff. I not even listen the comparison, I just came for the riff. Again. And again. And again. I sweer, I want this on my funeral.
This still remains as one of the most valuable videos ever for guitarists and builders. I can't thank Keith enough. Outstanding. And, damn, I love this riff!!!!!!
And the algorithm shoots me a throwback... Can't believe I never posted that I bought a Pegasus because of this video, and however many years later, I could not be happier. Absolutely fantastic-sounding pickup. Thanks, Keith!
Guitar only section
14:23 Full Shred
14:34 Distortion
14:45 Alt8
14:56 Nazgul
15:07 Invader
15:18 Omega
15:29 Pegasus
15:39 JB
15:51 Custom
16:02 Custom 5
16:13 EMTY
16:24 Blackout
16:35 Mustaine
16:45 DImebucker
16:56 Black Winter
Nazgul is fucking gnarly. So powerful yet the tone has a lot of flavour. Good thing I can listen to that riff all day :)
Andragon90 thanks for the showdown, Keith.
Andragon90 If you like this type of sound you should check out the Schecter Apocalypse it's fucking killer!
riff forge yea reminds me of bareknuckles' cold sweat (I think that was the name) and nailbomb pickups. I think I like the Nazgul more though. Hard to describe but it sounds clearer.
Andragon90 I totally agree, it has such a punchy midrange but it still sounds really present in the higher registers.
They sound just like Bareknuckles, if not better. I love mine!
Nagzul is brutal. The pegasus has this melodic clarity. Wow
I realy need a 10hour version of that riff ... cant get enough of it \m/
Palm Muting sections :
Full Shred 0:35
Distortion 1:32
Alternative 8 2:29
Nazgul 3:26
Invader 4:22
Omega 5:19
Pegasus 6:16
JB 7:12
Custom 8:09
Custom 5 9:06
EMTY 10:03
Blackout 11:00
Mustaine 11:56
DImebucker 12:53
Black Winter 13:49
Thanks for that👌
I can (and have) watch this dozens of times and never get tired of it. What a monstrous set of riffs. And this sort of compare is the best ever done for pickups.
Straight to the power-chord riff:
Full Shred 0:22
Distortion 1:19
Alternative 8 2:16
Nazgul 3:12
Invader
4:09
Omega 5:06
Pegasus 6:03
JB 6:59
Custom 7:56
Custom 5 8:53
EMTY 9:49
Blackout 10:46
Dave Mustain Livewire 11:43
Dimebucker 12:40
Black Winter 13:37
I learned this. riff now i play it over and over again every time i go to guitar center to test several guitars
Someone needs to do this with the vintage pickups and classic rock riffs, like '59, Pearly Gates, Alnico II Pros, etc.
Came for the Pegasus, stayed for the riff!!! Hot damn!! Btw that itty bitty harmonic thrown in there just made my day!!!🔥🔥🔥🔥
Oh man those that SH-5 sounds so good. Ended up ordering them on reverb can’t wait to try them
For me the Nazgul and the Omega sounded the best by a good bit. Really impressed.
Can we talk about how incredible this riff is?
That's the most helpful video on the Internet. I've never had the slightest idea how to choose a pickup. I just listened to this video without watching. I was so surprised by my choice.
What was your choice???
Watched this video about 6 years ago then immediately went out and got the Nazgûl for bridge and Pegasus for the neck. Love them both.
Ahhh the refreshing sound of pillars of recreation.
I actually learned that song by ear just because I loved it so much. Best riffs I know, imho
Hank Hill You fucking live on RUclips don't you, my friend
blackjackmcgack oh yes he does
blackjackmcgack propane gave him the power!
+blackjackmcgack I do now. Now that my show is cancelled I have nothing better to do.
Hank Hill Hank, I will love to hear your music!
the point of this video is that you can't go wrong with any Seymour Duncan pickups. However, the snarl of the Nazgul gives me goosebumps!
The Full Shred is my favorite. Been using them since '87. They sound phenomenal and are razor sharp, totally cut through.
You're a boss, Keith.
Mark Holcomb he is indeed
@@thedutchdjentleman yes the riff sounds like periphery
@@veerayyahorapeti6896 na periphery sounds like this riff
This is the best video!
Every few years when a guitar needs an upgrade, I stay here for about 30 minutes to recall the sound profiles, and then make a decision what to buy. Every pickup manufacturer should do a video like this!
I could seriously listen to that on repeat all day long.
Still my favorite Merrow song. Glad to see an update of the old comparison video!
These are absolutely some of the sickest riffs i EVER heard... Loved every second of it & every little nuance !!!
Always come back to this video when im gonna buy new pickups. The best pick up comparison ever made. I wish there were more.
The Nazgul saturates super awesome the way your tone is in this video. Especially when you hit the sixth string. Love it.
The pickups that really intrigue me:
1) Omega, A very Hi- Fidelity Pickup. Sounds like it has the best clarity of all the passive pick-ups (doesnt compress as hard). In-fact It sounds more akin to the EMTY in terms of its tone and ability to handle dirt while staying "clear". Very cutting treble but doesn't whimp out on the bass either.
-If I had to do Extended Range chord work, no doubt this would be one of the pick-ups i'd use in a heart beat.
- if it was a character, it come off as a contract killer, precise and effective. Almost Machine-like (actives) feeling that makes it seem worth it.
2) Pegasus, also has a hi-fidelity "singing" quality to it.
-It has a tone palette of the Duncan Distortion without feeling overly compressed, yet on the aspect of upper mids it sounds a little bit like the JB without the excessive mid bump.
-Not as aggressive sounding as the rest but can hold his own with a very well mannered lower end. (not as tight as the naz or blackouts but doesn't flub out like the invaders and full shred)
- If it was a character, it come across as a astute professor by day, but an English Brawler by night.
3) Black Winters. Sounds like a very souped up custom 5. Shares very similar tone palette but is tighter all round. Has the effect of sounding larger.
- If it was a character, definitely the Big Bodyguard of an entourage. His presence is definitely felt just by looking at him. Not necessary for him to speak for you to feel intimidated.
Love that mid presence in the Custom 5! Nazgul sounds gnarly too.
The Custom 5 is scooped. The original Custom has better mids!
Chugs
Full Shred 0:36
Distortion 1:33
Alternative 8 2:30
Nazgul 3:26
Invader 4:23
Omega 5:19
Pegasus 6:16
JB 7:13
Custom 8:10
Custom 5 9:06
EMTY 10:03
Blackout 11:00
Dave Mustain Livewire 11:56
Dimebucker 12:54
Black Winter 13:51
Guitar Only-
Distortion 14:34
Alternative 8 14:44
Omega 15:17
Pegasus 15:28
Custom 15:50
Custom 5 16:01
Black Winter 16:55
The Custom sounds way better than the rest.
This video is my bible. THIS IS IT! I come back here every once in a while. Thank you very much Keith!
I only miss the test were you played a couple Bare Knuckle pickups. Your sound with the Aftermath was THE TONE among tones!!!
The SH-5 sounds the best IMO, it has the note separation of a higher-output pickup, but with the depth of a lower-output pickup.
Alex Wright SH-14 is even better! ;)
It's the one everyone sleeps on
I was going to write the exact same comment.
sh15 mate
put a sh6 on a fat mahagony single cut guitar and you will never look back
If only the Omega didn't cost that much. Such a well defined tone. The Nazgul comes very close to it, although the highs are a bit too much.
Still ordered mine yesterday. Thanks for the video, Keith. I was going for the JB before I watched this comparison.
Love this comparison !
Bruh, I feel like I see you everywhere now lmao
Cheah!
bakerXderek yo bxdickhead
VDP_Logan where there is metal...there is bakerxderek
CHYEAH
I've had the SH5 Custom (DCJ) in my LP since the mid 80's and still absolutely love it. Thanks for the great wind job Juanita Juarez!!
Backing track
SH-10 Full Shred 0:11
SH-6 Distortion 1:08
SH-15 Alternative 8 2:04
Nazgul 3:01
SH-8 Invader 3:58
Omega 4:55
Pegasus 5:51
SH-4 JB 6:48
SH-5 Custom 7:45
SH-14 Custom 5 8:42
EMTY Blackout 9:38
AHB-1 Blackout 10:35
Dave Mustain Livewire 11:32
SH-13 Dimebucker 12:28
Black Winter 13:25
Guitar Only
SH-10 Full Shred 14:23
SH-6 Distortion 14:33
SH-15 Alternative 8 14:44
Nazgul 14:55
SH-8 Invader 15:06
Omega 15:17
Pegasus 15:28
SH-4 JB 15:39
SH-5 Custom 15:49
SH-14 Custom 5 16:00
EMTY Blackout 16:11
AHB-1 Blackout 16:22
Dave Mustain Livewire 16:33
SH-13 Dimebucker 16:44
Black Winter 16:55
I love that the Dimebucker holds up after all these years. And Wes’s rails are like a more refined version
For my own reference later:
Nazgul 3:01
Custom 7:45
Blackout 10:35 Baseline, what I have.
Nazgul 14:55
Custom 15:50 Broad and even.
Blackout 16:23 Baseline for comparison.
Dimebucker 16:44 same as Custom but with more phasing attack, think Van Halen dynamics.
Black Winter 16:55 same as custom but with dreamy midrange phasing. Think of soundscapes.
Thanks for the demo Keith, I recently put an SH5 Custom on my Schecter Blackjack SLS FRS and the thing screams. I couldn't be happier with the tone. Smooth and Aggressive, perfectly naturally EQ'd.
You know what impressed me the most? The guitar. That Schecter sounded great with a wide range of pickups. Well done.
I'm not sure why it would surprise you, Schecter makes great guitars
Brian Palmer vF
After all these years the distortion still holds its own against the new boys!
Awesome demo!!
Hands down the SH-5 is the best out of all of these beautiful pickups--it's got a warmth and detail that few of the other pickups can match but still retains grit, clarity, and attack for more aggressive riffs and tones. It's not the highest output nor is it the most "djenty" but it's so well balanced and "open", there just isn't another pickup like it.
It's been My favorite for a bit now. I put one in my s-style ⅞ warmoth and I love it.
@@kiezersosay49I agree. I put it in all my guitars, baritones and standard scale included, and every single time it sounds just diabolical.
The thing most impressive about this video (besides the amazing riffage) is that when Seymour Duncan describes what their pickups sound like and do, they aren't talking out their ass with marketing BS. Everything I've heard said about these pickups is clearly heard in the demo.
Oh good, now I cant decide. Now I have to go buy 8 more guitars
thats the spirit!
Just put the Nazgul and Sentient set in my 27 inch Firefly Buckethead Baritone yesterday and just saw this for the first time.
I'm so glad i went with the Nazgul.
It sounds EXACTLY like the name suggests.
Nazgul, Omega, Custom, and Black Winter
Finally a comparison video done right! The guitar only at the end was very helpful. Searching for clean tone comparison now.
My top three:
1) Black Winter 16:55
2) Custom (SH-5) 15:50
3) Nazgul 14:55
I agree. Got two seven strings with one having the sh-5 and the other a black winter. Slays.
Custom nazgul bw
I got a SH-5, based so much on this video. I have a crappy recording system, and even in this situation it presents this beautiful, rich, smooth low end.
Finally a high quality metal comparison between the JB and Custom 5!!! Thanks Keith! LTD put Custom 5s in some of their EC models years ago so I was really curious to hear that comparison. I prefer the JB. I don't see the Custom 5 beating it in any application.
this is a kind of limited comparison, but the custom 5 should sound really mellow on an eclipse, better for hard rock than a JB, but with better clean sound
+Ernesto Picasso how would the Custom 5 be better for hard rock than a JB? To my ears the JB is a pretty good hard rock pickup. I agree the JB's clean sound isn't that great.
+Ernesto Picasso I had the JB in my Les Paul (all mahogany) for a while and the clean sound didn't even compare to that of my Burstbucker Pros. Oh well there's always a trade-off.
+Jeff H yes, the custom 5 would be ideal, a custom should work too, but sometimes is too harsh for some people
i agree with you. the custom 5 sounded the best here. and Full Shred too
After this video I did put black winters on my RG custom and I can say they are simply amazing. Used to play with JBs. These pickups are unbelieavable and I’ll probably put them on most of my guitars
Could listen to this riff a million times
I saw this video and bought the Black Winter later that night. This pickup, hands down, was the best pickup purchase I've made yet. This thing is both brutal and versatile. Roll back the volume and you got a nice Gibson type tone. You can't lose with this pickup. Black Winter chews up all the others.
I did the same thing! Such a good pickup.
My favorites:
Distortion - sounds a little gritty on it's own, but works wonderful in a mix, really full tone.
Nazgul - sounds a little thinner than others, but that tone is definitely unique, I guess it would be perfect for djenty stuff.
Dimebucker - I usually don't like this one for it's shrillness, but here it worked surprisigly well.
Black winter - really balanced. Not to thin or thick, warm enough, withought sacrificing brightness. No wonder these are standard for KM-6.
All these years and differents models and the Jb is still awesome. This pickup might be one of the best purchase i've ever done.
that feeling when you hear pillars of creation :3
acab hqrte re-creation
acab hqrte the feeling if you're actually able to play it
riff forge that feeling when you tried to learn and failed :D
riff forge the song is not that difficult, the problem for me is that i don't have YET a 7 string guitar XS
acab hqrte
you can play it on 6 string guitar just drop everything two steps, in the video he's playing a 6 string guitar
I loved every single one of them! Can I get one of each for Christmas, as a gift? XD
Seriously now, this comparison is awesome!
Rumor has it that he's still playing that riff nonstop, to this day, while pickups are continuously getting changed into the guitar! 🤘😋
Nazgul sounds the best, but god damn that pegasus pickup is also pretty chunky and badass
Full mix:
Full Shred 0:11
Distortion 1:08
Aternative 8 2:04
Nazgul 3:01
Invader 3:58
Omega 4:55
Pegasus 5:51
JB 6:48
Custom 7:45
Custom 5 8:42
EMTY 9:38
Blackout 10:35
Dave Mustaine Livewire 11:32
Dimebucker 12:28
Black winter 13:25
Guitar Only:
Full Shred 14:23
Distortion 14:34
Alternative 8 14:44
Nazgul 14:55
Invader 15:06
Omega 15:17
Pegasus 15:28
JB 15:39
Custom 15:50
Custom 5 16:01
EMTY 16:12
Blackout 16:23
Dave Mustaine Livewire 16:33
Dimebucker 16:44
Black Winter 16:55
that nazgûl is quite a powerful pickup.
reminds me of a dimarzio crunchlab
This is the best video on RUclips with no second place in sight. You fucking rock, dude. SD should have someone feed you bacon anytime you want it for the rest of your life.
Custom still killing it! Nazgul a close second! Awesome riffs!
Love the black winters, have them in an ESP, like the Nazgûl they’re brutal but are a bit more round sounding but the Pegasus really caught my ear
Impressed with how well the custom5 sounds with this style of music. You have to expect the Nazgul, black winter, Mustaine types to excel being they are specifically designed for metal.
Great video Keith. I can't imagine how much time this took to put together. Nice work!
Honestly... sounds like you switched IRs for the second half of the pickup variety, and then used unique IRs for each Blackout. Also seems like you dialed the amp slightly different for the JB, Custom 5 and Black Winter
I don't blame you, you worked for SD back them, but yeah the 2012 test seems more accurate.
I'd love to see this exact test actually reamped with the same gear, if you got any of the DI tracks
The JB and the Custom both sounded godly in the S7G you used in the 2012 video, and I love both of those pickups, but this guitar doesn't take them as well. The Nazgul sounds insane here, as does the Omega. I was surprised by the Custom 5 and the Dimebucker which sound gnarly too compared to the 2012 video.
His guitar in 2012 is Mahogany.
This one is Swamp Ash.
Thank you for doing this update! I re-watch your original video as a reference all the time. The nostalgia- and cool- factors are 9000+ here!!
Good thing watching Keith playing his old tunes again.
The Omega and Black Winter sound just insane.
All these years later, and this riff still SLAPS! Yoo, the Distortion is thicc sounding, damn!!!! But I still rock a Nazgul/Sentient set in my Jacksons.
This video is awesome. Every pickup sounds great especially with this badass riffing.
Gosh, this makes me nostalgic of that black winter black metal demo. My favourite video hands down, i wish Keith make more of those.
SH 5 !!!
Nazgul & Black Winter are my two favorites. Clear, punchy, articulate and not muddy.
I've got SH-5 thanks to this video, I have one JB in my one guitar. They are so balanced pick ups for me and I will try Black Winter.
Great choice! TTHey sounds for me like perfect balance between sharpness and chunky meat.
I have black winter as well -- have more mids and bit sharper I like them for quick playing.
SH5 - more spongy bas, I like them for slow riffs
I got the SH-5 years ago because of this vid and it is definitely my favorite pickup.
as I get older, my metal tolerance gets lower and lower. I actually listened to all of this one. It sounds great and I likes it. Great playing
Has anyone tabbed this out? It’d make it easier to learn rather than watching at half speed and going off ear 😂 I also bought the nazgul/sentient set bc of this video and couldn’t be happier with them.
Also looked for them, seem to be available online.
All for science. This will be the gold standard of pickup comparisons for years to come (Until you release the next one basically).
Nice, kicking it old school. Great demo as expected :)
I tried to listen to this "blind" while browsing in another tab, and the pickups that sounded best to my ear were the Alternative 8 and Custom 5. Not what I would have guessed! Awesome video.
Jesus, Keith makes some of the meanest/coolest fucking riffs ever!!!
I keep coming back to the Nazgul for clarity and separation throughout the entire spectrum. It sounds so complex................ROCK ON
Black Winter is really surprising here, easily the best sounding of the bunch imho
That's one of the most badass riff progressions I've heard in ages!! If that is actually part of a full song, I would love to download it.
I must say though, it must have been a huge pain in the ass to change through that many sets of pickups, unless there's an easier way that I don't know about that dodges all the soldering and unsoldering...
A bit late, found it today actually : Merrow - Pillars of Re-Creation
The EMTY mixes better with the drums. But the Nazgul sounds insane! I'd use the EMTY for studio recordings and the Nazgul for live performances.
Classic JB holding its own. I love coming back to this vid. Nazgul Rulz by far!
Alternative 8 for the real life sound. Omega for the spectrum stereo sound. Dimebucker for the really, really heavy tone. And the Invader for beign the excalibur of modern guitar sound.
Yeah. They are my favorite.
I had my stepsons pitbull in the car with me the other day and I was blasting this and when the Pegasus section came on he started howling…I ordered one😂
I'm going to say
4) EMTY
3) Black Winter
2) Nazgul
1) Omega
I was pretty torn between Nazgul and Omega, so it came down to playstyle: Nazgul is just pure metal. Omega is more rounded. I tend to play a pretty eclectic blend of styles, so...
***** I feel the Nazgul is best because its less vintage voiced for a modern pickup
The Nazgul Pickup sounds fantastic. I'm working with a SH-4JB for years now. It sounds great on single notes / solos but is to muddy when it comes to more chunky riffing stuff, at least in my opinion. I need to tweak a lot with an EQ to get the sound that I want. I'd like something with more clarity and attack. The Nazgul might be my next pickup. Thank you for your video! This helped a ton!
Omega, Nazgul, Black Winter, Custom, JB. In that order.
Fifty0ne Because midrange.
+Fifty0ne Same, except BW before Nazgul, and no JB.
+Fifty0ne For me its like Black Winter,Omega,Nazgul didnt dig the jb in the raw guitar mix
+Fifty0ne Exactly the same, but take that JB outta here dammit
thats really close to my lineup as well
This video is what I keep coming back to for my pickup needs. It inspired me to get a Blackwinter Humbucker/trembucker set for my Spear RD-T, and now I think I gotta get an Omega set for my Gladius. Damn that’s crisp.